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Theme Of Knowledge Is Power In Frankenstein

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Despite being written over 200 years ago, themes and ideas within Frankenstein that are conveyed through its construction of characters are still relevant in modern day society. Frankenstein was written by Marey Shelley in 1818, and follows the story of a young scientist who creates a horrid creature through a series of experiments. Due to being rejected by humanity, the creator decides to take revenge on Victor Frankenstein himself who created him. Shelley's unique construction of character's allows for the idea of 'knowledge is danger' to run throughout the novel, in contrast to the common saying 'knowledge is power'. this idea can be directly connected to current events, with particular focus on the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence around the world.

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Frankenstein is portrayed as an eager learner and one who constantly seeks new knowledge. This results in him ignoring the effects of his actions, leading to his ultimate demise. As Victor is about to complete his project of bringing the dead back back to life, he states "No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me on, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success". This statement depicts how as soon as success became visible in Frankenstein's eyes, he became blind to the consequences and only focused on the beneficial outcomes. Furthermore, the mentioning of 'a hurricane' foreshadows the extremely violent events that Victor must endure and pay victim to in the future. In addition to this, before Frankenstein begins the narration of his story to Robert Walton, he warns Walton to "Learn from me...that the acquirement of knowledge is dangerous and how much happier a man who believes his home town to be the world than a man who aspires to become greater than his knowledge will allow. This warning conveys the regret and pain felt by Victor's character, who only now realises the drastic

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Shelley uses words such as “fate” and “omen” throughout the novel to hint at the multiple tragic events to come. Robert Walton first foreshadows Victor’s passing in one letter to his sister when he states “One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought” (13). In the concluding paragraphs of the story, Victor dies soon after he informs Walton of his accounts of the details of his pursuit of knowledge relating to the creation of monster. When telling Walton of his and Henry Clerval’s journey throughout England, Victor constantly uses the past tense to describe Clerval, ultimately foreshadowing his death. Victor states “you, my friend, would be far more amused with the journal of Clerval, who observed the scenery with an eye of feeling and delight” (113).

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At this point, Victor Frankenstein has started to work on his project to create life from dead. In doing so, he has alienated himself from society. His feelings about his project result in a powerful and destructive creation that is similar to “a hurricane.” He thinks of himself as a Godly figure because he can create life like God.

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Cathy Chen Mrs. Weber AP Lit 11 February 2023 Revision In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, allusions, a symbol of illness, and his story told to Waltom are used to demonstrate how Victor's gift was both a curse and an advantage to him. Victor is an extremely intelligent man; he was able to create and have studies that others cannot accomplish, but in the end, it caused him pain and regret, which developed his knowledge of danger. The author uses allusions in the story to show how Voctor's knowledge has become both an advantage and a problem.

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Instead, he shuts himself out and becomes very distant from his family and friends. At the end of the novel, Victor tells his story to Walton, the captain of a ship. In his last moments Victor tells Walton, “I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed” (Victor Frankenstein). Previously Victor had cautioned Walton about the risks that come with ambition, but with this line, he takes back what he said. Showing that through all of the struggles that he has gone through, Victor hasn’t really learned anything.

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Knowledge can be Blessings and Curse A teenage girl Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in the 18th century. A Gothic novel Frankenstein deals with two genres, Gothicism and science fiction. Victor, one of Mary Shelly’s characters represents man’s pursuit of knowledge which ultimately leads towards the path of destruction while another character Robert Walton implemented his knowledge wisely to get benefits for the society. Mary is indicating to the society that mankind has to pay full attention to science and scientific innovations in order to avoid the catastrophic events due to misuse of knowledge.

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has been an American classic for almost 200 years, which contains both philosophical and moral themes in the text, making the reader question the limits of humankind and its desire for power. For every character presented in the story their independent desire to overcome their intentions becomes so intense that the future that lies upon them is nothing close to what they can imagine. Victor Frankenstein´s desire to quench his thirst for power ends up clouding his judgement and making him elude the future that awaits him. As Victor´s intention to succeed in natural sciences grow to an abnormal point, his judgement about what to do with that knowledge didn't let him contemplate the future consequences

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Victor Frankenstein’s intelligence and knowledge, which he initially believed was his greatest quality, would ultimately become his downfall. Ge possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge, seeking to uncover the mysteries of nature and the secrets of life itself. However, his ambition and obsession with his scientific pursuits led him to create a monster which he was unable to control and which ultimately caused chaos and death to him and those who he loved. Victor’s intelligence is evident in his ability to create a living being out of inanimate matter, but his arrogance and overconfidence in his own abilities blinded him to the potential consequences of his actions. Shelley’s portrayal of Victor as a man consumed by his own intellect highlights

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Knowledge is power and power is what leads to self destruction of Victor Frankenstein; an easily influenced man who sows he is not the male figure he wants to be. Victor lived a simple life, starting as a child who has everything he possibly could possibly want; a family, a house, an above all happiness. However, it all alter when he loses his mother, the traumatic event causes the family to switch gear and face he heart ache to something else. Escapism through knowledge is what led Victor's secrecy. " The world was to me to secret which I desire to divine, curiosity, earnest research to learn hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.

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Victor 's excitement and thirst for knowledge does not intend to bring negativity to the world. When Victor was first creating the monster, he did not know what was to come from his studies; he just wanted to be able to prove that life could be restored through an inanimate object. In addition, the monster is the one to leave Victor 's apartment on his own and because of this he developes his own state of mind. The monster 's pessimistic way of thinking and manslaughter behaviours are not Victor 's responsibility because of the fact that Victor is his creator. Victor did not give birth to the monster and give him the intuition to kill but instead he gives him the beautiful girft of life.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a classic novel that has captivated readers for centuries. Originally published in 1818 and written at a time before modern scientific understandings, the novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates life from dead flesh. The creature he creates is left alone and eventually turns against him in revenge for the loneliness and rage he felt for his creator. At the beginning of the book, you can see that victor was traveling around the world searching for these mythical pieces of knowledge, when Shelley says, “There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”

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"Have the courage to use your own understanding" is probably the best-known quotation by Immanuel Kant (Kant 58). He refers to the Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, which was a major historical movement of the eighteenth century. The era was characterized by significant social and intellectual developments which led to several shifts in people’s way of thinking. Moreover, the era was accompanied by major scientific research and discovery. In her novel “Frankenstein’’ ,which was first published in 1818, Mary Shelley addresses numerous ideas of the movement which are embodied by the main characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster.

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It is a known fact that staring straight into a light can cause temporary blindness. But sometimes people look into the light without knowing and later feel its adverse effects. Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, looks into the bright light of desire for knowledge, but his ambition causes him to stare at the light too long, ultimately blinding him from his morals and ethics. As Victor becomes acquainted with natural philosophy again, his extreme desire for knowledge causes him to do the unthinkable.

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“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us” Adlai E. Stevenson. The politician explains his perception of creativity in this quote along with its connection to ambition by relating determination and faith to the discovery of knowledge. He believes that nothing can restrict our drive to seek information when one entirely devotes himself to the pursuit. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the creature all attempt to acquire arcane knowledge at any and all costs. Their ambition drives them to take risks and even put the lives of themselves and others on the line.

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This quote makes it apparent that Victor regrets his decision to heavily pursue knowledge and create his monster, clearly showing that the path that he embarked on was one that resulted in severe suffering. In conclusion, it is clear that Victor Frankenstein’s intentions are pure, however he is unaware that his pursuit of knowledge directly leads to his personal suffering. Robert Walton, similar to many explorers during his time, is ambitious to discover land beyond the North Pole. However, to reach this goal, he has to walk the dangerous path of acquiring knowledge. Walton’s goal, which is to reach the North Pole, requires him to captain a ship which travels through thick and thin.

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In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein (1818), Shelley shows her audience that while acquiring knowledge leads to survival for the Creature and power for Victor Frankenstein, the path to obtain this knowledge leads to the destruction of one’s self. Education and knowledge have major negative effects on both of the characters’ attitude, perception, and decisions. The life experiences of each character is dependent on the amount of knowledge that the character possesses. Knowledge gives Victor Frankenstein a superiority complex, and it changes the Creature’s perspective of the world and the people in it. The Creature, like a baby, is brought into the world with no prior knowledge of how society behaves.

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