A Religion I don't Want

In my reading of Frederick Douglass, the subject of religion caught my attention. Does not religion teach kindness? Does not religion teach love for your fellowman? What kind of religion did these arrogant white slave owners have? They had one that I don't want. " In August, 1832, my master attended a Methodist camp-meeting held in the Bay-side, Talbot county, and there experienced religion" (Douglass 947). Douglass hoped this would make his master, Captain Auld, free his slaves and if not at least make him more kind and humane."If it had any effect on his character, it made him more cruel and hateful in all his ways; for I believe him to have been a much worse man after his conversion than before" (Douglass 947). What kind of religion had Captain Auld and his fellow ministers been converted to? Definitely not from God. A godly person is God like. A christian is christ like. A Godly person does not mistreat, beat, rape or starve anyone for any reason. Instead they are kind, loving and giving. Religon? Maybe some type, a Godly conversion, not a chance.

Slavery

Slavery is horrible. I know that a Romantic piece of literature is suppose to be all about the main character of the story, but I think Frederick Douglass deserves to speak of himself and all the trails we went through as a slave. Being an ignorant person and living in the age I am living, I did not know the severity of the treatment of slaves on the old plantations. The people are being treated worse than any dog in our society - we have organizations and people that stand up against the inhumane treatment of animals, but we never stop to think of the treatment that was given to slaves “I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood” (Douglass 925). How could a human being treat another in this manner? The slaves were doing the work they were “hired” to do; why couldn’t this be enough for the owner of the plantation. I do not understand why they felt the need to whip, rape, and torture these innocent people that should have had the same rights as any other person. I found myself, later on in the story, being happy that Mr. Douglass battled Mr. Covey and would not let him beat on him anymore… “My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me” (Douglass 955).

The Profit of Knowledge

Had Thomas Nast been laid off by Harper's Weekly, we never would have had such powerful cartoons as this 1867 illustration, "The Georgetown Election," which mocked President Andrew Johnson's (left) stance on suffrage based on race.

Fredrick Douglass was born a slave and through relentless pursuits reaches his life’s achievement of education and freedom. After tasting the refreshing nectar of knowledge he became adamant about learning how to read. Douglass knew within himself that this would be his ticket to freedom: his vow to himself was to obtain the knowledge necessary that would release him from the bondage of slavery at all costs. After Mr. Auld chastised his wife for teaching Fredrick his alphabets, he came to a certain realization and this is shown as he states “I now understand what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty – to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man…. I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglass 937). His quest for knowledge and freedom became his immediate and ulterior goal. Not only was Douglass teaching himself through tactful manipulation how to read, but also he began to share what he had learned with the other slaves. His compassion for his fellow slave brothers and sisters is depicted in his role as their teacher and friend. He sees himself as one of them and he speaks of their love for one another at the close of school each Sunday. Douglass expresses an unselfish desire to empower them with knowledge and this is seen as he states “They came because they wished to learn. Their minds had been starved by their cruel masters. They had been shut up in mental darkness. I taught them, because it was the delight of my soul to be doing something that looked like bettering the condition of my race” (Douglass 959,960). Here is a firm display of betterment; of one’s self along with one’s own community.

The physical abuse described in Douglass was very appalling and cruel to say the least. I even agree that the mental anguish was just as harsh if not difficult to read or imagine. Yet I find that the attitude of some slaves that they were better than other slaves, for whatever reason, just plain sad “It was considered being bad enough to be a slave; but to be a poor man’s slave was deemed a disgrace indeed!” (Douglass 931). How could it be possible to convince a person or train a man, to forgo his own thoughts and beliefs to offend against his own kind or another human being for that matter? How great of a motivator would one man or system of cruelty have to be to convince another person to spy, whip, and even kill another human being? Not because of war or for the betterment of a greater cause no, only because of cotton, crops, wealth and economy. “The principal products raised upon it were tobacco, corn and wheat” (Douglass 926). This disturbs me more than anything. My mind has no way of understanding what the procedure could be to convince another man to do my biding in such a harsh manor just to ensure the crops would be harvested before sunset.
“The slaveholders have been known to send in spies among their slaves, to ascertain their views and feelings in regard to their condition” (Douglass 931). I recognize that slaves were treated in the most mortifying manor known to this country’s history. But after reading works like Douglass the question that still remains on my mind is,” why not rebel stand and fight from day one.” Many people may find this question as a little on the unsympathetic end, but it’s the contrary. I hadn’t been beaten in a physical since. Nor have I seen my Aunts and Uncles hands and feet bounded as if they where wild game, hanged from post outside of the shack I call my home. But I have seen people disrespected and rejected because of their race. I’ve been denied a chance to better take care of my family, because of the way I talk and my mannerisms. I’m not downplaying the struggles that my Great Great Great Grandparents went through. But this would be all the more reason to stop it, to rise up against it, to get mad and do something about it. Instead of spitting in the masters coffee use rat poison its quicker. Instead of taking an untimely break in the field while the master isn’t looking form an alliance with the other slaves and kill the Master and the horse.
If I don’t fight and attempt to change the things that I know is wrong I’m a part of the problem. This is a personal choice but what if every Niggars took a similar stand, American history would be written in a different way. I may have been killed in the process but the thought of my child seeing someone beat his father and I lie down and take it gives me a death every time I look at him. “A still tongue makes a wise head” (Douglass 931). As a Father, Son, Brother and Uncle I would rather die a thousand times and see my entire family die, than for any one of us to die a coward’s death from the inside out.

We Don't Know The Half Of It

In reading about Frederick Douglas, I was very impressed by his writings and accounts of his life. It was a very easy and educational read. It kept my attention span at a high level. The situations he wrote of were real life situations and were educational. They showed that slavery was not just words but were a forced way of life. A hellish nightmare lived everyday by the people involved. It was very different from the dull mostly fictional readings of Candide and Gulliver's Travels. Douglass readings were presented in an on edge, educational way. Fredick Douglass accomplished much, He was an overcomer. This was very hard times for the black community but Douglass was able to achieve much. His writings gained world recognition and he became the most exciting, electrifing speaker and writer produced by black america in the ninneteeth century. We sometimes here stories of slavery and just blow them off as just words and are guility of not realizing the realism of those truths. Douglass tells of his life accounts in a way that helps me to better understand the real meaning of slavery. We make the mistake of not putting ourselves in the shoes of the slaves and the terrible hardships they indured. To the people of slavery it was very real and was a forced everyday lifestyle and nightmare from hell. Douglass tells of one such incident where a slaveowners overseer was involved. Mr. Plummer, the overseerer, was a drunken evil man. He swore nearly every breath and seemed to enjoy cruelity and inducing much pain on the slaves. Douglass describes him as a savage monster who the slave owner even had issues with. The owner would even become enraged at his needless cruelity.Douglass tells about being awakened at dawn by shrieks and screams of his aunt. "No words, no tears, no prayers, from his goery victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she scremed, the harder he whipped;and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest" (Douglass 925). A needless punishment for a female longing for the attention of a young male. Hardly a crime and definitely not worthy of a beating.

Birth of Individuality

In reading the work of Frederick Douglass I feel that I am starting to see the distinction between the Enlightenment and Romantic periods much more strongly, and getting a better grasp on what that distinction means. Whether by design or accident, I actually see a lot of those same differences in Douglass’s work as he describes his own education, and eventual acquisition of identity as a person. During the early parts of Douglass’s story he shows us how the slave masters did everything in their power to deprive their slaves of a personal identity, and Douglass writes that “I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday” (Douglass 923). In a lot of ways this reminds me of the Enlightenment view of society vs. individual, as the slave masters tried to suppress personal concerns in the slaves, in an attempt to govern them as a group. As Douglass progressed in educating himself he gains awareness of both himself and his surroundings, and begins to understand both why the slave masters suppressed their individuality, and the horrific nature of their scheme. When Douglass becomes aware of just how cruel his own circumstances were, he writes, “It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out” (Douglass 941). I think that as Douglass learned more about himself, he realized that being a slave was a state of being, not a personal identity.

There seems to be a strong relationship between Douglass’s early state of being a slave and the Enlightenment system of dealing with society rather than individuals, further, Douglass’s discovery that he was a person and not some meaningless part of a societal caste of slaves, fits very well with the idea of Romanticism.

Empowering Myself

In Frederick Douglass narrative of his life he shows how as a slave he in powered his self to overcome slavery. He realized that there was another way of living. His journey started when he left his first master’s house and went to live in Baltimore. His new master’s wife began to teach him to read. When the master found out he made this statement “A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master.... [L]earning would spoil the best nigger to the world. Now if you teach a nigger (speaking of myself) to read, there would be no keeping him” (Douglass 937). This put the first sparks of in his heart and he worked hard to learn to read. His second step came when he experience the cruelty first hand. He obtained knowledge very valuable to him from another slave and did as he told him. When he returned back he found that this knowledge had merit when he fought his master and several others and thrashed them. His thoughts after this were “This battle with Mr. Covey was a turning-point in my career as a slave” (955). Third was when he helped his follow slaves to read and some of them planned to run. The plan was stop but he went back to Baltimore and learned a trade. After some difficulties he started making his own money. At this point he had empowered himself with the assets to make it if freedom was obtained, “I now come to the part of my life during which I planned, and finally succeeded in making, my escape from slavery” (967). Douglass was one of the many black slaves that empowered themselves to accomplish freedom.

THANK YOU

Slavery was a cruel time for my race it was a time where we had no rights and only existed to be controlled. Frederick Douglass was one of the first groups that realized that there was another way of living and actually achieved it. Douglass’s Narrative of Life was a very graphic and very descriptive of the cruelty that they had to endure. He describes the first time he witness this cruelty, “I remember the first time I ever witness this horrible exhibition… [I]t struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery” (Douglass 925). This cruelty was life for slaves, the beatings, the living conditions, not enough to eat and nothing of their own. During this time they had no rights, they did what they were told or was punished. He describes on incident were a slave refused to be beaten and his was killed. This cruelty was justified by this statement “He argued that if on slave refused to be corrected, and escaped with his life, the others would soon copy the example; the result of which would be the freedom of the slaves and the enslavement of the whites” (933). My race lived this way for generations to come. But those like Douglass and Harriet Tubman fought for freedom and achieve it and help other’s to obtain freedom. I can say that I’m thankful to those that suffered and fought for freedom because without them enduring the cruelty and overcoming I would not have the freedoms that I have today.

Cruelty of Slavery

Slavery was abolished with the 13th amendment of the US constitution. Prior to that, back people went through very harsh things, things that some white people wanted to forget, since it's so shameful. It took individuals such as Frederick Douglass who wrote about his experiences as a slave to keep recorded in history of what really happened during the time of slavery. Back in the time of slaves, there were laws created by US law makers that made slavery legal. When finally slavery was overcome, the problem of segregation came into place, giving black people another obstacle on the road of total freedom. Frederick Douglas wrote about his childhood as a slave, he mentioned the inhuman conditions that he lived in as a child, “The allowance of slave children was given to their mothers, or the old women having the care of them. The children unable to work in the field had neither shoes, stockings, jackets, nor trousers, given to them; their clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts per year. When these failed them, they went naked until the next allowance year.” (Douglass 926). In today’s society, one cannot even imagine a child (black, white, asian, latino or whatever culture the child may come from) living under this extreme and cruel conditions. If it did, severe punishment would be given to the person in charge of them. However, children who lived as slaves, many times never learned to read and write or lived to see their offspring liberated from the chains of slavery. Douglass detailed descriptions of events that marked his life and made him become the man he became are full of cruelty especially from the slaves' master: “ if one slave refused to be corrected, and escaped with his life, the others slaves would soon copy the example; the result of which would be, the freedom of the slaves, and the enslavement of the whites” (Douglass 933). Such actions, as killing a slave and given the explanation above was somewhat common back then, and we would have never known of it if it wasn’t for brave men as Frederick Douglas.

Obssed

It would be easy to just say that Victor’s creation was the monster because it wasn’t really human, having been created from stolen body parts, a creature that takes innocent lives and destroys without a bit of regret. But what caused the creature to behave this way? The creature was a created by the true monster of this story. Victor was a man unable to understand the meaning of what he was doing, a man possessed with fame and fortune, an irrational man who had no respect for family, friends, or the beauty of life which what I had seen to be his obsession. Victor was a spoiled child, raised in a world of privilege by doting parents where he was never made to accept responsibility for his actions, and from an early age thought the world revolved around him: “Much as they were attracted to each other…I was their plaything and their idol, and something better - their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed upon them by Heaven…”(Shelley 40). Victor didn’t care for family or friends and felt that they were not as important as his desire to learn about science, “…I was capable of a more intense application, and was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge“(Shelley 43). Although Victor had everything and got everything he had this big obsession of recreating life.

women

Ok first let me slide this in here, I hate technology. I have been fighting with this blog for 20 hours now and had to reregister AGAIN. But, in light of it all, I am determined to be up with the tech age and submit my thoughts.
I did not mention or write about the first option about the “what if” in regards for women’s status in the Enlightenment period. I think that the roles giving and putting women in the cookie cutter of being in the kitchen set them up for greater later on. In the south we see our women in the family as monarchs of the entire family. Yes, they may have had a rough start in the beginning of the Enlightenment period, Gulliver said that they are weapons, “spreading vicious diseases” (Swift) In Candide, his lover had control over him otherwise he wouldn’t have been traveling and killing for her. Their role of being in the kitchen staying home and raising the kids is a lot better than the caveman days were women were more of an object and raped when ever men wanted. And in the Enlightenment period there developed family units. Now a days this role gives women the power over the family. “what momma says goes,” and “If momma ain’t happy no one is happy, “ these are saying that show that we as woman do hold a higher role. There was an unnecessary delay if the rise of female respect given.

A Monster Inside of a Monster
Frankenstein created a “being” that had the features of a monster and the heart of a man. When the monster was first brought to life, he knew nothing of the ways of the world. His first contact with human nature was disastrous because of his size, color and appearance. His encounter with mankind taught him to become a distrusting and angry villain. Although he was aware of his difference, he was really just a man filled with fear and anguish. After living and learning from the family that he daily observed he knew that he wanted to have a relationship with them but was afraid of how they would receive him. This is clearly shown when the monster tries to befriend the old man and is seen when he says, “I tenderly love these friends; I have, unknown to them, been for many months in the habits of daily kindness towards them; but they believe that I wish to injure them, and it is that prejudice which I wish to overcome” (Shelley 90). Here the monster is trying to get accepted before the old man’s children return and see him: not for who he is but for what he looks like. After being treated as an outcast and shunned, he does what the typical man would do; change. Society played a big part in him changing from being a sensitive and caring person to the monster that he became. After being discovered and beaten the monster has finally gotten tired of trying to become friends with anyone and allows the real monster inside of him to be born. The monster lividly states “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you so wantonly bestowed?... [M]y feelings were those of rage and revenge” (Shelley 91-92). What man that you know would lie down and accept being mistreated? Can you not see how society helped to create this monster? Not to mention how his own creator abhorred and rejected him.

Banned Book Week

Due to my schedule I did not attend any of the banned book events. On that Tuesday the had reading from banned books in passing I did get a glimpse of what was going on and it sounded very interesting. A young lady was reading in her voice you could her passion for what she was reading. I know we don't all agree on the books that should or shouldn't be read for what ever reason. I book is read by in individual mostly because its something that they have a passion for. In reading some of Ms Joseph's work you see the passion she has for what she writes and if you do any recreational reading you know that in most poetry and stories the writers but part of their innermost thoughts and feelings it to what the write. I discussed the banned book activities with some of my fellow students and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I hate that I couldn't attend.

Banned Book Week

The book I chose is “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This book has mostly been challenged due to the racial, sexual and suggestive language used in the story. It has been challenged or banned by parents, towns, NAACP and African Americans. It was banned in Lindale, Texas because it went against it values. The book was pulled off a readers list due to the language ii contained by Brampton, Ontario and temporarily in Eden Valley, Minnesota. The book has been restricted for mostly high school and younger students. I started to find another book when I seen that someone else had chosen the same book until I read it and I realized that just like the story that was written from someone’s view of what they perceived. The story was written in a time period where reality was similar as in the book people being falsely accused and personal justice was served not judicial justice. The writer just put it on paper yes the story is told from his put of view so its fiction. I agree that it has not been national banned and it can still be read. It’s obviously considered to be a good story it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.

Banned Books

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, was first challenged in Eden Valley, Minn. and temporary banned due to profanity, and the use of the word "nigger". The book was challenged by a number of different schools, and was also challenged by the NAACP for the use of racial slurs. I agree that the book is not appropriate for junior high school or middle age children. Some kids, are not as mature as others, or on a level to fully comprehend with the book is about. Being that we're talking about young children they will not understand the moral of the story, and could take the story the wrong way. I feel that th e book can stir up conflicts among such a young group of kids.

Frankenstein: A Book I Read Semi-Thoroughly

Before we get started, I need to address the title of this blog. You see, I believe honesty is always the best policy (unless you’re talking to the police. In that case you keep quiet yo. Just like Camron said.) So, as the title indicates, I didn’t read this book super thoroughly. And you wanna know why? Reading this book would mean the acquiring of knowledge; that’s why. And apparently knowledge turns ya into a big ole mean monster. Number one: Mr. Frankenjerk had to be smart to create the monster. Then the monster read a bunch of books, started feelin’ lonely, and killed a bunch of people. I mean gosh, in the book of Genesis it took one generation after the tree of knowledge for humanity to become a race of murderers. But since a blog is required of me, a blog I shall give. Frankenstein hates the monster and the monster hates Frankenstein. That’s this whole dang book. Even until the end. The monster says, “For whilst I destroyed his hopes, I did not satisfy my own desires”(Shelly 154). That was his whole reason for existing: revenge. “I have persued him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself”(Shelly155). Poor guy just had low self esteem. Maybe this whole book is a big father and son story. Or maybe it’s just about how explosive vengeance will always blow back on you. Heck, I don’t know. However, I do know that I’m over 250 words now.

Victor has the power.

After reading the story Frankenstein I feel that Victor had the power. Even though, he died towards the end I think Victor still won the battle between him and the monster. I say that because the monster had no one to be angry with or seek to gain revenge against. The monster sought to destroys Victor's life , because of what Victor did to the monster by deserting him, and not creating him a woman for himself. Since Victor is no longer alive the monster sees no point of himself still living. With the quote from the monster; " I shall die, and what I now feel no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct" ( Shelley 156). The monster is also feeling guilty about the murders he has committed on innocent people. He tells Robert " I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; i have strangled the innocent as they slept, and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing" ( Shelley 155 ). With the death of Victor the monster finally realizes the damage he has caused to others, so this is why i say that Victor still has the power he makes the monster thinks with reason and guilt instead of the passion driven thing he was.

Revenge Is Best Served Cold

The monster knew that Frankenstien was determined to track him down and destroy him. Follow me, I seek, the everlasting ices of the north, were you feel the misery of cold and frost, to which I am passive( shelley142). The monster knew that the weather and the journey would soon be to much for Frankenstien to bare. The monster wanted Frankenstien to suffer and feel what he felt. Traveling northward, on his journey for revenge, the coldness of the air, the rivers being covered with ice, and the thickness of the snow, still did not stop Frankenstien from what he felt he was destined to do. Cold, miserable, and being alone, the things Frankenstien felt on the outside, is what the monster was feeling on the inside. The monster only wanted to be loved an accepted, but his appearance made it hard for anyone to accept him. The monster hated who he had become, he felt that he, himself was what society had labeled him, a wretch, when really his heart was at once consumed with love and sympathy, and then turned to cold an hatred. Alas! he is cold; he may not answer me (Shelley 153). Frankenstien had died a cold, miserable death. The cold, lonely journey the monster took Frankienstien on, still wasnt enough to compare to having a cold soul, as he did.

I think that the whole issue of the monster being the monster in Frankenstein, is Victor’s fault. Does anyone not feel the same way? Victor, as being the creator of his “being,” should have stayed and taught the monster the difference in right and wrong… “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep” (Shelley 34). He was too much of a coward (for what he saw on the outward appearance) to stay and take the finishing responsibilities to his creation. The fiend had no means of security, and if he would have had a sense of belonging, he might have turned out better and not destroyed Victor’s whole family. The monster tried a few times to come into civilization and he wanted to be treated as a normal human. Even though the creature wanted to be apart of nature and all that was good, he was caste out to be alone; eh longed for an identity… “But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses; or if they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I distinguished nothing” (Shelley 81). I think, if given half a chance, the creation would not have had to been a menace to society and to Victor.
(267 words)

Travel/Exploration and Knowledge

Looking over the stories we have read, I found that in Gulliver's Travels, Candide, Frankenstein, and Celebi all the main characters travel and explore to obtain knowledge. In Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver went out to acquire riches, yet gained knowledge of a new culture; The Houyhnhnms, the horse nation, had no basis of war, literature, clothing ,etc. In reality, the desire for knowledge on the Houyhnhnms' part saved Gulliver because they wanted to know why he looked like the Yahoos, yet had different mannerisms; "My master was eager to learn from whence I came"(Swift 445). In the other two stories we see a more negative outcome for obtaining knowledge. In the story of Candide, Voltaire demonstrates the lack of power in knowledge through Pangloss, the philosopher. During Candide and Pangloss' travels they are lead to have dinner with the Inquisition where Pangloss argues over the idea of free will. His expression of his knowledge is welcomed coldly and resulted in his hanging and the flogging of his company. In the story of Frankenstein, Shelly demonstrates how the exploration of knowledge and science can destroy life and bring about utter sadness. Victor Frankenstein uses his power to create a "human" out of dead body parts; He is "unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created"(Shelly 34). Victor does not know exactly what he had gotten himself into because the monster is a compassionate being with feelings; This something that his creator did not consider. In the story of Evliya Celebi, the main character travels and observes different cultures. The traveler comes across a group of ignorant foreigners, who do not know the proper uses of some items. For example, the cooking pots. We see that the outsiders are ignorant to the way of life of the natives.

Banned Book Week

I think banned book week was a great event for the school. The readings over the loud speaker attracted several students who admitted that they were not taking a literature class this semester. The exposure to literature that’s not normally read in our assignments was a refreshing peek to the dark side. Judging by the reactions from some of the students it was really an attention holder. I attended the kick off of Banned Book week and I was actually shocked by several things. First, “it was outside in the most highly traffic area on campus. I remember my brother asking me “is that chick getting raped.” I replied “yelp, and I think it’s her mother’s husband is doing it, “this was doing the reading of “The Bastard of Carolina.” Of course he lost interest after the rapping was over. But that’s a prime example of how literature can spark the interest of most readers. I was also shocked that it was allowed to be read on the loud speakers. This shows that administrators and teachers agreed with exposing students to this type of literature. I actually enjoyed hearing the readers. Banned book week was fun and in formative.

Banned Books Week at PTC

The event I attended was Banned Books week at Pulaski Technical College. The nature of the event was to read and discuss some of the parts of the banned books that caused controversy and why they got banned. One of the Books presented was the first book of the Harry Potter series “Sorcerer’s Stone,” and the reason it got banned was because it contains wizards, magic and it promotes rule breaking, disobedience and other bad behavior. I didn’t think it was a big deal, I think that when someone is about to read a book, they have to be aware of the type of reading they are about to do. However, when it comes to children, I think it is the job of the adult around the kid, to make sure the kid understand what science fiction is before reading a book such as Harry Potter. I think fiction is a great way to stimulate children’s imagination, and if they start from a young age, by the time they are adults, their imagination will be well develop and we will have tremendous writers. The audiences’ reaction, well, it everyone was pretty quiet, since the lady was speaking on the microphone and no one wanted to interrupt—however I think they all had similar thoughts to mine. Some of the things I learned were that there are a couple things why a book gets banned; they could be moral, political or religious. Also, that we “celebrate” the banned books week to “celebrate” the rights given to us by the Article 1 of the US Constitution.

Parents and the Damage they can do

The way Victor treated the monster as soon as it came to life was unfair and full of selfishness from Victor. The monster came to this life as we all did. The huge difference is that, unlike the monster, both our parents or at least one of them loved us and did right by us. They taught us how to eat, dress, speak and prepared us in whatever way they before we went out to the real world. Victor did not teach any of this basic skills to the monster, like many irresponsible parents, Victor chose the easy path (not taking responsibility of his creation); only in this case it lead his to his grave. It is very interesting how Shelley’s description of the night the monster came to life is similar of that of a woman having a baby: “ It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.” (Shelley 34) and then Victor goes on to say: “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, of how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful.” (Shelley 34). When Shelley started describing the night of the monster’s birth, it reminded me of the night one of my nephews was born.

Summary of Frankenstein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-3D7HCDeJ4

A Poetic Event
My family and I attended the last night of Banned Books week, and to celebrate this peculiar occasion, PTC’s Sandy Longhorn had a poet to read excerpts from her sixth book of published poetry “My Father’s Kites”. Allison Joseph shared with her audience how she came upon writing a sonnet of her father’s death. She showed how she was able to relay her inner most feelings onto paper with form and clarity. In her poetry she comically describes the seriousness of her father’s lack of religious beliefs, as she promulgates about her own faith. Mrs. Joseph allowed one to become engrossed in the stories that she tells within her poetry. The audience seemed to become spellbound and full of emotional anticipation as she explained how she put together each poem. I was sincerely touched by the way that she could find humor during the time of financial and mental duress. She made quite an impression on me, while standing and delivering the different ways to write poetry. It amazes me how the creative process of writing from experience tends to make one feel the agony as well as the delight. I found this event to be auspicious and literarily informative.

parallels

I believe in Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein a parallel can be made of Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein‘s explorations. Walton is setting out to delve into areas that are unknown and so is Victor. Robert writes to his sister about his future expedition to the north pole and says “I cannot describe to you my sensations on the near prospect of my undertaking” (Shelley 10).this could be compared to Victor when he is speaking of making his new creation. He states “The astonishment which I had first experienced on this discovery soon gave place to delight and rapture”(30-31). The main difference is in the result of their exploration. Walton learns from the monster when he says “Would you also create for yourself and the world a demonical enemy? Or to what do your questions tend? Peace, peace! Learn my miseries, and do not seek to create your own”(146). This is the monster telling him that it is not necessary to continue because he is done and that he need not create more heartache for the both of them. Victor never learned from his mistakes and was driven by his need for revenge. Walton on the other hand is at the brink of beginning his great discovery and learns that you should look before you leap. Because Robert Walton learned from the monster that thinking about the consequences of what you might create is important, he has a chance at a happy life. Victor Frankenstein made the decision to delve into a unknown area without thinking it through and it led to a life of misery and regret.

Does Knowledge equal Power?

In Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, there are many occasions of knowledge and power. To me I would have to say that knowledge does equal power but it can also bring great problems as well as emotions. As Victor stats :how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (30). We all might have different sights on this quote, for me it show that knowledge yes can be dangerous and powerful. One reason is that victor had the knowledge and the power to create the creature that he did, and in his eyes he opened his society up for the ultimate danger. Frankenstein stats “I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, 'I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not impregnable; this death will carry despair to him , and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him'” ( 97). This quote we can see that yes the knowledge can equal power and emotions. This also shows a good example of how knowledge can be turned into power in just a split minute, just because for him to kill that little boy, he would have to have some great deal of power.

my father's kites

I did not expect this to be so emotional. Honestly, I just expected to be a reading that I would find some sort interesting. I had to leave because it hit a nerve. This was a reading in the campus center by Alison Joseph she read some of her poems from her book, My Father’s Kite’s She mentioned her dad died alone so she had to go retrieve his stuff, we a couple of years ago, my dad died alone and I was in her position. She kind of gave us a clue of her poem, by saying “his credit cards are in a plastic case,” this hit her will doing a conference. During funeral arrangements, all I could think about where, “his business cards are in a chef’s case.” Everyone in the lecture hall all sat there in inspired amazement at her ability to form these works of art in writing. I was sitting there thinking; she is not writing from her experience, she is writing from mine. I was freaked out. I started distracting myself from this thought and focusing in on her technical terms, such as pentameter. All this was going on in her life and to her family and all she can think about is how looks on paper is. Then again, I did the same thing but with paintings. I have been telling people about this book since.

Competitive Misery

I think it is almost comical the continual competition between Victor and The Monster, to prove which of them has suffered the most; they seem much like two children competing to be recognized for their suffering. Ironically they both bring their state of suffering onto themselves by their desire to feel validated in themselves, seeking attention from others, while at the same time believing that no one else could possibly understand what they are going through. In that regard I can see how strongly Shelley’s work ties into the Romantic period, since both Victor and The Monster are so caught up in their own condition to talk about much else. When Victor and The Monster first speak with one another The Monster begins by saying, “I expected this reception. . . [a]ll men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!” (Shelley 65), and later while Victor talks with Walton he says, “To you first entering on life, to whom care is new and agony unknown, how can you understand what I have felt, and still feel” (Shelley 141); it is little wonder that they both brought destruction to those around them, since they had so little consideration for anything but their own feelings. Shelley’s story has really reinforced the concepts of Passion vs. Reason that we saw in our earlier readings for me, and seems to demonstrate the far extreme of passion much like the story of Candide, just on a individual level rather than societal.

Overlooking Our Faults

One of the most challenged books for 2009 was The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger in 1951 and has been subject to numerous challenges for a variety of reasons. The story, which centers on a young man who’s having difficulties in his life, paints a picture of life that is gritty and imperfect. The book has been aggressively challenged in schools all over America for over forty years, with reasons for the challenges ranging from objections to the profanity in the book, to objections about the sexual references contained in it. The Catcher in the Rye has been restricted primarily from high school students and school libraries, though because of the controversy surrounding it, many schools later reinstated it. It has been several years since I read The Catcher in the Rye, but one of my stronger recollections of it is how realistic the book seemed. When I read The Catcher in the Rye, I felt it was showing a realistic (even if occasionally ugly) picture, and I strongly disagree with the challenge, because I believe that literature (good or bad), is a part of our lives and our history. A book that shows the ugly side of our world is not a ‘bad’ book, but a real one, and efforts to hide socially unacceptable parts of our society from our children, gives them a false picture of their own lives. I feel that the challenges that were overturned are supporting our right to choose for ourselves what we read, and those that upheld the challenge and banned the book, are promoting the censorship of reality.

Revenge vs Common Sense

Victor had lost his family, his loved ones at the hands of the monster. Something, he Victor had created. His hatred and need for revenge caused him to become a demon, a monster himself. He held rage and realized that things had to come down to the death of either himself or the monster. He knew there had to be a confrontation, a one on one smack down. Winner take all. Victor knew that he must get more than even with the monster. "Let the cursed and hellish monster drink deep in agony; let him feel the despair that now torments me" (Shelly 140). "I swear to pursue the daemon, who caused this misery, until he or I shall perish in mortal conflict."(Shelly 140). Wasn't it revenge that directed the monsters rage and murderous acts? Didn't hate act as a motivation to get even. What made Victor any better than the monster? It could not be a do as I say and not as I do situation. Lets face it, Victor had no excuse for his actions the monster was just that, a monster.What else should you expect from him? The monster was causing Victor much labor, much agony on his journey to find the monster. He was winning the battles by leaving notes and marks on trees. This inflamed Victor and gave him a push of entergy, a second wind of determination to find and kill the monster.The monster was smart and cunning. He even teased Victor by leaving food along the trail for him. "You will find near this place, if you follow not too tardily, a dead hare; eat and be refreshed" (Shelly142). The monster wanted to make Victor suffer as much as possible before he killed him. "Come on; my enemy; we have yet to wrestle for our lives; but many hard and miserable hours must you endure. until thay period shall arrive" (Shelly 142). The monster had a plan and a good one at that. It played on Victors mental and physical state of mind. Victor should have used common sense and gave up the chase. He could not . He was driven forward by his hatred and his need for revenge. He played God when he created the monster and played God it seeking the monsters death. After Victors death the monster tries to explain that he suffered first and in greater depth than Victor did. He did not enjoy killing but was driven by a deep force inside him, a thirst for vengance that only killing could quench. "The completion of my demoniacal design became an insaliable passion. And now it has ended; there is my last victim" (Shelly 154). The monster said he was through killing. This reader thinks differently. Does a leopard ever change its spots. The monster would have killed again and again. Each time someone crossed him or angered him they would have felt his rage, The only thing that could have changed Victor or the monster was forgivness and neither one held that in their heart.

REVENGE OR COMMON SENSE

The Monster's theme song?

Yesterday I heard this song being played on the radio, and it just seems a perfect fit for Frankenstein's story from The Monster's perspective. Here is the link to it.

UNEASY RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER-for extra credit

On September 30, 2010 at 6.30 pm, I attended the poetry reading of Allison Joseph. She read poems from her book "Excerpts from my Father's Kites". Allison stated she grew up in England and had parents of Caribbean descent. She stated that her father was from Grenada and her mother was from Jamaica. Later in life they moved to the Bronx. Allision spoke much and fondly about her father even though she admitted he was much of a stranger to her. They had a uneasy relationship. His name was Everett and he did not believe in God. He liked to drink alcohol and his occupation was a salesman. She did not know what he sold but knew he bought more goods than he sold. Allison spoke of her fathers death and how she was called and notified by her fathers best friend. A man whom she would later refered to in life as uncle. Allison talked to a large, attentive audience and expelled on how funerals are really for the living. She spoke of all the funeral arrangements she and her sister had to handle while not knowing where the money was going to come from or if her father was alive if he would approve of their decisions. She remembered that many men were at the funeral most of which attended school with her father. She described them in a poem as country men, small in stature and reeking of alcohol. She also realized her dad had many women friends non of who she knew but they all seemed to know things about her. Allison read another poem entitled "This Letter is an attempt to collect a debt". In this reading she told of how her sister and herself would find many mounds of debts accumalated outside their fathers door after his death. The collectors would at first demand payment in full but commically soften their approach in order to at least recieve something. They would mention that payment arrangements would be acceptable. Allison thought it strange that demands were being placed on the dead. As she looked through her fathers belongings she found two things that she spoke of as funny to her. She found an old camera that belonged to her dad. It was not a Nikon brand nor was it a Cannon. Oddly enough the cameras name was Niconnon, meaning neither Nikon or Cannon. She also found a large bundle of birthday cards she had sent to her father over the years. They were neatly stacked together and had a rubber band around them. Allison said her first thought was that her dad does love her, he kept my cards. She the looked on the back of the envelopes and she found a long list of lottery numbers. When I arrived at the reading I felt that I was going to be bored and the time would go by slowly. I was presently suprised. The time flew by and I along with the large audience was well entertained with comedy and realism. Allison's thoughts, ideas and poems said things that others might find more difficult to express or even say at all. It reminded me of many situations with my own father an our on going uneasy relationship. Her poems showed me that just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean that someone else might. There is no reason to ban or to censor. We al lshould be thankful that we have the priviledge to read what we want and have the right to form our on decision on what we have read. Reading is knowledge and literature is art in written form. It shapes thoughts, and ideas, which in return changes lives.

He’s going to cry in the car

In My Chris Tucker’s Voice “He’s going to cry in the car.” “He sprung from the cabin-window, as he said these, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance” (Shelley 156). The fiend may have experienced sadness, not because his arch nemesis had passed away. Maybe he was said because he had lost the closest creature that he had ever known as a creator or father.

“Am I thought to be thought the only criminal, when all human kind sinned against me” (Shelley 155)? The monster shows that he is passionate about what he has done. It almost seems like his killing spree or “mischief” as he calls it was his life’s mission and now that it’s coming to an end he’s reflecting. I view it as almost comical that the monster gets to chose to live. Yet he seemingly takes his own life as he jumps overboard and is swept away by the waves and current.

In the end Frankenstein loses his family, friends and his creation. This seems like a high price to pay to explore uncharted territory in the name of science. I mean dab gum couldn’t the man had gotten the some type of parade for him before he died. I mean did all that hard work go unrewarded? This Victor wanted to play God, then he wanted to do away with his creation all together. But his creation ended up destroying him. This just seems unfair.