Posted by A. Davis at 11:19 AM
I want to use this blog as a multi-purpose blog for my English IV AP class. I will be posting the weekly schedule on here, as well as any assignments. My favorite part is probably to showcase wonderful writing and projects! I also will probably post some school/class news at times. Finally, and the most important part to you twenty-eight over-achievers, is that I will be putting a few postings per unit and the students are required to post a comment (a THOUGHTFUL comment) every unit. These comments should take the form of an online discussion, where you read all of the comments before yours and then make a contribution. Each unit will have a blogging grade attached to it. I am looking forward to the semester both in the classroom as well as online! :)
24 comments:
Through reading we make emotional connections, that may not be made with out imagery, tone, and the dialect of writting. Reading allows us to connect to the author, and other people of the audience that the book is wrote for. Reading allows you to form your own opinion, and compare and contrast with others. The skills we learn through reading and writting helps us expand our minds, and our emotions. Thus, making educated people, more sensitive, and more humanitarian. Yes, this is true for Frankenstein.
My view on this is fifty fifty. Reading and viewing life through someone else's eyes can aid in ones realization of how others live. A book may transform the reader after reading about traumatic events and circumstances that others may be experiencing. However on the other hand, no matter how much you read or how descriptive and heart filled the pages of this book is; you didn't experience it therefore you don't feel it. Humans are selfish by nature and even though a book can change someone's out look, it also may not do crap. As for Frankenstien the author did in a way try to make the reader see the view of the monster as well as the creator. Does it work possibly, as the monster did not create himself in such a hideous and grotesque form, Frankenstein did. The monster is not responsible for the reaction he receives from the villagers so you can see why the monster acted the way he did
The author try's to make the readers see this
By: David Benavides
Education definitely makes a person more sensitive to others' points of view. When people understand why people do the things they do and say the things they say, it becomes much easier for them to relate to one another. Generally, those who relate and understand the beliefs of others (as well as their reasons for belief) tend to treat others with more respect and tolerance. This is not true in all cases, of course. As for Victor Frankenstein, his education seems to have no effect whatsoever on his view of others. His thoughts are mostly self-centered or monster-centered, or ridding-himself-of-the-monster-centered.
Eduardo Zavala. People with more knowledge tend to think twice upon a resolution or dilemma. More knowledgeable people put themselves in the others perspective and education brings always a broader scope to the educated. The more intelligent the people become therefore, brings them to contemplate in a more humanitarian way the issues thrust upon them. If Frankenstein lived in our lifetime, we would have perhaps a deeper understanding of his situation, but I think he would have been nevertheless avoided and disliked, if not loathed and cursed. We have not come that far in our society to accept someone different without some residue of uneasiness or suspicion.
Andrea Espinoza
I believe that through reading we are being exposed to different opinions and views. This doesn't necessarily mean that our views have been altered but it may just give us a better understanding towards the subject. The same goes through education. This is what makes people educated. They come to understand other views while still living by their own. This doesn't stand true for Frankenstein however. Victor's view toward's creating new life was quickly changed when it all went wrong.
I believe that it depends on the person. People are affected differently by various points presented in literature. Oftentimes it will shape the malleable mind that the majority of people possess, or at the very least it will influence it. For people like me, it lets me view another point of view, but nearly never shapes the way that I think or act. I may understand various points of view but do not have a tendency to become more humanitarian because of a book. For some people, it might affect them to that level, but not me.
Addressing Frankenstein, I would think no. Frankenstein is a well told story, but no more than a story and analysis of human morality (wait, that exists?). In Frankenstein I see nothing that could possibly move me to elevate my cynical opinion of humans and their nature, and certainly nothing that makes me more caring.
J. David Coats
I believe it depends on the person. Some people are naturally more sensetive to other people's views, even if they don't read much. On the other hand, some people just can't see through someone else's eyes, no matter how much they read. I wouldn't say this makes educated people more or less humanitarian, but they are more likely to know about the problems in the world, and how to fix those problems. As for Frankenstein, I see two opposite cases here. The monster is naturally very caring, without being educated; while Victor is more self-centered, despite being well educated.
In theory, yes. In reality, no. You can totally reason your way about it, make the argument that reading expands your mind, induces sympathy, this, that, and the other. But I see no evidence of that in real life, none whatsoever. I find well-read people are mega-knee-biters as often as I find illiterate people to be truly, deeply kind souls. That said, Frankenstein is a fantastic treatise, if not a manual on ethics, at least for mad scientists.
There's no doubt that each of us is more humanitarian because of the information (pictures of sad polar bears, news stories, books by dead white men) that we've consumed. We can't feel bad about something or be interested in it if we aren't aware of it. Regarding sensitivity to alternate points of view, I think that it ultimately depends on the person. I know many open-minded people who haven't had the opportunity or motivation to learn about the situations and ideas of others. I also know a few well educated bigots. Frankenstein's problem, I think, isn't a lack of education but a lack of diversity in his education.
I believe that reading something through someone else's eyes can make you understand other points of views, sometimes. There are things that I will never be able to understand. I think that it could make someone become more humanitarian also. When you're reading something through someone else's eyes, you are recieving all of the emotions they are feeling. So it's hard not to think about what they are going through. Also, you can make connections and relate to them. Their struggles could be the same ones that you're going through. This can be seen in Frankenstein through all the emotions that are displayed. Many people can probably connect with the Monster and Walton's sense of loneliness. That is a very universal feeling. I think we've all felt it at some point in our lives.
-Walker Geren
Yes.. and no. I think that it varies from person to person. One may be educated, but dogmatic, refusing to even consider any opinion besides one's own. However, one may also become very sensative and accepting of the ideas of others. And, as a third party, one may be uneducated, but more sensitive than another educated person. I believe that the same applies to being humanitarian- it varies from person to person. Regarding Frankenstein, though, I believe that he became obsessed by his own idea- one of the educated, but dogmatic.
Jesse Spain
Despite the fact that people react differently to works of literature, I think it's only human nature to feel for the characters we read. That also allows for us to feel for people in reality, but letting your actions coordinate with your thoughts is something else entirely. "Frankenstein", for example, is a story that made me feel like a more empathetic person than I was to begin with, but I would have acted very similarly to the characters in the book if I was ever confronted with the Frankenstein Monster.
To answer the first two questions, I believe that literature can do those things, but I think that some people refuse to let it. There is no question that reading allows us to see the points of view of others. Some people will become more sensitive, and some won't. I believe that when we read a work and try to let it have an impact on us, through point of view or anything else, we become more open minded and sensitive to others. As far as the sensitivity making educated people more humanitarian, it can, but doesn't always. A lot of educated people let the sensitivity make them more humanitarian, but there are also a lot of very educated people who care only about themselves. I think that Frankenstein might have been one of the educated who wasn't very sensitive to others because he got so caught up in his own idea.
Melissa Goncalves
Personally I believe that it is the specific point of view that makes one sensitive to the subject. Some points of view are certainly more influential than others while some are small but leave lasting remarks. Also it depends on the person, some are more open to opinion than others. And it's not completely true in all aspects but generally educated people are more insightful upon different views and opinions because they are educated about them. I don't believe that if you were to educate a person on some pressing issue that tears at one's heart then they will become more of a humanitarian. You can't start a fire without a spark, it's the same with people. There has to be something to work with. People must have some sympathy or sensitivity beforehand even with education. Education has only so much impact upon people. It may or may not be true for Frankenstein, It depends on the person or group of people.
Regarding reading creating sensitivity to others points of view I would say it depends on the situation. In most cases I could see many books causing a person to grow more sensitive, but only if they truly endeavour in the story. Reading with a flat disposition only gives you the ideas. Delving deep into the story and creating emotional and mental relationships with the characters or concepts is what broadens one’s views.
As for Frankenstein broadening views, I’d say most of our generation’s opinions are biased. We’ve been exposed to this story countless times, so this book alone doesn't show us too many new ideas. Perhaps in different cultures there would be different reactions.
I think it is easy to say that education and reading does make one more sensitive to other points of view. However, I don't think that's true all of the time. How sensitive you are to other peoples' points of view, along with how humanitarian you are, varies from person to person. This has a lot to do with how you were brought up and your personality type. I believe that if you appreciate good literature and expose yourself to it in hopes of getting more than a story out of it, then you're more likely to be sensitive to different points of view. I think that Frankenstein does a good job of not only showing us more than one point of view, but also by teaching us what can happen when one is not sensitive to other points of view. If Frankenstein had been more sensitive to the monster and actually listened to him/gave him a chance, the story would have been very different.
Olivia Hysinger
When reading we read through another person's eyes. We only view what that author or person being written about sees, feels, and says. It's going to absolutely alter how someone feels about anything in the world. We'll form an opinion about anything that we hear about, because we're human and that's what we do. Educated people are still people, so duh they're going to be more humanitarian. It's in our nature because of feelings, emotions, and thoughts we have naturally. This is absolutely true of Frankenstein. You see the monsters point of view and really feel for him. He couln't help that he was made that way, he never asked for it and that would make anyone (with a heart) sad.
I think that education can make one more sensitive to the world around them, but I don't think that's the case with everyone. For some, education just makes them arrogant. Some just get so caught up with the idea of education that they forget what's around them. With Frankenstein, I think he just got completely wrapped up into his education.
I feel that it truly depends on the person. Although I do not read a whole lot.. the time that I actually do, it's interesting to feel what the character is dealing with when the author successfully portrays that through their writing. I like seeing a different perspective through literature but I don't think it makes me change the way I act about certain things. I'm not sure that it effects educated people to be more humanitarian or not. With Frankenstein..poor poor Frankenstein.. :( I think it made me more sensitive. I enjoyed the story, and the author certainly portrayed how the character was feeling in a large amount of words. But I don't think this story would make me change my actions necessarily, because my thoughts weren't changed. I've been aware that there are people out there in the world that are strange and hermit away, and it makes me feel sorry for them before reading the book. Anyways, I sure hope I'm not contradictory in this statement.
-Molly McConnell ;)
If one reads through the view point of others, of course it's going to make you feel a little more understanding of from where they're coming. It's their perspective. People want others to think like they do. For the educated people, I believe it doesn't make anyone more humanitarian than they are before reading or seeing things from others views. After scrolling up and looking at other people's answers(because, honestly, there's going to be a few people that are going to do that), and taking from Grant's parenthetical part, people donate to organisations like the WWF because of the ads on television, not because they were really worried about the polar bears, baby seals, pandas, or whatever animal, but because of guilt inducing campaigns. Donating to charities doesn't make everyone philanthropists. In Frankenstein, I tried to put myself in the monster's position and empathize with his circumstances and the experiences he has. It did, in fact, create some feels in my own person, but as soon as the book was over and I'd set it down, all feeling... gone. I'm not a big monster that everyone feels threatened by, and I'm also not killing my creator's loved one's because I'm sad. That won't ever happen to me IRL. Also, If I were to have been one of the persons in the small house and found a large monster next to Gramps, I think I'd kick the thing out, too. So for Frankenstein, yes and no. Reading from different points of view definitely makes a reader feel a lot more sensitive towards the characters, but just because one reads a piece of literature that can create emotion, doesn't mean it will change one's perspective on the matter.
-Jesus Felix
Everyone likes a certain kind of book or writing just as everyone has a style they don't like. I feel like the people who are truly drawn to reading and learning are already sensitive people, but still people are more attracted to books that share their own point of view. It's certainly true that sometimes people can have an "aha" moment when reading or that a book can change someone's life. I'm just not sure that it is the main effect of reading and education.
Stories enhance a person's emotions. Though one may not be considered creative, a book can bring out their creative side. In my experience, I feel extremely in tune with my emotions through reading, writing, and singing. And even though science takes a lot of knowledge..you also have to be creative. This is true for Frankenstein because he had to do a lot of creative things in order to make the monster.
I don't think reading necessarily makes people more sensitive. Like Derek said, of course you can argue that one should learn from books, but in reality people just don't. They don't pull from books and learn from them like they should. Education doesn't really matter all that much, either. For the uneducated, there are movies. There is a similar expectation of "you'd think they'd learn that racism is bad by watching this anti-racism movie", but no. As for Frankenstein, he should have learned firsthand that being isolated and cut off from society isn't very fun. From that, he should have foreseen the loneliness the monster would encounter. Therefore, from his experience, he should have created him a companion if he knew he himself wouldn't even accept him.
It completely depends on the person. Some people can be influenced quite easily by the words written in literary works, while others will not change their opinion on the subject no matter who that person is or what that person is saying. For me, I was not influenced in the science from the novel. I still believe that a scientist should do what they are trying to accomplish as long as they are aware that they are accountable for the outcome of their research whether it is good or bad.
Post a Comment