Help with Frankenstein essay

[fruitbowl34]

Hi everyone!! So we're doing some Frankenstein essays over the holidays and we got given an essay prompt which is ‘It’s gigantic stature and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity’ – Frankenstein is about what it means to be human…Discuss and I just don't know what to write about, I tried to brainstorm some ideas but I couldn't really come up with anything, so if anyone has any ideas that they would like to share, that would be super helpful! Thanks!

[Poet]

Hi everyone!! So we're doing some Frankenstein essays over the holidays and we got given an essay prompt which is ‘It’s gigantic stature and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity’ – Frankenstein is about what it means to be human…Discuss and I just don't know what to write about, I tried to brainstorm some ideas but I couldn't really come up with anything, so if anyone has any ideas that they would like to share, that would be super helpful! Thanks!

Heya fruitbowl34! Welcome to ATAR Notes.

I'm not doing Frankenstein this year, unfortunately; however, I did read it a while ago, and I think that this would be a really good topic for you to play around with. Very difficult, but good.
An argument could include the fact that Frankenstein's monster is a patchwork of previous lives, but he holds his own intelligence (albeit a child-like intelligence). the creature is his own person, even if everyone else sees him as a monster - even his own creator. You could argue to sympathise with Frankenstein's character, and give examples to show that even though he is not viewed as human, he in fact is. (e.g. the child he wishes to become friends with, his care and his empathy, his innocent confusion at the hate being laden upon him.)

Or, you could argue the other way - the creature is not an original being, he is made up of other's pasts and brains and experiences. He wakes up knowing how to speak, walk and think, but only because of the dead pieces inside him. He is a base animal, and although he can communicate with the world around him, he does not show much more human emotion than that out of a need for survival. He cannot seem to control himself, and he was not naturally conceived and has been deemed a monster by society, an outcast of gargantuan proportions.

These are just some of my thoughts on your topic. I know they're pretty vague, but I hope they help you nail down some solid arguments anyway.
~poet

[fruitbowl34]

Heya fruitbowl34! Welcome to ATAR Notes.

I'm not doing Frankenstein this year, unfortunately; however, I did read it a while ago, and I think that this would be a really good topic for you to play around with. Very difficult, but good.
An argument could include the fact that Frankenstein is a patchwork of previous lives, but he holds his own intelligence (albeit a child-like intelligence). Frankenstein is his own person, even if everyone else sees him as a monster - even his own creator. You could argue to sympathise with Frankenstein's character, and give examples to show that even though he is not viewed as human, he in fact is. (e.g. the child he wishes to become friends with, his care and his empathy, his innocent confusion at the hate being laden upon him.)

Or, you could argue the other way - Frankenstein is not an original being, he is made up of other's pasts and brains and experiences. He wakes up knowing how to speak, walk and think, but only because of the dead pieces inside him. He is a base creature, and although he can communicate with the world around him, he does not show much more human emotion than that out of a need for survival. He cannot seem to control himself, and he was not naturally conceived and has been deemed a monster by society, an outcast of gargantuan proportions.

These are just some of my thoughts on your topic. I know they're pretty vague, but I hope they help you nail down some solid arguments anyway.
~poet

Wow! Those are really good ideas! I'm definitely gonna try and incorporate them into my essay, but can I just ask for the second paragraph are you talking about Frankenstein? Or the creature? Thanks!!

[Poet]

Wow! Those are really good ideas! I'm definitely gonna try and incorporate them into my essay, but can I just ask for the second paragraph are you talking about Frankenstein? Or the creature? Thanks!!

Hey! Thanks.
I'm referring to the creature. Frankenstein's creation. I made the mistake of calling the monster Frankenstein, sorry! (Wow I need to learn how to specify haha)
However, Frankenstein himself can also be seen as a bit of a monster as well. It's a blurred line on that argument.

I've edited my original post, so it should make more sense now!

[OZLexico]

Hi, I hope these comments will be useful for your essay planning.  Don't get too distracted by the quote - if you know where it occurs in the novel then say so, if you don't its not a disaster.  You could look at the idea of "humanity" and how Shelley explores this.  You could also look at the meaning/s in the dictionary to try to clarify aspects that are especially relevant to the novel.  You are looking for three main points for the body of your essay about "what it means to be human" in "Frankenstein".  You could discuss this in terms of positive and negative qualities/contradictions in the idea of "humanity" (e.g. Walton is courageous and single-minded but he is prepared to put others in danger to satisfy his own ambitions.  Victor is intelligent and self-motivated, a serious and successful student but he becomes isolated and obsessive.  He rejects the creature and fails to take responsibility for it.  Positive role models for "humanity" are provided by Shelley's female characters who form the solid domestic core of Victor's family and of civil society.  The De Lacey family are also a good example.  Alternatively, you might choose to investigate the physical appearance of the creature as an obstacle to his acceptance when his observations and curiosity about humans are acute.  This might suggest links to the historical context of social disapproval of anything unconventional.  Shelley uses the rejection the creature experiences to illustrate characteristics of society that undermine it (society), showing that there is a wider message in this about "what it means to be human".