“It
was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was
the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the
mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to
the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world”.
“Meanwhile
Clerval occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral relations of things. The
busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes, and the actions of men were his
theme; and his hope and his dream was to become one among those whose names are
recorded in story as the gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species”.
It is to my comprehension that
Victor’s childhood friend, Henry Clerval came to live a more healthy life than
he did. This most likely stems from
their childhood ambitions, for Frankenstein was in love with the realm of
ancient sciences whereas Clerval partook in teachings of nobility and moral
figures. Support or refute this idea. By contrasting the duo’s childhood
passions what is Shelley insinuating? What do they (childhood dreams)
predestine and how do they correlate with the ability to check ambition? Is a love for knowledge any different from a
love for power? *Refer to chapters: 2-5*
What Shelley may be trying to convey is that having "normal" ambitions like becoming a cop or police officer is more beneficial to oneself and the community rather than trying to be an innovator. No one can truly change the world, or at least the natural order of things; doing so only creates more chaos; it is better that you try to do everything in your power to alleviate the harsh circumstances of the world, which is what the heroes that Clerval admires have done. Knowledge is power, yet too much knowledge can alter one's psyche for the worse because one may find out something that totally changes their perception of the world. Shelley juxtaposed Frankenstein and Clerval to emphasize how keeping ambition in check affects a person mentally. Clerval is a happy, blue-collar worker, who pursues earthy, realistic goals whereas Frankenstein is a disillusioned, white-collar worker, who pursued a lofty, unrealistic goal and is now frustrated at himself for not keeping his ambition in check.
ReplyDeletePower and knowledge correlates with each other. Some people use knowledge to gain their form of power and power can be developed with the proper knowledge. One must obtain knowledge first before obtaining power because power can not be developed by stupidity.A person must have some idea as to what to do with the power once it has been reached.
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