Why Ban A Book That Has A Meaning?

To Kill A Mockingbird

2010: it was removed from St.Edmund Campion Secondary School Classroom in Brampton,( Ontario, Canada) because a parent objected to language used in novel, included the word “nigger”

2009: it was retained in English Curriculum by the Cherry Hill (NJ) Board of Education. A resident had objected to the novel’s depiction of how blacks are treated by members of a racist white community in an Alabama town during the depression. The resident reared that the book would upset black children reading it.

I personal feel that these people who feel this way are idiots because. This book was written to allow the world to know how it felt to have to go through such ridicule that this girl had went through and back then as we have been told that is was a time of Era that caused a lot of deaths an mishaps that we in the 21st century have no control over now. I read the book and although it had language in it that shouldn’t have but it allowed me as the reader to look deeper inside the book and get a better understanding of whom this person was. It allowed me to actually be inside the book and play the character myself. I disagree with what they say because what if they didn’t have such books to allow us to read and understand? How would we know what or how people felt at the time of segregation and how things took place. What about the Little Rock 9? If it wasn’t written down and told in a story how would we have known about these remarkable people who allowed children today to have the opportunity to be in a white school with in a black neighborhood.

Plenty of emotions.

Throughout the reading of the story Frankenstein , I have been noticing some passion vs. reason. Both with the monster and Victor you can see that passion is taking over reasoning in some cases, I say this because there are times through out the story when one could see that they let their emotions rule what they are doing. An example of my opinion would be when Victor says “ I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I engaged” ( Shelley 115). This quote shows how Victor chose passion over reason, it shows that because he started to created the monster a mate because he feared the monster‘s power, then he realizes his hatred for the monster and destroys what he has started to create for him. The destroying of the soon to be mate of the monster, made the monster very unpleasant and he was full of rage. During his argument with Victor the monster told him “ Remember that I have the power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you” ( Shelley 116). This quote from the monster is full of passion in my eyes. To me it shows how passionate he is to have somebody for him, and he will do anything to obtain that. Hopefully, throughout the rest of the story some thoughts and situations should be ran with reasoning.

My Fatherly Duties

Victor Frankstein created a being that he left to fend for himself. After discovering that his creation was not what he wanted it to be he ran off and left him when he reached out for him. “He might have spoken, but I did not hear: one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed down the stairs.” He didn’t attempt to look for his creation and was glad he was nowhere to be found. When the monster decided to found him he threatens him and wants to kill him. The monster tries to get Victor to see his point of view he wants to know why he detests and spun him. He feels that Victor should have a responsibility to him because he was his creator. He saw Victor as his father because he was his creator. “I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest me.” Victor should have had a responsibility to his creature. What he did was like given birth to a child and leaving it. We all have a responsibility to our children and even thought Victor didn’t see it that way he did have a responsibility to his creature. He didn’t take that responsibility at all. He taught about making the creature a companion but in the end he didn’t. I know it’s a story but it is heart breaking to see Victor not take responsibility for his creation. Yes I know the monster kills in the story but in his passion you can see his reasoning.

A Monster with Feelings
Frankenstein had no clue to how the monster that he created would react about life in his unsightly gargantuan body. He could not have thought that far in advance and I’m also sure that he gave no earthly thoughts of how the monster would respond to his surroundings or feel inside. Yet as the monster gained knowledge of human nature and from whence he came, he became emotionally deranged as thoughts of vindication clouded his better judgment. Shelley does a great job of allowing one to feel the true revulsion as the monster says, “… I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory….It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation….Every thing is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which it is set in view…” (87). If this is not true disgust and hatred for oneself and ones creator, then what would you call it? A simple case of low self esteem? He will only be appeased if he has a female that is just as dreadful looking as he is. The monster is trying to appeal to the inner essence of any man; a mate that resembles himself. Frankenstein seems to be stirred when the monster passionately states, “If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again: I will go to the vast wilds of South America ….My companion will be of the same nature as myself, and will be content with the same fare” (Shelley 99). The monster is practically begging his creator to give to him what all men want; a woman. Did not Frankenstein do what men usually do? He was somewhat selfish in not considering the feelings of the being that he was creating: only that he was in the process of creating.

What Does Looks Have to do with it?

When one considers their actions how does one justifies themselves. Do we see people for who they are? Focusing only on their outer appearance? Or do we learn about each person, judging them on merit and values instead. Why does society cast aside what they fear? This is what happens to the "Wretch" in the story Frankenstein. Despite the fact that he is capable of learning , of having feelings, real thoughts and ideas. He is a creation made by society, through the use of knowledge. Why does society hate, and loath him based only on his looks? Should one not judge him by his internal attributes? When the poor Wretch finally decides to show himself to a family he had been admiring he is cast aside. Imaging how one feels after having this said to them: "Great God!...Who are you?". (91 Shelley) Worse yet, imagine how you would feel if people faint upon seeing you. If one is treated this way, they would have horrible about themselves. How monstrous must one be to be treated this way.Worse yet when you are surrounded by people who have one thing in common, a mate. The Wretch wants one of these, so he confronts his creator, and demands a mate. Victor, his creator, refuses at first but then relents and agrees to undertake the task of creating the Wretch a mate. The Wretch presents a very compelling argument; "Shall each man..find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?" (116 Shelley) I think Victor was moved to pity and that is why he agrees. However he late changes his mind and destroys the project he was working on, causing horrible wrath upon himself , from the Wretch.

Love in Human Nature (And the Monster)

The Monster created by Frankenstein reflects the need of love in human nature. In the beginning, the Monster knows nothing of heat and cold, light and dark, hunger, solitude or what it was like to be loved. Like a child, his innocence was ripped apart by the cruel events he goes through while trying to be accepted by all he encountered. What he learnt throughout the time he had been alive was from his own experience. Victor’s role as a parent was vague, since he did not think of the Monster as his child, but as a curse he had to put up with and who was now blackmailing him into creating another of his own. After learning about marriage, love and what it was like to have a family from the cottagers, the Monster wanted to have someone too—someone who would love him, nurture him and give him all that his fellow humans had neglected. Since all the attempts to be accepted by humans had failed, his last resource was to convince his creator to create a female of his kind. Through Safie and Felix, the Monster had learnt about companionship and how it can change someone’s life to have next to you someone to love and that loves you back. Before Safie arrived at the cottagers’ house, Felix was mostly sad and he acted like even though he had two companions who loved him dearly, something was missing--and as soon as Safie showed up, everything changed for good: “Felix seemed ravished with delight when he saw her, every trait of sorrow vanished from his face, and it instantly expressed a degree of ecstatic joy,” (Shelley 78). I think the Monster felt that a female companion, just like Safie, but of his kind would change his existence for good too and he even expresses that feeling when he asked Victor this wish: “You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being.” (Shelley 98).

Really Victor?

I think it is great that Victor Frankenstein is finally realizing all the damage he has done. But really? Now? I am amazed that this man could use his head this time and not create a mate for the fiend. I am also surprised that he didn’t just make him a girlfriend and be done with it. After all, he would not to have to deal with him anymore and he could go back to his own selfish life. In the beginning he reveled at the idea of playing God when he said “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve their’s” (Shelley 32). I think that Victor is completely reckless and irresponsible at this point. He is caught up in the glory of what he can create and is not thinking about the consequences of his actions. He had no thoughts of the world that he created for the fiend and how he had abandoned him. Throughout the rest of the story we hear regret in what he has done but he never completely owns his responsibility to his creation. When he finally thinks about his previous actions he says “Three years before I was engaged in the same manner, and had created a fiend whose unparalleled barbarity had desolate my heart, and filled it forever with bitter remorse” (114). I have to wonder before he destroyed his second creation…. if things would have turned out better for him….. If he would have this much regret or if he would have continued playing God?

The Power to Create and Destroy

Victor's creation of the monster, lead to the lost of his loved ones. The monster had decided that he wanted a companion and would stop at nothing until Victor created a like for him. I thought with with a sensation of madnesson my trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged (Shelley 115). It was his passion for bringing life to death that lead him to the discovery of creating the monster. Victor, now realizing what he had done, made him skeptical, yet afraid of creating a like for the monster. Victor did not know what to expect by doing so. The monster felt as though he would be complete if Victor created an equal for him. You are my creator, but I am your master (Shelley 116). The monster knew very well that Victor had the knowledge and the power to create a like for him, after all, he, himself, was Victor's own creation. If Victor wouldn't create him a companion, someone to love and share his life with, he will destroy everything that Victor loves. The monster knew he had the power to do so. Victor had the power to create, but the monster had the power to destroy.

“A fiend had snatched from me every hope of future happiness: no creature had ever been so miserable as I was; so frightful an event is single in the history of man” (Shelley 137). I argued today that Frankenstein is a piece from the Romantic era due to the fact of Victor being so selfish throughout the entire story. During the first part of the story Victor places emphasis on his family and how precious they are to him; now during the story the monster (that he has created) is taking those things which he holds precious, away. In the above quote, Victor is only thinking of himself during this horrible time (Elizabeth’s death) instead of trying to console the other mourners. The reason that Victor created the monster was only for positive recognition and remembrance… “What glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death” (Shelley 22). The punishment of Victor’s selfishness is to become as the monster is and be alone. We also discussed in class the reason vs. passion argument. I believe that the reason Victor tore up the second creature he was creating for the monster, was due to an act of reasoning. He was thinking of the consequences that were to come if he did create another monster. I think this can also support my argument about Frankenstein being a Romantic piece because Victor feels as though the monster does not deserve to have a companion since the monster killed his companion/wife - he is thinking of himself again. Even though the monster is threatening to kill more family members, victor refuses to give the monster what he desires most. Victor knows the monster will not kill him because he is the only person that can build a mate; he is putting his family at an increased risk.
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A Monster Filled With Passion

In the beginning of Frankenstien the monster himself had got built by a man who was lonely in the North Pole and decided to do a bit of continuing to educate himself with this new life that he brought to life. This creature in the begging is thought to be a bit mistaken for not being capable of acquiring knowledge but in due time he gained knowledge and gained a bit of passion in the process as well. This creature began to learn from Victor, he who had made the monster. So as time went on the monster did what Victor told him which was for him to learn by what he does but not to learn by the mistakes that he made in the process of learning. While in the process of learning the monster acquired some passion but a bit of power. As stated by the monster “You must create a female for me with whom I can lice the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse.” (Shelley 98) Here the monster was alone and needed company which is kind of sad but sweet at the same time but on the previous page he was a bit powerful because he states “Boy, you will never see your father again; you must come with me.” (Shelley 96) The monster seems a bit furious because he knows that his creator can create another being because he had created him but what Victor his creator I feel forgets to understand that in the process of this monster he was observing and watching had acquired such feelings.

You say Monster, I say spoiled bratty Serial Killer

“A grin was on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with his fiendish finger he pointed towards the corpse of my wife” (Shelley 136). All of that because your daddy (creator) didn’t want to have anything to do with you, wow you couldn’t have grown up in my part of town. The Fiend has serious attachment issues. All through the novel he shows that he wants to be accepted by anyone. This includes people of his creator’s (Daddy’s) fold and random individuals that he stumbled upon in the woods. I’m not convinced that the hurt of not being accepted by your father will drive a normal individual to this extreme without something else being mentally wrong. So maybe it was a good thing that people shot at him when they saw him. The monster talks about wanting a counterpart “you must create a female for me,…”(Shelley 98). And he also refers to love like he wants only to be accepted. Yet, when he’s rejected he makes it his business to make the life of the people he was hoping to be accepted by worse. Now that’s spitefulness on a new level. Maybe we have seen this amount of hate towards people in our time. Those people who did nothing but exercise their God given right, to not want to be around the daemon, for whatever reason. “As soon as I was convinced that no assistance could save any part of the habitation, I quitted the scene, and sought for refuge in the woods” (Shelley 94). Now let us not forget these are the same people who the monster learned to read and write from, and found comfort in when he was lonely. How soon did the fiend forget that he wanted to be a part of this family? Yea I’ve read about that behavior, it similar to what serial killers do.

Even if the devil monster would’ve been made more handsome or more social acceptable creature, I think he would have still been a serial killer. He would have just had a different cause like killing people who wore stripes and patterns together. Extreme as it may sound, the monster used his reasoning to determine who lives or dies with no regard for life.

Banned books

One of the books that caught my attention was called, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The book was challenged many times of the years but in 2009 the book was challenge because parents were concerned about the homosexuality, rap , and incest portrayed within the book. The place where the challenge or the banned took place was at Burke County, Morgantown, North Carolina. They restricted this book from the students within the schools of that county. I would have to agree with this challenge to a certain degree. The reason why I agree is certain ages is inappropriate for this type of reading, I would say at the late teens to early adult would be a great time for them to experience this type of writing within this book. The main reason would be that unfortunately this stuff does truly happen within our society. Now with the result of the banning of this book I would agree, because as a mother I wouldn't want my young child to be able to learn about this type of writing at a young age, but like I said above that in his late teens is a great time for him to experience this. For me to be a adult I would have to agree with that. Most of us parents would think even if we do ban these books what makes us think that they are not going to be able to get a hold of these in their own time? Therefore, yes I can agree but I do know that most kids are going to be trying to get these books just because they are off limits for their age. I know this because I would be one of those kids that would try so I could see what makes this book so bad that we (as young kids) can not read them.

God or Not

Did Victor play God when he created the monster? This has been asked, investigated and debated. When the creature realizes that there could be proof of a higher power, he is humbled and his attitude and outlook on life changes. He drops his learned thoughts and ideas and takes on those of Frankenstein. God gave man the ability to reason and to think. This makes the monster feel freakish, even unworthy of life. Being able to relate and to think, takes the attention away from God or satan and places it on the monsters humanity and on Victors actions and his behavior. Regardless of Gods or satans position in life, Victor and only Victor is responsible for his own behavior and for the deaths of those he loved as a result of his actions.The more the monster understands the circumstances of him being alive the more he ponders his situation. "Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view: the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors, and rendered mine ineffaceable. I sickened as I read. Hateful day when I recieved life" (Shelley 87-88). The monsters becomes lonely and notices others with a mate. He realazies that he is alone and that he needs a companion. "You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse"(Shelley 98).

A Passionate Spirit - Part One

In Shelley’s story we’re given a unique insight into the lives of three different men, and the things that drove them. Shelley uses Walton, Frankenstein, and The Monster to show us the same personality in three different lives, and how all three were linked by the same passionate spirit.

Early in the story Walton’s letters show him to have a thirst for knowledge, and in one of his letters to his sister he says, “I am going to unexplored regions, to ‘the land of mist and snow;’ but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety” (Shelley 11). Later however we are shown how strongly his passion drove him (and how close he came to ruin), when he writes, “How all this will terminate, I know not; but I had rather die, than return shamefully” (Shelley 150). Walton possessed reason and compassion, but his passion for knowledge and the unknown brought him to the brink of madness.

Where Walton is shown to us as being in the budding stages of lust for knowledge, Frankenstein shows us the realization of those desires. In reflecting on his creation, and having realized how far from sanity his passion had driven him, Frankenstein tells Walton, “A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquillity. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is an exception to this rule” (Shelley 33). Frankenstein realized that his reckless pursuit of knowledge had set his feet on the path to destruction, and was what ultimately brought him to his end.

A Passionate Spirit - Part Two

Much like Walton and Frankenstein, The Monster is possessed of a thirst for knowledge and discovery. As The Monster gains knowledge, he learns of his own creation through Victor’s letters, and he also gains the thirst for vengeance, eventually driving him to murder William. However, by murdering William and by allowing Justine to die in his own place as the murderer, The Monster allowed his passion to rule him, and manifested his own murderous nature; sealing his own eventual fate. Even though through threat and reason he was able to incline Frankenstein to create him a mate, because The Monster had proven to be murderous, Frankenstein could not bring himself to complete the task. Ironically, The Monster asks himself “Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?” (Shelley 80); while at the same time demonstrating the very same traits he saw in man. In the end, when The Monster’s rage, passion, and vengeance were utterly spent, he realized how far he had come, telling Walton, “I cannot believe that I am he whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendant visions of the beauty and majesty of goodness” (Shelley 154). Much like when Frankenstein realized his fate, and said, “. . . but the apple was already eaten, and the angel’s arm bared to drive me from all hope” (Shelley 131), The Monster realized he could never undo what he had done.

Walton was given a chance neither Frankenstein nor The Monster were given, that is, the chance to see exactly where his choices would lead him, but even when shown the folly of his pursuit, and it’s almost inevitable end, his passion still drove him, and only when his crew gave him no alternative did he consent to return. Frankenstein, The Monster, and Walton all shared the same spirit, a spirit which drove them to the brink of madness, and beyond.

man vs. world

In many parts of Frankenstein that show man in a society that goes against the world. The men in the society go up against the world by trying to find hard paying jobs or even traveling. As told in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley that Robert is writing to his sister about his travel and how nature has put a stop on some parts of the voyage. Robert stats, “Those are as fixed as fate; and my voyage is only now delayed until the weather shall permit my embarkation. The winter has been dreadfully severe; but the spring promises well, and it is considered as a remarkably early season” (11). We can see that yes nature is going to have a major affect on men and even women in the world today. We can also tell that no matter what the weather has in store for us that we can always find a way around a problem. One other example of how men face the world would be knowledge and the power that it has on a person. As stated by the creator of Frankenstein, Victor “ You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of you wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been” (17). We can tell by this quote, that no matter how much knowledge you can receive, it depends on the person that has taken the knowledge to be able to make a decision on how to use the power.

Obsession

I am still stuck on the first quote from the class, page 92,” In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and this nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is a continual food for discovery and wonder(92),” maybe because I didn’t say all that I wanted about our groups quote but didn’t want to take away from the other group. They had a really good angle. I was taking it more literal, his point on discovery. Two sentences before the quote, “Two years passed…I paid no visit to Geneva, but I was engaged (92)…” he talks about not going to Geneva even though it is a popular site to reencounter. His obsession led him further down the path of discovery. This is where I saw him putting his individual away from society. In the quote directly in front of it, “None of these who have experienced them can conceive of the enticement of science,(92)” I saw him putting his adventure and discovery about all other just because it was in the name of science. Even though he is in new land territory, his discovery of science including the monster is higher than any other person’s level of discovery. His obsession with this is that of an evil sorts, I mean evil as in consuming not necessarily Satan… evil. If I was any person receiving these letters in that time, I would probably get annoyed by the arrogance. But, then again, like we mentioned in class there weren’t too many educated people back in society at this point, so his letters serve as an outlet to the imagination. Readers suspect the truth because of the lack of proof otherwise. It isn’t dangerous to the reader, just the man doing the experiments (Victor) and his obsession.

Did He Really Need To Know

In the story Frankstein, Victor Frankstein’s thirst for knowledge and his ambition’s didn’t give him all the glory he was looking for: ”You seek knowledge and wisdom, as I once did, and I ardently hope that the ratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been” (Shelly 17). As a young man he was always curses and he went off to learn all he could. He obtained a passion for Science, which in the end made him crazy. He wanted to make a contribution to science that no one else had attempted shown in this quote, “I was surprise that among so many men of genius, who had directed their inquiries towards the same science, that I alone would be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret”(30). He strives had to achieve his goal but in the end he was not happy with his accomplishment: “He meant to pleas, and he tormented. I felt if he had placed carefully, one by one, the instruments which were to be afterwards used in putting me to slow death” (42). Victor was so unhappy with his creation that he could not gracefully that praise for any of his accomplishments.
Even through society stress knowledge and education, as individuals we have to maintain the depth and influence of the knowledge we obtain. In Frankstein, Victor’s knowledge became his total focus and his undoing.

Give Me Credit

Even though Frankstein by Mary Shelley was written at the beginning of a New Era, the treatment of Mary Shelly and her accomplishment of Frankstein was true Enlightenment. In preface of the book many quotes state the doubt that she had the ability the write the story. These quotes show this, “It’s hard for nineteenth-century critics…to believe that young Mary was that good.”(Shelley preface X), “…Mary Shelly has seldom gotten full credit for her originality and creativity…she has remained in the shadow of what she of created… (Preface X). Also the still gave credit to the male species showed in these quotes: “And literary critics for a long time credited the accomplishment essential to Percy’s influence and help…”(preface X), “…Frankstein, published anonymously but with broad hints that it might be by Percy Shelley or Byron, early reviewers assumed it was written by a man”(preface X). Even though critics tried to discredit Mary Shelley she is still recognized today for her contribution to Literature.
In today’s society we still have instances were women aren’t given credit for their work in Literature. Some women Arthurs use a different name, a man’s name. Literature should not be based on sex it should be based on quality and interest to the reader.

A Miscreation of Beauty

Victor Frankenstein was an “educated fool,” his thirst for knowledge, while being scientifically incessant was also unorthodox in his prodigious creation. None but GOD could absolve him from placing himself in a position unbefitting for man. Sin and perhaps Science sometimes brings about misery and death. To go outside the natural realm of man’s physical abilities and to do so with human body parts taken from various places is depicted as Victor states “Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil, as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay?,” (Shelley 32). Being aware that the places where he is gathering his resources from is disgusting and pernicious even to him, is a semi-forewarning and evidence that he is intellectually out of control. Victor obviously has an awful lot of trepidation about what he is doing, feeling just a little morally wrong and that he will succeed in restoring the spirit of life in his creation and somehow finds the strength and knowledge to achieve just that.
After his goal has been accomplished and he is staring into the face of his own creation: he sees the features of an adverse happening. Not only is he appalled at the facial appearance, but is also horrified by the physical aspects as well. When Victor horridly replied, “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe….I had selected his features as beautiful…. [H]is yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath…” (Shelley 34). She makes you “see” the monster as a big and hideously ugly thing. I think that by Victor being a man, he didn’t realize that he didn’t put as much "beauty" as he thought he did into designing the facial attributes because he was so obsessed with giving his creature life: something no one else had ever done.

Characters' Place in Society

In almost all the literary works that we have read, there seems to be a bold separation of where people fit in society. I think it is very important for the author of any story to give the reader as much information as possible about the setting of the story. Social class of characters is one of those settings of the story that we need to get a sense of what is going on and why characters think and act the way they do. Social class of individuals in stories can also give us a sense of the time and place when the events took place and sometimes even the culture in which they took place. For example in Gulliver’s Travels, where the traveler gives the reader hints about where he fits in society, “I was ordered to speak the few words I understood; and while they were at dinner, the master taught me the names for oats, milk, fire, water, and some others which I would readily pronounce after him, having from my youth a great facility in learning languages.”(Swift 444). With this quote, Gulliver tells the reader that he has experience with languages, and it is easy to assume that his family could afford language teachers when he was young. Also, the way he compares languages and the anecdotes of where he has heard those sounds before, “In speaking, they pronounce through the nose and throat, and their language approaches nearest to the High Dutch or German, of any I know in Europe; but is much more graceful and significant. The Emperor Charles V made almost the same observation, when he said, that if he were to speak to his horse, it should be in High Dutch.” (Swift 445). In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, when Mrs. Saville’s sister writes to her about Victor--his new acquaintance—he says that he thinks that if Mrs. Saville met Victor, her opinion about him would be: “What a noble fellow!” (Shelley 11). Remarks like this made by the authors of such passionate and complicated stories help readers know and understand better the characters, giving them a connection and place in society.

Knowledge is Powerful; Ignorance is Bliss

In reading Frankenstein, It was so obvious how Victor was so thirsty for knowledge. Not only was he thirsty for knowledge, he was also curious and very eager to learn. He then began reading different authors and philosophers, and became obsessed with the life and death of humans, which led him to the discovery of the monster he created. As he was telling the captain his story he states, " I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a want of skill or fidelity in my own instructors" (Shelley 22). Victor thought that some of the authors were ignorant, so therefore he would not allow himself to follow in thier footsteps and make the same mistakes, but proceed to do his experiments on his own. If he was to fail, he was going to be the cause behind his own failure. He also states, " how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier than a man is who believes" (Shelley 31). To much knowledge can be dangerous, one can take what they have learned and use it the wrong way. It is better to learn from your mistakes, and those of others. Learn by watching or either doing, and with that you will know what to or what not to do. Learn to use your knowledge or the power you may have wisely, it's always best to know what you are getting yourself into beforem it is to late.

maybe that God complex is not a good thing

I realized when reading Shelley’s Frankenstein that this is a story of power and regret for man. I mean when you really think about it,this story is about a man who gained the ability to create life but he never considered his responsibility and how it would affect everyone including the monster he created. This all ended in a big disaster for all involved and a few that were innocent bystanders. It is so clear that Victor was caught up in the discovery of science and the power of playing god when he says “I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it”(Shelley 31). I can imagine Frankenstein upon a hill, hands held high with lightning sprinting between his fingers looking around to see where he feels his power is best served. Instead he never considers what might happen to what he will create. Victor only thinks of the glory and acknowledgement he thinks he deserves from the creature he will create. This is evident when he says “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve their’s”(32). Can you say “God complex?” I also wonder if the regret that Victor feels is because he got caught and had lost so much or if he ever really knew what he had done.

Is Victor Frankenstein really sincere in his regret of making the monster? He seems to be a very selfish person in that the whole reason he wanted to create a “reanimated corpse” is for his own gratification… “wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death” (Shelley 22)! He wants all the “glory” to himself and he wants to be recognized and remembered for something. Victor becomes so obsessed with the plan to become famous (so to speak) that he completely ignores his human needs and his health is even altered… “My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement” (Shelley 32). Later on in the story when Justine has been convicted of the murder of Victor’s brother, William, Victor shows again how selfish he is … “A thousand times rather would I have confessed myself guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine; but I was absent when it was committed, and such a declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman, and would not have exculpated her who suffered through me” (Shelley 52). Victor is more worried about people thinking he is crazy (which he is) than saving a friends life! All Victor can speak about is his anguish and his remorse, but I do not believe it! “The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by the innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom, and would not forego their hold” (Shelley 54). Again, I believe that Victors sincerity is lacking; he is too selfish of a being.
(286 words)

Education Of a Man and a Monster

In the book Frankenstein Victor who is a man who is a scientist who found a creature and taught himself all these things he needed to know. As the book went on as he was traveling he states to him self “How dangerous is the acquitement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspire to become greater than his nature will allow” (Shelley 31). The significance of this quote simply signifies that acuquiring knowledge was a dangerous thing in their native land. This quote to me reminds me of our society in the 21st century we as human beings when we acquire knowledge we think too highly of our selves which causes dangerment to those who want to seek the knowledge of those who already has the knowledge given or learned by someone or something. “Alas! Why does man boast of sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute...” (Shelley 64) This quote also allows us as the readers to know that society plays a big role in to a lot of things. As the monster speaks about man and how society changes people it allows him to realize that society falls for thirst of knowledge but in remberance how it is that man want to gain knowledge that may be bad for him. Victor taught himself but as he was teaching himself he seen that this monster wanted to learn as well so he says “I see by your eagerness, and the wonder and hope which your eyes express,listen patiently until the end of my story and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that subject..Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example.” (Shelley 31) He allows this monster to know that to him learning something is not bad its just the way you learn and accept things and at the end of the day its up to the monster to use that knowledge and put it to use of something weather good or bad but also in the process of this creature learning Victor tells him to learn by his mistakes not to make the same mistakes as he.

knowledge and power

Mary Shelly evokes a great question: Is knowledge power? and can that knowledge be dangerous? When Victor creates the monster, Shelly demonstrates the relationship between the creator and the created:“I collected the instruments of life around me that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet”(45), and the dangerous consequences of misused knowledge. In this, Victor Frankenstein "played God" through the use of his knowledge and desire to go beyond as he makes it clear that "he did not want to feed his desire for discovering with something that had already satisfied so many others”(29). His desire to gain knowledge drives him to discover more, which will always be a never ending process when dealing with science. Victor's desire becomes an obsession and the obsession resulted in him creating the monster. This is something that is different in the other stories we have read. For example in Candide, his obsession comes to a contempt, yet Victor goes on to build a continuous obsession. Victor soon finds that knowledge can be quite dangerous because once you obtain knowledge, it may cause misery. This also ties back to Candide, who finds his own happiness in cultivating his garden, while exploration may cause pain and despair.

Ok I’m blaming this one on the teacher

That's right I said it, Even though Professor M. Waldman doesn’t seem to be a major character in our story, his role was huge. He should be credited with planting the seed of being God in Young Frankenstein’s mind, “But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pour over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracle” (Shelley28). I’m not saying Professor Waldman told him to create a monster, but after hearing words of this caliber from a professor I think I would be inclined to be show that I could do divine things also. How powerful young Frankenstein must’ve felt learning that guys like this, “They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake…”(Shelley 28) have studied the same sciences that he was about to study. Makes me think that or young scientist was just trying to show that he could be mentioned in the same breath with these guys.
““I am happy”, said M. Waldman,”to have gained a disciple ;””( Shelly 28) this statement makes me curious of what our professor really thinks of his young understudy’s mental potential. Maybe along the lines of if, Frankenstein achieves greatness (which he has potential to do) maybe my name will be listed as his mentor and teacher of higher learning. This in turn will make me greater than my peers. Since I’ve produced the greatest scientist of all time, im really the greatest greater Scientist of all time. Ok now it head scratching time.

To Many Different Angles

As i reflect on my readings of Saikaku's, "The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love" and Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein," I notice both stories have many different angles that can be preseved. One area that is covered in both stories is love. Saikaku tells the reader of a man who has found himself in love with a maid that is a married women. A very unusual and uncommon situation in that day and time. Shelly tells of a monster created by Victor Frankenstein who lives Victors view of science and life. A creature sewn together from old body parts and brought to life by chemicals and lightning and suddley becomes a huge eight foot tall newborn living baby. Being shocked by his creation Frankstein wants to disown the monster. His creation, the monster, feels neglect, sadness and rejection from Victor who the monster thought of as his father.The strange, impossible and even horrible aspects of the story become modern day possibilities. The cloning of the living is a good example. Many different themes can be noticed in the story, good versus evil, nuture versus nature are just a few. Mistrust becomes a major issue when the monster finds out about Franksteins journal and discovers Franksteins true thoughts about his creation. At first, though excited and having a love for life and a love for his creator, the excitement quickly turns sour. The more neglect and rejection felt the more obsessed he becomes with Frankstein. He began to question his exsistence and his learned values that contradicted those of Frankstein. The negative opinions of him from his creator causes a depression, a loathing of himself and he becomes angered with Frankstein. Love and admiration is replaced with a sense of revenge. The monster tells us " I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My proctectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the fellings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but, allowing myself to be borne away by the stream. I bent my mind toward injury and death" (Shelley 93)." " The feelings of kindness and gentleness, which I had enternained but a few moments before, gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. But the agony of my wound overcame me, my pilses paused, and I fainted" (Shelley 96).

Beautiful Scenes

One of the foremost things that I have noticed so far in reading Frankenstein is the extensive use of environmental descriptions. In our previous readings, the authors have been fairly analytical, but very sparse in describing the setting for the story. For example, when Gulliver is first stranded on the isle that is to be so central to his story, he describes it quite simply as a land “. . . divided by long rows of trees, not regularly planted, but naturally growing; there was great plenty of grass, and several fields of oats” (Swift 438). In a strong contrast to this Shelly goes to great lengths to describe the scene, providing details on the setting, weather, and even temperature, with the effect of drawing the reader into the experience. An excellent example is when Victor first encounters his creation on the outskirts of Geneva as he attempts to locate the site of William’s murder. In his account, Victor writes, “I quitted my seat, and walked on, although the darkness and storm increased every minute, and the thunder burst with a terrific crash over my head. It was echoed from Saleve, the Juras, and the Alps of Savoy; vivid flashes of lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake, making it appear like a vast sheet of fire” (Shelly 48). Comparing that vivid and detailed description with the flat and terse descriptions by Swift in Gulliver’s Travels, shows their tremendous difference in style of writing. While I think that in large part this is due to Swift trying to present the story as a journal and to lend credence to the story, I find Shelly’s writing much more compelling and involving because of the vivid imagery she presents.

Image by Gürkan Sengün and can be found at this web address.

http://www.thebackpew.com/backpew/images/wives_submit.jpg

http://www.thebackpew.com/backpew/images/wives_submit.jpg

blog 3

Candide was a crazy story. Frankly it was over done. He seemed to repeat himself. Almost as when we talked about when someone tells a story, they tell it so much that it begins to get twisted. Each story seemed to have some things in common but a different twist.
The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love has the same sort of love story and what is my point here is that along with Candide and Gulliver, Barrelmaker bring back ties to the Enlightenment. Our group came up with ties such as religion, role of women, and class. But unlike Candide, these short stories do not veer off into the jungle.
Saikaku puts women in the same cookie cutter mold as Gulliver did. “Ala, however, most women are fickle creatures. Captivated by some delicious love story …caught up in giddy corruption….[T]here is no greater folly than this….[A]bandon all prudence (Saikaku 600)” Here he is describing the cutter as he sees women. Gulliver did things along the same lines, putter women in a cutter of sexual vises and dirty lives.
Religion is kind of the same thing in Gulliver’s view. The way he describes it to the Horses, he makes it sound like it more a have-to thing instead of a choice. Saikaku sees almost like a salvation, especially when his story says, “’Oh’ the old woman replied, ‘God watches over everything….what could possibly happen.’” This shows that the Barrelmaker does not see religion as a fluke but as a settle higher power.

Passion vs. Reason

After reading the story I feel as if the whole story is based on passion from beginning to the end. In the beginning of the story the old nanny is out walking the streets past her bed time as. The old nanny is being driven by passion to feel young again. Even the Cooper was fueled by “He was desperately in love, so tortured by his fatal passion that he had only a day or two to live in this Fleeting World” (Ihara Saikaku 594). The Cooper’s passion for Osen allows him to tell the old nanny how he is in love with Osen. After the old nanny lies about the qualities of the Cooper the old nanny even has Osen being passionate about person she does not know nor has ever seen. Osen passion for this mystery man she goes to the capitol city just to meet him. Kyushichi seems to hide his passion at first, but once they make it to the hotel he shows how he truly feels Osen. After kyushichi does not win Osen heart he shows resentment or reason; by not helping carry the heavy bundles, also making Osen and old nanny buy their own tea. In the end of the story Osen changes from being driven by passion to reason. She cheats on the Cooper with Chozaemon because the women were talking about her. “I shall make love to Chozaemon to teach that woman a lesson” (602). Osen later kills herself out of reason she knows that she will be executed.

Can we really call it Passion or Reason?

As we discussed today about passion and reason among the class, in the story of The Barrel maker Brimful of Love by Ihara Saikaku we saw that there was many areas that was ruled with passion over reason. One example where passion over took reason would be “This set the flames of love burring more fiercely in the cooper’s heart and he cried: “My lady, I will supply you with all the firewood you will need to make tea the rest of your life.”” (592). We can see that yes indeed that this part of the story would show that there was a great deal of passion. For someone to make a promise that as long as that person will live that they would get a lifetime of something would show a great deal of passion in the eyes of the beholder. We can also noticed that the reason behind this passion would be that if he truly loved her then yes he would do anything in his power to provide for the woman, just like in today’s society. Unlike Candide, which started out by a strong passion of love just like in the story Barrelmaker, his turned into a less passionate situation. In Candides story towards the end we can see that his love for Cunegonde slips away. As stated, “At heart, Candide had no real wish to marry Cunegonde; but the baron’s extreme impertinence decided him in favor of the marriage, and Cunegonde was so eager for it that he could not back out” (578). Even thought in a way we can see that both stories had its own perspective of passion and reason, the truth behind the reason and passion lies in the eyes of the reader. In conclusion, can we say that this is really passion or is it reason?

Passion vs. reason.

After reading "The Barrelmaker Brimful Love" i realized that this story was driven with passion and love. It also made think about how gullible people are, and will do just about anything or believe anything to be in love. i found it amusing how the cooper would believe a total stranger, and that should she could help Osen fall in love with him. In the story the after he saw the old woman handling the newt, she told him " you don't need any newts to win her. I can bridge the stream of love for you, i will disperse the clouds and make your love successful" ( Saikaku 592). This was joy to the cooper's ears, he would have done anything for Osen's love. He even offered the old woman things, even though he had admitted to her he didnt have much. To me this is where he showed how gullible he was for love, he told the old woman " my lady, i will supply you with all the firewood you will need to make tea for the rest of your life" ( Saikaku 593). This shows how much passion ruled his thoughts. in my opinion he should have questioned the old woman words, and not have promised so much without her doing so.

The Irony and Passion in Osen’s Life

Osen’s life was full of irony and passion from the beginning to the end of her story. First, she was given as a servant because her parents couldn’t pay for their taxes. Then, because of the tricks of an old woman, Osen fell in love with love and full of passion gave herself to a man who she barely knew. When she went “Upstairs she found her lover, and together they drank the cup of betrothal, and pledging themselves to each other forever” (Saikaku 599). It is also ironic the hypocrisy that the old lady displayed when Kyushichi wanted to join the journey, making him force himself to go along and when the cooper showed up, the old woman’s reaction was the complete opposite, “’You look as if you were going to Ise too,’ the old Nanny addressed him. ‘But why go alone? You seem to be an agreeable fellow and we’d like to have you spend the night with us somewhere.”’ (Saikaku 596). When Kyushichi uneasy about the situation and what this means for his secret desires shows disagreement with Old Nanny about the cooper coming along, this is her response: “God watches over everything. And with a stout fellow like you along, what can possibly happen?”(Saikaku 598). And once she played the God card, there wasn’t much to support Kyushichi ‘s arguments.
It’s also very ironic that the people who were in charge of this story and made the biggest impact were the women in it (Old Nanny and Chozaemon’s wife)—And because of these women, Olsen falls in love, cheats on her husband and even commits suicide.

Ihara Saikaku was Not a Fan of Women

So, in any literary work from the 17th century one would expect to find some level of sexism. That’s just the way things were. And this doesn’t apply only to Christian Europe. Hindus, muslimeen(that’s “muslims” in Arabic), and infidels of all varieties treated women in a way we today would find unacceptable. Even the Japanese, though cut off from the rest of the world, were not immune to this; as is made clear in "The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love."

Initially I believed the old lady was sort the embodiment of all Mr. Saikaku believed was wrong with ladies. She is superstitious, she is flirtatious, she is crafty, and she is quite fickle. Even with her reverent rhetoric towards their folk religion, “None of the group had any real interest in the pilgrimage itself”(Saikaku 598). Heck, she was even an abortionist before the practice was outlawed. The old lady is just so unlikeable a character that I wish I could just blame her for everything that goes wrong in the story.

Osen, this character is everything the old lady is not. Osen is presented as chaste, shy, and beautiful; she is the ideal young lady. Mind you she is not an exceptionally heroic character. Nevertheless, she is very likeable. The only time when she clearly steps out of line she is consumed with fear and kills herself. Though I am not very certain whether this is done for shame, fear, or a mixture of the two. The suicide may be Osen’s redemption in the eyes of readers; it was for me at least.

The old lady is the embodiment of what was wrong with Japanese women during Saikakus time. And Osen is the ideal women, at least until the very end of the story. Both are somewhat useless to society and in reality quite helpless. This is a very timely depiction of women, but it doesn’t end there. “Alas, most women are fickle creatures. Captivated by some delicious love story, or deluded by the latest dramatic productions of Dotombori their souls are caught up in giddy corruption” (Saikaku 600). This rant about women, which goes on for a full page or so, comes almost out of nowhere. Saikaku had just finished detailing what a suitable wife Osen turned out to be and all of a sudden lists all his complains about women.

In conclusion, Saikaku is not a fan of women. Whether it is a foolish old lady or an unassuming young woman, both are, in the end, shown to be victims of their own uncontrollable passions. The text book indicates that Saikakus wife had died young but other than that I can’t find any reason in this short biography why he seemed to have such distaste for females. It does say he lived as a bachelor after the fact. So, maybe he was in to that sort of thing. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

Enlightened or not?

The Enlightenment period of literature is about passionate subjects that are turned into a reasonable “enlightenment” so to speak. The story of “The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love,” I think, can be considered an enlightenment piece of literature or not an enlightenment piece of literature. In class we spoke of the different supporting and countering aspects of the above argument, but I think it can both counter and support the argument at the same time - I am not drawn to one more than the other. Some points to support that the piece is apart of the Enlightenment period include the fact that during the beginning of the story the Cooper seems to be very soft spoken, laid back and very much in love; towards the end of the story he is yelling at his love and threatening death… “He was desperately in love, so tortured by his fatal passion that he had only a day or two to live in this Fleeting World” (Saikaku 594). In the last part of the story Cooper is awakened to Chozamon and Osen in his bed… “Hold on! If I catch you, I’ll never let you go” (603)! Cooper is enlightened to the fact that bad things can happen in a marriage, even if during the beginning of the relationship there was so much passion. One of the reasons I tend to think that this is not an Enlightenment piece is because there is so much reality in the way the story is told. There is talk of affairs… “And, dwelling upon this idea, she aroused in herself a passion for Chozaemon which soon resulted in a secret exchange of promises between the two. They waited only for a suitable occasion to fulfill their desires” (602). There is also more of a respect for women and a feeling of knowing that women had an important place in society; men listened to women and thought more highly of their opinions.
(325 words)

In "Barrelmaker Brimful of Love" the author Ihara Saikaku uses exaggeration to tell his stories. The most interesting part of the story is when Osen prepares a pilgrimage to the city of Ise (595 Saikaku). Which is supposed to be a secret, yet romantic getaway (where they have sex and "fall in love" ) (595 Saikau). This is talked about in such a casual and common way, as if this is quite routine. This is shocking because this seems out of character for the time period. The fact that Osen was going to travel alone (at least until she & the Cooper meet up) is not really heard of in this time period. As the story progresses the couple does end up together, but as the plot unfolds you can see just how much the view of men & women are unbalanced. The story shows men as sleeping around on their wives as if it's what they to when bored and in need of some entertainment. As is the cause for Osen's Mistress: "the master of the house was probably wasting himself and his money on Miss Nokaze of Shimabara...." (596 Saikaku). While this is an accepted practice for men, the opposite is allowed for women. A prime example is what Saikaku says in the story, about what happens to women when they are caught being unfaithful: " when...discovered, either their husbands send then home without taking the matter to court... or in the case of husbands greedy for gold, some kind of deal is made and the matter dropped" (601). This shows that what's good for the gander isn't good for the goose, or at least not in their culture. However the whole point (according to Saikaku), is that women are "fickle" and are full of "folly" (600 -601 Saikaku). This makes men look better, as if they are incapable of the exact some flaws women have. This is false because men are ruled by passion and reason the same as women.

Men VS Women

Men VS Women
In general, it’s usually always the man who gets caught cheating in a relationship whether married or not. In this story it’s just the opposite; a woman who enters into a secret and passionate endeavor simply out of retaliating from being wrongfully accused by a man’s wife. This is revealed When Osen depressingly states, “My sleeve is already wet with tears. Having suffered the shame, there is nothing left to lose. I shall make love to Chozaemon and teach that woman a lesson” (Saikaku 602). This statement depicts a spiteful woman who is being governed by her emotions in addition to being led by bitter thoughts and lack of sound reasoning.
Driven by her passion for Chozaemon, Osen makes the mistake of allowing him to follow her home. Most men would immediately have turned the woman around from following him home to his wife and make allowances to meet her some time later. Osen, being a woman and probably thinking with her passion filled brain, not only allowed him to follow her home, but she foolishly let him into her home to fulfill their raging desires. This turned out to be a tragedy brought on by “a woman’s scorn”. Had the shoe been on the other foot and if the man was found in Osen’s place, I wonder if he would have taken his own life. I think not because most men don’t have the valor to take their own lives especially when it involves cheating with a woman or another man: it’s just a man thing. This is also revealed in the sentence that states, “Naked and terrified, he dashed out and ran a great distance to the house of a close relative …” (Saikaku 603). Here again is a true picture of a man at his best, running away and giving no thought as to what happens to the woman. Executing and reuniting him with Osen after he is finally caught. Here is just the thing that the Enlightenment Period was against, being ruled by passion and emotional impulses instead of sound judgment and good reasoning.

Reason VS Passion

After Gulliver met and lived amongst the Houyhnhnms, he noticed that their race was more thought driven and thereby more orderly and controlled by what they considered to be reason and rationality. “As these noble Houyhnhnms are endowed by Nature with a general disposition to all virtues, and have no conceptions or ideas of what is evil in a rational creature; so their grand maxim is to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by it” (Swift 465). Here is where you just know that they are a humble and docile race; they know nothing of arguing or disagreeing with one another, nothing of evil. To live within a society that holds everyone and everything to a strict discipline was new and unknown to him. Hence he was from a society that was corrupt and vile to say the least. Is it because his race was ruled by passion which to them is being governed by emotions?
To show any type of an emotional display of affection or opinion would be classified as improper and unheard of. Therefore, the Houyhnhnms exempted themselves from any and all affiliations with emotion. “They have no fondness for their colts or foals; but the care they take in educating them proceedeth entirely from the dictates of reason” (Swift 466). They did not allow themselves to become servants of their feelings; they maintained the conduct that ruled their society. To see how they associated any acts of passion with sub-human conduct is reflected in the way they reason with thought instead of emotion. Thus the Enlightenment Period illustrates these same promotional implementations of rules pertaining to reason instead of passion.

Satire and Women!

I thought this was funny but I found it after I made my post!

What Women Really Mean When They Say:

I JUST NEED SOME SPACE.
Without you in it.

DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS DRESS?
We haven't had a fight in a while.

NO, PIZZA'S FINE.
You cheap slob!

I JUST DON'T WANT A BOYFRIEND NOW.
I just don't want you as a boyfriend now.

I DON'T KNOW, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
I can't believe you have nothing planned.

COME HERE.
My puppy does this, too.

I LIKE YOU, BUT...
I don't like you.

YOU NEVER LISTEN.
You never listen.

I'LL BE READY IN A MINUTE.
I'm ready, but I'm going to make you wait because I know you will.

OH, NO, I'LL PAY FOR MYSELF.
I'm just being nice; there's no way I'm going dutch.

OH YES!!! RIGHT THERE!!
Well, near there; I just want to get this over with.

I'M JUST GOING OUT WITH THE GIRLS.
We're gonna make fun of you and your friends.

Passion vs. Reason

When looking over the last two stories we read, Voltaire's Candide and Saikaku's The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love, we see how passion and reason are somewhat tied together, while neither one overcomes the other. For example, throughout the story Candide tries to rationalize everything according to the philosophy of Pangloss, yet his actions were ruled by his passionate love(lust) for Cunegonde. When Candide hears of the death of Cunegonde, he is devastated and thought only that it could be because "of grief at seeing me kicked out of her noble father's elegant castle"(Voltaire 525). This is the total opposite from Cunegonde because she lived by what was best for her not for her love of Candide. When asked to marry the greatest lord in South America, Cunegonde consults the old woman who reasons that it would benefit her and that she would "make no scruple of marrying My Lord the Governor, and making the fortune of Captain Candide"(Voltaire 540). This is interesting to me because despite the fact that Candide was kicked out of the castle for her sake and paid for her release on the ship, Cunegonde did not consider the love that was involve and readily married the Governor. Osen on the other hand brought both passion and reason into the mix. Osen commited suicide because she “realizing that it was a hopeless situation for her”(Saikaku 603). She reasoned that Cooper would kill her and knew that she could never fulfil her love for Chozaemon. Since she could not be with Chozaemon, she did not want to be with anyone. In this situation I cannot really say which, passion or reason, ruled over the other.

the value of a woman

In all of the stories we have read in the last few weeks there has been a lot of descriptions of women and there is clear evidence that women were not thought of as people but more as objects. The women are looked at two different extremes they are either valued for their beauty or they are cast aside as ugly and diseased. In Gulliver’s Travels women are described as someone who “bred rottenness in the bones of those who fell into their embraces; that this and many other diseases were propagated from father to son” (Swift 457).I really don’t think if I were a man that I would want to touch a female described that way, but we all know men did. In Candide, we see a man desperately in love until she loses her beauty. We see this in toward the end of the story when he sees Cunegonde again “with her skin weathered, her eyes bloodshot, her breasts fallen, her cheeks seamed, her arms red and scaly, he recoiled three steps in horror, and then advanced only out of politeness”(Voltaire 577). This cannot be a man who is in love with her as a person for her mind. Even though Candide does marry her it is surely out of spite for the Baron and that he promised her marriage. He was in love with her beauty and married her only because of his pride. The last story about Cooper and Osen spoke volumes about the authors view of women. First of all, the old Nanny is described as a “mischievous crone in whom cooper had put his trust”(Saikuku 593). Even though Cooper is getting help from this woman, he describes her as being deceptive. Later in the story, women are characterized as “fickle creatures. Captivated by some delicious love story, or deluded by the latest dramatic productions of Dotombori their souls caught up in giddy corruption”( Saikaku 600). This is further evidence of his attitude that women are ruled by the heart and not the mind.

Take life by the Horns

Throughout Candide I find the story packed full of people making the most of their situations. At the beginning you got more of a pitty party from Candie and others but as the story sails along you see more of a take charge and direct my own fate senairio. In modern day terms it is doing the best with what you have. It is being the best that you can be. Sometimes that action takes fine tuning of your surroundings, your situations. To be succesful, and in many cases for surrival, you must try to improve on what life has dealt you. My Grandmother Hicks would tell me you must take life by the horns and guide it as much as you can in the direction you would want it to go. You must cultivate your garden, and adjust what is bad in life or weed it out completely. Build on the good, eliminate the bad and you will become a better man, she would say. This was what Voltaire was trying to get across in his story. Remember at the beginning of Candide how optimistic he remained. He thought no matter what happened in life things always would turn out for the best. As hardships in his life grew he became more of a thinker and experienced the need to be more of a realist. He realized his actions did have a result in the way things turned out in his life. The bottom line is that responsibilitys in life lies within ourselves and we do have the power to make our lives better, if we chose. Any normal man could not have faced the dissapointment, the dispare, time and time again without feeling like giving up. It was hope that keep Candide going not optimisim. The hope of finding Cunegonde,the hope of one day controlling his on destiny. Martin would remind Candide that it is always good to have hope. Candide who first believed the optimisim approach began to look at life through hope. Upon hearing Candide crying out to Pangless telling him he is through with his optimistic attitude or believe in life, "I must give up your optimism after all"(Voltaire552). Cacambo then ask Candide what is optimism in which Candide replied,"it is mania for saying things are well when one is in hell"(Voltaire552). In the conclusion the story was brought together just like you would bring together a garden. Their lives had been cultivated, so they could grow and flourish. The characters began taking on lifes responsibilitys. They took charge of their on destiny, they became realistic, became useful and lost for the most part optimisim. Fine crops for life sprouted and grew. Cunegonde became an excellent pastry cook. Paquette did embrordery, the old women did laundry and Brother Firoflee became an honest man and also was a good carpenter. Pangloss was still trying to pitch his optimistic approach and gave Candide a speech on why things were linked together. Candide replied,"That is very well put, but we must cultivate our garden"(Voltaire580). He was saying use what God has given you and put forth an effort to better yourself and don't wait for good to come to you. Grab the bull (life) by the horns.

A Clever Guise

The final chapter of Candide does an excellent job of tying the story up, while raising enough questions make us look back on the story in a new light. Early on in the chapter, we’re shown how Candide’s love (or lust), for Cunegonde dissipates, and along with it the moral high ground Candide tied himself to throughout his journeys. We discover that Candide’s passion for Cunegonde was because of her beauty, and not his love, and that Candide married Cunegonde only because “. . . the baron’s extreme impertinence decided him in favor of the marriage” (Voltaire 578). Because of Candide’s change of heart in regard to Cunegonde, we’re forced to question his motives, since it was his supposed love for Cunegonde that drove him around the world. While during the story Candide manifests his love as true, looking back on the story, he actually uses that love as an excuse for almost every bad choice he makes. A very good example of this is when Candide and Cacambo are contemplating leaving Eldorado, and Candide says “It’s true, my friend, I’ll say it again, the castle where I was born does not compare with the land where we now are; but Miss Cunegonde is not here” (Voltaire 550). Here Candide is using Cunegonde to cover his own restlessness, but shortly after, Candide shows his true motivation saying “If we stay here, we shall be just like everybody else” (Voltaire 550). Considering the story in this light, Candide shows himself to be much like Pangloss, using people around him as convenient to justify whatever his passion drove him to do.

In closing, I found this video very funny and entertaining, and the site also has some very interesting interviews concerning Candide as well.

Satirical Song Lyrics--Offensive or Not?

I posted on Tuesday about my friend Prof. Piscitelli's satirical song that was deemed "offensive" by some. Here is an excerpt from the song--not sure if I included the offensive lines since I saw the whole thing as "tongue in cheek."

From "Mistakes Were Made--But Not By Me!" Copyright by Steve Piscitelli, 2010.



CHORUS

Mistakes were made but not by me

Mistakes were made but not by me

I think you’ll agree

Mistakes were made but not by me


VERSE

Politician says, “I don’t recall

It must be the bankers who dropped the ball!”


Oh, honey, honey, that woman meant nothin’ to me

Yeah now, baby, baby, that woman meant nothin’ to me

So, why don’t you quit

Givin’ me your third degree?



You know, it’s your fault if I stray

It’s your fault if I stray

Anyway it’s not like it happens everyday



So, take my advice and grab what you see

Yeah, take my advice and grab what you see

And when you get caught and yes you will

Just smile and say…. CHORUS

Women and Passsion

Throughout Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire’s Candid or Optimism, the author uses satire and great exaggeration to point out some of the ways society viewed women: “After the diamonds and gold, we women were the most prized possessions.” (Voltaire 536). With this words, the old woman tried to explain to Candid and Cunegonde how her people viewed her and thought of her in particular. I think she was trying to impress them-while she may have, the old woman did not impress the reader of today’s society. Today, women have the same rights as men, they can vote, go to school, choose between a carrier and a family and most importantly (in most civilized societies) women are worth more than diamonds and gold. If a friend was telling me her story, and she said this quote, that she was 3rd place in her husband’s life, I would tell her that is wrong and that they both need help. Voltaire also displays a lot of passion in this story. Candid keeps justifying everything that has gone wrong by the thoughts of his teacher Pangloss, especially towards the end when he reconciles with Cunegonde. Candid tried to explain Cunegonde what a man could do for love when he gave her his reasons for killing the Jew and a prelate. “My dear girl, replied Candide, when a man is in love, jealous, and just whipped by the Inquisition, he is not longer himself.” (Voltaire 533). I think today’s society views love the same way, however everyone (like Cunegonde) knows that killing for passion is not the right thing to do.

Fact VS Fiction: Or Is It?
In reading Voltaire’s “Candide,” I find that the story is full of both fact and fiction. In real life the world is full of everyone’s tragic story. The old servant woman amazed both Candide and Cunegonde with the bare facts of the history of her life and where she had came from as well as the horrors that she had experienced. This is shown as she states, “My lady, …you do not know my birth and rank; and if I showed you my rear end, you would not talk as you do, you might even speak with less assurance” (Voltaire 534). Telling them of her birth right and family of high stature surely astounded them as it did me. They saw that what she told them was actual fact and the person she is now is the after effect of living through piracy, wars and physical abuse.
If there was ever a place on the face of this earth where people lived who really had no interest in gold and jewels of all kinds what so ever, or no desire for them or their worth; that city would be over ran with all kinds of villainous and greedy people. Surely you do know that the Eldorado that Candide found was pure fiction, because no such place exists except for inside of the authors mind. Just the idea of being able to eat a lavish meal at an exclusive restaurant or tavern without having to pay for it in any town or city is ludicrous. After Candide and Cacambo were finished eating, they tried to pay for their meal and the host and hostess wouldn’t hear of it. To them it was very humorous and this is depicted when the host says, “Gentleman …, we see clearly that you’re foreigners; we don’t meet many of you here. Please excuse our laughing when you offered us in payment a couple of pebbles from the roadside” (Voltaire 547). To the people of that town the jewels were just colored rocks; to Candide and Cacambo they were rare and expensive jewels. This part of the story is as fictitious as it gets.

“Is it just me or….”

Is it just me or does our new friend Candide remind you of the late 17th century version of Forrest Gump. Starting from not knowing who his father was, “The old servants of the house suspected that he was the son to the Boron’s sister….”(Candide 520). Even though I felt the author was pointing out certain acceptable but questionable customs in his society as far as prestige and class goes. I still say if the guy was honest enough to engage with he’s good enough to marry, just food for thought. To even surviving not one but two natural disasters. We all remember the scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest and Lt. Dan was in the middle of the hurricane, Can we all say ” Buba Gump Shrimp.” So in keeping with my theme, does that make Dr. Pangloss Lt. Dan? In my opinion, you can’t understand either character without the other. “Master Pangloss was right indeed when he told me everything is for the best in this world...”(Candide 524), this is the same simple passive attitude in the statement “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” The comparisons are too close not to at least note.

Voltaire has twisted his comedy in a way that makes you feel bad about laughing at the joke. Like when he puts Candide in the middle of a battlefield. Candide hides under a bush to avoid confrontation, and if I was living in the 1700’s I would probably laugh after reading that. Then the author draws this gruesome picture of the villages that the solder from both sides just slaughter the native women and children, ”scattered brains and several limbs littering the ground”(Candide 524). After reading that who wants to laugh? I think Voltaire did a great job contrasting the fact that both sides in the Seven Years War or wars in general have causalities. Also, both sides did questionable things to civilians. This would make raise my awareness if I just read the weekly paper and it drew the picture that the enemy only did things that were out of order or just plan savage.

You Don’t Know What Happened To Me

In the story Candide the author Voltaire used satire to the extreme. The story was much exaggerated. In the story everyone had a tragedy and each characters tragedy seemed to be greater than the next. I would like to discuss the tragedies of Candide, Cunegonde, and the little old lady. Candide had several tragic events starting with getting kicked out of his home: “The Baron…drove Candide out of the castle by kicking him vigorously on the backside” (Voltaire 521). Then he was put in prison and escaped the Bulgars, being shipwreck, in an earthquake which he almost died in. Further in the story he’s almost eaten by Buglugs, having to kill Cunegonde’s brother, and losing all the treasure he brought out of Eldorado. He suffers more tragedies within the story and he still doesn’t lose his greatest hope of being reunited with Cunegonde.

Cunegonde’s tragedies start with losing Candide, but that was not the worst. She tells her story of the castle being overtaken by Bulgar’s and watching them butcher her father and brother, and hacking her mother in to pieces. She had been raped by a Bulgar: “An enormous Bulgar …set out to raping me” (531). She was rescued by a captain only to become his mistress then to be sold to a Jew named Don Issachar and became the object of affection a Grand Inquisitor. Further in the story she married to prevent being destitute.

After hearing their stories the old woman stated, “You pity yourselves…but you have had no such misfortunes as mine” (534). Cunegonde tried to make fun of her and the old woman told her “My lady, you do not know my birth and rank: ….you might even speak with less assurance” (534). She told the story of how she was so beautiful and was loved by the enormous prince she was to marry and he was killed, how the ship she was on was taken by pirates and how they search ungodly places. She was sold into slavery and fought over, rescued by a native of home, then sold by him in Algiers. In Algiers a plaque broke out and she almost died. That was not the worst of her story after being sold and resold she ended up in Azov were she had a portion of her bottom cut of f to feed the Russian’s who had captured them which was the alternative to being killed and eaten.

Each of the three stories are very extreme but that’s what Voltaire did best. He wrote this story to make a joke of life and made fun of the hardships that they had.

In all three stories we have read, the role of women, in a cultural setting, is degraded and downplayed. Celebi omits women all together (for the most part) in his stories, and Gulliver and Candide talk degradingly about women in their stories.
Gulliver’s story has many examples of how women were viewed, both in his own culture and the Houyhnhnms culture: “That, prostitute female yahoos acquired a certain malady, which bred rottenness in the bones of those who fell into their embraces…” (Swift 457). It is also evident in the following quote: “…and my master thought it monstrous in us to give the females a different kind of education from the males…” (Swift 466).
Candide uses a more discrete way to degrade women in the way he tells his story: “…she was disemboweled by the Bulgar soldiers, after having been raped to the absolute limit of human endurance…” (Voltaire 525). Women are not viewed as having worth and purpose, but only being needed for the use of the “greater” man: “Her daughter Cun`egonde, aged seventeen, was a ruddy-cheeked girl, fresh, plump, and desirable” (Voltaire 520).
I understand that times have changed and back in a different time period there were different views about women in society, but where is the respect for women in general? How do these men think they came into existence? Is a woman’s worth only dependant on how well she can please a man’s eye? I believe that man and woman were created to compliment each other were the other falls short.
(256 words)

Nature of the story (men vs women)

Nature of the story
In the story of Candide by Francois-Marie Arouet De Voltaire, we can see that Voltaire tells many stories from different point of views. Many of the stories are through the eyes of women. With that being stated we can see that this would be a story of independence and as well as male vs. female. For the princess of the pope, she saw many things throughout her lifetime. She states, “At last I saw all our Italian women, including my mother, torn to pieces, cut to bits, murdered by the monsters who were fighting over them” (536). We can see that here in the quote that yes women once again in that society was brutally victimized by these pirates that were so called men. Men that were too ashamed of themselves to be able to hold back but they wanted to be barbaric. And for one to see her own mother be torn to bits, that would be hard on anyone. Even thought that many of the victims in his story have hard times nothing compares to the lost of a parent. One other thing that stood out to be to be a point on men vs. women and also the nature of the story would be stated by Candide, “ Could this be Miss Cunegode?...His knees give way, speech fails him, he falls at her feed, Cunegonde collapses on the sofa” (530). We all can see that this is a great example of showing if a man truly cares for someone that he would show the sanative side of the men. Even thought in this time, men didn’t show emotions but Candide showed a new beginning for man.

Voltaire: Candide

In reading Candide, again, I noticed that women were not treated any different than the other stories we read in class. In each of the stories, women were either talked bad about, treated badly, or was only looked at for what the men considered to be their roles, or blamed for the bad caused within their community. Women were not respected, and some didnt have respect for themselves. In one part of the story Cunegonde talked about how she had been raped by two Bulgars, and stabbed twice in the belly. Then the old woman go on to tell all that she lived through as well. She stated, " I want try to explain how painful it is for a young princess to be carried off into slavery." (Voltaire 536). Just that statement along tells you regardless of what your title is, you still wasn't respected if you was a woman. One would think, if you was a "princess" you would be out of harm's way. The old woman also stated, "after the diamonds and gold, we women were the most prized possessions". Again, women were treated poorly, being sold, traded, the men were even fighting over the women, and putting the women in harm's way. Whatever happened to the man being the protector? Yeah right, the women were looked at as property, and goods, only if the women has value maybe then she can get some protection.

Chaos Vs. Order

“We are all priest…. [H]ere we are all of the same mind, and we don’t understand what you are up to with your marks” (Voltaire 549) The unique significance of this quote is that it states that WE all are the same. Its reminds me of the story that Swift wrote when he talked about the different cultures such as the yahoos and the horses how they had their own unique group they have their own ways of running things although they had their ignorance they still had their own culture that they follow. Something that they are use to. In Candide it was so content that they didn’t need gold and possession it was almost like a utopia in their world. They had everything they needed and it was as if that they knew what they needed which was nothing. What Voltaire did with this text was picking on people showing us the reader that if they were not like him and didn’t do as he they were different and needed to be made fun of. He was allowing us to see what he thought through his words. Voltaire is a man who allows us to see that the meaning of We is standing for all of us every ethnic background. He allows us to see that although we are different we are all the same in one way or another.