The Monster’s Education

By: Jessica˙Celine˙ClaireAmy Chang˙Amy LinAshley Fu˙Ashley Lin

Introduction

Hello everyone, the two main topic our group is going to talk about today is the monster’s education and the human’s rejection.

Please sit back and relax …

Outline

The Monster’s Changes The Monster’s Learning,

Request and Victor’s Response The Story within the Story Humans’ Rejection of the Monster

Changes of the Monster

1. Gaining and distinguishing keen physical sensations; mobility

2. Learning to use fire and survive outdoor 3. Instinctual responses and affinity to

Nature. (Noble savage)

Physical Responses A strange multiplicity of

sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt, at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses. (p.102)

Get used to the light (102) Bodily coordination (102)

“dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me” walk freely

The Moon Lonely and weeping

“Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens, and gave me a sensation of pleasure.” (p.102)

Confusion of feelings of “light, hunger, thirst and darkness.” “…the only object that I could distinguish was the bright moon…” (p.103)

Defining Romanticism The implication of Nature,

personified as female

Reveals Nature’s maternal powers to the main characters

Shelley uses the female Nature to redefine traditional Romanticism

Surviving Outside

Fire --1) beginning of human civilization; 2) ref. Prometheus Distinguishing insect from herb, and one herb from anothe

r. 104 Fire warmth and pain (physical sensation): “In my joy I t

hrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain.” (p.104)

Raising fire: “…I discovered the cause, and busied myself in collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry it, and have a plentiful supply of fire.” (p.104)

Functions of fire (provides warmth, heat to roast food): “ …that the fire gave light as well as heat; and that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food…” (p.105)

Shelter First finds a hut of a shepherd. A hovel joined to a cottage: “My place of

refuge was constructed of wood, but so low that I could with difficulty sit upright in it. No wood, however, was placed on the earth, which formed the floor, but it was dry; and although the wind entered it by innumerable chinks, I found it an agreeable asylum from the snow and rain. (p.106)

Shelter “from the inclemency of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man.”

The Monster’s Learning

(Language) Through close observation, he discovers the meaning

s of the repeated sounds, though he cannot use them at first.

“I cannot describe the delight I felt when I learned the ideas appropriated to each of these sounds, and was able to pronounce them. I distinguished several other words, without being able as yet to understand or apply them …” (p.112)

“I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language; which knowledge might enable me to make them overlook the deformity of my figure…” (p.114)

Learning with Safie “The stranger learned about twenty words

at the first lesson, most of them, indeed, were those which I had before understood, but I profited by the others.” (p.117)

“…she and I improved rapidly in the knowledge of language, so that in two months I began to comprehend most of the words uttered by my protectors.” (p.118)

(Reading) Ruins of Empires and Plutarch’s Lives “Through this work…of its original inhabita

nts.”(119) “The volume of “Plutarch’s Lives,” whic

h I possessed, contained the histories of the first founders of the ancient republics.”(128)

-----> Higher thoughts.-----> Knowledge of human civilization.

Sorrows of Werter “In the “Sorrows of Werter,” besides…..witho

ut precisely understanding it.”(128)

-----> He had emotions, too.-----> Question his existence.

Paradise Lost His Desire for a Mate“I often referred the several situations…th

e bitter gall of envy rose within me.”(129)

->Identified himself with Adam.-> Long for a mate.

Victor’s Response to the Monster’s Need

The monster ask Victor to create a female for him.

Threatening: “You must create a female for me…which you must not refuse to concede.” (144) Victor refused.

“If I cannot inspire love…so that you shall curse the hour of your birth.” (145)

Reasonable: “I would make peace with the whole kind…do not deny me my request.” (145-146) Victor was moved.

“If you consent…and persuade you to promise what I so ardently desire.” (146) Victor consent to his demand.

The Monster’s Learning: A Summary remember the original era of the monster’s beginnin

g the monster didn’t know how to distinguish between

the operation of its senses the first time monster heard sound the monster found fire left by beggars found a small hut and eat the breakfast walking through the village the residents there are afr

aid of him found another cottage and the monster had lived ther

e for a period of time the monster observed the people live in this cottage

The Monster’s Learning: A Summary The monster heard the old man playing some

kind of instrument(pp.108) the first time monster heard “reading”(pp.

109) monster do favors to the family (pp.111) the monster start to understand some words

are used by the family(pp.112) the monster think the cottagers are perfect(p

p.114) the monster imagine when the family accept

him(pp.115)

The Story within the Story

The Story of De Lacey’s Exile a story happened to the cottagers excites to the monster w

ith the feeling of indignation, delight and wonder. a well-off family in France

Felix wants to rescue the Turkish merchant and falls for his daughter, Safie

Turkish merchant promises to the marriage of the two in order to flee safely

The merchant actually doesn’t agree with their marriage because Felix is a Christian

The Story of De Lacey’s Exile

French government finds out Felix let him go so captures his family

Felix goes back to France, then be jailed for 5 yrs

seeking a shelter in Germany, where the monster finds them

the merchant flees back to Constantinople and leaves her daughter to the servant

Safie finally finds Felix.

Story in story– influenceculture ＊ knows how to compose fire but don’t kno

w how to make one ： --p.104&p.105 ＊ realize that the food will taste better when it

had roasted ： --p.105 ＊ the first time the monster heard the music ： --p.108 ＊ the monster found that human use sound to

communicate ： --p.112

the monster learned from the lessons that Felix taught Safie ： -learn how to use letter correctly p.119 -friends and relations p.121

＊ three books that had taught the monster a lot ：

p.128&p.129 -Sorrows of Werter -Plutarch’s Live -Paradise Lost

Story in story– influencesadness

The emotions he has never experienced p.108＊ Affected by their emotions -p.110-p.112 their unhappiness let the monster feel the s

ame-p.118 -p.122~127 the story that intrigue the monster’s f

eelings＊ Sympathy – compared with himself(the monste

r)　　　　　 -- in action

Human Rejection

A. The reason of being rejected

Appearance People judges others by their appearance The monster will never be accepted even he

is kind inside Even though the monster saves the little girl,

people still regard him as the bad one because of his appearance

The monster thought the old man wouldn’t judge him by his appearance

B. Who reject the monster?

Frankenstein Did not give the monster a name His own sin

Villages threw rocks and drove away the monster

Felix drove the monster away

The man used a gun to shoot the monster

C. The influence of Rejection

Hatred Frankenstein Creates the monster, but does not have love toward it Regretful of creating the monster

Revenge Frankenstein deserts the monster The monster killed William

Loneliness No one even tries to accept it because of its frightening feature. humanity is that although there are many humans in the world, each one is alone. isolated himself from the world shunned by the world

Disappointment The monster lost his hope toward human