Frankenstein and R.U.R. analysis

I noticed many connections between Frankenstein and R.U.R. I read Frankenstein first, therefore while I was reading R.U.R. I couldn’t help but think that they have the same exact overall message. First of all, they both have scientists that are messing with the laws of nature by creating life unnaturally. By using their technology they manage to create live beings that look like human beings but a little bit altered. In R.U.R. however, these beings are designed to free the humans from work for the rest of their lives, thus leaving them to just do nothing all day. On the other hand Victor Frankenstein created his monster purely out of curiosity and to defy the laws of nature. They both succeeded and the result of their creations were both negative. Both creations grow to resent their creators and vow to destroy their lives. Frankenstein’s creature with the destruction of Victor’s loved ones and family, and the R.U.R. robots with the destruction of the human race as a whole. Both creations were capable of much more than they were meant, and the humans soon realized that their creations were capable of ruling their creators. The creations longed to experience human emotion and be human-like, they both desired to live like the humans do in happiness and acceptance. In order for them to do this, both creations of technology tried to enslave their creators and force them to make more of their kind. With hopes of companionship and to refuel their race, in order to have constant existence, much like human beings. All in all, the technology saw human beings lifestyle and it appealed to them so much that they both tried to urge their creators to make them more human.

Essay #2 Brainstorm

In Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein there are many elements of Technophilia, however once the destructive capabilities of the technology are known, the characters in the novel become extremely Technophobic.

For example, in the beginning of the novel when Frankenstein first became interested in brining life to objects that are already dead, he slaved over the production of his creature. He even sacrificed a lot of his health in the process of creating such a creature, “But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and I appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines…Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever” (38). His deteriorating health didn’t seem to bother Frankenstein too much, for he was so obsessed with doing the impossible. Frankenstein didn’t stop to think about the effects that his creature would have on the world; he didn’t seem to care at the time. Which is also interesting that he would create a gigantic creature to first test his hypothesis, he was too much in love with the idea of his great technological find.

Frankenstein may have loved technology when he was in the works of his experiment, however upon being successful with performing the impossible, he suddenly hated his creation. Frankenstein saw the “ugly” side to technology and it frightened him so much that he completely neglected the being, leaving his creation to fend for himself in the cruel world. “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I endeavored to form?”(39) Frankenstein couldn’t stand to look his creature, even though he labored over it for months and it took a great toll on his well-being. Frankenstein feared his creation; it was unnatural, with its body not in proportion and yellow skin.

The monster, having been neglected by his creator tries to find refuge in human beings around him. However he is unsuccessful, for people fear his unnatural qualities. As the monster is neglected more and more he starts to take out his vengeance on the human race, starting with his creator. Frankenstein soon recognizes the capabilities of the technology that he created, superhuman strength fueled by the rage he possessed towards the humans, because of this, the monster is feared by all throughout the novel.

These pieces of evidence are different in nature but are seemingly related to the thesis. Although society goes from loving and being extremely interested in technology, bringing life to a lifeless object, they soon realize that the technology is too unnatural and not fit for the world, therefore people grow to fear the creation.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The first paragraph to me seems chronologically correct, it opens the reader up to a situation; a man is on a bridge soon to be hanged for military crimes. There is a lot of description of the bridge and the people taking part in this setting, also the thoughts of this unknown character, as they may be the last thoughts he ever has. He has a final thought about how he can be freed and be brought to his wife and kids, but we are not sure yet if he accomplishes this.

The second paragraph gives the reader background on a southern man who we can only assume is the man on the bridge that will be hanged in the near future. This paragraph is the first thing that happens in time, as there is foresight to the first paragraph. As Farquhar asks whom he seems to think a southern soldier, but is really a federal scout, about a stockade made by the north, built on the Owl Creek Bridge. The soldier warns that tampering with the stockade by any civilian will result in being hanged. Therefore, obviously Farquhar had tampered with the stockade because in paragraph 1, he is being hanged.

Finally in the last paragraph which takes place after the second, then the first. There are a lot of aspects of p.o.v. In this paragraph of the story because Farquhar’s thoughts run like mad throughout it, but it is still third person. Throughout the paragraph Farquhar is experiencing one final effort to escape from the rope’s grasp and swim in the river to his safety. Despite how elaborate and, “realistic” though, it was all planned out in his head as the last sentence tells us Farquhar never made it past that bridge. I thought the transition was pretty interesting in this paragraph, it went from the opening of this scene, to background as to why the person was about to be hanged, and transitions back to the man actually dying, but having the thoughts of an elaborate and heroic escape. All in all the methods used in telling this story made it very entertaining and made more sense other than putting the story in chronological order of the events taking place in their respected times (paragraph 2 first, then 1, then 3).