Essay on "Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein "Learn"
Essay 4 pages (1187 words) Sources: 1
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how 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" (Shelley 38).
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein reveals Shelley's concern for mankind as he pursues knowledge. Through Victor's experiences, Shelley outlines how knowledge leads to corruption and destruction. Victor's thirst for creating life was a goal he accomplished but things did not turn out as he planned and, as a result, the rest of his life is marked by one destructive event after another. Knowledge is dangerous and seeking to become something greater than human is destructive, as we learn through Victor's experience.
The theme of knowledge is linked with corruption in the novel from our first impressions with Victor. He reaches Robert a bedraggled man, whose only advice is to do away with any notions of acquiring knowledge. Shelley positions Robert in a situation where he needs to hear Victor's words because he, too, is consumed with knowledge and accomplishing great things. He tells Margaret, "I cannot describe to you my sensations on the near prospect of my undertaking . . . I have often attributed my attachment to, my passionate enthusiasm for, the dangerous mysteries of the ocean to that production of the most imaginative or modern poets" (Shelley 7). Robert expresses his "love for the marvelous, a belief in the marvelous, intertwined with all my projects" (7). He is no different from Victor who wrote, "I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the
download full paper ⤓
Knowledge in itself is not a bad thing. In fact, most will agree knowledge is a good thing. However, when the pursuit of knowledge becomes a blinding passion, it is dangerous and Robert and Victor both possess this kind of desire. They do not care what it takes for them to reach their goals as long as they reach them. Victor's eagerness to learn begins quite innocently. He interest in science is normal but his curiosity moves him beyond normal. He wants to know more that what can be known and then he wants to do more than what can be done. He becomes fascinated with the "principle of life" (36) and wants to know how life begins. He admits, "I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my enterprise. One man's life or death was but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought" (13). This passage reveals just how far gone Victor is. He is at the point where he will do anything, even murder, to get what he wants. Victor believes he can create life… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein "Learn" Assignment:
“Professor*****'s Instructions:
A well-organized and well-written paper on the details and larger significance of a brief passage from Frankenstein. The passage that you write about should be no longer than a sentence or two, and you should quote it immediately BELOW THE TITLE of your paper and IMMEDIATELY ABOVE YOUR OPENING PARAGRAPH. At the start of your paper, IN THE VERY FIRST SENTENCE, you should interpret or otherwise illuminate the SPECIFIC WORDS OF THE QUOTATION (do NOT merely paraphrase it), perhaps with reference to the author*****'s themes and concerns. Of course your discussion of the passage may continue into later sentences, but it must BEGIN in the first sentence. Do NOT begin the paper with vague, empty, boring English-style generalizations of the kind that you learned to write in high school or basic college writing courses. You should proceed to expand on the meaning and larger significance of the passage, in terms of the book as a whole or any other larger context that you choose. (And, yes, of
course, you may continue to quote or refer to the opening passage as you proceed through the paper. When writing this paper, do not invent arbitrary rules that you think you are required to follow!)
an example: *****"lets have lunch sometime*****" ....what he really means is lets never meet again.
The passage should come from the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
How to Reference "Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein "Learn" Essay in a Bibliography
“Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein "Learn.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/danger-knowledge-shelley/786666. Accessed 5 Oct 2024.
Related Essays:
Frankenstein Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Touches Essay
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein touches on a number of important social and political issues that resonate to this day, and perhaps none more so than the role of women when… read more
Essay 3 pages (893 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry
Voltaire's Candide and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Essay
Voltaire's Candide And Shelley's Frankenstein
One of my favorite sections in Voltaire's Candide involves Candide's interaction with Pangloss. We are told Pangloss is a philosophy teacher, but we soon learn… read more
Essay 4 pages (1179 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Harold Bloom on Shelley's Frankenstein Research Proposal
Harold Bloom on Shelley's Frankenstein
Harold Bloom is a writer and literary critic currently teaching a Yale University. He is well-known for his defense of Romanticism and the poets of… read more
Research Proposal 3 pages (819 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Literature / Poetry
Frankenstein Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the Myth Term Paper
Frankenstein
MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN
AND the MYTH of PROMETHEUS
According to Robert Kiely, Victor Frankenstein, the main protagonist in Mary Shelley's 1818 British masterpiece of terror and suspense, is the… read more
Term Paper 8 pages (2546 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Mythology / Folklore / Science Fiction
Life Lessons in Shelley's Frankenstein Mary Thesis
Life Lessons in Shelley's Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, may seem like a horror tale but the reason it has remained popular over the years is because it is a… read more
Thesis 5 pages (1580 words) Sources: 10 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Sat, Oct 5, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!