Frankenstein and Blade Runner Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein and Blade Runner Essay Frankenstein and Blade Runner Faced with similar challenges against long held values both Frankenstein and Blade Runner express similar concerns and developed concepts that were almost the same as they tried to stop science and technology from eroding fundamental values. However, given the almost 200 year difference it is inevitable that they express their concerns differently. Both Frankenstein and Blade Runner examine the consequences of Man usurping God’s role as creator and the distancing of humanity from a once harmonious relationship with Nature. Romanticism was a reaction against the scientific values of the Enlightenment which spanned from 1650 to the 1800s. It became a movement seeking to end the rationalisation of the Enlightenment and sought a return to a communion with fellow Man and Nature. Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and it espouses the values of Romanticism; emotion, spirituality and harmony. It serves as a warning against the unchecked scientific progress that was taking place around Shelley. Shelley develops the concept of Man usurping God’s role as creator through her characterisation of Victor. The heavenly imagery â€Å"It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn† characterises Victor as disrespectful of God’s Laws, his arrogant ambition a symbol of the irreverent scientists of the Enlightenment. Creation once was something biblically pure and reserved for God but Victor ignores this and his work becomes a mockery of purity â€Å"I kept my workshop of filthy creation,† the oxymoron undermining the implied sanctity expressing the depravity of Victor’s ambition. The pervasive use of irony is evident in the juxta positioning of Victor denying his creation friendship and the companionship he seeks with Clerval â€Å"nothing could equal my delight on seeing Clerval,† he hypocritically denies the Monster the very thing he recognises as vital, friendship. This irony is also developed through Victor’s ignorance of his crime against Nature â€Å"the very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal nature bade me weep no more,† he recognises the power of Nature yet doesn’t understand that he has broken the ‘immutable laws’ of that which inspires him. Shelley presents a warning against science and technology dominating existence through the cautionary tone of â€Å"greater than his nature will allow,† Victor challenging the bounds of humanity will ultimately lead to destruction. The Monster is contrasted to Victor as someone of depth and emotion, Shelley reveals him to be the embodiment of the Romantic values. It is the Monster who poses the moral questions regarding Victor’s ambitions â€Å"how dare you sport thus with life? † this philosophical questioning of science and technology is further highlighted in â€Å"But where were my friends and relations? What was I? † this essential questioning is not done by the human, Victor but by his creation whose sensitive and philosophical values elevate him above humanity. Once again Shelley’s use of irony highlights the differences between Victor and the Monster â€Å"I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel† the biblical allusion illustrates the ironic treatment of the Monster; it should really be Victor who is abhorred for his challenge to God’s authority. The intertextual reference to â€Å"Paradise Lost† exhibits the lost connection between Man, fellow Man and Nature because of the unbridled advances of science. The Monster is contrasted to Victor because of his capacity for love â€Å"my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? it was only because of the callousness and brutality of Victor denying him companionship that he became miserable. Conceptually Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott 1992 is very similar to Frankenstein; it too explores the consequences of Man overstepping the bounds of his existence and the moral dilemmas that arise because of science and technologies rampant, unhindered developments. However, the film can be seen as the result of the world ignoring the Romantic’s warning, it is the result of science and technology. The 1970s and 80s saw rapid increases in cloning technology, the environment was at threat from pollution and globalisation was taking hold. It was out of this destruction of the Romantic values of emotion and connection with Nature that Blade Runner emerged. The opening scene immediately condemns science and technology, the continuous rain, the erupting fire pits and darkened film noir palate create the impression that the once beautiful Los Angeles, the ‘City of Angels’ has become a hellish scene out of Milton’s Paradise Lost. The towering buildings dwarf Man symbolising the enslavement of humanity to science and technology. This opening validates the Romantic ideology warning against the uncontrolled developments in science and technology; however unlike Frankenstein in which Nature was preserved, the landscape has been completely destroyed. Science and technology are identified as the causes of the erosion of humanity and Nature, Tyrell becomes a symbol of science and thus the cause of the destruction. Like Victor he is characterised as cold and callous, Scott expresses this through Tyrell’s costuming, his clinical white robe and glasses emphasising his sterility and inhumane nature. This lack of human empathy is furthered through his cold language â€Å"commerce is our goal here† which also symbolises the loss of humanity in the human race as a whole as they are dictated by commerce, not morality. This loss of humanity is also represented in the characterisation of J. F Sebastian as weak and lonely, his symbolic statement â€Å"I make friends† represents the lack of empathy, true friendship and community. Tyrell and Sebastian are damning examples of humanity’s loss of the very things that make them human; Replicants can be more human that human because Man has lost its humanity due to science and technology. The replicant’s emotion and passion contrast the lifeless examples of humanity. The death of Zora positions the audience to accept the replicants as human, the use of slow motion accentuates her desperation and in conjunction with the slowing heartbeat, melancholic music, blood and close ups of her face in agony elicits empathy from the audience as they recognise her as human and her killer, Deckard as inhumane. The highly symbolic intertextual reference to Descartes â€Å"I think therefore I am† represents the replicants ability to think, feel and be passionate as what raises them above machines and ironically above humans, who have lost these basic qualities. This harks back to the contrast between Victor and the Monster, Victor’s arrogance destroyed his basic human qualities where as the Monster exemplified these values.

Shattered Dreams in Stolen Party :: stolen

Shattered Dreams in Stolen Party In the story "Stolen Party" written by Liliana Heker, a girl’s dreams are shattered by the bitter reality of her destiny. Rosaura spends most of her time trying to convince her mother, as well as everyone at the birthday party, that being an educated girl makes her an equal to everyone at the party. She feels great determination to become a part of her friend Luciana’s lifestyle even though it would be rebelling against her mother’s wishes. Rosaura almost believes she has accomplished this feat until she is harshly brought back to reality and faced with her position in life once again. It will be an impossible struggle to overcome the class status that she was born into with the many factors against her. When Rosaura’s mother can tell her starry-eyed daughter who is full of hope and innocence that, "The problem with you, young lady, is that you like to fart higher than your ass" (Heker 1133), it creates a bitterness between them and damages the idea of Rosaura improving herself. The mother does not want Rosaura to go "the rich people’s party," perhaps due to fear that her daughter might experience the cold shoulder from the upper class, or perhaps out of fear that Rosaura might truly make it and leave the mother behind. The fact that this mother could have this incredibly mature conversation with her daughter "barely even nine," and that Rosaura could say to her mother "rich people go to heaven too," indicates the maturity of the daughter as well as her intelligence level that was already higher than her mother’s. Rosaura proceeds to tell her mother what a friend is. However despite her greatest efforts to make her mother understand, her mother continues to keep throwing negative thoughts and opinions at her. The next hindrance Rosaura experiences is at the party. She is confronted by a "high class" young girl who is the cousin of her friend Luciana. After numerous questions about who Rosaura was, the young girl tells her "you are not a friend of Luciana because I’m her cousin and I know all her friends" (1135). Rosaura maintained her ground through the slew of questions thrown at to her. Not until the question of how was she Luciana’s friend came up did Rosaura start to become defeated by her social class. Rosaura recited the line "my mother’s an employee," a face-saving but still revealing statement that had been instilled in her head (1135).

Mice of Men

Steinbeck uses different techniques to build up tension and atmosphere in the fight scene of ‘Of Mice And Men’. These methods include powerful images, vivid choice of words and speed of events. Personally, I think the most effective method is the contrast between Lennie’s gentleness and power. I think Steinbeck achieves the full potential effect with this technique, and it really adds to the images in the readers mind. John Steinbeck uses violence in speech to build up tension.Curley says â€Å"Come on ya big bastard. Get on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show you who’s yella†. This quotation shows the obscene language used in the fight scene, and how it builds up atmosphere. Curley speaks in an aggressive manner and this dialogue shows he was acting threateningly towards Lennie. Not only does the obscene language suggest his fury, it also acts as evidentiary support for how uneducated the ranch workers were.This i s also backed up by the fact that the boss doesn’t swear, suggesting he is slightly more intelligent than his employees, hence his authority. Curley is described as ‘handy’ earlier in the text, meaning he is a good fighter. He also tends to attack an easy target. Lennie is extremely vulnerable, despite his size. Therefore, Curley would be significantly improving his reputation by fighting Lennie, because people would be unaware of his vulnerability and just notice his appearance. The violence in speech is a very effective technique.

Analysis and Interpretation of I, Too Sing America by...

Poem I, Too Sing America is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. The majority of literary critiques and historians refer to Hughes as one of the first American poets, who set the standards and examples how to challenge the post-World War I ethnic nationalism. His poetry contributed and shaped to some extent the politics of the Harlem Renaissance. In analysis of Black poetry Charles S. Johnson wrote that the new racial poetry of the Negro is the expression of something more than experimentation in a new technique; it marks the birth of a new racial consciousness and self-conception. It is first of all a frank acceptance of race, but the recognition of this difference without the usual implications†¦show more content†¦The line I, too, am America shouts out that someone was forgotten, an poetic echo of many years of oppression and discrimination. Whom are you are going to oppress. Hughes s answer is - yourself. People oppressed themselve s yesterday, are oppressing today, but will not tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and no one will be neglected. The psychological and cultural references are not as blatantly placed as the symbolism. The darker brother represents the black man trough a metaphor. In society darkness is used to symbolize evil. Poet employs such a term not accidentally. Placing dark, Hughes emphasizes term black. Eating in the kitchen represents repression. Most Kitchens are hidden much like the suffering of African Americans. They were hidden from the company; the company can be interpreted as a metaphor for foreign countries, or people in general. Most American people were blind to the horror and brutality of slavery. Slavery was also psychological, that is why the knowledge is important. Before one can rise up, one must first discover what it is they are rising up against. Tomorrow I ll be at the table When company comes Nobody ll dare Say to me, Eat in the kitchen , Then. Above lines show that dark brothers have learned and will no longer be held down. It also shows the strength of their voicesShow MoreRelatedI, Too explication891 Words   |  4 Pagesexplication of â€Å"I, Too† by Langston Hughes An analysis of Langston Hughes’ poem â€Å"I, Too† in the book The Norton Introduction to Literature (1021), shows that the author used distinct word choice and imagery to write a timeless poem about ignorance and bigotry that can be applied to any group of oppressed people, while at the same time he conveyed a strong sense of hope that at some future time, all will be welcome at the table. The opening line of â€Å"I, Too,† â€Å"I, too sing America† (1) speaks to all