College Credit English Semester 2 Exam

Frankenstein is part of

Gothic Literature which is a subgenre of Romanticism which focuses on the mysterious, dark, and supernatural often features old, ruined structures, damsels in distress, villians, monsters

scansion

analysis of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

Modern Prometheus

another name for Frankenstein

perfect rhyme

exact correspondence of rhyming sounds

Poe's definition of a short story from 1846:

"an artistic composition controlled to produce a single unified effect" also called "unity of effect"

1. What crucial role in the creature's development is played by the DeLacey family? The DeLacey family showcases to the Creature the basic ways of humanity. The Creature has discovered what it means to express emotions and what love of family looks like. He learns a new language which is displayed when it says, "'I began to comprehend most of the words uttered by my protectors'" (99). He also listened to stories about history and became intrigued by them. The Creature is gaining knowledge and realizing its power. The Creature also begins to read books. 2. What is the motivation behind the creature's vow of "eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind?" I think the Creature's motivation comes from his lack of acceptance. People are scared of the Creature which makes him quite upset and feel rejected. He is motivated to get revenge and have a negative attitude towards all of mankind because of Victor. Victor abandoned his Creature which makes the Creature mad. He is jealous that he can not live the same life as humans and is always viewed differently. The DeLacey family is even scared of the Creature even though the Creature thought they would be inviting. The Creature wants Victor to create a companion for him so that he can form a relationship and live a happier life. The Creature longs to be "normal."

13-16

sonnets

14 lines 3 quatrians ending with a couplet

lyric

fairly short, single speaker

1. Is the creature's demand for a female companion a valid request? Examine the pros and cons of Victor's compliance. Consider evidence provided by both Victor and the creature. I do think the Creature's request for a female companion is valid. He simply wants a loving relationship so that he can feel connected to another "person" like himself. The Creature tells Victor that, "'You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being'" (124). The Creature thinks Victor owes him a companion because as his Creator, Victor ought to help his creation out. He also needs to make up for abandoning the Creature. Victor does not want to create another Creature because he does not trust that the two Creatures would behave. He is fearful that they would be violent. This is proven when Victor says, "'I have answered you; you may torture me, but I will never consent'" (124). The Creature responds to Victor by claiming that getting a companion would stop all his violence and hatred toward humanity. This would fill the gap in his heart. Victor thinks that a positive would be that this could make the Creature happy and allow Victor to relieve some of his guilt. Victor wants to marry Elizabeth but wants to wait until he creates the next creature. 2. To what famous Romantic symbol is Shelley alluding (and WHY) when she has Victor think, "Could I enter into a festival with this deadly weight yet hanging round my neck and bowing me to the ground?" Shelley is alluding to "The Rime of Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is about a mariner who kills albatross which puts a curse on him and his crew. Shelley uses this because Victor is similar to the mariner. These two stories both have similar themes. They share the message that love conquers all which is the missing puzzle piece for the Creature. The mariner feels guilt and stress from his actions, and Victor feels guilt and stress for his actions. 3. What is Victor's greatest fear as he leaves for England? Describe the irony in his decision to continue. Victor's greatest fear is leaving Elizabeth. He does not want her in danger. He does not want to marry Elizabeth right now because he is fearful that the Creature will go after her. Victor thinks it is logical to go to England so he does. The irony is that leaving for England still puts Elizabeth in danger because he will not be by her and be able to keep an eye on her. Regardless of his choice, it still leaves Elizabeth in questionable safety. The Creature could go after Elizabeth while Victor is in England.

17-19

The Love of my Life

2 teens have unprotected sex and ultimately leave their own child stranded

1. After watching his female companion torn to bits, the creature makes an eloquent defense and vows Victor will "repent of the injuries [he] inflicts." Is the creature justified in his feelings? Why or why not? What is Shelley's purpose in his defense? I think that the Creature is justified in his feelings. The Creature really just wanted a companion to confide in. The Creature was excited but then his hopes are let down when Victor tears the female companion to bits. The Creature is extremely lonely and longs for someone like him who he can share all the new things he learned. I think the Creature feels stabbed in the back by Victor. The Creature is so upset and informs Victor that he will get revenge on Victor. Victor's family is now in danger. Victor thinks creating a female companion could lead to Creature babies and ultimately more danger for the whole human race. I think Shelley's purpose in this to show the Creature's feelings and get readers to sympathize with the Creature. She wants us to be put in the Creature's shoes and maybe recall a time where we were promised something and then let down. 2. After hearing of Clerval's murder, Victor falls ill once again. In agony, he wonders, "Why did I not die?" What would your answer be? Is there a reason for his continued anguish? I think his anguish continues because it is supposed to show that your actions have consequences. Victor created this Creature and in turn is responsible for all associated with the Creature. Victor did not take the time or responsibility to raise the Creature appropriately so he must suffer the consequences. Also, I think the Creature doesn't kill Victor because the Creature wants Victor to feel agony. The Creature wants Victor to feel the loneliness that the he feels. 3. For Victor and his father, what purpose would a quick marriage to Elizabeth serve? Discuss the impact on Elizabeth. What role does she continue to play? Would her death alter or perpetuate that role? The quick marriage to Elizabeth would hopefully bring happiness to the family. Victor has always wanted to marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth also wants to marry Victor. She is eager to be with him. She continues to play a role of a helping hand and a source of comfort. She also plays a role of a "mother" for Victor. Her death is going to cause Victor so much grief. Her death would stop that role because she will no longer be there for Victor.

20-22

Frankenstein is

200 years old

1. Discuss the irony in Victor's statement to the magistrate: "Man, how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom!" Victor is claiming that other people are ignorant. This is ironic because Victor is the ignorant one. He created the Creature but was ignorant to the negative consequences of the Creature. Victor then ignored the Creature and left him abandoned which only caused more problems. He ignored many of the Creature's wants and needs. Victor also was ignorant when he ignored his family. His family wanted to contact him. Victor also kept the Creature a secret. He did not tell people about the Creature but thought he could handle the Creature all on his own rather than seeking help from others. 2. What is the motivation behind Victor's vow to find and destroy his creature? Has he learned any lessons? Victor's motivation to find and destroy the Creature stems from all the sorrow and grief that the Creature has caused him. The Creature killed Elizabeth, Henry, and William. His father and Justine died not directly from the Creature but as a side effect of his murders. Killing Elizabeth is the last straw for Victor. Elizabeth was so important to him. They were supposed to live a happy life together. I think that Victor has learned lessons or at least showed readers lessons. He learned or should have learned that one should ask for help, that actions have consequences, that wisdom and knowledge can be dangerous, and that you should reflect on an idea before putting it into action. 3. What is the purpose of Shelley's irony when Walton recognizes he has found the friend he is looking for only to watch him die? The purpose of Shelley's irony is to show that Walton and Victor are very similar. Both are extremely ambitious and love knowledge. They think they can accomplish things on their own and don't plan them out well. Victor's death is trying to show Walton that he could end up like Victor too. He could die if he continues on his journey. 4. When Walton listens to his men and turns his ship homeward rather than risk their lives, is he accurate in his statement that he has "lost [his] hopes for glory?" Explain. I do not think his statement is accurate that he has lost his glory. If he would have continued, then they all would have most likely died. This was actually the smart choice. It is true that he will not find the passage he has been looking for and the knowledge he has been seeking. However, waiting is not the worse thing. Walton can go back home and learn more things and seek more knowledge. He can possibly find a safer alternative to finding the passage. He may initially feel like he lost all his glory, however, I think the glory is just going to take more time. 5. Why does the creature choose to die at the end of the novel? What does his choice suggest about his connection to Frankenstein?\ I think the Creature chooses to die at the end of the novel because Victor Frankenstein is dead. He feels a connection to Victor because Victor is his "father." Though Victor did not treat him well or raise him right, I think that the Creature still had love for Victor. Similarly, no matter how bad my parents annoy me, I still love them. The Creature could have also felt guilty for killing people so then he just wanted to die. He could have also been completely fed up with the human race and how they all rejected him. He also did not get the companion he was longing for.

23-24

In Frankenstein there are

3 stories letters from Walton contain Victor Frankenstein's story contains the Creature's narrative.

1. What message might Victor be missing when he dreams that his kiss turns Elizabeth into a corpse? This dream is a nightmare for Victor. I think this dream, in a way, foreshadows what is to come later in these chapters. Victor is realizing that the creature he created is truly a monster. Victor is missing the message that his monster needed love. The monster is killing because it does not know any better. This is another example of how Victor was ambitious to create the creature. He did this successfully. However, he did not plan out how he was going to raise the creature or teach it right from wrong. 2. Who is at fault for William's death? Is anyone other than the murderer responsible for what happened? Justine is charged for the murder of William. However, Victor is certain that it was not Justine but rather the very own monster he created. Victor knows this because he has a "light bulb moment" where he realizes it was the creature. This is expressed when it says, "...me that it was the wretch, the filthy demon to whom I had given life. What did he there? Could he be the murderer of my brother?" (59). Victor continues to state that, "No sooner did that idea cross my imagination that I became convinced of its truth" (59). Victor is ultimately responsible for the murder of his own brother because he is the one who created the creature. Victor recognizes that he created a murderer. 3. How might Justine's trial have differed in today's court system? It would change because Justine was guilty until proven innocent, but in today's court system people are innocent until proven guilty. She would not have died so quickly and would have had more time for evidence to build up and show that she was not responsible for the death of William.

5-8

1. How does Victor's guilt affect his health? What is Shelley's purpose in this recurring plot device? Victor's health is negatively impacted by his guilt. Victor describes the way the guilt affects him by stating, "...I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures such as no language can describe" (72). The guilt is placing a heavy burden on Victor. I think Shelley uses health because she is trying to show that many things can affect one's health. The guilt affected Victor's health while sorrow affected the health of Elizabeth and Alphonse. 2. How is Victor's reaction toward the Valley of Chamounix a departure from his previous views of nature? Before this journey, Victor had no real connection to nature. He never realized its beauty or was moved by it. This time he found happiness, beauty, and relaxation. It is an escape for his anxiety over the guilt. Victor claims that while in nature, "My heart which was before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy" (80). 3. What imagery does Shelley employ when the Creature describes his "awakening"? What does his reaction remind you of? Shelley uses a ton of imagery to describe the "awakening" of the Creature. The imagery reminds me of how a child finds out how to live and reacts to new things. The Creature describes how he has to learn what we would deem as basic activities and experiences. For example, the Creature says that, "I felt light, and hunger, and thirst" (85). The Creature is learning these everyday feelings felt by humans. Shelley also uses imagery to describe how the Creature discovers what other humans are and how they use their voices. The Creature also has emotions. 4. How does the change in narration to the Creature's point of view affect the reading of the novel? Do you feel sympathy for the creature when he is rejected by humanity? I think it helps so that as a reader I can understand the feelings and thoughts of the Creature. It answers some questions for readers and allows them to at least get a glimpse of the Creature that has been made by Victor and caused him great trouble. I do feel sympathy for the Creature because he did not choose to be raised this way. Victor took no responsibility for his "child" as a "parent." The Creature does not know right from wrong. The Creature does not know how to interact with humans in the correct way.

9-12

safie

felix's love interest

pararhyme

stressed vowel sounds differ but are flanked by identical or similar consonants

Short Stories

Fictional work, usually in prose 1,600-20,00 words

accentual

strong stress meter that uses casura(pause) and alliteration (repetition of initial sounds)

accentual syllabic

basic unit of measurement is the foot

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

closed

blank verse, couplets, tercet, quatrain, rhyme royal, offara rima, spenserian stanza, sonnet, sestina, limerick

Young Goodman Brown

Salem Massachusetts Goodman Brown vs Satan Temptation, Evil in humanity, Hypocrisy, Testing one's faith Symbols Faith Pink ribbons woods devil Goodman Brown can not get over the fact that everyone has flaws Brown goes in the woods and is tested by the devil 3rd person limited

Frankenstein

is written in 1st person so unreliable

trochaic

stressed (/) stressed (/)

Elizabeth Lavenza

Victor's adopted sister, love interest for victor

Ernest

Victor's brother 16

Alphonse Frankenstein

Victor's dad

William

Victor's youngest brother who gets killed by Frankenstein

Cask of Amontillado

all about revenge

"unity of effect"

all the details fo the short story are deliberately written by the author to produce an effect on the reader

dactylic

stressed (/) unstressed (u) unstressed (u)

Victor Frankenstein

ambitious, intelligent, alone, curious, loves science and is scientific minded

frame story

a story that provides a vehicle for telling another story within it

1. How does Victor's statement that "the world was to me a secret which I desired to divine" serve as characterization? This shows that Victor is extremely intrigued by the world. It shows that Victor has a passion for learning and discovering new things. It shows Victor enjoys thinking deeply about various subjects such as science. Victor likes to push his learning so that he may understand all that the world has to offer. 2. How do Henry and Victor differ? Why might Shelley be setting them up as character foils? Henry and Victor are intelligent. However, they are intelligent and have passions for different subjects. Henry "loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger for its own sake" (23). Henry enjoyed plays and reading romance books. Henry was into the arts. He occupied his time with the "moral relations of things" (23). Henry liked the "busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes, and the actions of men" (23). Henry is also not afraid to be social and interact with people. On the other hand, Victor is not very social. He enjoys studying science and keeping to himself. He wants to know "the secrets of heaven and earth" (23). He likes natural philosophy and is obsessed with learning all about it. I think Shelley may be setting them up as character foils to set up future problems that may occur later in the novel. Also, she may want to have a backdrop for any weaknesses that the characters may possess. 3. What is Shelley's intent when she has Victor characterize Elizabeth as "the saintly soul [who] shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home?" What role does this characterization set for Elizabeth? Shelley has Victor characterize Elizabeth in this way so that readers may realize that Elizabeth was a positive addition to the family. It allows readers to recognize that Elizabeth was truly an amazing individual. By saying she was a "saintly soul," readers are able to picture an individual who has little flaws and rarely does anything wrong. Elizabeth seems like a "perfect" person. 4. Is Victor's fascination with the Philosopher's Stone an admirable one? Victor's fascination with the Philosopher's Stone was an admirable one. The Philosopher's Stone turns metal to gold. Victor explains that he "entered with the greatest diligence into search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life" (25). Victor wants to know how to raise ghosts from the dead. Victor is not afraid to do unethical science experiments. Victor admires the amazing things that science can do. 5. Victor's obsession with natural science results in two years passing with no visits home. How would you evaluate his character at this point? At this point, I would say that Victor is a very dedicated individual. He has a true passion for natural science. However, his studying seems to be an obsession which is leading him to be anti-social. Victor is so concerned with studying natural science that he seems to be cutting out other humans from his life. 6. Describe the shift in tone when Victor says, "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier the man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." Victor is trying to tell readers that science is a wonderful subject to study. It has countless positive benefits and can change lives. It has power that can be used for great things. This tone is quite happy. However, the tone then switches to serious. Victor explains that overstepping the boundaries of science can be dangerous because bad things come out of it. Science is not always good. It has to be dealt with very carefully. 7. During his summer experiment, Victor admits "his eyes were insensible to the charms of nature." What role might nature (or the lack of it) play for Victor? Victor feels no connection to nature. He is only focused on what he deems important. I think his lack of focus on nature lead him to make bad decisions and ultimately ignorant to what he was actually doing.

chapters 1-4

The Lady or the Tiger

cliff hanging ending fate and justice system boy must pick from tiger door or lady door women behind door is person who daughter hates if he picks tiger he will die

creature

confused by existence,abandoned,alone,gentle and kind, curious,becomes jealous of humans relationships, thinks he is ugly, feels rejected, wants Victor to make him a wife

spondaic

stressed stressed //

agatha

delacey daughter

felix

delacey son

"modern" short stories were developed in the

early 1800s in the United States by Washinton Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allen Poe

order of length

flash fiction-short stories- novellas- novels

a poem is a comparison written

for performance by the human voice

Moby Dick author

herman melville

meter

how we measure a poem

Poe says that short stories should be able to be read

in one sitting (15-20 minutes)

short stories sometimes begin "in media res"

in the middle of things

Robert Walton

intelligent, obsessive, ambitious, writing letters to Sister M.S., 1st person, trying to find route to the North Pole

3 types of sonnets

italian (petrarchan sonnet) english (shakesperian) Spensarian

Henry Clerval

literature and arts Victor's BFF poor

epic

long narrative (odyssey, beowulf)

quantitative

measures feet according to duration of utterance rather than stress

syllabic

measures number of syllables not stress example is a haiku

a poem is an imaginative work in

meter or free verse

dramatic

monologue or dialogue written in the voice of a character( oedipus, othello)

number of feet per line

monometer 1 dimeter 2 trimeter 3 tetrameter 4 pentameter 5 hexameter 6 heptameter 7 octameter 8

caesura

natural pause in the speaking voice. indicated with ll when scanning a line. when the pause occurs at the end of the line is is said to be end-stopped. when the phrase or sentence continues past the end of a line and on to the next the run on line is called enjabment

off rhyme

near rhyme slant rhyme changing the vowel sound or ending consonant expected from a perfect rhyme

free verse

no use of traditional rhyme or meter

delacey

old blind man

prose poems, shaped poems, free verse

open

the quote on the inside of the book is from

paradise lost

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds within words

alliteration

repetition of initial sounds in words

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables within words

as a romantic author Shelley incorporates a

respect and awe for nature

feminine rhyme

rhymes consist of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable

masculine rhyme

rhymes consist of single stressed syllable

end rhyme

rhyming words appear at the end of lines

internal rhyme

rhyming words appear within a line

vowel rhyme

rhyming words have only their vowel sounds in common

The Lottery

sacrifice and stoning of one citizen each year

Victor's Mom Caroline

says on her deathbed that Victor should marry Elizabeth

They're Made out of Meat

science fiction 2 aliens discussing how humans are like "meat" and aliens to them

Justine Moritz

servant in the frankenstein household, gets accused for killing William

literary techniques of short stories

setting characters plot symbols theme

Focus of a short story is the

simple subject or theme

characteristics of a short story

single plot limited number of characters brief period of time

rhyme scheme

the pattern of end rhymes in a poem

Dubliners

ton of short stories in a book Sisters An encounter

iambic

unstressed (u) stressed (/)

anapestic

unstressed (u) unstressed (u) stressed (/)

pyrrhic

unstressed unstressed uu

moby dick is the

white whale :)

onomatopoeia

word that imitates the sound it is describing

eye rhyme

words that look alike but are pronounced differently, look like they should rhyme but don't