Second Coursework Ideas: Critical Reading of Marxism

1. The Politics of Class: Marxism

Since last week, my attention has been drawn to George Orwell's novel '1984'.
I understand Orwell wrote this book in 1949 in the context of the Soviet Union rising from World War Two as one of the world's new superpowers. As a communist nation the USSR undoubtedly held Marxist values within it's ideology. I believe Orwell tries to foreshadow and mirror the negative consequences of such a constitution upon the individual. 1984 reflects the extreme imbalance of  power by the state comparing it to the realities of fears from the western world for what would become of the new Marxist USSR.
I don't quite know how I'm going to argue this and I have only just begun the book so I'm not entirely sure this will be my final choice.

Frankenstein Reading Journal: ^ Volume Two Chapter 9 (Chapter 17)

Chapter I:

• Victor begins to feel the repercussions of his actions as he sinks into depression, remorse and guilt, he seeks the cradle of nature to soothe him.
• Aligns itself with Romanticism in that it promotes the grandeur of everlasting nature "the supreme and magnificent Mont Blanc,...its tremendous dome overlooked the valley." - which remains forever beautiful against science's hideousness and failures.
• Transformation of Victor from a blissful being to a loathing wretch between times since he has been with nature "Six years had passed then...but nought had changed in those savage and enduring scenes." - nature outlasts all human forms.
• "sleep crept over me;...and blest the giver of oblivion." foreshadowing of the absolution that sleep (death) may give.

Chapter II:

• These sublime and magnificent scenes...my grief, they subdued and tranquilised it." - Blend of Romantic themes creating Gothic themes of the mind being manipulated, the word 'tranquilised' makes me think of intoxication and poisoning of the mind; madness.
• "'do you dare approach me?" Victor's threats exemplify his extreme hate for the monster but they are also likened to the threats by a father who dares his own child to stand against him.
• "come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.'" - reference to Prometheus who bestowed upon humans fire, unlike Prometheus, Victor is angry at his own actions; he is depicted by Shelley as morally ideal rather than Prometheus who went against his superiors and was subsequently punished.
• Impression given by the voice of the Creation makes Victor out as an ignorant villain and the Creation the victim, who in fact is not the cold monstrosity given by Victor's biased impression but a suffering. literate, intelligent being.
• "thou hast made me more powerful than thyself;" - Shelley may have tried to criticise man's pursuit of science by suggesting the potential imbalance of power between the maker and the creation.
• "I am thy creature," - the Creation is forever belonging to Victor like Adam and humankind are forever children of God.
• "Begone! I will not hear you." - God's (Victor) disownment of Adam (the Creation).
• "perform thy part, which thou owest me." - as his 'Father', Victor owes the creation his love and support.
• The Creation has a simple nature, perhaps Shelley's take on a return to the ideal by mankind "misery made me a fiend. Make me happy and I shall again be virtuous." he is simple and naive in that sadness leads to treachery and happiness leads to virtue.
• After reading a homosexual critical reading; the pain and anger that the Creation and Victor cause to each other may be Shelley's criticism of their homosexual bond; they pursue each other the entire novel.
• "Yet it is in your power to recompense me," - no matter how intelligent or powerful the Creation has become, it is still in Victor's (the Father) hands that the power to help the Creation lies.
• Shelley's use of describing a fire inside a cold hut in the midst of an icy mountain is metaphorical for Victor's cold demeanour towards the Creation which is to be warmed by the Creation's words and the empathy of his own soul.

Chapter III:

• Narrative changes to the point of view of the Creation, note that the words now have to go through several different people: Creation-Victor-Walton.
• Chapter dictates the Creation's first actions into the world; eating, sleeping, creating fire, avoiding civilisation, finding the hut of the exiled family.
• Observes and learns the kindness of the cottagers "The girl was young and of gentle demeanour...he took the pail from her head and bore it to the cottage himself.", their kindness towards each other exasperates the lack of kindness towards him and his loneliness.
• Beginnings of the Creation's desire for a companion "the gentle manners of the girl enticed my love."

Chapter IV:

• The cottager’s unhappiness despite their belongings of luxury such as house, a fireplace and clothes is fickle compared to the Creation's grievances of being solitary and imperfect.
• The Creation is kind and good by nature shown by his own decision to abstain from taking their food and collecting firewood for the cottagers.
• Acquires language from observing the cottagers.
• The theme of human moods being connected with nature is reiterated by the Creation's joy as spring comes into season "My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory," - both the Creation and Victor are able to forget the gloomy past in the beauty of nature.
• Both Frankenstein and the Creation come to see 'knowledge' as dangerous thing, pursuit of knowledge in science lead to the Creation who murdered Victor's family and knowledge of the Creation's appearance likewise causes harm to come to the Creation.

Chapter V:

• The family help serve the purpose of teaching the Creation values such as chivalry and sacrifice; within the hovel he gains knowledge of humanity; the home acts as a cocoon for the Creation that when he leaves it, he is far different from when he entered.
• The Creation's progress in acquiring language aligns him closer to his human companions and is key to creating his narrative voice in the novel.
• Most importantly, the family values the cottagers display help contrast the underline the Creation's lack of companionship, acceptance and love "But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days,".

Chapter VI:

• Gothic conventions in the tyranny of Safie's father over her and Felix, simultaneously Safie reverses the convention by openly rejecting her life in Constantinople; not 'the submissive women'.
• As a feminist, Shelley could have been trying to convey women's equality through the story of Safie and Muslim culture.

Chapter VII:

• Creation conceives ideas of tragedy from acquiring the book Paradise Lost; taking the novel for fact and considering his own life from Victor's journal, it inspires his own tragedy to win the favour Victor - "many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition,"
• "Autumn passed thus." - gives an idea of how long the Creation has been learning and living with the cottagers; almost an entire year and he still hasn't introduced himself, shows his insecurity and fear of rejection.
• Crucial moment as it is the first time the Creation converses with another person "Pardon this intrusion" - possibly this can be taken as the Creation's entering of the human realm in which he does not belong.
• The Creation's acceptance by the blind De Lacy but not the other cottagers emphasises the Creation's problem with of society not by his actions but by his ugliness.

Chapter VIII:

• The Creation leaves the cottage after it is abandoned by the cottagers, wretched, he heads towards Geneva, is shot after saving the life of a girl, strangles William and frames Justine for murder.
• The coming of winter again reflects the internal hardship of the Creation "the sun became heatless;...the surface of the earth was hard".
• Though winter and the icy Alps serves Victor to 'freeze his guilt', it is only barren to the Creation who revels rather in the bliss of spring.
• The Creation's murder of William shows to him he too can bring pain and hurt ""my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him," thus he murders to hurt not his victims but Victor.
• The chapter ends with the Creation asking Victor to create for him a companion of the same form.

Chapter IX:

• Victor's duties as father and creator, coupled with the prospects of the Creation's self-exile from humankind implore him to heed to the Creation's request of a female mate.
• Under the Creation's promise and influenced by his tale, Victor agrees to task, the Creation decides to monitor Victor's every action to ensure he does this.