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1st 6 weeks 1st Semester

Above: Another cheesy movie based on the novel. 

There have been many adaptations of this novel when it comes to making movies. When most people hear the word "Frankenstein", their first thoughts turn immediately to a monster as opposed to the actual scientist who created this monstrosity. Then there's the famous "Igor" or "Fritz" character in many movies; a clumsy, hunch-backed fellow who goes to collect body parts for his master, including a human brain, only to drop the normal human brain and then pick up a brain from a criminal, which is then implanted into the monster's head, instead.

As you will read in the next several chapters, the monster feels the need for a mate, thus keeping in line with the Romantic theory of friendship. Who should he ask to do this quest for him? Why, Victor, of course. Victor is the only one with knowledge of how to construct such a creature. While Mary Shelley never actually wrote a full story about the monster and a wife, various movie versions have emerged about this idea, notably "The Bride of Frankenstein". The picture above comes from the original black and white movie. 

And who better to make fun of the original movie than Mel Brooks?

Monday February 18th - Friday February 22nd

WINTER BREAK

(Woo-hoo, it's a leap year! Woopty-Doo!)

You should have read through chapter 21 by now. COMPLETE THE READING OF THE NOVEL. COME TO CLASS NEXT LAB DAY WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

FINAL EXAM IS NEXT LAB DAY!!!!

Be prepared to answer the following questions for NEXT class:  (PRINT OUT THE QUESTIONS BELOW FOR CLASS and bring with you!)

• How does the monster learn about civilized life? Who does he learn it from? Are these people a good representation of society? What kind of people do you think represent the positive aspects of our society? What type of people represent the negative aspects of our society?

• Is the monster intrinsically good or bad? How does he learn right from wrong? Do you believe people are intrinsically good or bad? There are those who see mankind as evil, others as generally good with just a few "bad apples", where do you stand with this philosophy?

• Does the monster have real human feelings? Do they appear to be that of a rational person, or of someone of unjust mind? How do humans decide what is rational vs. irrational? Do we live in a rational society, or are we blinded by ignorance?

• What information does the monster read that teaches him about mankind? Is this valid literature, or fiction that shows a distorted view of the world? What about the information you read? Is it valid today? Ideally, what type of reading would you indulge in with your spare time and why? What would you learn about society from this reading?

• What is the family's reaction to seeing the monster for the first time? How does this affect the monster? What would public reaction be today if such a creature were seen? Would the monster be accepted, ridiculed, shunned, tortured? How forgiving and accepting is our society today?

• Does Victor even owe his monster a female? Why? What is he concerned about in the making of a female? How is his attitude different this time around than previously?

• Does Victor deserve to suffer as his monster is making him? Remember, people judge others on their beliefs, so why do abortion doctors get targeted?

• How does Victor's time in jail change him?

Please make sure you can give input to these questions BEFORE class this week. 

If time allows, we will also look at some random pictures showing the public's perception of what a "Frankenstein" really is.

Assignments: Complete the reading of Frankenstein. (Chapters 22-24). Your final exam on the novel will be NEXT week. 

Links: Can mankind replicate a soul?

         An essay regarding society and Frankenstein

         Frankenstein notes

         Frankenstein cartoons

         More cartoons

         Bride of Frankenstein cartoons

Background Information:  

Virtually every scientific breakthrough in human history has been the topic of at least some debate over its ethical ramifications; usually this debate relies in part upon Biblical maxim to determine the "moral" implications. Even anesthesia was once considered to violate the laws of God—people were expected to endure their pain as a "natural" part of their earthly life, and Dr. Christian Bernard's first successful heart transplant sparked a lively debate about the ethics of putting a part of one person into the body of another.

In the last few decades, advances in reproductive technology have perhaps been hardest hit by controversy. Artificial insemination, "test-tube" fertilization, and surrogate motherhood have all fallen under attack because they seemed "unnatural" -- they eliminated from the process of human conception the act of physical intimacy between parents. Human cloning, the creation of a person from the DNA of another, is the latest of these experiments to provoke a series of hot debates. The issue is very volatile; Karen Rothenberg, a specialist in the ethics of reproductive technology, asked the President's panel of advisors, "Will the first scientist who clones (a human) win the Nobel Prize or be put in jail?"

(http://www.impactpress.com/articles/febmar98/clone.htm)

The movie "Young Frankenstein": The grandson of Victor Frankenstein is a teaching surgeon who has spent his life living down the legend of his grandfather, even changing the pronunciation of his name. When the diary of his grandfather is brought to him, he takes a leave of absence to examine the family castle. Then things get a little silly. Due to a switch, he implants an abnormal brain in his creation which causes problems, but things really get out of hand when the young Frankenstein's bride to be shows up at the castle. The whole film is shot in Black and white to simulate the old monster movie feeling.