2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Frankenstein betrays the monster by creating him and then abandoning him. Frankenstein is obsessed with the monster for years of his life; he does nothing but sit in a dark room and slave over it. He does everything he can to make it beautiful, but when the monster actually comes to life, it is hideous. Frankenstein takes one glance at what he has made and is so horrified that he runs away, leaving this childlike beast to fend for itself. The theme of this novel is that creativity and single-mindedness can lead to destruction and heartbreak.
The monster in Frankenstein is kind of like Dr. Frankenstein's child. The doctor gave him life but then threw away his responsibility and left. This left the monster to develop in complete loneliness which made him dark. The monster learned to talk by watching a family in a cottage but when he tried to interact with the family, they were disgusted by him. Events like this led to the monsters intense feelings of loneliness and longing for a companion. When Viktor, Dr Frankenstein, met with the monster in the mountains, the monster has already killed once but he said he will never do it again if Viktor creates a partner for him. Viktor feels intensely torn, but decides not to. Because of this, Frankenstein kills Viktor's new bride.
Because Viktor left the monster, the monster had to deal with civilization with no buffer. This led to him being very solitary and craving companionship, but there were no other beings like it. The monster knew Viktor was the only one who could create another one but Viktor despised the monster, so he had to be threatened. Because of this, the monster tried to force Viktor to make another one by saying he would kill all of Viktor's family if he did not comply, but Viktor could not make himself do so. Viktor's betrayal of the monster forced him into this impossible situation, and it eventually ends in heartbreak when Viktor's wife is killed.
Hi Alice,
ReplyDeleteGood job on your essay! I really like your introduction and your thesis statement. I think you do a fantastic job of picking out the parts of the plot that show how Frankenstein abandoned his monster. However, I do think that you really didn't tie back your summary of the plot to the thesis until the last paragraph. Although the evidence you gave is good, you never explicitly state that this evidence supports how Victor Frankenstein is single-minded or that this shows how Frankenstein's creativity and single-mindedness leads to destruction, at least not until the last paragraph.
Also, maybe it's different in different editions of Frankenstein but I think it's still more common to spell Victor with a "c" and not a "k." Also, remember to talk about literature in the present tense. You switch to past tense in the second paragraph. Those are just small details though. Overall I think you made some very good points in you essay. Good job!
Alice, nice intro. I like that you clearly identify the author, work of literature, and characters in your first sentence. The theme statement at the end of the intro also does not seem like it abruptly appears since you give a very basic plot summary to introduce the theme. Your use of a semi-colon is also very nice and appropriate. As for your second paragraph, I think you could strengthen it by including even more specific examples and details, such as how the monster tries to interact with the family from the cottage to show how his very innocent and unharmful greeting is followed by the son hitting him. Also, just remember to use present tense, so when you say the monster tried to interact with the family, you should say tries rather than tried. Your theme statement is good, but I think creativity gives a more positive connotation, so maybe you could say deviating from the norm or something else that shows creativity and unordinary traits along with an odd or negative connotation. I think your theme statement should also be discussed more to include more supporting evidence because I do agree with your theme statement, but it should be supported by strong evidence and a strong warrant.
ReplyDeleteAlice,
ReplyDeleteThank you for including your essay prompt in your blog post, it makes it that much easier to read over. It is not always the easiest trying to maneuver all of the different folders on Ms. Holmes website. But back to your blog post, I think you did a very nice job on your open prompt essay. Are these becoming easier now that we have another one under your belt? You have a strong introduction for your essay, it did a good job of setting up the remainder of the essay. You have a solid body paragraph but your conclusion could be stronger. You focus more on the monsters threats than Victors betrayal of him. I think your essay would benefit from strengthening your conclusion.
Alice--your peer reviewers gave you good advice about this essay, and I'd like to have seen a revision. Your theme statement isn't well-incorporated with the rest of the essay and our evidence is a bit too much plot summary vs. carefully chosen evidence. You also have some proofing errors ("Viktor," calling the monster "Frankenstein," using the past tense, etc.).
ReplyDeletePsst. Wanna wiseabove to Seventh-Heaven?
ReplyDeletePsst. Wanna wiseabove to Seventh-Heaven?
ReplyDelete