StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

British literature 1785+ - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
One of the most interesting British works that I would like you to include the next time you will be teaching this course is the work of Peggy Webling in his play Peggy Webling relating to the horror film Frankenstein. This is because this story connects between Sigmund…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.4% of users find it useful
British literature 1785+
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "British literature 1785+"

British Literature 1785+ Introduction One of the most interesting British works that I would like you to include the next time you will be teaching this course is the work of Peggy Webling in his play Peggy Webling relating to the horror film Frankenstein. This is because this story connects between Sigmund Freud’s theories about the id, ego, and superego something that will be very interesting to learn through connecting with the story. Thesis Statement: “One thing only do I know for certain and that is that mans judgments of value follow directly his wishes for happiness-that, accordingly, they are an attempt to support his illusions with arguments” (Freud pg 111).

Sigmund Freud is regarded as the father of psychoanalysis. As a psychologist, Freud did a lot of research considering the behavior of humans in relation to certain environmental conditions. In Whale’s Frankenstein, it is clear that the love desire and egocentric motives on the part of Henry Frankenstein eventually lead to murder and humiliation. The painful and mortal part of human beings expresses itself in the film by the behavior of Frankenstein (Webling). Through the deaths of Fritz and Dr.

Waldman who are key actors in the film, the cruel nature of the natural world reveals itself. This can be interpreted in light of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. The third section of Sigmund’s book addresses the aspect of civilization that has been both advantageous and disadvantageous for human kind. The rapid advancement in science and technology leads to death of scientists Fritz and Dr. Waldman. Despite the fact that the development of science intends to protect us through civilization, it has only led to destruction and limited the relationship of human beings in the society (Viera).

According to Freud, we are born with the id. The id does not care about anything else but only cares about satisfying its own will. In relation to Frankenstein, this is a practical truth. Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz develop a creature out of their own desires but they fail to remind themselves about the consequences of this creature in the society and the rest of the population. Another example is during the throwing of the girl into the lake with the horrible creature. The creature has no feeling and forgets that the girl could drown.

Civilization and Its Discontents shares the view that we must find positive and constructive ways to direct our desires and behaviors rather than either repressing desires that will protect one another from the natural nature of the id. In addition to this, Freud asserts that life brings a lot of pain and difficulty and many people tend to deflect the pain and difficulty to other objects that perhaps lead to misery and disappointment (Freud). This is real in comparison to Frankenstein’s behavior in the film.

James Whale’s film is a good picture that illustrates the stages of development from the id, ego, and super ego. According to Freud, the role of the ego is to control the selfish desires of the id. In the film, Frankenstein later comes to realize that their ghostly creature is horrible and can cause harm to the society (Vieira). Therefore, he decides to lock the creature in the dungeon to tame it. Frankenstein comes into reality just as the ego bases its feeling about the reality. The ego ensures that we take care of one another in the society and protect our own desires.

Frankenstein later launches a manhunt for the creature. However, this is the most difficult part for humans in the society. They need freedom according to Freud, but humans are afraid of freedom since it comes with responsibility, which humans greatly fear.From the film, Frankenstein isolates himself from the normal life for various reasons. Analytically, one may argue that Frankenstein wanted to fulfill his own selfish ambition, which is true. We can also argue on the other hand that Frankenstein must be running from responsibilities therefore lacking freedom.

For this reason, he locks himself all the day in the lab. This argument conquers with Freud’s works in his book civilization and its discontents that human’s beings fear responsibilities and that responsibility is the key to freedom (Heffener). Frankenstein and Fritz fall into this trap of the desire to have power and success while underestimating the real value of life. For their desire to remain powerful, they develop a ghostly creature not knowing its real value of life. Perhaps the two thought they will be regarded as powerful scientists only for their work to end up disastrously.

ConclusionThe works of Frankenstein remains powerful to date as they reiterate the need to positive thinkers and not to dwell on our personal motives. This book will be important in this course as it will combine philosophy and literature as well. Works CitedFreud, Sigmund. Civilization and its Discontets. Washington: W. W. Norton & Company, 1929.Webling, Peggy. Peggy: Frankenstein. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1924.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(British literature 1785 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words, n.d.)
British literature 1785 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. https://studentshare.org/literature/1819914-british-literature-1785
(British Literature 1785 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
British Literature 1785 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/literature/1819914-british-literature-1785.
“British Literature 1785 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”. https://studentshare.org/literature/1819914-british-literature-1785.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF British literature 1785+

The effects of redundancy in an engineering workshop in the British Army

Name Institution Course Instructor Date Redundancy in REME british Workshop Many royal engineers and mechanical engineers in a british army workshop are becoming redundant together with the many others soldiers who vacate the forces each year.... Moreover, those who still hold onto their career leave at around 55, the vacating age of the total british military staff....
6 Pages (1500 words) Literature review

The Perception of Offensive Advertising

Advertising began in public spaces with wall paintings and merchants using their voices to attract and inform their customers....
10 Pages (2500 words) Literature review

Book Review on : The Chief- Douglas Haig and The British Army - Gary Sheffield

Sheffield best captures the controversy surrounding the army general in his book “The Chief- Douglas Haig and the british Army - Gary Sheffield.... ??… The author achieves this objective by the themes in the book that relate the role played by the general in the western front. The book The Chief- Douglas Haig and the british Army - Gary Sheffield Douglas Haig stands out as one of the most controversial army commander in the british history and, the history of the World War....
2 Pages (500 words) Literature review

Weight Loss Interventions in Psychology

This literature review "Weight Loss Interventions in Psychology" highlights the public health problem of obesity, its prevalence, as well as public health costs of the obesity epidemic while the broad focus of the paper will be on research and interventions in the public health problem of obesity.... hellip; This paper will review the research literature on weight loss treatments and importantly, how successful they are in the long term while considering any ethical issues....
10 Pages (2500 words) Literature review

Inequalities and Incentives in the Nigerian Education System

This paper presents the Nigerian Education System.... nbsp;Education inequality refers to the different learning results and efficacy that the student experience coming from various groups.... nbsp;Measurement of education effectiveness is done using grades.... hellip; As the report investigates education inequality is attributed to economic disparities that often fall on racial grounds and mostly in the modern conversation concerning educational equity conflates the two....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review

The Identity of 'Britishness' amongst Northern British Asians

The author of this literature review "The Identity of 'Britishness' amongst Northern British Asians" describes the historical perspective of the integration of the South Asian community into the modern British society and its growth pangs while in a state of transformation from a racial minority subject to ridicule and oppression in the past, to the present.... hellip; The review discusses the reasons for the propensity of the South Asians in specific residential areas due to their unique and culturally diverse identity and how their newfound prosperity as entrepreneurs and businessmen has inculcated in them a sense of belonging to the country and being more 'british'....
11 Pages (2750 words) Literature review

Investigation of Aggression and Bullying

The "Investigation of Aggression and Bullying" paper reviews of literature which encompasses major areas (a) definitions and theories of workplace bullying; (b) the relationship between personality and bullying behavior and personality and victimology; (c) characteristics of workplace bullying.... hellip; This literature review examined the prevalence of bullying in workplaces from a number of perspectives.... The literature reviewed is taken from the following EBSCO databases: Academic Search Premier, Master FILE Premier, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Psychology, and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, and PsyARTICLES a the internet....
6 Pages (1500 words) Literature review

Identity of the Indigenous Australians

hellip; Only 2% of the indigenous people are remaining today due to the erosion of culture and the colonization by the british.... From the paper "Identity of the Indigenous Australians", before 1788, Australia consisted of only indigenous people.... They lived in the islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea....
7 Pages (1750 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us