"Knowledge-Freedom"

Who was Frederick Douglass? Frederick Douglass was a black slave who wanted to be free. Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Talbot County, in Maryland, around 1818. The exact year of his birth is unknown. Frederick Douglass had a mother and father, his mother he knew, but always informed by the other slaves on the plantation, his father was his owner. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, Frederick Douglass believed if he could procure knowledge, he will have power, and gain “Freedom”.

When Frederick Douglass was young he became curious about his life as a slave. He realizes the surrounding on the plantation was not natural, whites controlling blacks with knowledge, power, and whips.  As a child, Frederick Douglass has seen a thing that terrifies him like watching an overseer beat his Aunt Hester for disobeying his instruction. The overseer beat her until her red kool-aid (blood) started dripping on the floor, Douglass replies, “I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, and that I hid myself in a closet” (Douglass 239). This will ruin anyone childhood. Something happen that brought grace to Frederick Douglass. His owner, son, wife begins to teach him how to read, when her husband finds out he replies, “it is unlawful and unsafe to teach a slave to read; now he will be no keeping, and forever unfit to be a slave” (Douglass 250). Frederick Douglass knew then knowledge is very important, from here on, he begins to educate himself with the other whites he come in contact with, which gave him a sense of power. Frederick Douglass continues to go on and become an abolitionist leader for slavery and one of the most prominent black authors in history. He also gains the most important purpose in his life, to be “Free” as a black man.

 

"Innocent"

 

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature is blameless for the murders he commits to Victor friends and family. Victor creates a hideous monster out of dead body parts, with strange chemicals, and invigorated him with a mystic spark. The creature begins life as an eight feet tall monster. The creature is innocent, has an intellect of a new born, and longs for affection from his creator. It is understood in Victor’s reply, “He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped” (Shelley 35). Disregarded by his creator the creature becomes confused and frustrated and tries to integrate himself into human society. The creature stumbles upon some books and learns about humans’ way of life. What he learns takes away his innocence, he replies, “I read of men concerned in public affairs governing or massacring their species. I understood the signification of those terms; I applied them, to pleasure and pain alone” (Shelley 87).  Once the creature sees his reflection, he realizes his abominable features will keep him from being part of human society. The knowledge the creature obtains about human genocide sparks a conflagration of revenge toward his creator. The creature locates Victor’s younger brother and murders him, then his best friend to get his attention. Being outcated from his creator and people, he makes a proposition for his creator to create him a companion like himself, but Victor refuses, so the creature murders the closest person to him, his wife. Victor now is lonely like the creature he created.

  The moral to this story is Victor created the monster out of selfishness. In all his effort in creating the monster he failed to give him the most important thing to sustain his life………………………………………….love and companionship.

Jeff says , "Twenty years ago, I did not what a reduction was or even how a saute pan worked. I couldn't pronounce foie gras, and I certainly couldn't imagine that one day I'd know how to cook it to perfection" (Henderson   xi). This story is amazing to me, How this brother went from cooking cocane to cooking real food. I can relate to this brother, because i to was once incarcerated . Prison to me was like being thrown away.  Only to find your self realizing who you really are. When i was incarcerated i learned how to bake bread , and pasteries. From a brother name George Green, he was a like skin brother like myself. Not that it mattered whether he was like skin or not. But every one thought that he and i were blood brothers. He was from Hot Springs Arkansas, and i was from Littlerock Arkansas. So right from the begining of this story i can feel this brother. For i didn"t have a clue about baking nothing but a piece of toast. When i met George we was walking around the prison yard on what is call prison yard call. He said brother  Bobby, what kind of job assignment did they give you in what is call classification. I said man they put me on the demolishing crew, thats tearing down unwanted buildings. Caring very heavy cross tires that go on the rail road. George said to me do you want to learn how to bake bread and pies. Please excuse my French, but i said hell yeah! Jeff says,"It was February 2007, just weeks before my first book, Cooked, would be released, and i was getting anxious about how much my life would change. I would be a guest on the Oprah Winfry Show" (Henderson  xi). Wow i know that was very exciting, because i feel butterflys in my stomach as well. In my closing of this blog i feel compelled to write a book on my experience behind enemy line. Thank you for reading this blog.

roles in society

Mary Shelley uses the roles of females in Frankenstein to perpretrate how women have always been a minority within society. Shelley's mother was a known female activist and Shelley writes Frankenstein revolving around men and the women coming in for the support. The women in the story were more like power blankets to the men whenever there were needs for support or comfort. After the death of Victor's mother and Elizabeth's aunt; she started acted to consult the boys first hand. Victor states, "She consoled me, amused her uncle, instructed my brothers, and I never beheld her so enchanting as at this time, when she was continually endeavouring to contribute to the happiness of others, entirely forgetful of herself" (Shelley 26). Instead of showing any agony and remorse she goes to comfort the boys around her first, which in todays time it would be the other way around as time has changed society. Justine displays a girl with no voice and honor when she was accused for the death of William's murder. When she is being trialed, she confesses to the murder of her innocence because she knew that was what her role was to be and she rejects power and a voice. Elizabeth shows that she does have a vice and stands up for Justine during the trial reflecting nothing but good. Victor then says, talking of the reaction after, "A murmur of approbation was heard; but it was excited by her generous interference, and not in favour of poor Justine, on whom the public indignation was turned with renewed violence, charging her with the blackest ingratitude" (Shelley 56). Society was just developed this way through tradition and the position of supporting roles in the book were more like a back stop to when Victor or Walton to when there was moments of despair, being lost, comfort, and rewarding. Not much was heard from the women in the story and when the reader does; it is when a man promotes the need or it is to show times in the story when the mood is low or to find a new beginning.

Trusting true love

Time and time again we hear about true love prevailing over all obstacles. From childhood we were raised hearing the tales of Snow White, Cinderella and even the Little Mermaid. In these stories, for the most part, the leading characters were innocent and seemed not to have a "past". In the story of Du Tenth sinks the Jewel Box in Anger, Du Tenth has a past that is not widely accepted. Although Li knew of Du Tenth's past, he still fell in love with her. Du Tenth bargained with her madam to allow time for Li to collect finances to buy her from her mama. "Though the young master may be a little strapped for cash...he can raise three hundred."(Menglong 502) Knowing that Li would be too ashamed to return if he did not succeed, mama agreed. She initially only wanted him to have three days but later stated, " for your sake, then, I'll give him ten days."(Menglong502) Around day six Li had been searching and talking to his friends but no one was willing to help him. They knew he had been spending his money in the whore house and pretty much was not about to support his habit. Du Tenth realizing he had not returned, sent for him. Upon his return he told her he was still broke but had been trying. "Catching tigers cannot be considered easy, but begging favors is what's truely hard." (Menlong 504) Du Tenth gives Li her savings which equals half of what he needs. The other half is given by Liu Yuchun to whom Du Tenth promises, "On some future day I swear that we will worthily repay your kindness." (Menglong 507) Time passes and Du Tenth uses gifts given to here to provide means for transportation and survival for herself and her new husband Li. During travels, Li is offered 1000 taels in exchange for Du tenth so that he would not have to return home as an embarrassment to his father. Li realizes that Du Tenth would not be accepted by his family because of her past as a prostitute.  Li agrees with the blessings from Du Tenth. After the exchange Du Tenth ask Li to retrieve her box. In it Du Tenth reveals treasures worth 10 times as much as  Li received. The treasure was thrown into the water because she realized Li was not worthy of the treasure since he traded her for one thousand.  If Li would have trusted in the love as much as Du Tenth did he would have returned to his family with the love of his life and wealth. But because he was embarrassed he left with one thousand taels.

"Frankenstein" is a frankenstein...

...it's also a layer-cake.

                                          Uh...lets stick with the first metaphor.

Frankenstein is a creation made up of a variety of parts (excuse the pun). It's very literally a patchwork of different authors and influences. Although absolutely born of the ability of Mary Shelley, there are many ideas and phrases that she chooses to simply borrow from other books, Paradise Lost by John Milton being the most common benefactor. When you pair this with Percy Shelley's (debated or otherwise) role in editing the novel, the piece begins to take on the look of the titular character's nemesis, the monster.

                                    "Just imagine this, but like, it's a novel, bro."

Some would say that Mary's work was diluted by its patchwork of influence, and I would agree to some extent; but not to the degree where the novel would be somehow marginalized. In fact, it adds more layers to discover. And to think that somehow Percy's divine hand reached down and raised this novel up from the grave of Mary's pen, although ironic when set against the story, is simply naive. In his attempts to adjust the terminology, etc. in the book, he simply serves to disrupt its flow. As said in a critical essay, "And the scandal of Mary Shelley's fractured text may discredit the female author less than it does her masculine authorities[...]Shelley's unorthodox citational strategies[...]may expose not so much her lack of originality as the material conditions that constitute textuality as a form of grafting" (London 397). Often times there will be bits of prose done by Percy that I see as arbitrarily inserted into the text. For example, Frankenstein is climbing the mountain Montanvert, the scene is set very Romantically in the sense that the environment (read:nature) is the focus on trip to the summit, "The pines are not tall or luxuriant, but they are sombre, and add an air of severity to the scene[...]vast mists were rising from the rivers which ran through it, and curling in thick wreaths around the opposite mountains, whose summits were hid in the uniform clouds," then Percy pops in for a comment on the sensibilities of man: "Alas! why does man boast of sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute; it only renders them more necessary beings" (Shelley 64). He then proceeds to drop an 8 line piece of poetry to support his intrusion. As the reader I just think, 'Uhhh, ok dude thanks for the tip, now I'd like to get back to the scenery." Amazingly, after the ego of Mr. Shelley is sated, the novel immediately goes back to describing the scene. Seen in practice, this "grafting" of ideas into place forms the novel as a whole, creates life out of discarded parts; and so the parallels between the book and the monster itself become even closer.

Confessions of Nat Turner

WILLIAM  STYRON

"Was born in Newport News, Virginia, William Styron was the only child of William Clark Styron, a marine engineer, and Pauline Margaret Abraham. The Styron family decends from "Stiorings" who came to Virginia as early as 1650 and includes Scottist, Scotch-Irish, Welsh, Swiss, and English forebears,"The confessions of Nat Turner" (Styron v). Its amazing that William Styron is from the same place that Nat Turner was enslave , and led a slave revolt. That shock, that State tremendously. T.R Gray wrote, "To The Public, the late insurrection in SouthHampton has greatly excited the pulic mind and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports.Woe a fellow human being got tired of being treated like an animal, and decided to fight for his life and those that had been horribly torched to death. Was label a savage, what about those that kidnapped his fathers and grand fathers. What was they? I just happen to be a decended of those people who was label savages. So i find it very hard at times to find the approprioate words to use in this blog.Any way back to the story that they wrote concerning Mr. Nat Turner. My thoughts about this is that i think that he was sniched out,and couldn't help but to surrender. In my concludsion of this horrific story i feel very sad that human beings had to be treated like animals. they were in their own contry minding their own business, and were seized and kidnapped to this hell in America. Woe to those that did that!