Rebecca Vicente:

The Lamb (Rebecca Vicente)- The term “Frankenstein’s Monster” is the common way to refer to the creation of Dr. Frankenstein. But that connotes something far more intrinsically malicious that what the creature actually is. The creature’s actions are such due to the neglect and utter rejection from humankind. In many ways the creature retains innocence in the same way that a child with a neglected upbringing can be sympathized with after acting out. It is in these ways that the creature serves to resemble the lamb from William Blake’s poem. This poem has an obvious light tone to it and almost seems to speak from the perspective of a child. In the opening line it asks the lamb, “Little Lamb who made thee, Dost thou know who made thee”. In the case of the creature, the answer is Frankenstein. From Dr. Frankenstein’s perspective the birth of the creature terrified and disgusted him as well as haunted him for ages. But to think of it from the monster’s perspective can completely change the feeling. Imagine waking up in a lab, with a body sewn together, and you are alone. You have the capacity of a child and the body of a man, and nothing known of the world yet. In this moment, the creature is as innocent as the lamb, and as harmless as a child. It is not until the cruelties of the world are exposed to him that a change begins to occur. The poem also references God as the creator of the lamb. God is representative of heaven, and in heaven the angels which God casts out become “fallen angels”, yet they were still angels to begin with. In the same sense, the creature begins its life in innocence and if Dr. Frankenstein is the God figure then the creature is arguable an angel figure in creation. The casting out of the creature begins it’s fall into what becomes an attempt to understand the world alone. Before that, the creature is vulnerable with not harmful intentions to speak of. As the lamb is vulnerable, so is Frankenstein’s creature.

Daniel:

In William Blake’s poem, “The Tyger”, we see a creature (Tiger) being portrayed similar to the monster Frankenstein creates. The first stanza of the poem reads “…burning bright, In the forests of the night…” bringing us to the understanding that this creature stands out from the average being. Frankenstein’s monster like appearance stands out so much to the point that he is unfairly judged, and considered an evil creature only because of his looks. The poem then refers to the creature as “…fearful symmetry…” implying that it is not too happy looking. Much like the Tiger, the monster is also not too happy considering that he is neglected by everyone he confronts. In summary, we see how Frankenstein’s creature and the the tiger in Mary Shelley’s novel share characteristics such as being unique and scary.