Alvin Johnson is the main character of the movie “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”. He has his own group of friends who are also known as the geeks/nerds of the school. Once Alvin comes in contact with one of the prettiest and popular girl in school, she needs a favor from him. In order for him to fix her car she has to date him for a certain period of time. The popular girl (Christina Milian) gives Alvin a makeover which makes him fit in and have all of the girls fall for him, including her in the long run.
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The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a classic 1980s film about a group of kids from five different social groups that get detention for a whole Saturday. Allison is portrayed as a weirdo, and not seen as pretty because of her dress style. Even though I’d say she was the best looking out of the group, it was Claire that was the pretty and popular one. All it took was some makeup and a dress, and the weird girl totally stole the jock’s heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqjSJU4LuW0
Warm Bodies: A zombie love story (Extra Credit)
Warm bodies is a book/film about a zombie, named R, who falls in love with a human girl. The more time he spends with her, the more human he begins to feel and look human. While the story is a romantic comedy/horror, the idea of coming down with a case of necrophilia is a little unsettling. Nevertheless, I would gladly serve my flesh on a silver platter to the mildly decayed R (Nicholas Hoult).
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCHz6y_B2Nc/UQtyym8XD0I/AAAAAAAAqB8/HhhVcaXM_QA/s1600/warm-bodies.jpg
Frankenstein Close Reading.
Monsters are usually spotted because of their physical appearances. The physical traits that monsters have is what separates them from everyone else. Although a monster may not look like a human or fit into the “normal” category, it does still exists. A monster still has the ability to think and have its own mentality. One of the things that the monster was in the process of doing was learning. The monster was watching others, gaining experiences, and teaching himself.
To begin with, a chapter that stuck out to me the most was chapter eleven. In chapter eleven, the monster highlights “One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects! I examined the materials of the fire, and to my joy found it to be composed of wood. I quickly collected some branches, but they were wet and would not burn. I was pained at this and sat still watching the operation of the fire”. The author uses symbolism to identify the monsters confusion. The symbol that was used in this case was the fire. The fire revealed to the monster a little glimpse of how life works.
For someone who doesn’t know a lot about the human world, the operation of things and how humans think are bound to be confusing. The fire symbolized a teaching tool for the monster. It taught the monster that the same way something can be beneficial to you, is the same way it can hurt you. In one way, the fire was a way to keep him warm. The fire was at first helpful to him. As he got closer to the fire, it was hot. Anyone on Earth with some type of knowledge would know that if you play with fire, the outcome is getting burned. The monster was never taught that and was unaware of things like this causing the monster to make lots of assumptions. He assumed that since the fire helped him one way it wasn’t likely for him to get hurt. The pain he endured from the fire burn was a shocker to him.
Similar to the example used in class about a child. What are some ways a person can identify a baby? A baby wears diapers, a baby uses a bottle, a baby is in a stroller, or with an adult. So seeing a ten year old with a bottle in its mouth would cause someone like the monster to think this is a baby. The ten year old is not a baby and having the bottle doesn’t make someone a baby.
Lastly, we as humans often assume lots of things based off of what we see, same as the monster. He viewed the family he had run into as a happy family not knowing that they were suffering. He couldn’t understand how people who carry themselves as they did could be dealing with poverty and misfortune. People can have every materialistic item, lots of money, a mansion, and still be unhappy. But outsiders would always question “how could they be so unhappy with millions?” That is the thrill about life there are lots of hidden agendas.
Frankenstein Close Reading
“It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses. By degrees, I remember, a stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness then came over me and troubled me, but hardly had I felt this when, by opening my eyes, as I now suppose, the light poured in upon me again. I walked and, I believe, descended, but I presently found a great alteration in my sensations. Before, dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me, impervious to my touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid. The light became more and more oppressive to me, and the heat wearying me as I walked, I sought a place where I could receive shade. This was the forest near Ingolstadt; and here I lay by the side of a brook resting from my fatigue, until I felt tormented by hunger and thirst. This roused me from my nearly dormant state, and I ate some berries which I found hanging on the trees or lying on the ground. I slaked my thirst at the brook, and then lying down, was overcome by sleep. Chapter 11
In this passage, the author is showing a form of contradictory at the very beginning. A creature created in its “adult” form has the knowledge of a baby. Over the course of their growth, children don’t realize the concept of their senses, as the creator recalls in the passage. The thing with babies though is that they can’t remember what it is like to experience and have the new-found awareness of these features like the Frankenstein’s creature. In fact, the creature says that it took a long time before he learned to distinguish between the operations of his various senses. The key word there is “learn” as he had to do just like a child even though he appears to be an adult. This type of fusion between child and adulthood expresses one of the monstrous characteristics the creature possesses.
Another contradiction that is portrayed within this scene is the use of light and dark. The light is described as having an adverse effect on the monster. The idea of monsters refusing to come out into the light subliminally sent from Mary Shelly to the reader. The monster narrates in the passage that he had to close his eyes from the light and the heat made him fatigued. He sought comfort in the shadows of the trees, once again showing the attachment the creature has with darkness. I believe that the author is creating a scenario where the reader could feel sympathy for the creature because of its current state. He is hungry, thirsty and all he has to eat are berries. At the same time, Shelly is reminding us that the creature is indeed a monster by connecting the characteristics of childhood and adulthood into one being and also pairing that being with darkness.
Close Reading
Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.
Throughout all the experts of the novel we’ve read, one of the main themes is beauty, in this passage it’s Satan. In this passage the creature takes it a step further to explain his living condition and his experience as a reference to Satan. What triggers me is how he mentions Adam and says “he come forth the hands of god , a perfect creature” , it is well known about Adam and the creation of the world in 7 days. The creator takes something as beautiful as that and than compares himself to Satan , saying he is best to fit his image. It’s a little drastic , we all know the Devil was no good , he was the bad apple and tried to make everyone come to his side. The creature isn’t a bad person, his feeling of jealous is normal because he didn’t wish to be created looking as monstrous as he does. The reference of beauty here holds sort of the stereotypical idea of beauty , to put it up against goodness and evil , which doesn’t doesn’t truly define ones heart is interesting. The comparison here goes to show you the ways in how our brains are set up in from past times.
Frankenstein Close Reading
See below for passage in question.
The first thing to establish is who is talking, and to whom is he talking to. In our case the Monster is telling Victor Frankenstein, his creator, what happened to him after he was created. The perspective here is extremely important, it sets the tone for the text, the monster is reflecting, and repeating his past experiences. I think that this journey into his memory could be a false image. I mean this in the sense that instead of someone else telling his story and perhaps revealing details to us that the Monster is ignorant of, he is telling us what he truly believes happened. He speaks of it fondly, and thus must remember it fondly, even if that was not the case. This perspective is not objective, and the idea that it might not of happened the way he tells his story is an important thing to consider. In addition, this passage describes the beginning of him exploring his new senses. The initial feelings, thoughts, and ideas that come with new sensations can not be taken at face value, for they are but the first layer. For instance he describes something that he has no knowledge of “the orb of night had greatly lessened” this orb is the moon, but he doesn’t know that, how can he.
Shelley uses personification to create a human like image of the Monster, he breathes, he talks, reflects, thinks, and experiences life as though he was human, yet he is not. He is provided with several human necessities, water, and shelter. He has the ability of emotion “I was delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears” but he cannot emulate these emotions for himself, he tries to learn from the birds but his horrified at his own attempts, there is also a sense of irony here. He hears these euphonious sounds and wishes to recreate them, yet his own attempts “frightened” him. The irony here, as does the personification, serve as ways to humanize the Monster, and create a sense of amiability between him and the reader. We don’t perceive him as the gruesome mismatched body that he resides in, but more like a child taking it’s first steps, or a more accurately, a child attempting to speak his first words. We feel sorry for this monster that cannot even create a sound that he enjoys, instead he may only sit in silence and listen. Though, as we previously noted, this is from the Monsters own perspective, and perhaps the birds that fluttered around him were cawing instead of singing. Reading just this passage would lead the reader to believe in an innocent monster, one simply marveled by the world around him. We know that this is not the case, he like the rest of us leaves this child like stage and is forced to encounter adulthood, and all the woes attached.
“Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb of night had greatly lessened, when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with drink and the trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears, proceeded from the throats of the little winged animals who had often intercepted the light from my eyes. I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own mode, but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into silence again.
The Monster’s Sacrifice: Group C
The article “The Monster’s Sacrifice- Historic Time: The Uses of Mythic and Liminal Time in Monster Literature,” started out explaining the three different types of time. Humans go through the historical, mythical and liminal period whereas monsters only experience last two phrases. K. A. Nuzum explains that the historical time is where we spend most of out time. It is the time frame of our existence that marks the beginning and the end, birth, and death. The second temporal reality is called the mythic period. The part of reality is like a ritual, continuously happening within a certain time frame. The article used examples of celebrations humans use throughout a year. Halloween would be a good example to use because on that specific day children dress up to be monsters, then go around asking for candy. It is a custom that’s repeated every year of our historical time. A monster, on the other hand, lives only in the mythic and liminal phase. A vampire spends every day, as it was created to do, sucking blood from humans when night falls. They do not have a life, and death existence like humans do because they are set up in a world of fantasy. The moment a vampire sucks the blood from someone’s neck or a werewolf attack a person is when they become a monster. The inhumane trait of sucking blood and eating the flesh of another human being is unnatural to our society, and this is what labels these creatures as monstrous. That moment of transition is called the liminal period. In humans, the liminal period is a very common period to be in and occurs very often. The transition from child to adulthood is one of the most common liminal periods we can experience. We are not a child anymore, but we are not quite an adult yet, so we are stuck in the middle of where we share the small traits of both ends of the spectrum. The transition from one state to another is not just related to the growth of an individual it also applies to things like getting married; being a bachelor to a husband. The status of the person changes and that time of transition is called liminal time. The article closes by mentioning that the consequence of being a monster is that they are excluded from linear time. The creation rituals are re-enacted every day, but it can be a positive thing because unlike humans these creations do not permanently die.
Monsters by Tacey Rosolowski // Group D
When people hear or think of the word monster they instantly become fearful or scared. Monsters are supposed to be scary, ugly, and creatures that shouldn’t exist. In any sort of book, movie, or television show a monster is the cause of a lot of problems. They are the reason why buildings are destroyed, people are frightened by them, and their physical traits alone are scary. Unlike humans that are normally scared of monsters, the protagonists in the article are different. Both of the sisters like the monsters because they can relate to them.
In Monsters by Tacey Rosolowski the sisters take on a liking for the monsters. Unlike most humans who would be terrified of them they actually enjoy watching the monsters. When a monster dies or something bad happens to these monsters they become emotional and even sometimes cry about the outcome. The sisters are trying to show how people become judgmental and worrisome about monsters because they don’t look like the rest of the world. Big, scaly, or enormous were the words the protagonists used to describe the monsters. So because their physical features aren’t equivalent to what people see in others than they are automatically placed in the “monster category”. The sister was fat is what her mother told her and she was placed on a diet. She didn’t notice her weight or felt it was an issue because she was comfortable in her own skin. That is the issue with lots of people in the world they become worried about their physical appearance. Am I too big? Should I lose weight? can be common questions that plenty of human beings ask themselves. The author reveals “If you couldn’t look like the slim, popular creatures in magazines and at school, the rationale went, this compulsive inactivity and self hatred was an important kind of activity.” (Page 284) To the world the monsters were the problem but to the protagonists they were actually the superior ones. The monsters were in society naturally and pure. They knew who they were and remained true to themselves. The ones that were the actors were the ones who took a daily count of their calories, strive to maintain an image, and do anything to keep up with the rest of the world.
Rosolowski touched on gender roles and physical features. This is a world filled with both men and women but females are expected to take on way much more. For example, if a boy smells then it is okay because he is a boy but if a girl smells she has poor hygiene. There are lots of double standards when it comes down to females versus males and it starts at birth. It starts when a baby boy wears the color blue and the baby girl wears the color pink. If a new born girl has on the color blue she can easily be mistaken for a little boy. That is some of the roles when it comes down to genders. In addition, in order to be a model, an actress, a celebrity, or placed on a pedestal people must fit the image. It isn’t about their own personal choice but more of what society likes and they feed off from that. As the author mentioned this is where adolescence, especially females begin to lose their innocence. The author highlights “Adolescence transforms not only body image, but the intimate psychic places where girls live and generate the energy to actively reach out into the world.” (Page 284) They begin to risk who they really are just to have a name for themselves and not feel out of place. The sisters want to prove that shouldn’t be the case. There isn’t anything wrong with remaining who you are. if a person chooses to wear baggy clothes than that is there preference. It shouldn’t make them feel less of a person.
1.) What defines a “perfect girl”? Which category were the sisters placed in?
2.) Why were monsters so meaningful to the sisters?
