Science And God In Frankenstein

Science And God In Frankenstein What is science? In the nineteenth century many believed it was attempting to play God. During this era new scientific discoveries in Europe were immense, and controversy over them was extreme. Not only did this new movement challenge the principles of Christianity but the belief in God. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein through Victor Frankensteins perilous journey shows the destruction behind mans thirst for scientific knowledge and the ethical reasons as to why man should not play God (cite). Victor Frankenstein attempts to go beyond human bounds and undertake in the greatest mistake of his life. Victors experiment created in the name of science holds the key to which Victor believes is his future success (cite). The Accomplishment of his toils is described as a wretched male figure formed from the corpses of others (Frankenstein, 34). Through his efforts, Frankenstein brings this figure to life, and his desire to succeed and discover impel him to play God. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that [he] desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied [him] (22) (cite.) However, Frankenstein is so deeply captivated with bringing about life that he fails to recognize the moral affects the creature will have on society, and most importantly that there could possibly be an explanation we cant create life unnaturally or be immortal. After the completion of his experiment, Frankens tein begins to recognize some of the consequences when he states, how can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pain and care I had endeavoured to form?(34) (cite). Is it not irresponsible and foolish to create life from death, while what is alive is not fully comprehended? When Frankenstein saw his creation and admitted his dissatisfaction, some may ask why he would create such a monster knowing it would definitely not fit into society. The clear explanation would be he fears his own death, thus trying to obtain the knowledge of life to prevent it. Frankensteins scientific pursuit is for his selfish means, not for the betterment of society. Frankenstein remarks by saying, The labours of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind (34). The novel goes on to prove this could be no farther from the truth. By simply addressing the issue that some scientists may be erroneously directed, Frankenstein shows he is considering the ulterior motives of his plans. He is recognizing that his motives may not be for the advantage of mankind, and that this would be simply a bi-product of his creation. Frankenstein also fails to realize what society would think of his creature and how the creature would be affected by the general public. The creature is sent out into the world with the temperament of man, but entirely lacking the guidance and nurturing that all creatures need. This role playing of God is not what man was intended for, and children are made of a sperm and egg, not the hands of man. Who could handle the responsibility of controlling life? Only a Divine Power could control such an intricate process, and is a responsibility no person could endure. Victor takes many simple things for granted in his life, which are symbolized through the monster. I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me (129). All the monster requests is someone to share his life with, to live happily, and be loved; and through these pleasures the monster witnesses happiness. Victors scientific pursuit interferes with his life and ruins his happiness. He loses the desire for companionship because of his endeavors, and though Elizabeth longs for his return, he is too engaged in his work. Frankenstein has an opportunity to be happy, but the monster is never given the chance. This presents Shelleys argument that when you allow things such as science to get in the way of your true needs, such as love, you will not live a life worth living. Frankenstein and his monster are both miserable because they both live their life without love. He solved the most incomprehensible question, he reached the peak of scientific understanding, he accomplished his goals, yet he is miserable. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (42). Shelley purposely lets Frankenstein accomplish his goal, but she makes a point that if the scientific knowledge of life cant bring happiness then no scientific knowledge can. Victor is so infatuated with completing his task and achieving fame that he fails to realize the lasting affects or consequences of his breakthrough. Shelley makes a valid argument that in many ways, we would all be better off without complex scientific thought: Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow (38). Victor advises Walton by declaring, Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries (200). This passage evidently discusses Victors selfishness in fulfilling his objective. Shelley argues that scientists who are only seeking fame and fortune do not consider the long term effects and will be considered notorious.

Essay --

According to the Victim oriented multi-disciplinary responses to statutory rape training guide, â€Å"Law enforcement often assigns statutory rape cases a much lower priority than incest and forcible rape cases with young children. There is a belief among criminal justice officials that investigation and arrest are a waste of time because prosecutors will not prosecute except in most egregious cases† (Elstein & Smith, 1998). Statutory rape laws should be just as much of a priority as child abuse and forcible rape. Throwing away statutory rape cases is not effective regardless of how hard it is to prosecute. A minor does not know what is best for him or her it should not matter whether or not the victim is willing to testify. If proof that a minor is indeed involved in a cases where his or her partner is considered an adult by law then that person should be convicted. It is hard to prosecute statutory rape cases because most of the ‘victims’ are not willing to test ify against their partners. The minors involved in the cases are usually in the relationship because they want to be not becaus...

Nancy Werlin Report Essay

She currently resides near Boston, Massachusetts. She received a Bachelors degree in English from Yale University. She was formerly a software writer for various companies. She is also the author of Are You Alone on Purpose? in 1994, The Killer’s Cousin in 1998, Locked Inside in 2000, and Black Mirror in 2001. She was the recipient of many awards including the Publishers Weekly Flying Start award, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and the Edgar Award. Her favorite reading matter included the â€Å"Nancy Drew† and â€Å"Cherry Ames† series, Ray Bradbury’s science fiction, historical novels of all sorts, and classics such as Little Women, Jane Eyre, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Werlin is the youngest of three daughters. She grew up with an autistic sibling. Her parents had a very laid back way of parenting. Werlin had a complicated family in her childhood years. Double Helix is about 18-year old Eli Samuels, who works for a famous molecular biologist named Dr. Quincy Wyatt. There is a mysterious connection between Dr. Wyatt and Eli’s parents, and Eli knows that the connection has something to do with his mother, who has Huntington’s Disease. Because of the connection between Dr. Wyatt and the Samuels family, Eli’s father is strongly against Eli working there. The job is perfect, and the wages are great, but Eli can’t help but notice that Dr. Wyatt seems to be a little too interested in Eli. Later on, as Eli continues to work in the lab, he discovers with the help of Kayla Matheson, Dr. Wyatt’s supposed â€Å"niece,† that he and Kayla are the product of a highly unethical genetic experiments All the characters in the book had some moral and ethical flaws, but to me Dr. Wyatt has the least morals and ethics. He used Ava’s eggs to experiment with and that is extremely bad ethics. I think Eli had the most ethics, because he stood in there for Kayla as a brother even though he’d just learned of his own beginnings and even though they were virtually strangers. Both Kayla and Eli also share some of the characteristic such as they are both gifted athletes, extremely intelligent, and physically attractive. I think they share these same qualities because of two reason. The first is that they both have the same mother. The second is that they were genetically experimented on so what was stopping them from putting those genes in their DNA. I do not think that human life should be created in a laboratory. I think that there are numerous things that could go wrong in an experiment like that. I think that humans will eventually start cloning themselves. I think that this will happen in the not so distant future also. I think that genetic manipulation is ethical when you are trying to better the human race. I however do not think it is ethical for you to genetically manipulate something for personal gain. I enjoyed this book. At first I wasn’t too sure what to think of it because it seemed to be pure science fiction. It surprised me and turned out to be a decent book.

The Struggles of Immigant Woman Searching for Employment...

Based on the preliminary research I conducted, I have been able to identify two key topic areas that are of interest to me and these include: immigrant women attaining jobs in Ontario and violence experienced by women in Canada. In regard to immigrant women attaining jobs, there are significantly higher unemployment rates and lower wages that they are faced with, in comparison to other immigrant men and Canadian-born men and women. The debate circulating around this issue seeks to answer whether gender, immigrant class, age, ethnicity and sexuality all play a role in an immigrant woman’s ability to be employed (TIEDI, 2010, p.1). Some key questions that have arisen focus on workplace policies and programs that create further disparity†¦show more content†¦It is evident that transhistorical approaches have reduced the complexity of this issue and the positions of these women seek to take a macro-level approach in order to identify the factors that lead up to violent ac ts against girls and women. d) From the preliminary research I conducted on the two topics, I will specifically focus on immigrant women and girls attaining jobs in Ontario and the many obstacles they encounter due to sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, class and age. Since this is such a broad topic, I will focus on specific areas that analyze how cultural norms/traditions/stereotypes and government and workplace gendered policies/regulations all impact women and girls’ abilities to be employed. I will seek to answer questions that explain what factors lead up to immigrant women ending up in these circumstances, why it occurs so frequently and what possible solutions are available to bring about change. As identified by Papp (2010), a key issue of concern is that many immigrant women of South Asian communities, who are sponsored by their husbands to reside in Canada, are not adequately educated about their rights and freedoms. The lack of information can lead to women continuing with their practices of cultural norms from their home country, which often involves being forced