Frankenstein & Jane Eyre

When one thinks of Frankenstein, they think of a monster that walks around like a zombie. However, in the ccase of Jane Eyre, a sweetgirl struggling through life, it seems the two could not be farther from each other. When examined more closely, in fact,we can see the common theme of isolation is present.Dr. Frankenstein became way too immersed in his work to find his health important. Due to his isolation and constant work in his lab, his family worries about him and his own well being deteriorates.

~Jannye (this was my 1st blog-i forgot to post it)

The US created a Monster

The United States can be considered a modern day Frankenstein. In Frankenstein, Viktor creates his Creature which turns his back on his creator due to abandonment. Back in the 80's the United States trained Osama Bin Laden. We were helping in the war in Afghanistan against the Russians. However, after the USSR forfeited, Afghan thought the US would continue to help them. We lost interest and ignored their internal struggles as they began fighting within their country. This is similar in Frankenstein when Viktor casts aside his creation after he is finished making it. Both helped for what they wanted but after things got even more rough, they just gave up. Now we deal with the consequences of anger and war.

-Jannye

Solitary bees make up 90% of the bees today and there are between 20,000-30,000 different species of bees worldwide. Now, imagine if 90% of the human population were solitary. How would some people react and how would the world change? For some, I imagine the isolation to be comforting and for others, a cause for insanity and immense anger. These types of bees don't belong to any colony and usually spend their time pollinating the earth and caring for their eggs. The nests that they create are usually in hollow twigs, holes in wood and most likely, tunnels in the ground. As soon as I read all of this information, I immediately thought of the Creature. Like the Creature, these bees are gentle by nature and will only attack if they feel the need to defend themselves. The Creature made his home under a pile of rubbage and for the beginning of the novel, he was a drifter in life. He did the major things necessary to survive while remaining a dismal speck in the twilight. He only attacked out of self-defense, which is something he was forced to learn due to lack of guidance and social training. However, unlike the bees, he never grew accustomed to the isolation. The continued seperation from society caused him to become violent and aggresive.

http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/insects/bees/bee_solitary.html

All I Need...

The song "All I Need" by One Republic is a depiction of the conflict of beliefs between the Creature and Dr. Frankenstein. The questions asked can be those said by the monster. Dr. Frankenstein is lost in a beautiful world. He doesn't see any of the joys nor temporary sorrows of others. When he does attempt to pay attention, he becomes distracted by the misfortunes of his own. In the third stanza of the song it states, "Well, all I need is the air I breathe and a place to rest my head." This is a statement similar to one that the monster says in the novel. As he is observing the De Lanc family, he is in a state of bewilderment. The sadness that these people seem to always carry with them is seen as unwarranted by the monster. In his eyes, the world is beautiful and joyous. However, as the monster is making this judgement, he is only an observer of life. When he becomes subjective, he realises that the melancholy is justified and his perception of life becomes bittersweet. Later in the song it is stated, "Do you know what your fate is? And are you trying to shake it? You're doing your best and your best look. You're praying that you make it." Dr. Frankenstein could've predicted his fate and that of those around him. Furthermore, the Creature told him the fate of some of the closest people to him. Their fate was death. However, Dr. Frankenstein continued to wander and act as if the end wouldn't come. Due to his lack of acknowledgement and disregard of consequences, those people met their fate.

lyrics>>>http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/onerepublic/sayallineed.html

video>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRSZpV6WIuU

Pitch black

In the movie Pitch Black the main character Riddic is a prison mate being brought to prison on a different planet. He killed a lot of people and was one of the worst criminals in the world. but he saves everyone on the ship from aliens. In the book Frankenstein the monster kills people and does bad things but he is very sorry for them and tries to help people. He shows compassion and sorrow just like Riddic.

Ron~

Edward Scissor Hands and the monster

In the movie Edward Scissor hand, Edward was left all alone after his creator dies. He is not accepted by society because of his scares on his face and his fingers are scissors. He falls in love with a girl but society does not want them together. In Frankenstein the monster is also not accepted by society because he is huge and ugly. He wants his creator to make him a wife but he refuses because he does not want a race of monsters. They both feel how it is to be an outsider and unwanted.


Ron~

Abandonment and 300

The film 300 is based on warriors from Ancient Sparta. At the beginning of the film, it is explained that Spartan babies who were deformed in any way must be discarded on a hilltop. This is because they were thought to be useless as Spartan mens' sole purpose in life was to become powerful warriors. In Frankenstein, a common theme is abandonment. When Frankenstein first creates his creature, he automatically shuns it because it is different and frightening to him.

In 300, there is a traitor named Ephialtes, who was saved from the hilltop as a baby by his mother. Although he is deformed, he still wants to help King Leonidas and his troops when they are in the face of danger. Frankenstein's creature learns to be kind from watching the villagers with their everyday work. Even though both were abandoned, both still had hearts, even if it was for a short period of time.

~Jannye Vale

The Lion King

One of my favorite Disney movies of all time is The Lion King. It is funny, but filled with grief as well. Simba is the son of the powerful King, Mufasa, and his dream in life is to be just like his dad. His uncle Scar, however, has other plans, and kills Mufasa so that he can be king. Simba is very young when his dad dies, and Scar convinces him it was he who killed his own father. He encourages Simba to run away and never return to Pride Rock. As Simba becomes a young adult, he is left with the guilt of his father's death.

In Frankenstein, Victor is like Simba. He is ecstatic to learn science and become one of the greatest scientists of the time. His creation of a the man creature pushed the boundaries that science set for him. Simba is ecstatic to grow up and be king of Pride Rock. He thinks he will be a great king, just like his father. When Victor actually accomplishes his creation, he is struck with guilt and fear that scares him away from the creature. He leaves his home so that the creature can't bother him, yet the guilt eats away at him.
When Simba finally reaches adulthood, he is living in exhile. This is also because or the guilt and fear of being found out. What will the others think of him if he were to return to Pride Rock, after years of isolation. He thinks they would surely shun him because he had killed their magnificent king.
Frankenstein and The Lion King, are both stories of guilt and isolation.
~Jannye

Who really killed Jenny?

Jenny Schecter is a complicated, mess of a person on the Showtime series The L Word. Like Dr. Frankenstein, Jenny is oblivious to her surroundings. Her wake up call comes in the form of a woman, Marina. After moving to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Jenny becomes immersed in the lesbian world of Los Angeles. Throughout her journey on the show, Jenny experiences many ups and downs. She goes through numerous relationships, both sexual and friendship based, becomes a cutter, moves back home with her parents, returns, and ultimately resembles the lacking of emotion in that of sociopathic people. For example, Jenny has been friends with Tina since she moved to Los Angeles. Tina has always been a trusted and cherished friend to Jenny. However, when Jenny might lose her rights as a writer to her film, she decides to risk Tina's job as a producer and her friendship by stealing the footage. She doesn't tell Tina that she takes the footage and lets Tina get blamed and fired for it going missing. By the last season of the show, Jenny has become a complete Frankenstein. Her utter appearance makes the people around her cringe and she is aware of how hideous she is. Like the Creature, Jenny still tries to redeem herself. While doing these small acts of kindness, she also displays some horrific personality traits and habits. She relates to the scene in Frankenstein when the Creature is in the cave and sees the young boy. His intention was to take the boy as a companion and make him apart of his non-existent family. However, the boy screams at the sight of the monster and the monster kills him. Jenny had good intentions at times, but usually nothing ever had great results. Both Jenny and the monster were seen as less than human to the people around them. With the examination of each character's actions and mindset when acting, the complete opposite is evident. They both displayed the animalistic and sensitive nature of a human being. To both of their dismays, their inate attachment to the human condition never worked in their favor.

Presenting, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

After listening to this song for the millionth time, I realized that it would be a perfect depiction of Dr. Frankenstein. The second stanza states. "Who you following? Who you starting to move like? Who you falling for? Who you falling for? Who's lies? Who you following? Who you falling for? This sound's on your side." This part of the song stood out to me more than any other part because it's addressing how many people are like sheep. For example, Dr. Frankenstein is coasting through life with only the subject of natural philosophy in his sights. It isn't until the Creature wakes up that his attention is caught. There are many people like Dr. Frankenstein who operate on an unconscious level, as if they are on autopilot. It is stated later in the song, "What's your crime?" It arises questions within yourself as to how you could've contributed to your own despise. Dr. Frankensein blames the monster for the deaths of a few characters. However, it is his own fault. The Creature told Dr. Frankenstein that he would be with him on his wedding night, and he still marries Elizabeth. He knows that the monster is going to go after the people closest to him if he doesn't create a mate for him. Yet, he still decides not to make a suitable female companion. He operated as if he and all of the people around him were impervious to death. We are all mortal and apart of this world. The question is: Are you living in it?

lyrics>>> http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/yeahyeahyeahs/sweets.html

video>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEtCdrgN52Y

HELLBOY

Hellboy is a fictional devilish character that is isolated from birth. He is brought into the world with no one to watch over and protect him. Unknowingly, he was doomed for evil and despair and to bring hell onto earth. Luckily, soon after he is created he is found by a secret league of army and scientists , who takes hellboy into there facility. One man imparticular takes this young evil creature is his arms and gives him a home and teaches him to be good. Hellboy soon learns that he must be hidden and forced into isolation and hiding in front of human beings outside the facility. This deeply affects him as he is growing up, having no one to tell him where he is from or what he is and why he was created. Like Frankenstein, hellboy was brought into the world and immediately abandoned. Having no answers and a million questions, both creatures find they are hideous and are portrayed as dangerous and scary to people. Taking different paths, whereas Frankenstein kills and becomes evil because of his confusion, and Hellboy becomes good and helps people and prevents evil, working together with this secret league. They both are isolated and socially unexpected because of their appearance, but clearly handle the situation in completely different ways.

JOANNA ROJAS