Reseach Workoholics Essay Example for Free

Reseach Workoholics Essay Is a 40-hour work week too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time? A workaholic definition is a noun a person who compulsively works hard and long hours. But the definition in a workaholics eyes is a person who â€Å"values work over any other activity, according to careercast.com. Merriam-webster.com says its a compulsive worker (Productivity) The reasons for someone to become a workaholic are some people dont feel their lives are fulfilled unless theyre engaged in constructive activities. The more they work, the happier they are. Its addictive. Where in the world can they be productive and reap the rewards of their labor but at their job? Workaholics cant be idle. They need to be constantly working. Proving their value Children who were raised in dysfunctional families, or by perfectionist parents, and were made to feel like their best was never good enough can grow up to be workaholics. Spending their adult lives immersed in their work is a way for them to constantly prove themselves and their worth. Escaping problems and negative feelings another reason why people become workaholics is because they lack a sense of control in their lives. They have problems at home they cant fix, or they dont want to deal with, for example. Being at work all the time allows them to escape painful, negative feelings. It also gives them a sense of control they cant find otherwise. Adrenaline rush working non-stop provides an adrenaline rush to some people. Being extremely busy, rushing to meet unrealistic goals, and pushing themselves beyond their limits gives them that intense feeling they crave. That same adrenaline rush- the increased heart rate, the burst of energy, the heightening of their senses- comes from roller coaster rides and other thrilling activities. In 1965, a U.S. Senate subcommittee predicted that as a result of increasing labor productivity from automation and â€Å"cybernation† in other words, the computer revolution. Americans would be working only about 20 hours a week by the year 2000, while taking seven weeks or more of vacation a year. By the mid-1970s, and especially after 1980, median wages weren’t keeping pace with increases in our capacity to produce. But flattening incomes didn’t derail the consumption train. Americans continued to buy more, in part by going deeper into debt, by having more members of the family enter the workforce and by working additional overtime. By the boom times of the late 1990s, Americans worked more than the notoriously workaholic Japanese. To answer the question of limiting the number of hours you can work I think we would have a happier and healthier society if we worked a little less. As of right now, some jobs require a lot of time and energy. Legalizing mandating the number of hours worked is an interesting idea. It would see a drop in stress levels, more family time and participation and healthier workers. This probably wouldnt make too many people happy at first, though, and it would take some getting used to. It is a way to raise healthier families and having less levels of stress that are exhibited in really tough jobs, like ER doctors and nurses, and other highly stressful occupations. American work-life balance according to the Center for American Progress on the topic of work and family life balance, â€Å"in 1960, only 20 percent of mothers worked. Today, 70 percent of American children live in households where all adults are employed.† I don’t care who stays home and who works in terms of gender (work opportunity equality for all – it’s a family choice). Either way, when all adults are working (single or with a partner), that’s a huge hit to the American family and free-time in the American household. The U.S. is the ONLY country in the Americas without a national paid parental leave benefit. The average is over 12 weeks of paid leave anywhere other than Europe and over 20 weeks in Europe. Zero industrialized nations are without a mandatory option for new parents to take parental leave. That is, except for the United States. Lets say someone make $60k/year. Excluding benefits, employee taxes, etc., lets consider this equivalent to $30/hour. ($30/hour x 40 hours x 50 weeks = $60k). Now they want to figure out the hourly number that he/she use to decide if its worth it to do something. For example, if he/she owe a fine on something he/she dont think they should owe, but its only a $5 fine, its not worth spending an hour ($30) to contest it. BUT, its not clear to me if he/she should use $30/hour for this number, because Im only working 8 hours/day. Like, if someone is willing to pay me for 40 hours/week at $30/hour, presumably he/she could get one or two more such jobs. Or should she/he divide that by 3 to get $10/hour because really for every 24 hours, they’re only able to earn $30/hour for a third of them? Because some of these activities he/she would be doing in my off-hours (e.g., theyd have to dispute that fine after work). Or is it something in between?

The Artist Essay Example for Free

The Artist Essay Describe what Spoon Feeding is in cinema. What example did we watch in class? The actor in that film spoke four words to the camera what are those words? How did the speaking of those lines spoon feed what was obviously depicted prior to that dialogue? Spoon feeding in cinema is a device used by directors to plainly state to the audience exactly what happened. Sometimes it may be obvious, such as the example we watched in class. Schwarzeneggers character, Dutch says aloud after the Predator passes him over, He couldnt see me. The audience has certainly already realized that the predator couldnt see him. This sort of device has the ability to be used artistically but in this case it really Just seems a little belittling to the audience. 2- Describe the use of body language in Peter and the Wolf, how was this achieved in the film? Peter and the Wolf, being a silent film, depended largely on character body language to illustrate concepts. Each character was specifically defined in their motions. Peter was curious and sneaky. You could sense caution in the way that he moved and looked at things- the eyes were very telling. The duck, carefree and goofy, flipped, flopped, and plopped all over the place. The wolf was dangerous yet noble, his posture was very distinct. The music in the film helped to magnify that body language. 3- Describe the scenes and what form of communication is depicted when pretense is revealed in 2001 a space odyssey and One flew over the Cuckoos nest 2001 : Pretense is revealed when the two men speak in secret while in the pod. HAL, despite being cut off from audibility of the other two, is still able to see the men speaking. All sound in the film cuts off and the camera zooms in to the mens lips oving, panning back and forth between the two mens conversation. Not knowing that he can see them, they continue to conspire against HAL as he reads their lips. OFOTCN: The most obvious pretense in One Flew would be Chiefs unveiling to Mac that he does indeed speak and can understand everything around him. The men sit on a bench awaiting treatment and Mac offers Chief a stick of gum. He takes it and thanks him. In Macs moment of bewilderment Chief goes on to say Ah, Juicy fruit. To which Mac is simply overjoyed. The difference between the two being that one Describe director Stanly Kubricks use of the absence of sound used in 2001 a space odyssey Kubricks use of silence is all too relevant in 2001. With so many long drawn out shots of the ship, he does well to remind the audience that the scene is set in space. Space, by nature, is a vacuum and for that is void of all sound. This really helps to put the audience up there with the astronauts. In many scenes which he doesnt use are those involving the processes of HAL. It kind of suggests that he is cold and collected. He is not a human with a heartbeat. His processes are silent. Looking back on the cene where HAL witnesses the other two astronauts speaking secretly the audience hears nothing. This silence is his processing. Its his cold logic and elaborates planning of what to do in order to preserve himself. 5- Describe director John doormans use of sound in Hell in the Pacific. Describe Jane Campions use of sound in The Piano. What kinds of sounds do both films have in common? I absolutely loved the sound used in Hell in the Pacific. Much of it was so wild and chaotic, not dissimilar the trapped mens situation. doorman embellished the sound of water in several instances; waves crashing, water droplets, rain. Its probably one of the most important props in the film; after all, you cannot live very long without water. Campion used music very creatively to establish setting and give characters a means of expression. Ada would play, Baines would lust after her music, Flora would sing. Both films, though portray water in very deliberate ways. The Piano begins and ends with the main characters crossing over water to a new home. It seems like the water is trapping Ada here on this island and the first indication of what would be a difficult Journey is the wave crashing upon her and the piano while she played it on he beach. This scene is similar to the one in which the Japanese man, while on lookout, had water crash through his fort, if you will call it that. 6- Billy and Flora While the two characters serve very different purposes in their respective films they are alike in that they have very childlike attitudes. Flora actually is a child and her actions are expected of one of her age. Billy, on the other hand, possesses the shyness and demeanor that a child might but it is most likely attributed to his mental affliction. The two both wear their emotions on their sleeve. Flora very vividly xpresses her disapproval of Ada attempts to contact Baines through her and goes so far as to, twice, betray her own mother. Billy is easily flustered by social situations, is often seen in The Piano entertaining herself. She has a wild imagination and will talk to Just about anyone. Billy tends to hang around the other patients but is still well reserved. He has nervous tendencies; stuttering, lack of eye contact, closed off body language. Another stark contrast between our two youthful characters is that they lie on opposite sides of their respective communication spectrum. Flora acts as a translator for Ada. When Ada wants to be heard she signs to Flora and Flora speaks for her, whereas it seems as though Billy is the one that needs a voice in One Flew. An example of this is during the therapy session when he is clearly uncomfortable and would rather not speak on the subject. It is here that another patient speaks up and suggests that maybe Billy doesnt want to talk about this particular subject. 7- Stewart and Nurse Ratched Two intriguing characters. They are both antagonists to their stories but both seem unaware, at least outwardly that that is their place. Their antagony does not seem to be misplaced though. Nurse Ratched is the head nurse; I think her character is a little deeper than Stewarts. It seems there are many levels to her. Initially she appears as a good well-kept nurse. She is soft spoken yet direct in her tone. It later becomes more apparent that she is more controlling than one might have initially thought. The ward is her world. What she says goes. And even when the patients play her game she always is the victor; the vote, for instance, despite there being Just enough votes to trump her she still refused the boys the baseball game. Its really hard to say whether she is really truly bad though. As head nurse it is her Job to maintain absolute order. In a facility such as the setting she is right to say that even the slightest change would potentially provoke certain patients to cause a difficult situation. Steward, on the other hand, despite his wealth and position he doesnt have complete control. He wants control but Adas will is too strong. Stewart goes to great efforts to try to keep her caged but she prevails. Even when he violently cuts off her finger she does waiver. Even Stewards anger and upset (not necessarily his actions) are understandable. He has brought Ada over to marry him and love him but ever for a moment is this what she wants. Hes frustrated but he truly does try to make her happy. When he cannot please her he falls apart. Ada and the Chief The most obvious similarity is the characters silence the two share. You do at some point in both films get the experience the voice of the characters; Ada, while she narrates the beginning and end of the film and Chief, while he and Mac patiently wait for their punishment and enjoy a stick of gum together. While the Adas and the Chiefs silence is chosen I feel that Chiefs is more of free will than Adas silence. The Chief only ad opted silence as a way to protect himself while in the institution. Ada accustomed to it not only as a habit but as a lifestyle. Youth is when you develop your personality Even in the film it is evident that Chief is effluent in his speaking abilities. When Ada begins to speak again she has a difficult time because she simply never learned to do it well. They both seemed to be hiding themselves somehow. Its unsure exactly what might be affecting Ada, maybe a childhood event of some sort. It does seem clear that Chief is affected by two clashing cultures. His mother is white nd his father native American. His father lost himself in alcohol, he is clearly affected. 9- Mac and Baines Mac and Baines are both deviants to their cultures. They have both been shunned and placed outside of society on one way or another. Baines seemed to have disagreed with his own culture so much he went so far as to remove himself completely from it. He actual mingled into the Maori culture, the natives of the land. In this culture some of the social mores of the colonial white culture are accepted with open arms. Baines is a very emotionally expressive character and he chose to join an expressive culture. Mac is most certainly deviant. But where Baines is more of an introverted deviant Mac displays extroversion in spades. He comes from a workhouse. He was kicked out for getting into a fght with another worker. He chose to run with the verdict that he was crazy because it meant that he would not have to go to Jail. They are both very sexual. Baines provokes a sexually driven relationship between an initially unwilling Ada. He knows what he is doing is unacceptable and its certainly done in secret. Mac, our Type A personality has no qualms about keeping his sexual life and desires out in the open. He has no discretion in discussing it and is very eager in encouraging others, such as Billy to do the same.

Elements of Sustainable Business Models

Elements of Sustainable Business Models The title of the journal is Elements of Sustainable Business Models which was written by Talonen, Tapani, Hakkarainen and Kari for the research conducted by Kone Corporation and Virike Consulting, Finland. They had conducted a study about the elements contributing a beneficial business model. This research aimed to provide the detailed explanations regarding the complex aspects of business models and the actions or methods required to handle them. The study reveals the failures of some companies such as Kodak and Nokia to plan and implement the effective business models which causes their operations to face big problems and lose in the highly competitive business world. The investigation of the reasons of the failure in planning or implementing business models and the ways to overcome them is very important so that the current and future generation of the corporate leaders or managers can be aware of those issues and raise the possibility for them to implement successful business mod els. The technical product supremacy in the business world of nowadays is no longer enough. Customer experience became the most critical differentiator in the highly competitive business world. This incident made the business competition transforming rapidly from competition of various products to competition of business models. Innovation is playing an important role in business competition. It is not necessarily must be derived through an invention. The technological changes in the production of existing goods, the discovering of the new markets and supply sources, work tailorization and new organizational structure are various innovations that contribute technological advancement. Most of the efforts to replace the technologies will fail in innovation. Value is shifting from products to solutions to experiences nowadays. The products nowadays must meet an expectation or need in order to create great customer experiences. There is no any individual idea or factor that can ensure the win ning in the competition, it requires various elements such as enabling and supporting elements that combined together to create the winning edge. Business model is important because it decides how a company going to approach customers. Adjusting the approach based on the market conditions is not enough because the competitors can do the same thing too. A company needs a wider mindset to make itself extraordinary. A series of continual discussions need to be held between the business and technological experts to come out with a strategic plan which will then be further involves in the planning at tactical level and operational level. The key factor of tactical level is fast decision making in the forever changing business environment. A flexible business model is always better than those rigid funneling and long-span models. In order to enable the success of an innovation for the products, the company needs to ensure people to trust that it is not about something temporary only and the company will make a long term commitment to provide services or helps that might needed for those new products. Many companies would like to rely on their current products in the market rather than continue to make more innovations due to reluctance which is caused by mindset, misleading signals and the illusion of progress. Mindset is the biggest barrier among these three factors, it is often caused by the preoccupied thoughts or offensive satisfaction of a company’s leader about the company itself, behavior of avoiding losses and sunk cost dilemma where people tends to do something which is wrong or not worth it after spent so much on it. Besides that, all the company managers or leaders need to know clearly and accept that no matter how brilliant they had done in their plans and implementations of the business mo dels they might still have high possibility to fail at the end. They need to follow all the disciplines required but at the same time still remain agile and flexible to lower the possibility of failure. As long as they had done all the essential early preparations, failure would not become a disaster for their company. Strategic resilience is what a company needs in order to be successful where company will change according to the conditions of business ecosystem and competitions before it is too late. In order to be resilient, the company needs to get ready for cognitive, strategic, political and ideological challenges. The company leaders should also be aware that workers are still the crucial assets since the system do not do thinking. The title of the journal which is Elements of Sustainable Business Models is not really appropriate since the journal is all about both of the elements and complex barriers for sustainable business models. Our group feels that most of the information given in the journal is believable since the authors had supported it with so many real examples as strong evidences. The authors had made great efforts to help the readers to know and understand about more details regarding business models by inserting many figures and tables into the journal. However, we had found that the figure 2 inside the journal might leads to misunderstanding or confusing of the readers on the first sight because it did not been clearly labelled to show what is the meaning of the size or length of each arrow in the figure. The authors also had been using some words which are not commonly seen such as ‘tailorization’ and ‘tenet’ which might not be understood by many readers. There is a very interesting point inside the journal where the authors state that losses have much larger psychological effect than the same amount of gains on people. We feel that it is really interesting because many businessmen would not notice about that and lower down their fighting spirit when they won in a highly competitive business war. Inversely, if they had lost in a competition they would feel threatened and force themselves to work harder to boost their performance. Besides that, we are strongly agreed with the point of the sunk cost dilemma mentioned by the author inside the journal where people cannot abandon something that they had put so much effort into it. It revealed the real and commonly seen human nature of businessmen where they will normally make mistake by acting emotionally instead of rationally to terminate some projects that would not benefits the company since it had been long running halfway. However, we are disagreed with the statement where the authors says that those companies already facing problem are better off since they are forced to renew because it does not match with the statement of the authors saying that businessmen should be resilient to morph itself before it is forced by a performance crisis. We feel that the companies that only take action after started to face big problems normally would not be succeed because it would most probably always been too late to take any action at that time. There would be only very few companies that might lucky enough to succeed in reality especially in the highly competitive business world of today. As a conclusion, a business model that able to create extraordinary customer experiences is the main key element of winning in the cruel business war of today. Unluckily, every business model has a limited life span and also a surprisingly high risk to be failed in implementing it which somehow might still can be succeed with careful planning and correct timing. The journal can be considered as an excellent journal which might able to influence many readers with plenty of powerful explanations and evidences if all the weaknesses that had been pointed out by us can be modified correctly. The authors may change the title of the journal as ‘Elements and Barriers of Sustainable Business Models’ instead of the earlier one because it is more suitable with the major contents in the journal. On the other hand, the authors should also clearly label in the figure that the length of the each arrow in Figure 2 represents the correct timing of action or process that had been written under it so that the readers can easily understand the figure on the first sight. The authors should also replace those words in the journal which are not commonly seen by most of the readers with some simpler words. For an example, the authors can replace the word ‘tenet’ as ‘principle’ or ‘opinion’.

Leadership in The Once and Future King :: Once and Future King Essays

The Once and Future King  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leadership In The Once and Future King T.H. White conveys his personal thoughts on leadership through the help of Merlin, and Wart's transformations. Through each transformation Wart experiences different forms of power, each being a part of a whole idea on how a leader should act.   He must piece together these ideas for the definitive way he should rule as king.   In order to teach Wart,   Merlin transforms him into several different forms, a fish, hawk, ant, goose and a badger.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "‘I wish I was a fish,' said the Wart." (p.45) At that, Wart's first transformation plunged him and Merlin into the castle's moat. They proceeded to meet the largest fish in the moat, who is the ruler. This fish took what he wanted because of his size. In a speech about power, he told Wart "Might is right," and might of the body is greater than might of the mind. Because of the way the fish-king ruled, his subjects obeyed him out of fear for their lives. Wart experienced this firsthand when the fish-king told   him to leave. He had grown bored of Wart, and if Wart didn't leave he would've eaten him. The king used   his size as his claim to power, therefore his subjects followed   him out of fear.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Wart's next transformation into a hawk   he soared into the castle's mews. All the birds in the mews had a military rank. Their leader was an old falcon, who was kept for show. The birds who ranked below the falcon, held her in highest regard because of her age. She applied her power over the other birds with no concern for their lives. In one instance, Wart is ordered to stand next to the cage of a crazy hawk who almost killed him. On the other hand, her age brought   respect.   The falcon was much older than the others because she had   not been released once she outlived her usefulness as a huntress.   Her age and attitude allowed her to maintain a powerful grip over all the birds she ruled through fear and respect.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, Wart was transformed into an ant and posted within an ant colony. There was a single leader of the ants, and she was the only thinking individually in the whole nest.

The Versatility of the Hemp Plant :: Hemp

The Versatility of the Hemp Plant The hemp plant shows its unique versatility by having many uses in industry. Hemp has many distinct benefits over its counterparts in industry today. Hemp usage would result in a cleaner and more efficient industry. One use of hemp in industry is as a fiber. The process of converting hemp into a fiber is quite simple, and is easy to do. The stalk of the hemp plant has two parts, called the bast and the hurd. Workers can weave the fiber (bast) of the hemp plant into almost any kind of cloth. It is very durable. In fact, the first Levi's blue jeans were made out of hemp for just this reason. Compared with all the other natural fibers available, hemp is more suitable for a large number of applications. It is easy to harvest hemp for fiber. A field of closely spaced hemp is allowed to grow until the leaves fall off. They then cut down the hemp and it lies in the field for some time washed by the rain. They turn it over once to expose both sides of the stalk evenly. During this time, the hurd softens up and it returns many minerals to the soil. They call this process `retting,' and after this step is complete, they bring the stalks to a machine that separates the bast and the hurd. They can then weave the bast. The cloth that hemp makes may be a little less soft than cotton, (though there are also special kinds of hemp, or ways to grow or treat hemp, that can produce a soft cloth) but it is much stronger and longer lasting. Hemp requires little fertilizer, and grows well almost everywhere. It also resists pests, so it uses little pesticides. Hemp puts down deep roots, which is good for the soil. When the leaves drop off the hemp plant, it returns minerals and nitrogen to the soil. Hemp has been grown on the same soil for twenty years in a row without any noticeable depletion of the soil. Using less fertilizer and agricultural chemicals is good for two reasons. First, it costs less and requires less effort. Second, many agricultural chemicals are dangerous and can co ntaminate the environment-the less we have to use, the better. Another industrial use for hemp is in victuals. Hemp seed is a highly nutritious source of protein and essential fatty oils.

Pearl Harbor Essay -- essays research papers

Pearl Harbor I. Events before the bombing A. Reasons for Japans Expansion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese wanted to build an empire 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Japan thought that it must build up its armies to compete with the Western Powers II. Preparations A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese made up a 8 point plan 1. Surprise was crucial 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American aircraft carriers there should be the primary targets 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial opposition 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All types of bombing should be used in the attack 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A strong fighter element should be included in the attack for air cover for the fleet 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Refueling at sea would be necessary 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hours B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The necessary troops were trained and ships were readied C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peace talks came to a halt III. The Attack A. The attack was carrier based B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack consisted of about 300 planes C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack started at 7:55 a.m. IV. Aftermaths of the attack   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. American losses 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  19 ships were damaged or sunk 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2,403 people were killed 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Germany and Italy declared war on America V. Conclusion A. The war was stopped by the atom-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The President was aware of Japan’s plans to attack C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attack was allowed to bring Japan into the war Pearl Harbor I. Events before the bombing A. Reasons for Japans Expansion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese wanted to build an empire 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Japan thought that it must build up its armies to com... ...d first. The plan was to anger Japan and thus to drag America into the greatest war of her existence. Yet even with this â€Å"Terrible Truth† I am inclined to forgive. I sympathize with President Roosevelt and the dilemma he faced. â€Å"He was forced to find circuitous means to persuade an isolationist America to join in a fight for freedom†¦It is easier to take a critical view of this policy a half century after the event than to fully understand fully what went on in Roosevelt’s mind in the year prior to Pearl Harbor. Work Cited   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (April 10,2001).December 7,1941. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.execpc.com/~dschaaf/overview.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (April 20,2001).Historychannel. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historychannel.com/per1/print_book.pl?ID=35502 (April 10,2001).The History Place. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm Louis L. Snyder. â€Å"Pearl Harbor.† Academic American Encyclopedia 1989 ed. Stackman, Michael, Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press, 1990

Mary Shelley novel ‘Frankenstein’ Essay

Once, Victor completes his creation of the being he finds him to be very repulsive and he feels it is impossible to love such a ‘ thing ‘, ‘ His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black and flowing†¦ but these luxuries only formed a more horrid contrast’. Instead of staying to understand why and how his experiment went so drastically wrong, or to take care of his creation, he runs away from his responsibilities with fear ‘ one hand wrenched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escape and rushed down stairs†¦ ‘ During Victors encounters with his creation he treats his creation with disrespect and hatred even though it was he who created this monster. Victor feels his creation is disdain and malignant, he also feels that his creatures ‘ ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes ‘. During this time Victor is very childish in his opinions as he insults his creation ‘ it ‘ hasn’t done anything wrong. But on the other hand, his creation tries to be civilized and reasonable. Victor tries using his intelligence to fight against the creature, as the creature defeats him in any imaginable physical aspect. But Victor underestimates the creature’s true intelligence and understanding of life; the creature returns the fire back to Victor with his own degree of intelligence. This situation soon turns to Victor becoming seriously immature and irresponsible, as he tries to incorporate a verbal battle into the damage relationship between them unlike the creature who tries to civil. Initially Frankenstein’s creature is seen as aggressive and violent but this is only shown in the eyes of Victor Frankenstein. The creation is no portrayed a thoughtful and caring creature but this is overshadowed by his aggression which he only uses to emphasise is want for a father figure and a friend, so he looks to Frankenstein, his creature. Because of Frankenstein’s rejection the creature becomes more and more bitter and rejected and as a result becomes more violent and aggressive which is his way of portraying hatred towards Frankenstein. At this point of the novel the creature created by Frankenstein acts more adult-like than Frankenstein himself. I feel that Frankenstein should take responsibility for his own action and consider the consequences, and then reflect on these consequences, but he totally rejects the creature because of its appearance. The creation has learnt a lot of advanced knowledge in a short space of time, and has become more lingual than his creator, which shows that the creature could live alone in the world but it just needs a companion or a father figure to help him on the way. Victor’s tragic fate is sealed by his growing obsession to destroy his creation because of all the hurt it has caused him in the latter stages of the novel. As Victor’s obsession to destroy the monster grows he begins to have a role reversal as he becomes the outsider and the creature becomes the supremely intelligent one, now he experiences all the misery and hatred that the monster felt after he rejected him. This change is quite ironic as the creature and Victor switch roles. This ironic change also shows Frankenstein how he treated people at this time from this Victor learnt a very important lesson ‘ Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself ‘. This change now begins to change Victor’s perspective on life, as he starts to feel guilty for what he has put his creation through, the torture and rejection. The guilt has now been emphasised by the hatred of Frankenstein of him self and his hatred of the creature. In conclusion the tragic fate of Victor Frankenstein is brought about by his own careless actions. Mary Shelley is showing us that the causes of Victor’s death were down to himself and his own actions. Victor’s careless pursuit of scientific knowledge is partly to blame for his fate as he never, until his monster was created thought about the consequences. Victor’s overstepping of human boundaries by defying God and going against nature is also partially to blame as, he again never considers the moral issues surrounding the recreation of people. Finally the main point of his fate was caused by his inability to love what he has given to live. Frankenstein only sees his creation for its inhuman looks and physical appearance, instead of the creature’s personality and feelings; he only shows a one-dimensional view of the monster. Mary Shelley has given the novel a hidden message, this message is trying to put across the dangers of pride and egotism, as in the novel Victor feels that when he recreates life he will become world famous. The second message of this novel is that the careless use of science can become dangerous. Frankenstein not considering the consequences of his action is showing this careless use of science. Mary Shelley does not criticize this act of creation, but Victor is unwilling to accept responsibility, for his deeds. His creation only becomes a monster because of its rejection from humans and especially Victor Frankenstein. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.