Man vs. Woman in Society

In Frankenstein it is very obvious that the research I received about women being looked at as mere housewives is relevant. This is clearly seen in the scene where Victor’s mother passes away because she aids Elizabeth when she comes down with scarlet fever. In this scene it is illustrated how the woman must endure the role as caretaker. She dies taking care of her family, why doesn’t the man do his part? This scene also serves as another example for the role of the woman as well, before passing Victor’s mother says to Elizabeth “…Elizabeth my love, you must supply my place to my younger children…” She passes the burden of the household wife to Elizabeth not her husband because Elizabeth is a woman!!

Technology, science and Frankenstein

Mary Shelley must have been inspired from the improvement in science and technology for some parts of the novel. Enhancement in science and by unveiling secrets of nature brought Victor Frankenstein (or the author) the whole idea of creating another being, hoping to make improvements on the original one. He imagines it as some kind of a ‘superhuman’ that is safe from disease and other harmfulness and looks up to the creator, which is Victor himself. When Victor was 13 years old, he became aware of natural philosophy by reading books written by philosophers including Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus. He shows such passion to “penetrate the secrets of nature”. To quote from the book, he says “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!” From this quote, we can see Victor’s thirst for knowledge. At that time, Victor did not know what he was getting himself into – he did not know that the knowledge he was so captured with were dangerous and forbidden knowledge. (Source: Shelley)

Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution was the development of new technology that brought major changes in almost every aspect of living. It began in England in the 18^th century then it spread throughout the whole world. Steam engines were introduced that soon functioned as a substitution of animal labor. They made mass production possible and therefore cost of production went down. This eventually led to huge increase in average income. In a way, the great improvement in technology was a turning point for the society to move away from the traditional religious way of thinking to more rational and dependable facts based on scientific knowledge. During this specific period of time, a lot of inventions were created. For instance, numerous interesting equipment were created such as fire extinguisher, marine chronometer, sextant, improved steam engine, flush toilet, hot-air balloon, steel roller, threshing machine, chemical bleaching, guillotine, early bicycle, gas turbine, gas lighting, ambulance, cotton gin, battery, and many more. As you can see, the changes in technology had a huge impact on daily life of people at that time. (Source: 18th century timeline)

Frankenstein women Vs British women

The Women in Frankenstein i felt were weak women who were didn't play a big role .They were more of the stay at home type who just took care of house duties. While


The British women back then were stronger and always did the best they could to have a better life for themselves. They worked outside of the house environment and wanted women rights.

Romantic Thinkers

Romanticism has very little to do with things people consider "romantic", although love may occasionally be the subject of Romantic art. But, it is an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world. Romanticism was an international movement affecting all the arts, it began at least in the 1770's and continued into the second half of the nineteenth century, later for American literature than for European, and later it was introduced in some of the arts, like music and painting, other than just literature. It changed as time went by."Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): Kant is not a Romantic philosopher, but his ideas, especially his Pure Critique of Reason, influenced many Romantic thinkers. Essentially, Kant was interested in how we can know that the world we experience is real and not just the product of our minds."(http://faculty.gvc.edu/ssnyder/102/romantic.html). He concluded that we can never be really sure about the world outside of our minds, but we can be more sure about the categories our minds impose upon the world.

Domestic Life back then

Domestic Life Back then

by: Laura Capurso

In the eighteenth century factories as we know them did not exist. All manufacturing was done in the home, therefore the title given as “domestic” and not in mass production. Work was slow, strenuous and time consuming. Everybody in the family did their part. For example manufacturing wool first, you would clean the wool after being cut from the sheep, then you would brush the wool into separate fibers, this term is called carding. Carded wool would be spun by a spinster, usually a young girl who was not married. When it’s done being spun it is known as yarn. In its final step it would be woven by a trained weaver, generally the man, on an heirloom so it can be sold to a clothier. The manufacturing most likely was done under different roofs/cottages. If work was not done in your own home it might be done in a work shop, still production was on a small scale and did not pay well. Yet, it was still a good domestic system. Working at home allowed for the workers to produce at their own pace, could overlook their children, prepare meals and could take breaks when they felt one was needed. Families worked together as a team to manufacturing a product there very little tension and a sense of pride. The population was becoming greater, meaning more mouths to feed and more clothing needing to be produced. An efficient system was in demand; a system that could produce at a greater speed and was just plain old better. This lead to new factories, ports being built and the industries with all their problems. (Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/domestic_system.htm)

Frankenstein and Imperialism

The creature that Dr. Frankenstein created would be the character I must say that represents imperialism the best. Imperialism is when you take over by force to get what you want without consent in my terms anyway. “Frankenstein” (the creature) was created by Dr. Frankenstein who abandons him because he is hideous and not humanly. By the doctor doing that “Frankenstein” is now left alone which lead to his imperialistic ways. Since “Frankenstein” is alone and does not fit in he threatens the Doctor to create a girl just as hideous. He agrees to do so but then he ends up not completing that task. Boy was that a huge mistake. That’s when imperialism starts. The creature decides to kill everyone who is close to Dr. Frankenstein in hopes of getting a companion. That failed miserably. Also, the creature tries to fit in amongst others by learning their language and culture. That didn’t work either they still considered him an outcast. This too, represents imperialism in Britain because; although he learned everything he is still not a human so that doesn’t make a difference to the humans. http://www.suite101.com/content/language-of-british-imperialism-in-frankenstein-a217282

The British Women and the Colonized Women

Women during the British empire were always outnumbered by the men however, the women of the empire decided to travel to other sites where they found homes and had other opportunities that Britain could not give them. The numbers of women increased rapidly. They were encouraged by the British to travel in colonies because it was presented as being a way to "protect the social hierarchy of the colonial world, while preserving British racial purity."http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php?s=0. The women of Britain and the colonized women did have a few problem/differences with each other. The British women felt the empire gave them opportunities they could not have gotten in Britain. Nevertheless, around the 20th century the women were banned to work in specific areas in the empire. Although British women did disagree with the colonized women, they did try to have communication and make things right by education and through medicine. They would call the colonized women their "sisters" but they did not think the women of India as needing to be protected in any sisterly way.

Social Class and the British Empire

The biggest event to happen in the British Empire during the 18^th-19^th century was the rise of the Industrial Revolution. This revolution caused a dramatic change in society and lifestyle. Some obvious changes were the shift of people from rural areas to urban streets. During this time period, money defined your social class. Having wealth meant owning land and many properties. Rich landowners had a great influence in the political field. They would encourage the government to enforce or reject laws according to their liking. There was an enormous gap between the rich and the poor. Those who owned lands, factories and properties lived lavishly while the poor struggle to survive. However, there was a middle class which consist of merchants and craftsmen whom eventually make enough money to be considered rich. Those who were non-white faced racism. They were considered the indigenous and were stripped from basic rights. These included black, Indians, and Asians. Their culture was shunned and tossed away for the British way of life. The working class consisted of these people and they inevitably suffered. The government did not take care of them. Australia as well as other British ruled land, believed in an “all white” country. The role of women compared to men is quite simple. The man is obligated to work as hard as he can to earn money for the family while the wife serves as a house wife.

Source(BBC)

Colonialism, Imperialism & The British Empire

Colonialism is when a country called a mother country allows a group of people called a colony to live else where other than the mother land. The mother country allows them to do everything but essentially the mother country has the main control. Also, the colony provides the mother country with raw materials. This is how I look at colonialism. The Empire although a late bloomer in world exploration, ended up “ruling 20% of the world's population”. Colonialism in Britain started after they could not find valuable metals on their own land. Britain started to look outside of England and towards America and the Caribbean. Britain decides to use pirates to capture and take over the Spanish colonies and their gold. Taking over without consent by force is considered Imperialism. After Britain imperialized Spanish colonies they also established multiple other ones in the Caribbean as well as America. In return the mother country England gained valuable resources such as” Spices, tea, lumber, sugar, tobacco, and cotton” which turned into a profitable business. Basically colonialism and imperialism is what made the England into such a vast empire known as the British Empire. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t2w22britishgrowth.htm

Man vs. Woman in Society

The population of Britain during the 19th century grew rapidly. In 1801 there was almost 9 million people living in Britain. The role played by men was very different then the role played by women in the 1800s. Men were allow to vote but only a few, until 1832 when more men were given the privillage to vote but, no females were allow to vote at all. Females did work in the 19th century but mostly as servants because it was cheaper to employ a woman then a man. During those times the father of the house was consider “head of the house” while his wife was a house wife and took care of the family.The woman was considered his property and if she worked the money she earned would’ve became his money. Men generally were expected to have a more public role than women. (http://www.localhistories.org/19thcent.html)