Dystopia = Reality?

        While I was watching The Cove for an Environmental Science Study, a documentary focusing on the active protests of Rick O'Barry against Japanese dolphin hunting and entertainment events, I began to wonder: is this how Mayday Rebels of the Handmaid's Tale view the Republic of Gilead?

Anyone who has seen the documentary or at least heard the bulk of it in my Environmental Science class may be wondering: What do these COMPLETELY separate two subjects have to do with each other?

       Well, trying my best to maintain objectivity during both the documentary and the novel, I began to notice that the activity of O'Barry in Japan seemed to carry the same point as the Mayday Rebels: once, each group or individual was hailed for their involvement in the work (dolphin entertainment in O'Barry's case, and Handmaid protection for the Rebels).

     I do not plan on digging through the contrasts between the Japanese dolphin industry and Handmaid production, but I will note that after weighing each subject, I began to realize that real-life activists like O'Barry demonstrate the actual dystopian ("imperfect world" in literal definitions) aspects of modern-day global societies. Like Moira from The Handmaid's Tale and Winston from 1984, these people long for change and strike at any chance they can grab, but they may not appear successful to the rest of the world. This realization links our understanding of dystopian literature with modern-day activism.

I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THE DOCUMENTARY The Cove
Image courtesy of The Exploring Dystopia Forum

Broken Facades

"Without his uniform he looks smaller, older, like something dried. The trouble is that I can't be, with him, any different from the way I usually am with him. Usually I'm inert."

    In this moment, just before she has sex with the Commander, Offred sees the second facade deconstruction of her night at Jezebels. Moira's appearance at the club was the first, but both her and the Commander shed parts of themselves that Offred has counted on since she met them.

   Moira didn't panic when the past society shut down her financial account, she took charge when Janine's sanity started slipping, and she carefully tricked an Aunt (armed with a cattle prod) to escape. To Offred, Moira was "swashbuckling" and "daring". For years, Moira's braveness inspired Offred's ideas of a strong woman, so seeing this braveness squelched in a place like Jezebels shakes Offred's perceptive foundation, making her much less "inert".

   The Gilead society subdued Moira, and this doesn't help how she sees the Commander. Up until the above quote, Offred notes that the Commander has the power to get rid of her at a moment's notice if she doesn't comply in meeting him at night. This constant threat gives him an edge of power that emphasizes his position in his region of Gilead, but he does not order her into explicitly sexual favors; he asks her to play Scrabble, breaks game and Gileadean rules by providing lotions and magazines, treating her with an almost fatherly intrigue in her manners and shows of precocity in their games.

    In the hotel, however, he sheds all of his power. There is no Scrabble, no pen, and no uniform, just remnants of his position ("something dried"). His facade is long gone. This begins once Offred is in the hotel bathroom, reflecting over the night in front of the "ample mirror" (Chapter 39, page 253). She calls herself "a wreck", and despite seeing her old friend, she is as "disheveled" as her used outfit. The Commander is waiting for her, but she wants to ruminate on the disappointment she just experienced. She looks past the risk in angering, or even merely annoying, him, so she figuratively begins to strips him of his high rank before they sleep together.

      The fact that both Moira and the Commander lose their original faces doesn't just change their appearance, it emphasizes Offred's differences as our narrator. Offred expresses a lot of thought and ideas in how she could escape or how the Aunts, Marthas, Wives, Commanders, and other officials assert their power, but she never acts on her own, the way that Moira does throughout the book, or shows the same level of pride that the Commander manages to exhibit in book and social knowledge. In comparison to him and Moira, Offred is a passive character. However, Offred's lack of action doesn't jade her position as the narrator because it brings out the level of power that surrounds her in Gilead. Her thoughts are contained, and this theocratic government served to keep them that way, showing her observers the power of a whole society in comparison to one person.

Image of Offred and the Commander is courtesy of The SciFi Movie Page
Image of Offred and Moira is courtesy of the Elizabeth McGovern Webpage
Image of Woman in a Jar is courtesy of 123 Royalty Free Stock Photos

Rebellion: The Irony of The Republic of Gilead

"There is something powerful in the whispering of obscenities, about those in power. There's something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling. It's like a spell, of sorts. It deflates them, reduces them to the common denominator where they can be dealt with."
       
Obscenity: The character or quality of being obscene; indecency; lewdness.


         In context with the entire story of The Handmaids Tale, this quote summarizes the flaws of Gilead. Part of what makes the society a dystopia is dehuminization and the lack of privacy that is justified by the term "security", but there are a number of moments that "secretive" and "forbidden" items and words seep through the cracks of this tale's government.

           Up to this point, Offred has taken account of the methods by which the Handmaids share their names, secrets, and gossip similar to the type that is passed between Moira and Offred in the bathroom stall. Without direct eye contact and awareness of every sound, they each get away with passing through the rules. They even purloin items like butter, small flowers, and condiment packets to gain some power in their submissive roles as vessels. These furtive actions give the Handmaids "a spell" over the Aunts, the Commanders, the Wives, and other officials.

           From the Offred's point of view in the story, there are even a select few that has the upper hand through secretive and casual means. Ofglen, for instance, seems to be the only Handmaid that has ties to the rebel group that hides among the other Handmaids and brings the officials down to the "common denominator" by feeding bits of information to Offred. Moira "deflates" the officials (particularly Aunt Lydia in context with this chapter and quote) through her gossip. Even Janice has some power by gaining favor of the Wives and Aunts through complete compliance.

            Despite the lengths to which the Aunts and Eyes guard the Handmaids from obscenities, the methods are useless. Often, the Handmaids are generators of the obscenities, be it through petty thievery or gossip, because they want the power over the authoritative figures of the society. In other words, Gilead's governmental mandates engenders the obscenities they try to prevent.

Definition of obscenity courtesy of Dictionary.com
Image courtesy of The Guardian: January 2013 article "The Handmaid's Tale In Pictures"

"Small" Things Matter Too

"Today it makes me think of a hat, the large-brimmed hats women used to wear at some period during the old days: hats like enormous halos, festooned with fruit and flowers, and the feathers of exotic birds; hats like an idea of paradise, floating just above the head, a thought solidified." (Ch. 22; pg 128)

       While studying chapter 22 of The Handmaids Tale, I noticed the importance of the attire in the caste system of Gilead. The Handmaids are dipped in red, the Wives are dipped in blue, the Marthas are draped in green, and the Econowives are striped to suggest their fertility. In the quote above, Offred's musing suggests the great importance of the seemingly smaller things in her life that she sees and wears.

         In context with Gilead, hats are nothing more than shields from the long-term effects of hours out in sunlight. Particularly for the Handmaids, hats cover vulnerable parts of the body the way the red wool dresses cover the Handmaids. Offred is probably wearing this hat, so the first mention of a "hat" may draw attention to her winged shield. However, Offred turns the musing away from it in order to reminisce on the exocitism of past hats, using words like "halos", "fruit and flowers", and "exotic birds".

        In light of the situation, these words boost her thought of past hats and appearances, because by comparison, the hats of the Handmaids also cover the head  are also "large-brimmed" and "like enormous halos". The difference between the winged hat and her recollections is that the bouyance ("floating") of the imagined hat. It takes her away from her present situation, like "an idea of paradise" and holds more individualism as a "thought solidified. She completely forgets about her shield in order to escape her present place as a Handmaid.

        The imagined hat is a metaphor for the small things that Offred misses. Throughout the book she muses on her habits and the items she owned and her loved ones, such as Luke, her daughter, and Moira before prior to her escape. However, she avoids thinking hard about her past loved ones to the extent that she reminisces about items like the hat. Unlike the idea of Luke's death (or life), and the life of her daughter, the hat keeps her mind from going over the psychological edge by allowing her to revel only in the picturesque ideals of the past. In its own way, the hat sustains some of her sanity by keeping her attention away from everything of the past and probable future, bringing to life an adage that she may remember later on:

  

Hat image courtesy of Blanche's Place
Simple Things quote and image courtesy of QU 301 South Africa

The Two Sides of Offred

  "My self is a thing I must now compose as one composes a speech. What I must preset is a made thing, not something born."
          

      In this quote, Offred illustrates two contradicting messages about her position as a Handmaid. On one hand, she must act unattached due to the limits of the dress and lifestyle. The comparison of her life to the composition of a speech demonstrates this bleak tone by separating her thoughts and ideals from her body. She begins the separation by stating that her "self" is "a made thing", implying that she has been molded rather than developed naturally or "born".
 
      However, Offred doesn't seem to lose all of her hope. According to the first part of the quote, she must compose and preset herself. Fearing the effects on her unborn child, the officials of Gilead will not beat her into submission. She owns very little, but she still holds implicit power with every thought and slight movement that she makes, such as her accounts of her life and the Latin writing in her room that she doesn't show anyone. Gilead has pressured her into becoming a cautious Handmaid, but she still makes her own decisions, even if they are small and surreptitious.

       These two sides of Offred deepens her character. On the surface, she is a resource who must obey official authority. Under white wings and red dress, she holds tightly onto scraps of the past and aligning them with her present situation to preserve her individual power. The existence of these two sides shows readers of the Handmaids Tale the possible differences between the surface and the true nature of individuals.


Image courtesy of OWNI.eu
Quote courtesy of The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

In Der Nacht.....

          Today marks a gruesome day in fictional history. There were troubling times in Gilead as the Eyes and Rebels engaged in a stealthy trench warfare. On one side, Eyes wanted to contain the Handmaids and squelch the Rebels. On the other, Rebels took great risks to free the Handmaids. As I stand near the Wall, awaiting my "just" end, I shall recount the events from my perspective.

        On my first day as a Handmaid, I eyed everyone in the room suspiciously. Points were rewarded for surviving, and I couldn't trust a single person if I were to earn at least 20 of them; this was the objective the Handmaid's Mayday. The air was casual, and I spat out the greeting, "Praise be" to lessen anyone's suspicion. Recently, and tentatively, to be honest, I had become a Mayday Rebel. The day passed quickly in my furtive investigation to find any Eyes--- the treacherous fools--- and the first night came.

         As I feigned slumber in the classroom (I refuse to call it my classroom), I first tried to be furtive and peer through the gaps of my crossed arms as the music and patting began. As my head slowly rose, I counted three other unanticipated others who were valient enough to join my ranks in liberation. Just in case my fellow liberators have continued in their heroism, I will name them: Mophead, Flaxen, and Chestershire Cat. All four of us didn't know who to choose, so the first Handmaiden to select was a great risk. As I lowered my head and the night went on, I noted that only one person left. Even when I could hear the Eye music play, there was no audible sign of immediate execution. Praise be! We were successful.

          The next couple of days and nights went on just as smoothly as the first, give or take the dissappearance of an Eye (good riddens!). On the fourth day, however, I noticed that Flaxen was missing. Immediately, everyone noticed her absence. Sarah quickly figured out that a rebel must have been executed, and my blood rushed. I couldn't help but wonder if I could be discovered now that the number of Handmaids diminished. That night, as I rose with Chestershire Cat and Mophead, the group decided to chosoe another Handmaid to liberate. The music covered my steps, but I was still nervous when I woke Emily up. With a grin and an extended hand, she silently chose to become one of Us.

        After Emily joined, I began to gain confidence in my safety. Then, as I lied back down to rest, I realized that one of the Handmaids shifted to peak. Corina, a possible traitor or friend, had turned her head so quickly that I almost didn't notice. Just as I realized this, someone tapped my shoulder. It was a small tap, but it terrified me at first because it was during the rhythmic sound of Eye music. Looking over my right shoulder, I saw Derrel. What? "Are you an Eye?" she mouthed. For some reason, at that exact moment, I couldn't lie. Upon joining the Mayday Rebels I thought I could, but I just couldn't lie! So, in less than five seconds, I ended up where I am now, with a bag over my head and only minutes away from execution.

                   ****************************************************************

       At the end of the day, I don't have many regrets.  I learned that I should walk more quietly and that a certain extent of trust will always prolong my existence, since my fellow Rebels kept me alive longer than other Handmaids. However, I also learned from the experience that I shouldn't discount people who look nice (like Derrel) from having the boldness to passively murder me or sentence me to death. In the obscurity of the night, anyone can be merciless.

      Overall, The Handmaids Mayday was fun because I was able to live vicariously through the daily threat of persecution and death of the Handmaids. The thrill that I lived through during the class activity kept me interested with the plot of the Handmaids Tale by giving me more personal experience on the risks that Offred often tries to avoid. Now I have a deeper understanding of Offred's first person view.

Sewn Shut From Sisterhood

"Fraternize means to behave like a brother. Luke told me that. He said there was no corresponding word that meant to behave like a sister. Sororize, it would have to be, he said." Chapter 2; page 11

         The ownership of women by men is implied throughout the first four chapters of The Handmaid's Tale. In this dystopia, each Handmaid is assigned a name according to their individual husband, they are not allowed to read, and they are monitored by male dominated officials, such as the Guardians and the men in black vans. Succinctly, Offred's quote of the meaning of "fraternize" implies the social order of Gilead.

        Throughout The Handmaid's Tale, women, from the secured Handmaid's to the working Econowives, are clearly not allowed to socialize with one another; this parallels with the fact that sororize doesn't exist. The only existing word for sororize is sisterhood, but its "s" sound is passive in comparison to the clear sound of the "f" and "b" in fraternize and brother. Sororize doesn't have a position in dictionaries, just as every wife in Gilead cannot form friendships, but their guardians can fraternize. This quote illustrates through word denotation and connotation, the rift between the men and women in Gilead.

Image courtesy of ISP - Handmaid's Tale

        

On The Character Spectrum

      A previous English teacher once told me: "We study fiction for two reasons: entertainment and understanding". In retrospect to this quote and the Lions, Lambs, Serpents, and Angels Activity, I learned that fictional characters embody these reasons. The more complex the character is, the more the reader will have to dig into his or her reasoning behind certain views.

            On the spectrum of Lions, Lambs, Serpents, and Angels, I tentatively placed a dot that ended up sending me to the second quadrant group: Lambs and Angels. Speaking with other members, I realized that very few fictional characters fit into our group. This group was the smallest of the four, and my fellow "Lamels" and I could only conjure two representative characters: Elizabeth Lavenza from Frankenstein and PBS celebrity Barney the Dinosaur.

      Why were these two so perfect? Until her swift demise, Elizabeth is very passive, and proves to be too dainty for violence during the mourning of William Frankenstein. As for Barney, when looking past his ancient ancestry, one can account how he constantly teaches honesty and nonviolent resolution to his viewers. On the surface, these characters aren't very complex. The words simple, sweet, and kind come to mind when I analyze them.

      In fact, these characters can be just as easy to forget because of their simplicity. As a passive character, Elizabeth is overshadowed by the Monster's character development. After the Monster is created, she isn't considered in Victor's story until plot shifting events occur: William's death, Justine's trial, and her marriage to Victor. Barney the Dinosaur is made primarily to appeal to children under the age of twelve, so aside from those who grew up with his lessons, his popularity as a television persona has limits. This overshadow of benign characters suggests a passive view towards them. In literature and popular culture, Lamb and Angel characters fade in the background, while Serpents and Lions hold mass attention.

       On the Lion, Lamb, Serpent, and Angel spectrum, characters that lean towards Serpent and Lion have a tendency to more complicated to analyze. The Monster of Frankenstein, for instance, gives detailed account of its life before it murders Victor's loved ones. Along with its staggering strength, the monster is very capable in learning, but it is constantly rejected by humans. In light of its revenge on Victor, the Monster ironically mourns his death. Was the murderous plot solely for revenge towards humanity, or was it planned for a chance at some form of interaction with the Monster's sole father figure? If Victor didn't abandon the Monster, would anyone accept its existence? The violence and honesty it takes part in gives the Monster more character dimensions, thus making his complex nature more comprehensible to readers. In other words, readers are more likely to examine characters like the Monster than they would characters who are like Barney.

          Although the activity's spectrum does measure a large amount of fictional characters, there are certain characters that don't fit specifically on within the range that it provides. One example of such a character would be Humbert Humbert from Lolita. Humbert deceives everyone that he meets: he marries Charlotte Haze primarily to stay close to her daughter, Delores ("Lolita"), and he forces Delores to keep his affair with her a secret. He also displays his capacity for violence by attacking his first wife's lover before their divorce. However, once he meets Delores his violence dwindles the more that his character develops. From the beginning to the end of the story, Humbert is a dynamic character, so his nature keeps him from being pinpointed on the Lion, Lamb, Serpent, and Angel Spectrum.

           Overall, I learned that mediums of expression, such as literature and popular culture, can teach an audience as well as entertain them with certain character types. Additionally, the activity taught me how I could pinpoint characters by their complexity.
   
Image courtesy of A2 Psychology
       

Authority & Power In the Beginning: Act I

         In the sea, the ship of the King of Naples sways and tumbles. As the turmoil aboard the sea continues, the reader learns from Antonio and Gonzalo's conversation with the Boatswain that they are direct servants of the King. According to historical caste system, this places them above the seaman in authority.

         In Act I, however, they are trumped by the Boatswain. Annoyed with the presence of Antonio and Gonzalo, the Boatswain yells: "You are a councilor. If you can command these elements to silence and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more. Use your authority. If you cannot, give thanks that you have lived so long and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap."
 
          The Boatswain is fully aware of his abilities as he says this. His Master has ordered him to take charge, and this gives him authority and power. He has authority because of his Master's order, but the power comes from the turmoil of the situation. In a casual, calm setting, the Boatswain would be low enough on the hierarchy to heed the King's men, and not vice versa. The storm knocks him into a leadership position, and shows the difference between authority and power: the context of the situation.

The Trove

Fresh air doth skip my trove this very night

Oaks halt the sand and stand against the waves

The leaves doth keep the gifts from any blight

No creatures cut the spot that sits in haze

Felicity spark in the hastening hands

Which lift the lid and find the treasure here

The opalescent bottles somehow stands

Dank oozing slugs and snakes that only jeer

Handled gently the bottles had no marks

The vile ablaze under moon's dull glow

Yet bites and scrapes spike him 'til trembling mars

His wants, his needs, and the intrepid goal

Elixir swigged 'til it rid of remorse

The poor man morph'd into a brain dead horse!

Mary Shelley (Sort of) Speaks

This blog is a revision of Journal #7: Orientalism:
 http://2013jamesa.blogspot.com/2012/10/journal-7-revision-orientalism.html



              As Frankenstein's monster continues to limn its secluded life, Orientalism begins to surface. European artists and authors are well known for amplifying the exoticism of Middle Eastern culture, and through the monster's eyes,  Mary Shelley expresses her own Orientalism views.

            One instance of this is the Turk's underlying plan to keep Safie from marrying Felix. The Turk goes along with the engagement only to appear as a man that is true to his word. Shelley also uses words such as "tyrannical" in context to the Turk. Shelley's usage of the Turk demonstrates the negative ideas that European cultures had of the Turks during the 19th century.

                    As the Turk represents the negativity, Safie represents the opposite. She is exotic to the monster, and the monster seems to show no disfavor towards her. Although she is very pleasantly mentioned, there are some implications towards her abilities that could negatively reflect the ideas that Europeans had of Oriental women. Safie's voice is described like music; there are no words and no dialogue from her in the passage. She is doted for her beauty, but she is slower in learning than the monster, which has only been alive for little over a year. The combination of exotic beauty and lack in intelligence implies that Shelley believed the women of the Middle East to be admired more as accessories than companions and contributors in their society.

             So what does all of this mean? This may just be a conjecture, but I believe that Shelley's usage of Safie and the Turk expresses gratefulness for the fact that she wasn't born in the Middle East.

Power vs. Authority in The Tempest

             In Act 1, Prospero and Antonio are revealed to have a dysfunctional relationship. Antonio has forced Prospero from the authority of the Duke of Naples. Antonio has acquired governmental authority through the betrayal, but the questions remain:

Who really has the upper hand in this relationship? Who has the authority AND the power?

        In Scene 1, Antonio is introduced to be traveling in a ship with the king of Naples. In this scene, the only proof of his position is the fact that it is mentioned by the Boatswain. Antonio curses the Boatswain just as the mariners do. This shows that Antonio is just as base as the mariners, who are considerably low on the job food chain during this era. 

        In Scene 2, as Prospero limns the story of his brother’s betrayal to Melinda,  there are implications that Prospero has magical power. Prospero has engendered the very tempest that has overthrown the ship with these powers. As he orders around Ariel, the ghost, he reveals that he has freed her from the imprisonment of magic. THrough his own disparaging words, Prospero demonstrates power that goes beyond his brother’s: the power to control the dead. 

         The wrathful Prospero throws his weight around in the way that he treats Ariel and Caliban. On the island that Prospero has been exiled to, Caliban is a physical slave to Prospero. In this scene, Ariel is presumably an indentured servant; she began the tempest in order to obtain her freedom. The dependant positions that the two are placed in demonstrated that Prospero has authority on the island. 

      Antonio has acquired great power in his betrayal, but only to a certain extent. Antonio is limited as the Duke, an underling of the King. Prospero, on the other hand, is the king of an island. Prospero has his own slaves and an heir, while Antonio only has the shifty position of the Duke and more money than the other underlings. So far, on the scoreboard, Prospero has the three points while Antonio only has two. 

        Power is, as Emily Dickinson once said, “A fickle food on a shifting plate.” In this case, Prospero has shifted the plate, and Antonio is at his mercy.
            

Frankenstein's Characters

       In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is the failed romantic. He tries to go into Romanticism during his early years by studying works from Agrippa and performing Alchemy. As he dives deeper into study at Ingolstadt, he actually represents Classicism.

      During the Age of Enlightenment, artists and scientists tried to keep certain classical ideals alive despite the growing transition that physics and architecture had brought. Victor tries to revive the classical forms of natural science through his own growing studies at the university by studying ancient philosophers and scientists. The fact that Victor can stand for Classicism illustrates the diversity in his ideals and methods.

         By embracing both the antiquity of his ancient mentors and the novelty of his own anatomical discoveries, Victor ends up creating the monster. This creation represents the impact of science's growth on the classical society that Victor stands for. During the Age of Enlightenment, most clergyman showed disgust towards the growing power of science in society. Mary Shelley uses the relationship between the monster and Victor to demonstrate this attitude to her readers.

          Shelley also uses Henry Clerval to represent the Romantic era. Henry contrasts with Victor's Classicism largely because Henry is focused on what is already in front of him while Victor focuses on inward ideals and situations. During the Romantic era, artists painted and poets composed on environmental scenes the way that Henry relishes every detail of the countries the two visit in chapters 18-20.

         Shelley also uses the catastrophe in chapters 18-20 to predict the downfall of both eras. Henry Clerval appreciates the details of the natural settings and art of each country. Victor loves Henry because of his manner, but the monster abruptly ends the relationship by murdering Henry. After the end of the Romantic era, the Industrial Revolution (also represented by the monster) brought every person's focus to modern machinery and nearly ended the focus towards the natural world and antiquity. The Romanitc Era reflected certain ideals of the Age of Enlightenment, just as Henry was linked to Victor. So in the end, science brings down the Romantic Era and Classicism.

Image Courtesy of I Luv Cinema

        

Knowledge: Tree or Fire?

               In Frankenstein, the monster broods constantly. In Paradise Lost, Adam and Satan are the same. Their individual circumstances are different, but they're all thrown into grief that causes them to question their own creator. Why was I formed? Why am I exiled? Why can't I be higher than God?

               One instance is the monster's peripeteia after it studies Paradise Lost, Lives, and Sorrows of Werther. Like Adam, the monster bights the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Before, it just considered itself to be unlike the others; it was even pleased with the thought of having protectors that were happier than it was. The books illustrate characters that are comparable to it. Through comparison, the full situation of its abandonment by its master and the hopelessness in trying to be human hits the monster right in its stitched heart.

           Likewise, Satan is exiled. Unlike the monster, Satan has his own hubris involved. He was a top angel; his angel name, Lucifer, literally translates to his celestial work, "light-bearer".

       How did one of the most regarded and beautiful angels become estranged? He denied his creator. Much like the monster, woe changes into hatred for humanity. Unlike the monster, Satan knew exactly what he was up against beforehand, and his creator held him in high esteem. Thematically, this hubris demonstrates a large flaw in arrogance and ambition; regardless of how much he thinks one knows (which rebel angel to choose and a plan of attack), knowledge doesn't ensure success.

                Adam, one of the first humans created, was Satan's target. The forbidden fruit is bitten, and Adam and Eve are almost as woeful as Satan and the monster. Much like the monster after it is spurned by the De Lacey family, Adam questions his existence. His thought process has completely changed; before, only his environment was on his mind, but now he contemplates God, who is beyond human reach.

                 The common thread between Frankenstein's monster, Satan, and Adam is their resulting knowledge. Adam differs here because he doesn't contemplate until after he is enticed. Even then, his mold as a human isn't broken. Satan and the monster's level before their deepest inquiries afforded them a stable position in their individual lives. Between the three, knowledge completely shifted their life. Thematically, this implies that knowledge, as abstract as it is, can burn more than it can develop a person.



Definition of Lucifer courtesy of IsraelofGod.org
The Thinker image courtesy of Auguste Rodin and Chantal Powell Artists Blog
Wildfire Image courtesy of Mindspower



                

Nostalgia Journey: A Cartoon Hell

You are in a desert. It's supposed to be a town, but only one shack occupies endless, fruitless acres. The cracked ground screams for an unlikely downpour. As you approach a nearly dilapidated house, the wind spits sand in your face. You knock at the door, and minutes drag on with no one in sight. Just as a creeeeak is heard from the other side of the door, a small lilac colored dog approaches. The color of its fur isn't what makes your eyes widen: the dog is standing and holding a gun ray to your face.

      Where do you think you are? "This is Hell" is probably what you're thinking. Well, it is, figuratively. You have just been in the town of Nowhere. Those who grew up during the 1990s probably remember the children's cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog. The main character is the aforementioned dog. As the title suggests, it is easily afraid, but it nonetheless saves its owners from peril in nearly every episode.

        Despite the title of the show, Courage represents Cerberus, the mythological hellhound. Nowhere is arid and only the greediest and most prideful people enter. Courage guards the home of Eustace and Muriel Bagge. Instead of contending with living heros, Courage must fight off Le Quack, King Ramses, Queen of the Black Puddle, Katz, and numerous other avaricious villians who threaten the balance of the home.

        Regardless of how many times Courage saves the Bagges, his owner, Eustace, constantly yells at him. Also, Eustace usually tries to find a short cut or two in order to get rich. Why is this? Because in this cartoon Hell, Eustace is Hades. In Greek mythology, Hades is outshined by Zeus in the eyes of their parents, Cronus and Rhea; Eustace's dead brother outshines Eustace in the eyes of Ma Bagge. Like Hades, this parental preference turns Eustace into an irascible character.

    Muriel is the person that Courage adores the most in the series. She is a cheerful Scottish wife and homemaker of Eustace, and her optimism in perilous situations borders on oblivion. She is the only maternal figure that Courage has, and in this town, she represents Traditionalism. Muriel is the only woman in the show who cooks, cleans, sews, and other light tasks. She is in Nowhere because traditionalism is presumed to be dead, but not gone. For instance, every villian tries to reap something out of her by trying to cook her or sell her in some way. This suggests the idea that conventional manners are constantly on the brink of being taken advantage of by Greed (the villians).

          The show Courage the Cowardly Dog uses the characters of Courage, Eustace and Muriel in order to convey the idea that traditional methods are always in danger. Courage, the little Cerberus, guards them in the continuously advancing town.

For more information about the show feel free to visit the Courage the Cowardly Dog Wikia.   

Image of Desert courtesy of & Beyond Travel Blog
Black and White Image of Courage the Cowardly Dog courtesty of ssgba1380 at Deviantart.org.  

Journal #7 Revision: Orientalism

                          Victor Frankenstein's monster continues to evolve when the Arabian lady Safie arrives. Safie proves to be an important character. Not only does Safie teach the monster the fact that there are countries far from its hovel, but she brings a background story with her.
                   Mary Shelley uses Safie and her father, the Turk, in order to make some contrasting implications through Orientalism. One instance of this is the Turk's underlying plan to keep Safie from marrying Felix. The Turk goes along with the engagement only to appear as a man that is true to his word. Shelley also uses words such as "tyrannical" in context to the Turk. Shelley's usage of the Turk demonstrates the negative ideas that European cultures had of the Turks during her era.
                     Unlike the Turk, Safie is mostly a representation of positive Orientalism in the monster's story. She is described to have angelic beauty and a lovely singing voice. She is exotic to the monster, and the monster seems to show no disfavor towards her. Although she is very pleasantly mentioned, there are some implications towards her abilities that could negatively reflect the ideas that Europeans had of Oriental women. Safie's voice is described like music; there are no words and no dialogue from her in the passage. She is doted for her beauty, but she is slower in learning than the monster, which has only been alive for little over a year. The combination of exotic beauty and lack in intelligence implies that Oriental women are more accessories than they are humans.
                 Mary Shelley's views of the Orient are suggested in this part of the monster's story. Under her pen name, Shelley wasn't able to openly discuss it, but there are implications of her opinion towards arranged marriage. For instance, in the monster's description of Safie's situation, it describes arranged marriage as "walls of a harem" that only have "infantile amusements". This attitude suggests the negative view that European women of Shelley's era might have had towards arranged marriage.
                    

Journal #6: The Monster's Hierarchy of Needs and Multiple Intelligences

                     In comparison to a human child, Frankenstein's monster can be described as more of a "marvel" than a "monster". Sure, it is different due its sickly skin and black lips, but mentally the monster has a rapid growth throughout chapters 13 and 14. Within what I infer is a year after it has been created, the monster has developed multiple intelligences and has most of his survival needs met. Compared to the average human infant, this monster could be considered a prodigy.
                 One instance that demonstrates the monster's developmental speed is demonstrated when it finds food and water from the forest and from the leftover homeless camp, and a temporary homeostasis in the forest. It also forms logical-mathematical intelligence by figuring out that fire and wet lumber don't mix in order to build a sustainable fire.
                 As the monster moves from the forest, it satisfies a certain level of safety by moving into a hovel when snow begins. Before the monster moves, it displays spatial intelligence by understanding that the snow around him makes the forest less viable. In the hovel, the monster  demonstrates its bodily-kinesthetic intelligence by noting that it can only sit to be comfortable.
                As it observes the villagers, the monster also achieves a fair level of esteem by sympathyzing with the emotions that the villagers have. When it sees the young woman cry, it begins to feel emotions that it doesn't understand at first. The observation of the De Lacey family also contributes, because the monster empathizes with every emotion that the family members have, and later holds the family in high esteem by calling the members its protectors. Its reactions are signs of interpersonal intelligence growth.
                      The whole situation in chapters 13 and 14 doesn't just demonstrate how rapidly the monster develops. There is an underlying theme in this portion that anyone who is different still has very similar characteristics to the normal majority. The monster shows very human characteristics by satisfying its needs and developing intelligence. Also, Victor pieced together every part of the monster intricately in order for him to be a living human.  In other words, the monster is very human.

Journal #5: Victor Frankenstein vs. The Ancient Mariner

 

             Victor Frankenstein and the Ancient Mariner are punished for different acts of hubris. Victor's bestowal of life breaches the level amount of power a human has against Death. The Ancient Mariner's impulsive killing of the Albatross breaches the tolerable level of cruelty in the Natural World. This difference emphasizes each person's differing attitudes towards what is naturally set. Victor loathes death, while the Mariner doesn't at first value the creatures that are under humans.
            There is also a difference between the situation of Victor and the Ancient Mariner. Victor's isolation results in his act, while the Ancient Mariner is punished with the isolation that he has to to go through on the rotting ship. This suggests two differing themes of isolation. In Victor's case, isolation leads to unfavorable consequences such as the death of William. In the Mariner's case, isolation is a worthy punishment for random cruelty.
                Although their circumstances differ, Victor and the Mariner have to deal with the same long enduring punishment. The Mariner is cursed with an immortality that lasts until he has fully repaid his debt by warning others of his folly. Victor also has to warn others. As he continues to go after his creature, a symbol of Victor's pride, he is compelled to tell Robert Walton the whole ordeal in order to warn Walton. This similarity demonstrates that the theme of sin, guilt, and redemption can happen to anyone.

Journal #4 Rationalizations in Frankenstein

    

            Soon after the monster is created, Henry Clerval arrives and changes Victor's outlook away from natural science. This perepiteia occurs when Clerval influences Victor by getting Victor away from his previous apartment, university mentors, and solitude. This influence emphasizes how much of a foil Clerval is for Victor and demonstrates how deeply obsessed and solitary Victor's previous life was in comparison to the pleasant times that Victor has with Clerval.
                Victor's family does a lot of rationalizing in the event of William's death. This is evident in the letter that is writeen to Victor by his father. Towards the end of the letter, Alphonse says that everyone shouldn't spend time focusing on vengeance towards the William's murderer. There is also the rationalization that Elizabeth engages in upon seeing William's corpse. She exclaims that she is the unintentional murderer because she didn't let William wear an article of clothing that belonged to his mother. These rationalizations demonstrate how far the family is willing to go to avoid the most gruesome feelings and truths. Also, there is a suggestion of who Victor's own dismal rationalizations of his creature began.
              
              

Journal #3 Revision: The Hubris of Victor Frankenstein

            During his time at Ingolstadt, Victo Frankenstein's drive to improve human life grows due to his growing pride. As his progress improves, he becomes more bold. This is evident when Victor actually discovers ways to improve "some chemical instruments" after two years of augmenting growth at the university. As his reputation and comprehension grows, he decides to study independently.
           By studying independently, Victor also demonstrates that he is past authoritative advice. This is much like the greek Titan Prometheus's theft of fire for human use, because the hope for human kind surpasses the figure of authority. Prometheus disregarded Zeus when he stole the fire; Vicot disregarded society when he began to construct a human being. Victor overlooks society at first when he visits a church in order to analyze the "corruption of the human body". He even considers the place to be only a "receptacle", which is contrary to the belief system of the era.
             His pride grows during his pursuits, and even feeds him as he constructs a person from dead parts. As he works, this growth in pride ends up turning into a huge mistake. After he has completed his creation, he considers it to be a monster. The despair that he shows as the creature animates emphasizes how distorted Victor has become because of his pride. His philosopher's stone has changed from providing humans with immortality to proving that he can bestow life. The hubris that occurs leads Victor down a whole new path of disappointment, and demonstrates that pride is one of his largest flaws.