Final Proposal

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          I have chosen to write something from option one. I chose this option because i thought it would be more easier to find something that is already on the list instead of going to find something about monsters  in option two. Even though there was a very good list to choose from, i believe i made a good decision. The primary text i chose to read about is the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald called The Great Gatsby. I choose this author because his name sound familiar. What i am hoping to accomplish is a good understanding and a creative outlook on the book. I plan to search the data bases on the school library website to see if i can find any good secondary sources. Another place i will search is google. One of my key search terms will be The Great Gatsby article reviews, and see what good evidence and support i can use in my essay.

Mid-Term Check in

Dear Ms. Cline

My progress in this class has been progressing. My biggest challenge in the class has been getting use to doing this all online. Im use to my English classes being in class courses, so i did think that this was going to effect me because i wouldn't really understand what i would be doing. Another thing that took some getting use to was the blogging. I know in the society today a lot of people use the Internet to communicate with others like social networking and other things but i found theblogging confusing at first. As any other social networking sites that i do use i had to go and explore and mess around with the different tools on there to understand how to post things and how to understand certain thing on the website. I wouldn't say that i dislike blogging i just know after this class i will not be blogging anymore because it is still somewhat confusing, and challenging for me. The readings in the class has took an affect on me because it was hard to understand. Since the class in not class room based there isn't really open discussions about the readings to understand it so students have to go and re-read or find help on their own.

 

I would say literary analysis isn't really any different from what i have been writing in college. In my previous classes my instructors would have students do exerciseson how to analyze a book. I wouldn't say that i am good at doing literary analysis but i would say i have touched base on knowing the concept of doing so. One thing that i would like to improve on is doing better on literary analysis in different novels and passages. As a writer i am still in the process of getting better. Other writtingthat i have done for this class i have done in other class like summarizing. I found summarizing to be easy because i was use to doing that all the time in high school also.

 

Even-though i found taking an online class can be very challenging i believe that i can pull though with a good learning experience. My goals for the second half of the session is to be more ahead of my work. Another would be going to see a tutor more often to get help with my eassy and other work in the course. One thing i will work harder on in the second session is my peer editing on my essays. If i get more people to read my essays they should come together better. I figure if this class were more class room based i would do better on my essays because i can understand what i am doing wrong right then and there, other than going on my own time because i seem to be busy. I need to set times where i meet with tutors and my instructor. I understand now that in order to succeed in the next session i will have to do better on my time management. 

 

 

Draft Essay 3

Amber Watkins

Ms. Cline

ENG 102

11 Oct 2011

Frankenstein

Everyone gets lonely at times. Throughout the book Frankenstein is a gift to have in one’s life. I believe this book is based on companionship and basically being selfish. In the beginning of the book any reader can understand that Frankenstein was looking for someone to travel by his side. Later on in the story another event occurred where the Monster wanted to have a companion because life does get lonely no matter what or who you are. While reading the story I gave the monster a lot of pity because all of his actions he had committed to was only inspire of Frankenstein not creating him a friend. Although anyone who reads this story would have a different view about the book. As i read the book i believe that Frankenstein is a very selfish person in many ways, in many ways it had to do with having a companioning, and I come to the understanding that it can be compared to feminism in a way. Frankenstein was selfish about the way he handled things in life and with family. I feel as though Frankenstein handled things wrong in life and should’ve had better reasons for his actions.

Frankenstein longed for a companion to travel on his long journeys with. I would say that friendship is the key theme in the story. When Frankenstein set off to travel on his long voyage he longs for someone to cherish the moment with him, and this showed he didn’t like to be alone. "I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in dejection (p.10)." When I first read this I assumed that maybe Frankenstein just doesn’t like to be alone and he is most family oriented, and he might just miss family. When i took the time to look into the statement and I realized that he was just being selfish and arrogant. He only wanted someone to travel along with him so he can be arrogant and boast on his success in the travel. Frankenstein wanted someone to stand and watch him bask in glory which would make someone jealous. Being alone can cause someone to do unbearable things because that person may feel that they have no meaning in life. "Urged by this view, I refused, and I did right in refusing, to create a companion for the first creature (p.206)." I believe that this was a selfish act, and that Frankenstein was wrong for not giving the creature a companion. All of the times Frankenstein was lonely and longing for a friend, he couldn’t understand the monsters pain and create him one. Another occasion occurred when I thought of Frankenstein being self-seeking is when he went home. "Ah! I wish you had come three months ago, and then you would have found us all joyous and delighted (49-50)." Any of the times Frankenstein could’ve came home to visit he only came to the funeral of his brother’s death, when everyone was morning over the loss. I found this to be very selfish of him and he didn’t even stay long to morn with the family.

            When reading this book I didn’t know Frankenstein was as selfish until i put all of the pieces together. Another selfish act that Frankenstein had committed was the reasons for creating the monster. He only created the monster just because he wanted to prove to everyone that he could, but once it was created he abandon it. This also shows a great force of feminism shown throughout the story also. In the article, "the women of Frankenstein" by William Veeder he discuss how the weakness in Frankenstein favored the women. "After admitting that women are no more immune than men to weakness, she insists self-justifyingly that women are less weak (271)." This means that not only are women weak but mean can be as weak as the women. Most people find women weak in the society; I just find that this just shows men can be as weak as women at times. When I read this it opened my mind about a lot of things that I have viewed about Frankenstein. When women are lonely they long for a friend or someone to be with, and like making other people jealous about what they have and consume. I thought Frankenstein compared to these entire description. Frankenstein is egotistical in many ways and I consider that him being with someone to share his time with is only to boast about his success, and is an act of making people envy him. I believe that Frankenstein cared about no one but himself. When he was on a voyage he wanted someone to be with him, when he created the creature he only did it to tell people he could, and when the creature needed him most he abounded him and would create something that he wanted dearly.

I believe that the purpose of Mary Shelly writing this book, "Frankenstein" was to just meaninglessly say that everyone gets lonely at times. Although this was only written for a contest she was entering. I also believe that she created this book so she can show that anything can get lonely to. Like humans, animals, and anyone of that matter can throw temper tantrums after a while. In the article "On Frankenstein" by Percy Bysshe she states, "It was impossible that he should not have received among men that treatment which led to the consequences of his social nature (186)." The consequence that Frankenstein gave the creature was not creating a companion. I believe he gave the creature this consequence because the creation itself was beyond belief. Creating something similar to this creation would only cause him to disown another one of his creations. I believe that the creature was just trying to fit in with everyone else and be human, but by his looks he saw that couldn’t be so. During this consequence the monster rebelled in a way that caused Frankenstein to lose loved ones. The creature killed some of the people close to Frankenstein because he wouldn’t create him someone to be with. This caused the death of close friends, and family.

            During the story I had self-pity for the creature. All he wanted was someone to talk to and someone to treat him like he was everyone else. Frankenstein to be selfish towards the monster and not help him only made the creature rebel in a hateful matter. The creature committed to murdering anyone who was close to Frankenstein out of spite because he wouldn’t create anyone for him to share his life with. The hidden selfish act they people probably didn’t recognize was that the creature Frankenstein has created was never even given a proper name. I compared this as getting a adopted daughter and not calling her by her name, and a name is what signifies a human being as a person. A name not only just gives an identity; it also fits into that person’s personality, and gives others perspective about one another. So I can understand why the creature would so what he has done. When Frankenstein set off to kill the creature I thought of it as sad and self-centered. I recognized that he only wanted to kill the creature in revenge from killing his loved ones. Frankenstein was seeking revenge. I found this to be ironic because I thought the creature was just revenging himself towards Frankenstein because he was making him suffer by being alone. I would say in both situations that the friend was revenge in the enemy.

            Although I really enjoyed this book I believe I probably had that same perspective as many people. Some of the articles I have chosen to add didn’t just justify on him being selfish but they helped in many ways to give examples to show his selfishness. I tried to compare him and Frankenstein to more on the feminist side not only because a woman wrote it but I believe to state that not all women are lonely criers. I believe based on all of the emotions that went on that it was mostly based on the value of friendship and acceptance. Being the monster that the creature was he felt alone. There was no one to talk to him and communicate with him because of the way he was created. I believe if Frankenstein had created him someone to be with he could have avoided the whole situation with his lost loved ones and the self-centered state of mind that he was in.

Summary of a Critical Response

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Check out this Guide to the Literary-Analysis Essay

          In the article "On Frankenstein" written in 1831 by Percy Bysshe, the author discusses the importance and relevance of the story. Readers might ask themselves what possessed the author to put these things together the way she did. The author discusses how cleaver Shelley put events in the story together. When people read Frankenstein they are left stunned in the suspend throughout the story. The story brings suspense and while reading it, readers might get emotional and anticipate the moments that bring the story together. Bysshe says, "This novel rests its claim on being a source of powerful and profound emotion (p.185)." Basically saying that this novel is based on mostly sensation. The opinions are so fond and harmless that the characters where created When reading this book even the simple mind can be brought into deeper thought. This author also stated that not everyone who reads will be touched or moved by this story. In this story the pathos are very profound and the characters cause it to be more impassioned. The author also relates it to society and when people lose the money they well spend seems to be worthless. The event that Bysshe wants people to recognize is the scene when the Being and the blind de Lacey are in the cottage seems to bring more pity that people could ever recall. Reading this story causes intense sentiment. When the death of Elisabeth happened the story of Frankenstein grew deeper and more serious.

          When Percy Bysshe address her opinion about the story i agreed with her mostly. Yes, i do believe that the story Frankenstein brought a lot of emotion as people read. Starting from the beginning readers can tell that Frankenstein is family oriented. He cared a lot about his relations not just with family but with others also. Throughout the story as he was planning and traveling his family did pass. I found this event along with others to be deeply sorrowful. I have learned in certain scenes that did have apathy then in other events. This article helped my recognize how to set up a good paper for essay three, and a good foundation on how to write a literary criticism paper. This article would be good for me to use in my essay, and with other essay to help me expand on my paper. 

Reflections on Revision

 

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When i was editing my rough draft i have notice there were some surface errors. I took the time to reread it out loud and focus on the things that didn't seem right. I noticed some run-on's also and tried to correct those to the best of my ability. I also changed my thesis statement to make the rest of my paragraphs flow in the rest of my essay. Before writing my paper i started off with a free write to get a foundation on what i wanted my essay to sound like and be about. After this i try to put it in some order i would like to discuss things in my essay. I usually don't revise my papers i have friends read them and help me out with them, and let me know if i did well or not. I get my friends to read it so i can have someone else's perceptive on my essay, and to see how it sounds to them. The benefits that revising has is to make essays more legible and correct. The more process people put into their essay the more better the essay come out in the end. One thing i need to work on is my conclusions and how i put my essay together in the end. Some revisions i plan on making is fixing my topic sentences in my essays to make them more understandable, and not all over the place. So working on my essays sounding more on the college level then making them seem basic.

     The surface errors in my essay were basically spell corrections and sentence errors. One thing i had to remember was the fanboys to help me correct my run on sentences. Most of the time my sentences do not make sence at first but going over them myself and having friends go over and check them helps me out also. One thing that helps me is having a lot of rough drafts befor i acctually get to the final one because then i feel more confident about my essays and the sound way better in the end.