Frankenstein

In this novel, “Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley; the value of modern science and old science is revealed.  In the beginning chapters of this novel the main  character, Victor, leaves his home in Geneva to go to school in Ingolstadt.   All his life he had a love to investigate “the hidden laws of nature” (44), and questioning why things in the world happens.  Natural Philosophy led Victor to study the works of Cornelius Agrippa ( A German physician and occultist), in order to fulfill his “thirst for knowledge” (44).  Through his discovery of the laws of science, Victor had a lot of people doubt his study of this ancient science.  While going to pursuit  his education in Ingolstadt, he meets these two professors that will  answer the questions he was seeking about science.  But, before these professors, Victor’s father was the first to have an influence on Victor when it comes to learning’s of this ancient science.  His father doubted that this science had any significant to learn from, it was “entirely exploded” (46), and the modern science “possessed greater powers…”(46). Another person would agree to Victor’s father doubt to this ancient science, professor M.Krempe, a professor of natural philosophy.

This professor thought of this ancient science also as “exploded systems and useless names” (52).  This ancient science could not possibly be worthless to us today?  Victor refused to take account of  his father and professor M.Krempe opinion of this ancient science.  Victor seeked for something to let him know that this science was not useless and for someone who agreed to the significant of this ancient science.  Professor M. Waldman was the hope that Victor was seeking for.  In one of his lectures he explained the important of tracking down the discoveries that made today’s modern science possible.  This history of science “performed miracles” (53), and opened a door for what we know today about the world.

I agree with this professor, “elementary [science]” (53), is the reason why modern science is so successful today.  I believe that you have to start someone from scratch in order to turn something from simple to complex.  I believe that this reassuring lecture from this professor opened Victor’s eyes to a “Frankenstein” of a new creation within himself.  A creation of  taking his knowledge and applying it to being successful.  A knowledge that he is not no longer afraid of having.

Project # 1

Melanie Mavins

February 2, 2010

Professor Meehan

Creative Works of Reading

As I was growing up from a young child into a teenager, I have always been forced to read works that may not necessarily excite or interest me.  I was forced to read old literature that bore me with its language and style.  Sven Birkerts, a writer of “The Gutenberg Elegies,” believes that this type of literature of Henry James, Shakespeare, or Ellison is filled with “diction and syntax” (Birkerts 19), that students should read, but other works are not.  In my experience however, reading creative types of literature rather than old literature like Shakespeare or Ellison, I have had a positive response of gaining the same type of values and meanings as I would with these old literature.

In eleventh grade I was introduced to creative works of poetry by Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, and novels for example,  Huckleberry Finn.  These works made me enjoy reading about people’s experiences, whether if it was fiction or non-fiction.  These are the types of exciting readings that help you connect academic learning to your life.  These works were teaching me more than understanding concepts and language, they were teaching me the meaning of the joy and hardships in life.  These creative works did not have a main focus on educating students on the style of reading, but educating them on living in this world.  Now, Birkerts may disagree to students reading these types of creative works because he believes that if you cannot gain history from these works then they give their readers” an absence of any strong vision …or [a] collective future” (Birkerts 27).  Well, after reading these creative works during that class back in high school, I realized that some of these works are actually history, a history of experiences that these authors’ readers can learn from.  For example, Maya Angelo is an author that writes about some of her experiences on love, life, etc. that really inspires students to have goals and be successful in life.  Even though, these are not the types of history that Birkerts would recommend for students, it still is helpful.   It is helpful because it can lead students on the right path of understanding their self as well as their choices in life, like how these works helped me when I was in the eleventh grade.  These works guided me with their experiences on how to live my life correctly by talking about the effects of negative acts, for example, violence. We have history in order to learn from our mistakes and our experiences or other people’s experiences in the past in order to make a better future. Also, besides there being history within these experiences there are depth within these readings than Shakespeare and Ellison.  These readings are not just the use of proper grammar or complete sentences, they are readings of inspiration.  Another experience that I can protest to this is when I compare reading literature from my ninth grade year to my eleventh grade year of high school.  In ninth grade, the teachers made you read novels and plays to get you prepared for upper level English, but those novels and plays never made me excited or interested to go to class.  When I got into eleventh grade and  read more depth of creative readings, I was the first one up out of bed in my family ready to go to school; waiting all day until seventh period; the period of “open-mindedness and creativity.”

Birkerts believes that the young generation does not slow down to fully understand the language of old literature making it seem more boring to students. Through my experience different types of modern literature is simply what students prefer. According to Gerald Graff, one of the authors of “They Say I Say,” students can read works of a “nonacademic interest” (Graff, and Birkenstein 148), and still gain the same type of values that Birkerts wants them to gain from old literature.  Personally to me, old literature has no connection to me because there is nothing that I can gain from it.  These authors lived in different time periods that were very different from now.  I want works that are recent and that can help me with what is going on in the world today and that have variety.  Graff sees that the young generation can apply the same concepts of  “how to make an argument [and] weigh different kinds of evidence…” through modern literature (Graff, and Birkenstein 145) as they would with reading Shakespeare or Ellison.

Graff believes that Birkerts should not label students based on their different reading interest and to that opinion I agree.  I used to think of reading as a purposeless process back in ninth grade but ever since eleventh grade year of high school year, my views have change.  So, Birkerts can label me as having “an absence of any strong vision” (Birkerts 27) because of my choice of modern day literature, but from my experience I know for a fact that reading is more than just finding meaning within the text.  Reading is gaining something within you from each and every word.  Reading enlightens your mind.  Birkerts “privacy” of reading only certain novels and pieces actually limits him to understanding the real world and how much of a beauty and pain it can be.  From my experiences, I protest against Birkerts that reading is more than understanding the literature; it is feeling the literature within your heart.

Bibliography

1.)    Birkerts, Sven. The Gutenberg Elegies. New York: Faber and Faber Inc., 1999. 19-27. Print.

2.)    Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say I Say. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 145-148. Print.

Self Reflection: I think that with this essay I could of used more analysis and made my thoughts a little more clearer.  I have to work on expanding my ideas and getting my point further across to my readers.

Honor Code: I pledge my word of honor that I have abided by the Washington College Honor Code while completing this assignment.

Writing Center Experience

The Writing Center has helped me numerous times on my papers since I have been a freshman here at Washington College.  People there at the Writing Center sits with you and really advise you on your paper.  This is a wonderful system that has helped me with my grammar, analysis, and getting my point across; because of the Writing Center, I have gotten numerous A’s and B’s on my papers.  My most recent appointment with the Writing Center was January 27, 2010.  I ran in to the center after my dance class at four o’clock hoping that someone would help me edit my dance paper, that was due the next day.  One of the adminstrators there, I forgot her name, but she was about to leave and instead of telling me to come back the next day, she helped me immediately.  I was astonish by her determination to assist me even though she had an appointment to attend.

We got to work right away.  She had me read my paper to her out loud and as we came across mistakes, she discussed them with me and asked me questions.  She asked questions like “How would you want to revise this sentence? or what word do you think we can add right here?”  I could not believe that this women was taking time out of her life to make sure that I get a good grade on this paper.  This has been my most enjoyable experience at the Writing Center, and  at the end of the day  I have gained a good grade on a paper and a new friend.

Birkerts Autobiography

After being assigned to read the second chapter of “The Gutenberg Elegies” by Sven Birkerts, which  basically was an autobiography of his childhood and leading to why he loved reading, it made me wonder.  It made me wonder about the connections between his childhood and why Birkerts propose so much that “technology … enables us to change our basic nature …” (15).  I do believe that certain events in Birkerts childhood and leading to his adult, he gained the proposal about not what technology is but what it represents and means to the young generation.

First off, lets look at the beginning stages of Birkerts childhood.  As a child, Birkerts had an unusual love for reading and did not know the reason.  Words on pages of a book just strikes and fascinates him.  He had a “…outgrowth of love of reading, a determination to master the source of that pleasure…” (34.)  Obviously there was something just about reading that made him almost praise it and could not get enough of it, like an additive drug almost.   In Birkerts chapter one of this book, he criticizes his students for not being interested in reading novels like Shakespeare and Ellison.  But maybe when he made that statement he was saying that out of his own love for reading and not because of technology.  Birkerts assumes that because they had TV, music, and radios that “they were not…readers…[and]never had been”(19).  During his childhood Birkerts was never interested in those types of entertainment but just reading to fulfill his self.  So, could this possibly be  a bias statement/ assumption about technology.  Birkerts compares himself to the students and the values of what reading means to him and what reading means to them.  He does not actually have physical proof of that because there is technology that students would to read as he much as he does; they could love reading whats on the TV or a  certain of type of reading besides novels.  He does not consider this possibility, but instead comes to the conclusion that this new found technology is making the young generation have ” an absence of any strong vision… or collective future” (27).  The young generation future is not being lost because they do not want to read novels but is being lost in the future according to his standards and how reading has touched his life, not theirs.

Another and final point to Birkerts using technology as an excuse to push on the fact that students have to read novels in order to  survive in this world is that he view reading as  private and isolation.  He view reading this way because of his “father’s strictness’ (34) and his father view that reading is  something that makes a man girly or have female characteristics.  Now comparing this known fact to technology, it makes since why Birkerts would have so much doubt of it when it comes to future generations.  Technology is a representation of an open orbital to the world not a closed box that Birkerts was in when it came to reading.  With new found technology people can see each other, talk to one other, even find out information on  a person.  For example, technology is the reason why you, my readers, can read my blog right now.  Technology is like a digital connection to everyone in the world at any given time.  Birkerts of course views that as a negative because he is so private and concerned about pushing his values on other people.

Birkets uses technology as an immediate excuse to blame why students are not interested in reading his way,  which is novels and privacy.  He uses his values as guidelines for students and what makes a person a true reader; when in all reality it is not what the person reads that makes them a reader but what they can get out of it and apply it to.  When it comes to people and reading, they can be compared to people and ice cream; everyone is different and has their own particular flavor.  Which means everyone has their own favorite type of reading and way to learn.

Sorry Birkerts, but I am a prime example of gaining from technology as a reader and writer, not from Shakespeare and other works as your guidelines would state.

Response to Birkerts and Graff

After reading “The Gutenberg Elegies” by Sven Birkerts and the “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff; I noticed that these two authors have different views and opinions  when it comes to how education and literature should effect the youth population.  These authors have direct parallelism of thoughts about this topic toward each other.  Birkerts believes that literature of Henry James,  Shakespeare, or Ellison is  filled with “diction and syntax” (19), but other works are not.  Birkerts believe that the young generation now a days are too fast to understand these works  filled with a lot of complex ideas making them boring and hard to understand to the students.  He believes that the young generation can only gain history and value from these works and that new found technology is making them slow to actually think and understand concepts in life.  Thus, this new found technology is making the young generation have ” an absence of any strong vision… or collective future” (27).

Well, even though Graff would agree to the need of children to be educated, he disagrees to Birkerts proposal of doing so.  Graff believes that children do not have to read Shakespeare and other older literature authors to gain some knowledge, be educated, and to have a future.  He believes that the educational system should not just label students as non intelligent or not interested in intellectual studies because they refuse to read a Shakespeare novel; but instead take things of an “nonacadenic interest” (148) approach and apply it to them. For example,  Graff sees that they have other interest that can help them learn, for example, sports,  the young generation is applying the same concepts of  ” how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence…” (145) as they would with reading like Shakespeare and Ellison.  This educational system filled with schools and colleges need to change their opinion from one like Birkerts  that  old literature is the only way the young generation will be able to understand concepts and gain knowledge.  That is not the only way the young generation can become intellectuals, the educational system has to see through the young generation’s eyes of technology, computers, sports, games, etc., in order to help them learn with subjects that will not only interest them but also make them apply themselves and as an ending result will make them just as intellectual as reading Shakespeare.  So, as a conclusion, Graff would disagree with Birkerts thought of technology ruining the young generation, but suggest that instead of trying to force an uninteresting topic onto the young generation, work with a subject that they  love and as a result  Birkerts will get his  hope of the young generation gaining knowledge and his  faith in their future would be restored.

The only question left when it comes to comparing these two authors views on the education and the use of literature is what will the schools decide to do from now on?  Will the educational system look upon what Graff suggest and see if they can have an positive impact on the young generation, or will they continue to have for example, “sports competing with academic development” (147), instead of combing the two and seeing the ending result.

Bibliography (10)

Primary Bibliography

Perrault, Charles. “The Story of Grandmother.” The Classic Fairy Tales. Ed.  Maria Tatar. New York; Norton & Company, 1999, pg. 10.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. “Little Red Cap.”The Classic Fairy Tales. Ed. Maria Tatar. New York; Norton & Company, 1999, pg.13-16.

 

 

Haviland, Virginia. Favorite fairy tales told in France; retold from Charles Perrault and other French storytellers. Boston: Little Brown, 1959. Pg. 91. Print.

Perrault, Charles. Histoire de la marquise-marquis de Banneville / François-Timoléon de Choisy, Marie-Jeanne L’Héritier, and Charles Perrault. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2004. Pg. 64. Print.

Zipes, Jack. The complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm / translated and with an introduction. New York: Bantam Books, 2003.pg. 762. Print.

Haviland, Virginia. Favorite fairy tales told in Germany; retold from the brothers Grimm. Boston: Little Brown, 1959. Pg. 83. Print.

Grimm, Jacob. Grimm’s fairy tales. New York: Pantheon Books, 1944. Print.

Grimm, Jacob. Household stories from the collection of the brothers Grimm; translated from the German by Lucy Crane. New York: Macmillan, 1954. Pg. 260. Print.

 

Zipes, Jack. The trials and tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood: versions of the tale in sociocultural context. South Hadley, Mass: Bergin & Garvey Publishers, 1983. pg.298. Print.

 

Ziolkowski, Jan M. Fairy tales from before fairy tales: the medieval Latin past of wonderful lies. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2007. Pg.500. Print.

Proposal

Topic:

The comparison of Charles Perrault and the Grimms brothers on their different modern versions of the original tale of Little Red Riding hood.

Proposal:

Charles Perrault, an author of many vivid fairy tales, is an author that believes in fairy tales that works in favor of the working class society.  Perrault fairy tales connects to human qualities also with benefiting the main character.  He likes to give children a since of power in his fairy tales and strength to overcome triumphs facing drastic situations.  The Grimms brothers view of writing fairy tales are a little different than Perrault but some what similar.  Their fairy tales favors gory features that also has a connection to the French heritage.  These brothers wrote their fairy tales to have nature as a powerful element towards the characters and usually have mother figures  absent from their fairy tales.  One connection between these different fairy tales writers’, is how they favor the lower class in their fairy tales and have a way of giving their characters justice.  What is the connection between these modern fairy tale writers’ and the way they write their fairy tales to fit their view of the world?

Little Red Riding Hood is a simple tale of a little girl being easily influenced by a wolf that wants to eat her and her grandmother, a moral lesson of staying away from strangers and not being so naive.  This story is flexible and can be branched off to have different interpretations  of its contents.  This paper will offer the comparison of these authors different interpretations of this original tale as they created their own modern version of it.   The way they use different  elements in their  fairy tales, the way they change the main characters actions, and the moral of their new modern version will be evaluated for their similarities and differences of how they rewrote this original fairy tale to fit their interpretation of this tale.

Introduction to my paper

Meaning of Fairy Tales

Bruno Bettelheim supports  fairy tales of being a symbolic way of communication to children about the hardships of life.  He proposes the theory of fairy tales aiding toward the structure of children’s lives and helping with today’s existing problems. However, their is an opposer to Bettelhiem theories on the importance of fairy tales and the connection to the world.  Robert Darnton, an author that critizies  Bettelhiem, in his article “Peasants Tell Tales”, about fairytales lacking historical background nor having significance to the universal needs of the world.  Well,  I agree with Bettelheim’s theory of fairy tales being  extremely universal  and cultured to accomplice any child in any country.  Fairy tales can be  useful and understandable in more ways than one instead of being narrowed down.  Fairytales can be universal by having common lessons that can be useful to different cultures and also fairytales can be easily understood in different cultures that can have an positive effect of children all over the globe.

Notes for Paper #2

1.) Points-common lessons-  For example, Red Riding Hood, staying away from strangers is an lesson that different cultures can take note of.  Fairy tales are non specific and can relate to anyone.  Anyone can read a fairytale and gain something from it rather it is meant for children or adults, or if it is being taught.

2.) Easily understood-  For example, Beauty and the Beast, has a simple lesson that can be understood.  If you love someone for who they are as a person, then you will get their true beauty from the inside.  This is an universal lesson that all cultures can understand and can be effected by.  Fairy tales can be historical figures because not all fairy tales are made up stories, some actually can be from an historical point of time.

Robert Darnton argument is good but false because just because the basis of fairytales are made up tales, does not mean that all of them have to be fictional or false.

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Riquet with the tuft

The two versions of “Riquet With The Tuft,” both have similar morals of how to precieve love and physical apperance.  These stories show that loving people for who they are will ensure you happiness, more so than trying to force  people to be who you want.  Both stories have a similar beginning with a daughter of an heir being beautiful but having some type of deformity with either her intelligence or physical apperance.  It evolves around the daughter meeting Riquet with the tuft and he giving her an once in a life time offer of intelligence as long as she would marry him within a year.  In both stories the daughter had to think drastically about her decisions now that she had a mind to think about the outcome .

As well as the two versions of this story having many qualities similar they also have many different qualities to them.  One of the versions  starts off with an queen having two daughters who were the exact oppose of one another and possessed qualities that the other one needed.  One daughter was intelligence but very ugly and the other sister was very beautiful but had no intelligence.  In the other version, the beginning consist of  an nobleman who had all his treasures and calamity poisoned.  He only had one daughter who lacked intelligence and also just had a quality about her that no one favored.  Also, both of these versions have different endings.  In one version, the ending consist of the daughter accepting to marry Riquet with the tuft and transforming him into a handsome prince that she would desire, and they get married within the time period that Riquet with the tuft planned.  In this other version, the daughter gains intelligence but falls in love with another man.  She has a decision to lack intelligence or lose the love of her life.  So, she decides to marry and fall under Riquet with the tuft kingdom, but tries to have an relationship with her lover at the same time.  Riquet with the tuft finds out and transforms her lover to look exactly like himself, so the daughter would never know which is her true lover.

Having two versions to this type of story demonstrates different outcomes when it comes to decisions that people can make in life.  It shows how important it is to truly think about an decision despite your selfish needs.  Reading this story can show people that accepting others for who they are can be rewarding despite their disabilities.  Also, not accepting people because of their physical appearance or disability has an negative outcomes whether it is now or further down the line.

Paper #1

When the time came towards the first paper, my heart stopped and tripped with joy and suspense.  This paper was the beginning of my new college writing career and a determination for me to use my writing skills that I have picked up from high school all of those years ago.  My heart raced as the lovely professor Maynard passed out the information sheet on the upcoming paper and started explaining what she expected out of the class.   The paper was on how to make an argument agreeing or disagreeing with Bruno Bettelhiem’s theory of fairy tales communicating with children.  My heart once again raced, but calmed with confidence in myself, that I can do this.  Suddenly, it was time to write my paper.

I started by deciding rather I agree with Bettelhiem’s theory or if I disagree with his work.  Remembering from my childhood experiences with fairy tales,  I did actually gain some moral knowledge of what to look out for and right from wrong.  So, I highly agreed with Beetelhiem’s theory because not only does it make sense scientifically, it proves that fairy tales have a greater good.  My next step was picking out the quotes from his article that supported my case of the purpose of fairy tales.  I found about 14 good quotes that could possibly help support my claim.  After picking out my quotes, I decided on the structure of my paper; how many paragraphs, the length, and the opening and closing paragraphs.  Now it was time for me to complete my rough draft of this paper.  My thoughts were a little wordy, but for the rough draft, all I wanted was my direction and point to get across.

This paper so far has been a little difficult to write because usually the first paper is always the hardest to write.  You do not know what the teacher is looking for, she is not used to your writing style, and there are alot of important factors that comes with writing the first paper.  Getting my thoughts together and brainstorming so far has been the easiest part, but figuring out the sentences to keep and take out from my rough draft is the hardest.  For me, getting the thoughts down are no problem, but editing and keeping what make sense is.  Editing has always been a problem for me when it comes to essay’s and papers, and will still be a problem for me on this first paper.

When it comes to the peer review part of writing and editing a paper, it is a very helpful factor.  It is helpful because you have someone actually reading your paper, sort of giving a second opinion of your work.  My peer review partner said exactly what I thought they would say about my paper, that the sentences are confusing.  Here comes that part of writing that I fear and hate.  So after discussing it over with my partner, they truly gave me some tips on how to fix my paper from a student’s point of view.  My partner actually sat down with me and took this review session seriously, and it helped.

Now it is time for me to constantly reread my paper to make sure that it is everything that I would like it to be, the corrections have been made, the suggestions have been considered, simply everything.  I have to read my paper more than 10 times and go over every word, sentence, paragraph, and point to get it right.  I really have high hopes for this paper because I am putting my all into it.