Knowledge
Frankenstein Final Assessment-By Simone D'Souza
Knowledge Quotes
"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason."-Immanuel Kant
Quotes from Frankenstein
Explanation: The creature in the book Frankenstein experiences the wonderful warmth of the fire the beggars left to die down. The creature has no idea that the fire can be very harmful when touched directly. In the book that was when he thrusts his hand into the live embers and realizes that the fire burns. The knowledge he obtained was that the element of fire can be a wonderful thing to provide warmth, but when touched or provoked it can leave a nasty burn.
Explanation: When the cottagers were reading texts from the books provided the creature was able to listen on to get the gist of reading. When he found Victor's journal in his pocket he was unable to read it, but when he obtained the knowledge of doing so he was able to understand who he is, and what he was meant to be through the journal of Victor Frankenstein. Which didn't turn out so well for the creature.
Explanation: The creature has be tortured by the by the townspeople, and has been forced to run away in hiding. He cannot show himself to the world because he fears that he will experience the same punishments as last time. He will remain in his little hovel where he will watch over his little cottagers
Explanation: The creature doesn't understand that there is good and bad feelings involved in human emotion. He discovers that through the little cottagers. How a family can be so happy at times, yet very miserable at others.
Explanation: In the book, the creature talks about how he came to be, what made him who his is. He now understands what is suppose to become of him. He will now remain in his little hovel to basque in the glory of beholding his little cottagers to discover more and learn more from the to be ready for the outside world. If society ever comes to accept such a thing.
Explanation: The creature at the time retired in a little hovel next to his cottagers, and in time was able to imitate the words given to Safie. The creature was then able to learn the language that was spoken, and to speak it very fluently. He was able to gain the knowledge of how to speak, and communicate with others as he did with the grandfather in the house.
Modern Connection
According to Doctor Robert Hedaya, a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University Hospital and Founder of the National Center for Whole Psychiatry, “During the teen years, under the influence of massive new hormonal messages, as well as current needs and experiences, the teenager’s brain is being reshaped, and reconstructed.”
He also says that “what a teen does and is exposed to during this critical time in life, has a large influence on the teen’s future, because experience and current needs shape the pruning and sprouting process in the brain.”
Doctor Hedaya notes that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the teen’s brain is undeveloped and improperly balanced as it relates to the emotional part of the brain, thus unable to make rational decisions. For the teen, most decisions are fueled by emotion and what “feels good”. These findings on the adolescent brain go a long way in explaining why teenagers are so susceptible to peer pressure.
Neuroscience proves that the frontal cortex, determines the quality of judgment, self-control, and sensible planning of the brain, develops slowly throughout teenage adolescence. When not fully matured, the frontal cortex is physically unable to make rational and disciplined decisions alongside the emotional portion of the brain.
Research has also noted gender differences in the development of the brain. David K. Urion, an associate professor of neurology who treats children with cognitive impairments, and Frances E. Jensen, a professor of neurology, explain that part of the brain which process information grows during childhood and starts to lessen, climaxing in girls around 12 to 14 years old and manifests in males close to two years later. Research suggests girls and boys may comprehend challenging material at different stages impacting academic performance. Education systems may need to reconsider theories and methods on educating teens.
Recognizing Emotional Responses
In a study mapping the differences between teenage and adult brains done by Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, the director of neuropsychology and cognitive neuroimaging at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, she discovered that when it comes to identifying fear:
Regarding these results, Yurgelun-Todd said, “One of the implications of this work is that the brain is responding differently to the outside world in teenagers compared to adults. And in particular, with emotional information, the teenager’s brain may be responding with more of a gut reaction than an executive or more thinking kind of response. And if that’s the case, then one of the things that you expect is that you’ll have more of an impulsive behavioral response, instead of a necessarily thoughtful or measured kind of response.”
A study by the National Institute of Health proposed the part of the brain which restrains risky and impulsive behavior, such as reckless driving, and thinking skills, is not fully developed until the age of 25. Dr. Hedaya claims “for the teen, however, the PFC is undeveloped, and the emotional brain rules the moment, until the PFC is developed in the mid-twenties. The teen thinks: “This is going to be exciting!”-if he thinks at all”.
Jensen says on the subject of the teen brain, “It’s a paradoxical time of development. These are people with very sharp brains, but they’re not quite sure what to do with them.” The brain is only about 80% developed in teens, making it no surprise that rational decisions can be hard to come by for adolescents. Development of a mature thought process takes time.
Research during the last decade fueled by technology, relying on magnetic resonance imaging, revealed young brains have fast-growing synapses and sections that remain detached until the mid 20s. Leaving teens open to influences from the environment. These changes in the brain leave the teenager prone to impulsive behavior. This occurs even without the surge of hormones and genetic predispositions.
Citations
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. N.p.: Signet, 2003. Print.