Interactive Oral Reflection: The Elephant Vanishes Part 1
Today in class we discussed our interactive orals on The Elephant Vanishes. The topics were Westernization, Family and relationships, Style of short stories, Japanese tradition and Haruki Murakami. The topic that was on Japanese Tradition mainly talked about some common customs and traditions in Japan. As well as Japanese society, traditional cuisine and some connections to the book. It explained how the Japanese culture is under the influence of Western culture. Also we learned about how drinking in Japan and Japanese woman being alone had effected the author to include these elements in each story. We also talked about how the western culture affected Japanese literature as well
…show more content…
A green monster has been sitting and observing the narrator this whole time, everyday falling more and more in love with her. Finally he decided to crawl out of his hole and confess his love for her. When the monster crawled out of his hole to the narrator, he told her, ‘’ Don’t you see I have come here to propose to you… I love you so much, I could not stand it anymore down deep down deep’’( Murakami 154 ). This portrays an element of observational love seen through a dialogue between characters. Murakami makes the reader feel like they are the ones being observed by putting them in the shoes of the narrator, adding a different perspective to observational love. After being proposed to, the narrator started saying countless horrific things about the monster, which caused him to get upset. Realizing that the monster began to grow weak, she decided to kill him with the use of her thoughts. This shows unrequited love because the monster is actually a symbol for her husband that does not give her enough love. By confronting him she manages to show that the love is unrequited: ‘’ I was not afraid of the monster anymore. I painted pictures in my mind of all the cruel things I wanted to do to it’’(155). By showing the reader her thought process, Murakami manages to make it easier to understand what is going on in the narrator’s life. Helping us draw conclusions to her not getting enough attention from her husband and seeking for it somewhere
The creature began to converse freely with the blind father who addressed him with kindness. However, when his two children returned, the daughter fainted and the son "dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick" forcing the creature to "quit the cottage and escape unperceived to my hovel" (115). These acts of cruelty emphasize how often humanity stereotypes individuals. Just because a creature looks monstrous does not mean his intentions match his appearance. After this heartbreaking event, the monster decides to stop seeking love and instead to seek revenge against his creator and attempt to force Victor to create a companion for him. The creature attempts to explain his cruel ways when he exclaims, "There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my
The creature claims that the creation of a equal partner like himself would make him happy. The creature proclaims, "my virtues will necessarily arise when I live in communion with an equal. I shall feel the affections of a sensitive being, and become linked to the chain of existance and events, from which I am now excluded" (121). In this speech, the creature tries to provoke sympathy from Doctor Frankenstein. However, because of his previous acts of violence, his request is denied. This agonizes the creature: "Shall each man...find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have a mate and I be alone?" (140). The result of these constant rejections that the creature becomes violent and therefore cannot be blamed for his violence. The creature's desire to be given affection and sympathy can only reside in another being like himself since he has been denied by the world around him.
The story “Shooting an Elephant” is told by an ongoing and first person narrator, who was committed to events he was faced with and obtained insight and wisdom from these adventures even though he struggled internally and externally.
This dramatization brings the reader to the realization that the protagonist’s stream of consciousness narration is very unpredictable, yet will ultimately lead to his ability to expose his true feelings as the story develops. The author clearly likes to represent this feeling of indecision with poetic illustration as it is used several times in both stories. In “Newlywed”, the narrator vividly describes his mixed feelings toward his wife, Atsuko, during the peak of his epiphany-like experience:
creating an image of Frankenstein involved in a game with nature for his own personal goal. Instead of adhering to the Romantic policy of the appreciation of the beauty, he seeks what is concealed beyond his vision forgetting his relationship with the environment.
Mary Shelley’s view of human connections is portrayed through the monster’s actions. The monster is abandoned by his creator and isolated from the rest of society due to his appearance. The
Harold Bloom, a well-known American critic explores Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to find true meaning. Throughout his essay, he gives answers to the lingering question of who the real monster is. He also paints a clear picture of a major theme in the novel, the Romantic mythology of the self. Through reading his essay, it opens up new light to Mary Shelley's novel. It gives new meaning to the monster and his creator.
Therefore, when the monster was born' it did not know the meaning of love; his creator fled from him, leaving him alone in the world. When he comes upon the cottage and the family residing there he glimpses his first exposure to love.
That is when they made an agreement, the monster will stay far way from Victor and his family as long as possible, but he has to make another creature as the monster’s wife. Victor, who at first agreed with the deal, later realizes that it could be dangerous if there is more than one monster in this world. He broke his promise which makes the monster angry. It promised to come on his wedding night. After that, the monster killed Henry Clarvel, Victor’s best friend. Victor was not only sad mentally, but he also sick physically because of his sadness. When he started to recover, he marries Elizabeth, but then again, the monster killed Elizabeth in her wedding night. Victor’s father who cannot stand the sadness anymore passed away. These people’s deaths have cause a lot of changes in Victor’s feeling. Victor, who at first afraid of the monster, become more brave to kill the monster by his own hand. That is why he decided to go and find the monster. The story ended with Victor’s death because of his age and tiredness after chasing the monster anywhere. The monster who actually doesn’t have any purpose anymore since Victor passed away, decided to commit suicide by burning itself in the Arctic. So, this story is dominated by the Life-Death events which remark every important and major steps of the story. Victor’s obsession of making living thing, his mixed feelings, his chase-the-monster journey, and the tragedy in his love life, it all starts because of his family member’s
Who is the real monster?” acts as the dominant question throughout the novel “Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelly as the reader explores the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his nameless creation. As the novel progresses, the reader notices how the relationship between the two characters goes far beyond a neglectful creature and resentful creation, for the two influence the thoughts, actions and emotions of each other. Furthermore, the creature’s physical appearance acts as his purpose throughout the novel as well as a mirror of Victor Frankenstein’s true identity. Additionally, the creature’s lack of identity begins to initiate Frankenstein’s shame towards his own identity, revealing the flawed character of Frankenstein and determining the resolution to the question “Who is the true monster? Who is the true catalyst of destruction?” During the novel, the reader is able to identify the creature as the most effective foil for Victor Frankenstein because the creature causes: Frankenstein to view the action of the creature as his own work, the shift between pride and shame in Frankenstein, and his physical appearance demonstrates his purpose to reveal the true character of Victor Frankenstein.
In the play “Foghorn” by Hanay Geiogamah the stereotypical thoughts that Americans possess are shared in obscure ways of outrageous commentary. The claims that are brought up are shared in different ways of storytelling with each individual circumstance being displayed way over the top in offending the Indian’s way of life. This play was meant to raise awareness to the hurt felt by the Native Americans by using sarcasm and laughing it off in a playful way. By analyzing this play using the influence of pop-culture there will be connections made in modernized ways of thinking.
The monster is developed throughout the story by way of meticulous and personified writing, painting a picture to bring the monster off the page and into the reader’s imagination. For example, “Something with a dragging tail, with scales, with great clawed feet, and I knew it had no face. (198).They all believe they see it and feel it around them. “It is breathing it Its frenetic struggle to each me, to rend and tear me, to imbue my soul with terror.” (193).
The monster asserts,” It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation… I sickened as I read. ‘Hateful day when I received life!’... ‘Accused creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” (Shelley 134). The monster discovers Victor’s hatred towards him, sending him into a revengeful attitude. The monster’s first experience of love comes from Victor creating him; although now that it is gone, the monster obtains no concept of love. His absence of love adds to his unethical and lethal terror on Victor and his family. Kim A. Woodbridge writes, “Even though the creature received a moral and intellectual education, the lack of nurturing and loving parent as well as companionship and acceptance from society led him to reject morality and instead destroy”. Victor’s gluttony causes the monster’s immoral turn to violence. Representing another deadly sin, Victor only provides for himself and puts his interest and well-being before the monster’s. In doing this, Victor not only angers the monster, but compels the monster to feel unloveable. The one person the monster wants love from the most deserts him, creating a destructive animal, ready to
In this essay I will examine how the monster’s looks and actions reflect the predominant cultural feelings that those who look different are bad, evil or incapable of normal feelings. That somehow because one may look different from the rest of us there must be something emotionally as well as physically wrong with them.
When the narrator first encounters the girl, his friend's older sister, he can only see her silhouette in the “light from the half-opened door”. This is the beginning of his infatuation with the girl. After his discovery, he is plagued by thoughts of the girl which make his daily obligations seem like “ugly, monotonous, child's play”. He has become blinded by the light. The narrator not only fails to learn the name of his “girl”, he does not realize that his infatuation with a woman considerably older than himself is not appropriate. He relishes in his infatuation, feeling “thankful [he] could see so little” while he thinks of the distant “lamp or lighted window” that represents his girl. The narrator is engulfed by the false light that is his futile love.