Victor Frankenstein's Power

Many of the ideas presented in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein are fascinating when thought about.  She had many things to say about the purpose of life as well as other important aspects of humans and the choices we make in our life. One of my favorite quotes, said by Victor Frankenstein in chapter 4, states

"When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it."

Victor says this right after his new discovery of the ability (power) to create life.  While he said in a way which was contemplating what his next step should be, which was to create the monster, we can apply it to anything else, including our own lives.  When we gain a form of power how will we use it? Will we use it to benefit others, or just for ourselves? Many people "hesitate" to act upon the power given them, rather than act upon it. Do you think this is harmful to people or beneficial to them? Overall it depends on the manner in which we use our power.

Chad L.

Blog Ten-For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls

So this isn't really team related, but I think it's an interesting subject to talk about. :)

For my table’s group project, we chose the play “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” a parody of The Glass Menagerie. I won’t deny, there were some really funny parts. However, while I was reading the play I felt kind of sad. I think it was the poor treatment of Lawrence that upset me. How did you guys feel when you were reading it? But overall, I LOVED the play. So if anyone would like to watch it, here’s the links to watch the play on Youtube...

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls-Part One

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls-Part Two

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls-Part Three

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls-Part Four

I think these videos ideally show the differences between written works and drama. In addition, it also shows the differences between a written and performed play. :)

-Shelby F.

Blog Nine-Reflecting on Blogging

Well, I just deleted everything I wrote regarding this topic. -___- So here it goes again...

As you can see, this is our first team blog in a little over a month. Yikes! Our team already reflected on our blog and that was the team goal we set on the reflection paper yesterday. But since we’re on the subject of blogs…

When we first started the year, I was really excited to do team blogs. I never had a teacher that cohesively intertwined our school work with the internet/blogging. (Web searches and research papers don’t count!) I was excited to share my ideas with other students via a blog. The first half of the semester our team was very consistent with our blogs. Every one completed the blog on time during the correct week and everything was running smoothly. Until college application deadlines came…

I cannot speak for the rest of my teammates, but when college app deadlines came around I started slacking in my school work. It wasn’t my choice and I really didn’t want to, but I had to prioritize. In English, for me, it was the blogs that were compromised. This blog I am writing right now was supposed to be for the first week of November. Oh goodness. I knew a B- wouldn’t look great on my transcripts and it might have prevented me from getting into a top school, but not even turning in the application would guarantee I would not get into that particular school. However, I don’t blame it all on college applications. Sometimes I just completely forgot to blog. (Taylor can vouch for me…). My memory is usually pretty good and I don’t forget things often, but this semester I just could not ever remember to blog. Even if I clearly wrote it in my planner, I would still forget. 

Reflecting on this semester’s blog, I have come to the conclusion that it is not best for me personally. I love our team blog and I love being able to express myself in a different way than I ever have before. However, I just cannot remember to do it on a consistent basis. Sheets of paper with essay prompts or other work are tangible reminders of the homework I have. Maybe I need a new way to remember to blog. Does anyone have any recommendations? What do you think about blogging for AP Lit?

-Shelby F.

Who is Frankenstein?

     As children, we all grew up with the idea of a green Frankenstein with bolts in its neck who was not all that smart. Before starting the book, I knew this would not be the Frankenstein I would encounter, but how truly different this character is surprised me.
     First, Frankenstein is actually the last name of the main character Victor. Victor created the creature we know to be "Frankenstein". Secondly, the creature is not green. I found how Victor put the creature together very interesting; putting different body parts together is a creative way to go about his project. This simply means the creature is just patched together, making it seem like he has scars everywhere. Possibly the most surprising fact is that the creature is actually really smart. He speaks fluently and has a developed thought process.
     This provides a substantial idea for the rest of the novel. Knowing that the creature is this smart and understands exactly what Victor thinks of him foreshadows how the novel will continue. From the content of their conversation, we know that Victor will not be kind to the creature, leading the creature to hurting Victor's "fellow yellow-creatures", therefore becoming "the author of your own speedy ruin."Obviously peace will never come to the characters, and the novel will continue as it has began as a sad, tragic story.

Taylor C.

Favorite Frankenstein Quote

"If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded, and that a modern system of science had been introduced, which possessed much greater powers than the ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while those of the former were real and practical; under such circumstances, I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside, and have contented my imagination, warmed as it was, by returning with greater ardour to my former studies."

-Victor

Chapter 2

This quote caught my attention due to its extensive amount of voice. I could really hear Victor almost smart alleckally say this. Also, it includes figurative language. They include litotes, hyperbole, and metaphor. It is as if he is blaming his father for the reason why he became involved with the alchemical sciences, instead of "natural philosophy". Its structure also caughy my eye, since it extremly long. It is also essential to the plot because if he didn't start with Agrippa he would not have moved on to other alchemist philosophies.

-Sasan

"To Be of Use" Response Blog

As I read "To Be of Use", I appreciated the value of good honest work. There is always work to be done in the world and it is up to use to determine what is meaningful to us. We need to find what makes us happy in order to grow as humans.
As my high school experience comes closer to the end, I often find myself thinking about how I want "to be of use" in the world. I often loft between studying medicine and becoming a pediatrician, or studying engineering and  contributing to the advancing world around us. Who knows, maybe I'll end up studying something totally different.
From a young age I knew that I wanted to help people in some way. As a kid I wanted to be a police officer because I admired their bravery. I even considered being a firefighter. As I grew older I discovered a talent for understanding mathematics. I may decide to take advantage of this as I enter college and start to pursue a career.
For now, I have yet to decide what I want to do. All I know is that I want my future profession to be beneficial to others. I want to be remembered as someone who cares about others and is willing to work hard no matter what the task.

Blog Five: The End of Solitude Response

In William's Deresiewicz's article the "End of Solitude", Deresiewicz goes on to explain how today's society has been built upon the idea that being alone is unwanted and not comon as it used to be a generation ago.

This picture shows what is typical in today's society and now rather than our society progressing, we have regressed in a way that instead of becoming independent as individuals we have become dependent of others. Deresiewicz puts perspective to how we interact with one another and how we have evolved to always feeling like we must satisfy others before ourselves. Individuality is not valued and is not an ideal way to conduct one's self and this is what Deresiewicz finds astonishing in his observation of today's society. The "End of Solitude" gave me the realization that Deresiewicz's arguement is on point and that it isn't socially acceptable to be an individual.

-Anissa Rosales

Blog Four - Archetypes and Big Fish

We have devoted a lot of time to studying and recognizing archetypes these past few weeks in class.  The movie we watched in class, Big Fish, contains tons of archetypes, many of which are easily understood and recognizable.

The most common archetype in this film is, as the title suggests, a big fish.  A fish resembles divine creation and life, while the big size of it shows that it has an important role in this world.  As we view the film, we learn that Edward Bloom becomes the big fish he always sought after.  He had an important role in the world, greatly affecting those around him.  In certain parts of the film, bones are scattered across the ground, representing the mortality of humans and reminding us that we must continue pressing forward in the life cycle eventually going through that transition from mortality here on earth to immortality in the next life in heaven.  During the story of his death, we learn that he is dropped into a river and becomes the big fish.  Rivers represent heaven, a transition in the life cycle, and continuous life.  While he himself dies and passes on to heaven, his life continues as the river through his stories.  Edward Bloom lives on and his son carries on the intriguing stories and lessons of his life.

Not only are countless archetypal symbols such as the big fish, river, darkness, forest, and choosing between split roads depicted, but other aspects of archetypes are also evident in the film. We see examples of archetypal characters such as the hero and the soul mate. Edward Bloom takes on the role as an archetypal hero. In  all of his adventures he depicts himself as larger than life, from being the hero that saved his small town of Ashton from what they thought to be a monstrous giant, to successfully retrieving the top secret files in WWII.  He is always achieving things which many feel are extraordinary and quite implausible if not completely impossible.

Just as the archetypes of “Big Fish” supply so much more meaning to the film, which otherwise would have been a jumble of random entertaining stories, they can supply much more meaning to any other piece of literature they are in. With archetypes, we are able to look deeper and discover new meanings created with each new archetypal symbol or idea introduced.

- Chad L.

Blog Three-Texting Can Be Literature too?!

I'm curious to see how many people had trouble we our activity last week of translating "Ulysses" into texting language. I know I had trouble with it. I've never really use abbreviations in my text messages--I usually write complete sentences with proper grammar, proper spelling, and all. Maybe it is just my type-A personality. Regardless, translating "Ulysses" into such condensed symbols was difficult for me.

Mrs. Elliott mentioned that according to some scholars, text language was used in literature during the Victorian period. Though its use is quite different today, text language is becoming very influential on our society. Now when you walk through the C-building hallways, you hear people yell "OMG!" in response to a surprising story their friend told them. In other words, texting language truly is becoming a language. According to some, it is becoming "a new genre" (Yukiko Nishimura, UC Davis professor). But although text language may be creating a new language, it may be destroying the English language as well. So the question arises: "Would email and texting together destroy the power of written language and literature?" Although texting is far from literature, it remains written language. However, with the growth and expansion of technology, I believe that the common interest in reading and literature is disappearing. For me, the only time I am able to read a good piece of literature is in school. I have too many extracurriculars and I don't have much time on my hands. In other words, I can only read literature when I am forced to for a class. But for others who do have time to read, texting and computers and technology in general could be a distraction from reading Alice in Wonderland or another piece of literature. I believe that texting is creating a language and destroying one. While creating a new and unique language, it reflects our lifestyle as Americans--we want things done easy and we want them done quick. And with the rapid growth of technology, texting and email have taken over our lives. My parents don't recieve a newspaper anymore because they can read all of the articles online. The only letters we recieve to our house are invitations, magazine subscriptions, and all of the pamphlets random colleges from the Northeast send to me (not to mention, I get emails from them, too). I think that as technology continues to grow, we will see the return of texting as literature similar to how it was in the Victorian period.

-Shelby F.

Blog Two: Realities in Alice in Wonderland

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that's the great puzzle!" (Chapter 2: The Pool of Tears)

    Though in this particular quote Alice was talking about her size, little did she know of the hidden reality this question posed. As the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland progresses, I discovered the theme of the book to be of Alice growing up, changing from her child-like state of mind to adult thinking, and understanding the confusion of this process. Many parts of the book lead to this idea, such as the continual growing and shrinking. These forceful transformations relate to the changes going on within her and prove a valuable point. For example, when Alice was small, she thought she was worthless. But at the height of three inches, she was able to use her reasoning skills to escape the giant dog. This proves that size isn’t everything; adapting to difficult situations means more in adult life than simply a person’s physical size.

         I also found the idea of the baby turning into a pig interesting. To me, turning into a decent adult is a major part of this transition, and the baby turning into the pig is a metaphor of it turning into a disagreeable person, proving to Alice the seriousness of this change in her life. This quote says it all:

“If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think.” (Chapter Six: Pig and Pepper)

         By the end of the book, Alice’s reasoning, logic, and personality is more mature compared to the beginning. The court trial reveals it all, for as major injustices were being placed, Alice grasped this concept and spoke her mind against it all. She was able to think for herself rather than abide to the rulings of the court. She also increasing shows composure in frustrating situations, revealing a huge amount of self-control. This book constantly hints at ideas relating to growing up and the struggle in finding yourself, and in the end, Alice realizes the difficult task she has ahead of her. 


-Taylor C.

Salute! Blog One

Hello! This is Despicable Us's first blog. We are in Mrs. Elliott's third period class and consist of Shelby Flores, Taylor Cosanella, Anissa Rosales, Chad Larson, Ryan Lenart, and me, Sasan Amini.
I was lucky enough to be the first person in our group to post a blog (-_-). So here we go!

These past couple weeks, our class has been concentrating on the concepts of archetypes and some concepts that stem from it, such as allusions. The oddity of archetypes is the fact that we have known about them for basically all of our lives, yet we just did not know what they were. Everyone knows when they see a hero, he/she is usuallly a good person and when they see a villian, he/she is a bad person. Such examples include Harry Potter/Voldemort, Hercules/Hades, or even Spongebob/Planktin! Who is the hero and who is the villian? Well, that is up to one's perspective.

 This concept was essentially begun by Plato. Then, some big time Swiss psychiatrist named Carl Jung furthered Plato's work to what it is now. The basic definition of archetypes is a universal, prenatal image or symbol that can be determined form one's unconsious. Usually they do not require any thought processing to determine, unless they are a hidden archetype. For example, some pieces of literature may include an archetype that has a mixed meaning or that can cause conflict with a person's beliefs. Some people may believe that a snake is a sinister symbol, often compared to the serpeant in the Garden of Eden, others may thing that the snake is lucky entity. Again, a person's perspective is a main factor in determining archetypes.

So if one lived their whole life living with snakes, they will most likely have a positive connotation on snakes in a literature work. Likewise they can compare it to the evil, decieving snake of Eden.

Now, what are your thoughts on archetypes? Do you believe they can only have one meaning, or even just one connotation? Feel free to reply in the comments below!

-Sasan Amini