ipl-logo

Bram Stoker's Dracula In Our School Curriculum

588 Words3 Pages

Dear Board of Education,

I am writing to express my concerns about the inclusion of gothic/horror literature like Stoker’s Dracula in our school curriculum. Gothic literature is known for its setting, mystery, suspense, and elements of the supernatural, but there has to be a limit to the elements shown. In my opinion, gothic/horror literature like Bram Stoker’s Dracula should be removed from the school curriculum. Gothic literature has many contents that are unpleasant and also have erotic themes such as sexual scenes. While I understand that some may argue that gothic/horror literature is a classic and has a big historical significance, I believe that its themes and content are inappropriate for students to be exposed to.

First of all, Stoker’s Dracula contains too much explicit content with a sexual theme which is not suitable for young readers. Throughout the novel, there are many times that sexual acts are portrayed disturbingly and unnaturally which may not be suitable for the young audience. (WHERE DRACULA FORCED HIMSELF UPON LUCY).
This act in Dracula can cause phycological damage to young readers and may promote certain sexual acts and can create unhealthy habits as many gothic/horror novels also depict these types of scenes. Another …show more content…

In the text, Dr. Steward states “It was as if the blood, no longer needed for the working of the heart, had gone to make the harshness of death as little rude as might be”(pg. 152-153). This statement by Dr. Steward in the text shows gruesomeness and may be distressing or traumatic for some students and may negatively impact their mental health due to personal life problems. There are also instances in the novel where racial and gender stereotypes are used that the audience may view as offensive based on their beliefs. (GENDER INEQUALITY

Show More
Related

Theme Of Deception In Bram Stoker's Dracula

778 Words | 4 Pages

His novel, Dracula, tells the tale of five people who encounter and have to deal with the evil undead vampire Count Dracula, who terrorizes them and even causes two out of the five to become undead like himself. Thankfully, the group eventually discovers a way to eventually vanquish Dracula once and for all, and by the end of the book they destroy him, preventing him from terrorizing the people of Europe once and for all. Stoker explores several significant themes in this book, including the theme of deception. In Dracula, Stoker uses the theme of deception with the characterization of Dracula,

Read More

Faith And Biblical Allegory In Bram Stoker's Dracula

1524 Words | 7 Pages

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a timeless gothic horror novel that has fascinated readers for over 125 years. Using an epistolary format, Stoker creates a first-hand look at a world full of complex characters troubled in one way or another by the influence of the vampire, Count Dracula. Throughout the book, Stoker creates a sense of terror and unease by portraying the vampire as a dark and evil force threatening society's very fabric. This fear of the unknown and the supernatural is a common theme in horror literature, but Stoker takes it one step further to highlight the importance of faith and belief in a higher power.

Read More

The Use Of Religion In Dracula By Bram Stoker

968 Words | 4 Pages

Religion has always been a significant part of the human race in almost every culture, whether you have faith in one of many belief systems or not, it’s very essential to the boundaries set on what we are told to believe is good and bad, moral and immoral, and it continues to push that ideal to this day in many different forms; in writing, there of course are the religious texts used for each belief to set their own boundaries, but these beliefs can be useful in any form of writing beside from the most obvious, the novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, is no exception. The use of religious items in the novel is used to further enforce the constant idea of good overpowering evil. Throughout the book, the characters use religious items present

Read More

Common Motifs In Dracula By Bram Stoker

1303 Words | 6 Pages

Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, created one of the most terrifying characters in literature--Count Dracula, whose heinous passions are preying upon the innocent, helpless and the beautiful. Not only did Stoker create a memorable villainous character, but he also created one of the most memorable gothic horror novels known today. Gothic horror novels are known for being creatively eerie and entertaining, and they all use more than one common motif. Stoker was able to create an absolute masterpiece using plenty of these common motifs. Three common motifs that are seen within Dracula are cemeteries, dreaming, nightmares or sleepwalking, and shapeshifting.

Read More

Violence In Bram Stoker's Dracula

1461 Words | 6 Pages

Bram Stoker, describes one of the verbal taboos of the Victorian era, violence, through the representation of vampires as “monsters” through the point of view of their victims in his novel Dracula. Stoker portrays violence in three distinct categories- physical, visual and psychological. Each one of these categories is described by one of the antagonists in the Novel, with Count Dracula as the physical aspect of violence, his underlings, the female vampires as the visual and Renfield, the patient at Dr. Seward’s mental asylum, as the psychological aspect of violence. This essay looks at the portrayal of such Categorical violence as different renditions of a “monster” and considers why Stoker would segregate violence in such a manner.

Read More

What Does Religion Symbolize In Dracula

1196 Words | 5 Pages

Bram Stoker's Dracula is filled with interesting symbology and religious comparisons. Dracula is a gothic novel set in late 1800s Britain and Transylvania. Dracula is an epistolary, meaning it is told through a series of journal entries, news clippings, etc. It’s like the written version of found film. Dracula draws from many old myths for its villain and is the basis for the modern vampire.

Read More

The Oppression Of Women In Bram Stoker's Dracula

1218 Words | 5 Pages

He is considered to be a “threat” to a Victorian woman such as Mina, she becomes his victim by force, which some see as rape. Mina feels violated after being “penetrated” by Dracula. There’s a scene in which helps support the idea of Mina being raped. “With his left hand, he held both Mrs. Harker’s hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension: his right hand gripped the back of her neck, forcing her face down on his bosom. Her white night dress was smeared with blood, a thin stream trickled down the man’s bare breast which shone by hi torn-open dress.”

Read More

Women In Dracula Essay

696 Words | 3 Pages

The major theme in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is the threat of female sexual expression. During this time period, female sexual behavior was frowned upon. Women were said to have to be either a virgin or a wife and mother. Social standards were very strict during this time, making it unheard of for women to show sexual expressions. In is era, the main concern was the role women had in society.

Read More

Desire In Bram Stoker's Dracula

1160 Words | 5 Pages

The horror genre of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, combined with mild eroticism is able to draw in readers due to the fact that Stoker is able to intricately weave suspenseful sexual scenes/scenes of desire throughout the novel—making it clear that

Read More

Gender Roles In Bram Stoker's Dracula

1350 Words | 6 Pages

At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period. To really understand Dracula, it is important to note that this novel was written during a time “of political and social upheaval, with anxieties not just about the

Read More

The Importance Of Dracula In Stoker's Dracula

1253 Words | 6 Pages

Gothic horror novel Dracula, the title character makes only several relatively short appearances, some of which are while in disguise. Throughout the novel, Stoker keeps Count Dracula in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. This essay will describe these appearances and analyze Stoker’s use of them to determine what effect they might have on the impression of the character and the novel overall. It will be claimed that by keeping his title character hidden for much of the novel, Stoker’s Dracula is made much more frightening to the reader. Human beings tend to fear the unknown, and by leaving Dracula to the imagination,

Read More

Thesis On Dracula And Religion

332 Words | 2 Pages

The topic I have chosen for my essay is how Dracula is meant to remind society of the importance of religion, specifically Christianity, in Stoker’s time. I intend to do this through analyzing symbols in Dracula, drawing connections between these symbols and Christianity, and analyzing the implications Stoker attempts to make. I chose this topic because vampires and their sacrilegious implications, such as burning when touching a cross, have always been of interest to me, hence why I chose to study Dracula in the first place. My thesis is: Stoker uses Count Dracula as symbol to represent what society may become if they abandon religious beliefs.

Read More

Female Sexuality In Bram Stoker's Dracula

667 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Dracula, Bram Stoker highlights the theme of sexuality that challenge ideas of sex to both the female and male characters. The author objectifies the female characters in the novel to be over sexualized and portrays sex to empower women. Stoker may present the theme of female sexuality; however, he demonstrates gender inequality triumphs at the end leaving women in the shadows again. Women in the eighteenth century hardly had any type of power outside of overseeing the household and they probably contained much less power expressing any type of sexual emotions. Stoker’s novel gives readers a different perspective of the female sexuality as if almost empowering women and stating that they too can be sexual creatures like men.

Read More

Homosexuality In Dracula By Bram Stoker

1009 Words | 5 Pages

In Bram Stoker's Dracula, he writes about such transgressions of sexuality and pushes the viewers by displaying

Read More

Morality And Morality In Dracula

1329 Words | 6 Pages

During the Victorian period in which Dracula was written, morals and ethics were often strictly enforced. Some of the morals that were upheld had to do with personal duty, hard work, honesty, as well as sexual proprietary. It was very important during this period that one was proper in their sexual behaviors and conventional in whom they had sexual relations with. However, during this period, many authors sought to challenge the ‘norm’ with ideas of reform and change and Bram Stoker was no exception to this. In his novel, Dracula, Stoker provides a critique of this rigidity in his portrayal of Dracula and Dracula’s relationship with Jonathan Harker.

Read More

More about Bram Stoker's Dracula In Our School Curriculum

Related Topics

Open Document