The Industrial revolution.

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Frankestein.

Topic:

Why are there so many references to sickness and fever in Frankestein? Trace these references throughout the novel. What  broader theme might Shelley be expressing.

Frankenstein was a novel written by the English author, Mary Shelley. The book told the story of Victor Frankenstein who created a grotesque creature. After bringing him to life, Victor felt guilty of creating a monster.The creature was hideous, and he was rejected by society and by  Victor. In consequence, he became spiteful and started to kill Frankenstein’s relatives, and friends. Later, the monster found his creator , and begged him for a companion of his own kind. Victor agreed, but destroyed his work  in revenge of  the creature for  killing  his best friend, and his bride Elizabeth. After his father died of grief, Frankenstein chased the  creature to the North Pole. Victor finally died aboard Walton’s ship. and the monster jumped from the ship,and landed on a floating slab of ice.

In the novel there are many references  to sickness and fever because in the industrial revolution  they were  prevalent. Tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever, and pneumonia were the leading causes of death.They were the result of poor sanitation in which people lived and worked. For this  reason, the author explored the idea of  sickness, and fever.

For instance, Frankenstein fell ill after every traumatic event: after creating the Creature, after Clerval was murdered, and after Elizabeth was murdered. This was a sign that Victor could not deal with extreme distress. Illness  definitely showed the vulnerable, and weak side of a man who felt guilty about the life he created.Shelley might be pointing out that Victor could not bear the consequences of creating a monster.Besides, he had lack of ability to face problems and accept responsibility.

The only thing which seemed to make Frankenstein to recover is the promise of spring. Nature was given the ability to cure.Not only did  it cure him, but also it allowed Victor to recognize the fact that consistency existed in the world.Therefore, nature was shown as a healing power of human illness.

To sum up, Victor could have avoided  a lot of harm if he had confronted the creature with a degree of compassion toward it.After all, the creature never asked to be created; it was Victor's obsession to play to be God that led him to break with nature, and create life.Furthermore, Victor´s diseases might be consequence of a horribly guilty mind which wanted to escape from his reality through the diseases.

French Revolution

The French Revolution took place as a popular movement to reform the 'absolute' rule of the monarch, Louis XVI .A number of factors caused the French Revolution.

The first  cause was the Old Regime. For centuries, the quality of  life in Europe had been determined  by the status that a person or family held. This status could not be earned, but it was determined by the family in which someone was born. That is why France was divided principally into three estates which had big differences between them.The first and second estates were made up of the clergy,and the nobility. The third estate was made up by the bourgeoisie .They were the peasants, and the wage earners.The peasants were forced to do military service, and to live in terrible conditions, but the clergy,or the nobility had authority over them.

The second cause was that France was living the worst moment in the 18th century .They had spent a lot of money fighting costly wars, and continued spending too much money on luxuries.Besides,terrible weather, heavy rain, hard winters,and  hot summers induce to three very bad  harvests in the city. This strong condition forced peasants and farmers to have smaller incomes. So, food prices rose sharply, and  many French farmers became unemployed. France was now into an economical crisis.

In consequence, the representatives of the third estate declared themselves a National Assembly, representing the 96% of the population, feeling themselves as the true Parliament.These members met at the Royal Tennis Court until the king agreed to meet their demands, and thus become part of the  Assembly.

Louis XVI assumed the power in 1774. He was an absolute monarch,so he had complete power.Like many other European monarchs,Louis believed his power had been given to him by god.Louis was a “family-man” and was dominated by his wife.She was criticised by many for the way she interfered with Louis´s attempts to govern the country.On 5 and 6 October,1789, the Paris Mob came to Louis´s palace at Versailles and attacked.They captured Louis and his family, and imprisioned him in the Tulleries, in Paris. Louis could have ordered his guards to fire on the mob,but he refused to do so. He claimed that he played the role of an English style “Constitutional monarch”.In the end, the Assembly decided to keep Louis as  their monarch ( one who has to obey the rules of a Constitution). On September  3rd,1971, the Constitution was proclaimed, and Louis  swore an oath of loyalty to it. On 30th, September 1791, the National Assembly declared  its work finished. It seemed the Revolution was over and the king was executed in 1793.

The period following Louis’s execution became known as ‘The Terror’(emergency government set up in 1792 — 1794) in France because  thousands of people suspected of anti-revolutionary activities, or of helping France’s enemies were sent to the guillotine.In February, it was clear that the war was still going badly for France. And in March, there was a peasant revolt in Vendee, in the northwest. In August, the Jacobins ( radical sort of French revolutionary) declared that ‘Terror is the order of the day’.

By the late summer, many areas of France were rebelling against the new radical Jacobin government  threatening  to the stability of France. A fear of traitors had grown in France following revolution,and war.This led to another measure, revolutionary tribunals.

The Jacobins controlled the Committee of Public safety. The leading figure in the Committee was Maximilien Robespierre,a representative of the jacobins.The Committee allowed revolutionary tribunals to convict people without hearing evidence.Eventually, people got sick of all the killing, and by mid-1794, the Terror had died out. As the Austrian threat decreased, many looked for someone to blame for the Reign of Terror. The leading Jacobin, Robespierre found himself at the centre of the blame, he was arrested and locked up. In July 1794, Robespierre found himself facing the same fate as thousands of other French people: the guillotine.

In conclusion, the French Revolution marked a decisive stage in the transition from feudalism to capitalism.In consequence, Capitalism became the new economic system; ideas of social equality, and socialism became popular,and all privileged classes were abolished.

Britain under rule of a mentally diseased King George III reigned Britain for almost sixty years. He is remembered for getting mad. It is almost impossible to believe that one of the most powerful kingdoms in the whole world was about to lose its great power because of its King illness. At that time, the best doctors determined that the King was going mad. Everybody seemed to be on alert because of his mental disease but not for good reasons; they were trying to take advantage of it. Needles is to say that this is the reason why he was known as the “mad” King. King George was the ruler of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 until his death in 1820. He was remembered for losing thirteen colonies and he was the third Hanoverian monarch and the first one to be born in England and to use English as his first language. He was a loving husband and father but very strict; he wanted his children to be disciplined. Despite this, his eldest son disgusted the king; he went to parties, drank in excess and gambling. In fact, they disliked each other. The king referred to his son as the fat, and he ridiculed his father. King George´s disease was, later known, called Porphyria. This disease causes a lot of pain, aches, blue urine and mental disorders. At the beginning of his disease and without finding a logical explanation for his behaviour doctors isolated him, treating him as an insane man. He was forced to wear a straitjacket and to obey the doctor's orders. Despite his illness, George III was a dedicated and diligent king and won the respect of his politicians. In fact, when his illness drove him off the political scene, people realised how much they needed him. Although he was ill, he continued to reign Great Britain and Ireland. His behaviour was very criticized by his eldest son, who was a traitor as well as some members of the Parliament. King George's eldest son pushed him into a public breakdown so that he could become Regent. Time went by and he could recover successfully. His illness was stabled and, this allowed him to rule England for many more years. He became very popular and loved by people of Great Britain. He ruled as long as his illness allowed him to do. All in all, he also became famous and well known as The Mad King.

A tale of two cities



Resurrection



In “A Tale of Two Cities”, we can find deep symbolism, and complex themes that are an integral part played by the book to capture the reader's attention, and fill one with a sense of intrigue. One of the most recognizable is the theme of resurrection.

 Dickens believed that there is always the possibility for redemption, and transformation, both between individuals, and within society as a whole. The most notable personal transformation that occurs in this story is Sydney Carton's metamorphosis from a lazy drunk into a heroic man that  sacrifices his life to save his friend. Not only Carton die for others, but also he is metaphorically reborn in their hearts.In addition, in a Tale of Two Cities, many characters are “reborn”, meaning that they have had a new chance at life. For instance, Dr. Manette is the first person to experience resurrection. He was 18 years of solitary confinement,and then he is released by the French government where he is “recalled to life”.Another example  in which someone is “reborn” involves Darnay. At the beginning of the book Darnay was   indicted for treason in England, where he   is thought to be a spy. However, Carton bravely sacrifices his own life for Darnay, and he  is given an extra chance at life, that is why he is “reborn”.

 On a societal level, Dickens uses the French Revolution to comment on the possibility of cultural and political transformation. Even though Dickens spends the bulk of his novel detailing the horrible acts, both of the aristocracy and the rebelling peasants. Eventually, Dickens  wishes  for France a better  and a freer society. Futhermore,the death of the old regime in France prepares the way for beautiful and peaceful Paris that Carton supposedly envisions from the guillotine. Moreover, Dickens pays attention to the extraordinary violence of the French Revolution where  aristocrats and peasants  committed atrocities , he ultimately expresses the belief that this violence will  transform the society into a better one, or a new one.

Finally, all these resurrections are surrounded with religious language that compare Carton's sacrifice of his own life for others' sins to Christ's sacrifice in the cross.At the end, the immortal words run through Carton's head while he nears the guillotine “I am the Resurrection and the Life”we are assured that Carton, by his death, was also raised to a new life; where perhaps one day he will again see those whom he gave all for.

In conclusion,Charles Dickens employs symbolism in order to give a deeper meaning to his writing which is an essential element in the structure of the novel.

                     

Presentation about George III

George I of Great Britain