Mary Shelley s Frankenstein - Original Writing - 1489 Words

Intro: â€Å"I was dependent on none and related to none. The path of my departure was free, and there was none to lament my annihilation†¦ What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein).† Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, parallels her own experiences. Shelley’s mother died in childbirth, and she was left â€Å"dependent on none and related to none.† Her father, William Godwin, abandoned his daughter emotionally when he remarried a woman who treated Mary poorly. Shelley often searched for an understanding of who she was. She did not have a mother to give her an education, so Mary taught herself by seeking†¦show more content†¦Clare and Shelley both use negative diction, juxtaposing extreme terminology within the same sentence, and long, rambling sentences within their writings. John Clare and Mary Shelley’s use of similar stylistic devices illustrates how loneliness makes one turn to death, either suicidal or murderous, due to humans’ innate need to be connected to others; without a connection, isolation creates insurmountable suffering. Diction: Clare, the author of I am, and Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, both use despondent diction to represent the agony of loneliness; ultimately forewarning the reader that without love, one’s existence is lifeless and leads to doom and destruction. When Shelley uses terms like â€Å"catastrophe† or â€Å"wretch† to describe the creation of the monster, she refers to the physical appearance of the creature, and the emotional turmoil of Victor Frankenstein and the creature, as well. The monster is abandoned by Frankenstein due to his hideous stature. Shelley plays with contrasts such as the creature’s mouth, whose teeth are â€Å"pearly white† but whose lips are â€Å"black†. The eyes, which ironically are the windows to man’s emotions, are colorless. The hair is â€Å"lustrous†, almost sensual, but the complexion is â€Å"shrivelled†, like an elderly man on his death bed. She juxtaposes Victor’s arrogance of having the brilliance to create a gift reserved to G-d, with his deliverance of the devil. When Shelley says that the skin â€Å"scarcely† covers