Frankenstein: Vol. 1 Chpts 1-3

1. A new sentence!
2. Check book
3. Check and review vocabulary


Discussion
1. In what ways does Victor's statement that "the world was to me a secret which I desired to divine" (38) serve as characterization? What is characterization?

2. In what ways do Henry & Victor differ? Why might Shelley be setting them up as foils? (**A character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character (usually the protagonist)) (Bedford St Martins Press).

3. In what way does Shelley characterize Elizabeth when she writes "the saintly soul (who) shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home?" (39). What role does this characterization set for Elizabeth?
4. Is Victor's fascination with the Philosopher's Stone an admirable one? Look closely at the passage on page 42: "Under the guidance of my new preceptors, I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life; but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention. Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!" What is Hubris?
5. What does Victor's search for a like-minded thinker tell us about human nature? Why might Shelley have portrayed this characteristic in both Victor and Robert?

Frankenstein: The Letters

1. Let's learn a new sentence pattern! You love the semi-colon!
2. Check books
3. Check and review vocab
4. Some background.

• Who was Mary Shelley? What is this Frankenstein we speak of?
• Some major themes we'll see: fate vs free will, personal responsibility, loneliness, nature, family,  knowledge (it's power and the acquisition of), and science. This is not an all-inclusive list, but these ideas will pop up quite often.
• What is epistemology? How does it play a role in the text thus far? In the future?

Discussion questions: use text evidence to support your claims

1. What is Walton's attitude toward his quest?

2. Why do you think Walton feels lonely even though he is on board a ship with a full crew?

3. Why do you think Walton is attracted to the stranger?

4. What details suggest that both Walton and the stranger are willing to make big sacrifices in the search for knowledge?

5. How are these two men alike? different?

6. Why do you think Shelley chose to lead into the stranger's story by starting with a frame story about Robert?

Day 1 fun: Where I'm From

Poems, poems and more poems.

1. Pick a favorite line from your poem (make it a complete thought or image or description) and put it on the board. This is the start of Chalk Talk.
2. After all comments are on the board, respond to four lines with constructive feedback. What is constructive feedback? Let's define that. Debrief the comments.
3. What's for homework for Tuesday? What does annotate mean? What's this about vocab? All questions answered as we dive into Frankenstein! Check out the essential documents for the syllabus and the vocab sheets.
4. Any questions or worries or anything, send me an email, stop by my office, or otherwise get in touch with me.

Welcome & Where I'm From

Welcome & introductions

1. The Blog and all its glory
2. Essential documents: course information, syllabus, goals, etc
3. Name game: Interview someone you do not know for six minutes. Really listen and take notes. Organize your notes into a short presentation about your partner.

Let's get reading and writing

1. The poem to inspire your own writing.
2. Let's take a listen.
3. Discussion: Is there anything you aren't familiar with? Is there anything you notice in the poem? What kinds of things does Lyon list or describe? What kinds of details does she remember about her past?
4. Brainstorm: free write for 5 minutes about people, places and things that define who you are.
1. Let's turn those ideas into metaphors and similes.

Homework

1. Check syllabus on blog.