Imagination

The reason I chose imagination as my word to research is because I think that throughout time there isn't a significant change in the definition of the word.  But, the way in which it was used may be something completely different than what I have seen before.  Obviously, the words imagination and image are connected, and I wonder if people many years before us noticed that there was this connection in the ways that each word was used.  Today, you don't have to know either word and there is a clear association between the two.  Also, I want to figure out if there was an abstract use of imagination or if it was literal.  Imagination for me means the creation of something in the mind.  Whether it be an actual "nation of images" in your mind, or an idea (abstract or not).  As long as there is the element of creation in the mind, that is what imagination means to me.

The Balance of Women in the World of Frankenstein

• Because Frankenstein creates a male creature, and he himself is male, and basically the novel talks through the voices of mostly male characters, one could say that one of Frankenstein's motives in Geneva is to purify the population into a patriarchical society where no women are present.  For one, when the creature asks Frankenstein to create a female creature so that he may have a companion/someone to love, Frankenstein starts in on his work, but then immediately refuses to create a female creature.
• Victor denies the values and sexuality of women.  One can see that in the book, there are two sides or spheres to the gender role of Geneva and the world.  On the public side, where jobs are completed outside the household among interactions with other people, is where the males reside.  But, on the private side is where the females are forced to stay, where jobs are in the town of Geneva or in the household itself.  This clearly shows that women are discriminated against as non-superior beings that absolutely do not go above males in the novel.
• In Geneva, women have no strength in society and are forced to abide by the laws set forth by the patriarchical society.  For example, when Justine is being tried, Elizabeth calls out that she is completely innocent and did not murder little William.  Instead of the townspeople agreeing with Elizabeth and saving Justine from her intended execution, they, "charg[ed] her with the blackest ingratitude" (p. 80).  What is interesting is that the majority of the male society of Geneva believe that women are evil beyond belief, which is completely false in every way.  If they were to listen to Elizabeth they would have saved Justine from a death that she did not deserve, and if women had the power to save themselves, Victor could have happily lived ever after with his wife Elizabeth.
• Although Geneva is mostly a male-dominant society, the De Lacey family is an example of a society where everyone is treated with, "justice, equality, and mutual affection" (277).  Women should be able to have the importance that they deserve in society, and be able to work among men as independent entities that answer to no man, but to the society as a whole.  But, to my displeasure Victor Frankenstein cannot see the power in women, and in consequence he misses out on the opportunity to save himself and his wife because he is too afraid that the female creature will unleash her power upon the world and create a monster population that would overcome any obstacle such as the population of Geneva.  In short, Victor believes that a woman that he, or any other male figure, can't control was made from the ashes of the devil himself and that they are the most demoniacal of beings.
• What may be the reason for Victor's behavior towards the women in the world, is the fact that he may not be attracted to them.  In other words, he's probably a homosexual.  All of his best companions or soul mates are males that he interacts with, such as Walton, Clerval, etc.  The description of Clerval's eyes shows that there is an attraction that is extremely homoerotic between Victor and Clerval, but it is solely an attraction through the eyes of Victor.  We do not know if Clerval acknowledges said attraction, but I think that Frankenstein could possibly be a story of how a person like Victor is supposed to find companions in the world of Geneva and beyond.

The Characteristics of the Noble

There is a fine line between the characteristics of being a perfect king or knight, and the characteristics of being a realistic and practical character, knight or king.  The character of Sir Gawain is one of a most noble background, and is someone that sets an example for the rest of the knights of the round table of King Arthur.  Although Sir Gawain has his weaknesses, he is a strong character that defends his king with utmost loyalty and tries his hardest to be noble in his ways.  Another character that I know of that is absolutely noble and basically perfect in everything that he does is Mufasa from Disney’s The Lion King.  Now, Sir Gawain and Mufasa are not of the same hierarchical status, being knight and king respectively, but both are thoroughly honorable and upright characters in the roles that they play.

One aspect that Mufasa and Sir Gawain share is the power to stand up against their enemies or the enemies of their people, in the case of Sir Gawain it is him standing up for King Arthur, and in the case of Mufasa it is him standing up for the animal kingdom and the welfare of it, too.  The great lengths that both of these characters go through to achieve their goals is extensive, and are honorable to say the least.  For example, Mufasa protects the well-being of his kingdom by making sure that his evil brother, Scar, is kept away from civilization.  This allows the animal kingdom to be as vibrant as possible, and it clearly shows that Mufasa is the image of a perfect king that will do absolutely anything to keep the animal kingdom stable.  For Sir Gawain, it is something of similar characteristics, but it is tailored to the story of Sir Gawain.  The green knight issues a challenge to the court of King Arthur, and after the king accepts, Sir Gawain steps up for King Arthur and accepts the challenge for himself so that the king can continue and not risk his life.  After Sir Gawain leaves the court of King Arthur, he embarks on a journey to seek out the green knight and eliminate him, plain and simple.  What is put before Sir Gawain seems like an easy job, find the green knight and kill him, but it is something much more than just search and destroy.  It is a job of mystery and unrealistic coincidences, and it takes a lot of common sense and wit together to figure out the situation of the green knight and how he was, the entire time, disguised as the king who was housing Sir Gawain while he rested before battling the green knight.  Even though both characters are different in their ways and in their status in each other’s kingdom, they come together in the face of enemies and in their nobility of how they approach situations regarding the safety and stability of their kingdom or king.

The comparison of Sir Gawain and Mufasa is a unique one, but it shows that even from very different backgrounds and realms of stories, there are common characteristics that noble characters share that are a core part of being knightly or kingly.  It is something that everyone should strive for, and for some it will become values that are imprinted into their mind that will guide them through their decisions in life.

$$$ The Benjamins of Beowulf $$$

So, through my research on the currency during the time of Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons, I found that there is a quite conclusive answer to what the currency was.  Although one would think that the currency of this time would be livestock, silver and gold, the main form was silver in the form of the Anglo-Saxon pound.  According to wiki answers the currency of the Anglo-Saxon world was pennies, shillings, and pounds, from smallest to largest in amount, respectively.  The Anglo-Saxon pound is said to be equivalent to 240 pennies, or one pound of silver.  Also, through monetary evolution this denomination of currency has come to be the British pound sterling today.  What has further transferred into future banking is an accounting system that was introduced by Charlamagne to the Frankish Empire, which is as follows: 12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound.  I found it very interesting that there was actually a set currency during the Anglo-Saxon/Beowulf time period, and that it wasn't just livestock, and miscellaneous gold and silver.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_pound

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_anglo_Saxon_currency

Summer Reading- Something to Make Up For

Over the summer I read a very interesting novel concerning the life of the Tallis family through the eyes of many members, but especially through the eyes of Briony Tallis.  I chose this novel because of, interestingly, the title.  Something about the word, atonement, caught my attention and made me want to know more about what it meant, according to the characters in the novel.  Here is a specific example of how the author uses description to create the story and the technique of storytelling:

"But hidden drawers, lockable diaries, and cryptographic systems could not conceal from Briony the simple truth: She had no secrets. Her wish for a harmonious, organized world denied her the reckless possibilities of wrongdoing. Mayhem and destruction were too chaotic for her tastes, and she did not have it in her to be cruel. ... Nothing in her life was sufficiently interesting or shameful to merit hiding; no one knew about the squirrel's skull beneath her bed, but no one wanted to know."

This quote demonstrates the detailed descriptions about every single character that the author utilizes to further appeal to the reader and the different perspectives of the characters in Atonement.  One of the greatest strengths in the novel is the fact that every single moment, event, character, etc. is absolutely and thoroughly depicted in a clear fashion that I can so visualize the situations that Briony, Emily, and their guests encounter throughout the days in the Tallis home.  Even the instance where Briony is sitting in the nursery after her fantasies of preparing a play for the return of Leon, and she realizes that she no longer wants to write plays for the entirety of her life through the action of observing her hand and arm as she attempts to tell her brain to move her arm.  It is just a simple action, but it reveals the inner thoughts of Briony, and the decision that she makes to continue her life on a different path:

"She raised one hand and flexed its fingers and wondered, as she had sometimes before, how this thing, this machine for gripping, this fleshy spider on the end of her arm, came to be hers, entirely at her command. Or did it have some little life of its own? She bent her finger and straightened it. The mystery was in the instant before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and moving, when her intention took effect. It was like a wave breaking. If she could only find herself at the crest, she thought, she might find the secret of herself, that part of her that was really in charge."

The former passage is a more than perfect example of how the human mind works and makes decisions considering all points of view, and how humans interact with their given environment to further themselves to yield the greatest outcome in one’s life.  This just so happens to not be the case with only Briony Tallis, but also Robbie Turner.  In his case, Robbie has always been the Tallis home “gardener” if you will, and in exchange has been given the opportunity to get an education on behalf of the Tallis family.  In many moments throughout the novel, the reader takes a dive into the mind of Robbie Turner to see his views on what his place is in the Tallis family and why he has yet to explore the depths of the educational world.  Also, Robbie seems to have an obsession with Cecilia, one of the Tallis daughters.  With this, we see the thoughts of why Robbie seems to have this obsession with Cecilia and later on in the novel, the hidden love that Cecilia and Robbie have for each other, which is quite interesting in of itself.  For these few but meaty points, is why I chose to read Atonement by Ian McEwan.  The sheer reality of the book is basically practical, but the way in which it is described makes it seem somewhat whimsical in the sense that life goes by so fast that humans do not know what to do with it or what to make of it.  It is an unfathomable question that most would agree to be at least one reason to read novels, let alone reading Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Most Memorable Books

Here are some of my most memorable books that I have read over the years of my life.

1.  Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
When I first read this book, it absolutely struck me as one of the most interesting books I've ever read.  Of course I was much younger, but still to this day I have always enjoyed that book.  It is basically the first somewhat long book I read that was absolutely intriguing.

2.  Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Having read this book last year in English class, I found that Holden Caulfield and his world was astonishing in the sense that it was something that I have never found in a book before.  It was different to the very core from anything else, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

3.  Just Me and My Dad
This is by far the most memorable children's book that I have, and it has an extraordinary signifance for me and my childhood, the reason being that every time I would read this book before I would go to bed I would read it with my dad.  I always read it that way, and I never read it alone.  It was and still is a great book with very important sentimental value that connects me with my childhood.

4.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
This book is a favorite because of the fact that the world that Huckleberry Finn lives in is defined by rules, guidelines etc. but he and his friends that he has take the story to a new level because they defy the rules and make the world their own in their own fashion.  The book is very relatable.

5.  The Phantom Tollbooth
I enjoyed reading this book because the world which exists in the book is completely made up and absolutely not real.  This type of thinking outside the box is very interesting for me, and this book appealed to that interest.

A New Light to Storytelling

     Over the summer, one book that I happened to read that contained good storytelling was Atonement by Ian McEwan.  This novel did not have just simple storytelling like some novels would, it had a quite complex form of storytelling through not one single character but by almost all of the characters present in the novel.  This was not only fascinating, it was eye-catching from the very beginning of Atonement and is one aspect of McEwan's novel that I was interested in more than others.  In most instances it was a single moment or event that was described and explained through the eyes of at least two characters, such as Briony or Robbie for example.  Using this technique to further deepen my understanding of the plot and the different thoughts of each character was well thought out by Ian McEwan, and it creates many layers to a single event in time.  Reading this style of novel was a nice change from various other novels that were far simpler that I have read over the years of my life.  It was Atonement in particular that struck an interest in me, and it is the way McEwan constructs his words that creates a peculiar situation where one moment can be thought of in numerous ways compared to a simpler novel that does not utilize such writing techniques.  Following is a passage from the perspective of Emily, the Tallis mother who is bed ridden with sickness.  She observes what is happening through her senses, and hears Mr. Marshall speaking to the children in the nursery, which happened to be a passage before:

She tumbled away into a doze, and was woken by the drone of a man's voice in the nursery, and children answering.  Surely not Leon, who would be inseparable from his sister now they were reunited.  It would be Mr. Marshall whose room was just along from the nursery, and he was talking to the twins, she decided, rather than Lola.  Emily wondered if they were being impertinent, for each twin seemed to behave as though his social obligations were halved.

     This passage is a perfect example of how McEwan utilizes this technique of explaining one event through the eyes, or other senses, of more than one character.  In this case it is between Mr. Marshall and Emily Tallis.  For this reason alone I believe that Atonement by Ian McEwan is a fine example of storytelling because of the innovative twist that is put on the plot and plot sequence of the novel.