The Pit and Pendulum

The story starts with the narrator on trial and the reason is not told. The narrator falls asleep again and again and the images he sees after awaking are different. The candle appears and then disappears, which diminish the narrator’s hope. Afterwards, he awakes in darkness, finding his way by touching. When he wakes up into light, a razor sharp pendulum is getting closer and closer and there are rats. In addition, the pendulum somehow counts down the time he has left.

Poe describes the feeling of the narrator elaborately, which makes the readers have feeing of virtually being there. In my opinion, the descriptions of the environment and the narrator’s mind build the suspense throughout

The lottery

The village have a person die each year and they use the lottery to choose that person. In the beginning, the weather and the villagers seem harmless, which makes the reader feel easy, yet the children that playing around with stones seem cheerful. This makes a contrast with the end of the story, Mrs. Hutchinson would be hit by stones until she is dead.

Unlike big cities that have diversity of people, small towns usually have few dwellers, which will make people have strong bonds between each other. Therefore, traditions are inherited and will not be changed easily. Without regarding the reason and the origin of the tradition, people just follow the tradition. No one in the small town knows when the tradition begin and no one will doubt it. They are ignorant, following the tradition unquestioningly.

In our society, we also have a few traditions that followed by people without considering. For instance, people letting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year. According to a myth, there will be a monster coming down from mountains during the New Year, so people use firecrackers to threaten the monster. Additionally, they also let firecrackers for celebrating Chinese New Year. However, the loud noise from firecrackers always annoy citizens. There is no monster and celebration do not need to deal with firecracker. Some people even let them for fun. This tradition may also be reference by Shirley. If people think more, they will find out that letting firecrackers do nothing for New Year.

compare and contrast of Frankenstein and the monster

People might think that the monster was extremely different with his creator when they first looking at the story. Victor was intelligent and he had family who loved him, in contrast, the monster had horrible appearance that would scare people, furthermore, he was isolated and alienated by human. However, as the story developed, Frankenstein resembled to his creature gradually. Unable to tell the truth to his friends and families and feeling blameful for creating the monster, Frankenstein was pressed day and night. “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base.”“Cursed, cursed creator! …with their shrieks and misery. ”These two quotes were stated by Victor and the monster; we can easily see their anger toward each other. They treated each other with hatred. The hatred in their mind is the first  similarity I thought about when I compared these two.

Secondly, although in the last half of the story is filled with negative emotion because of the monster and its creator, the beautiful landscapes and gorgeous humans are not forgettable. We can easily detect the monster’s and Frankenstein’s love of splendid view.“I remained two days…my journey towards Geneva.”During Victor’s journey, he was always amazed even healed by the pleasant landscapes; and the monster was also attracted by natural scenes or pretty women.

These two should ignore their bias and aversion and try to communicate gently.

The Monster's Version

How has your perception of the monster changed after hearing his version of events? Do you believe Dr.Frankenstein should create a companion for him?

After hearing the monster’s statement,  I felt for him.  The quote,“ I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pities me? ”, tells the readers that it is human who makes the monster become malicious. If it were not for human’s cruelness, the monster might be gentle and generous. Being treated severely by human, the monster feel disheartened. “Should she indeed awake, and see me, and curse me, and denounce the murderer? ”When the monster saw Justine,whom the monster thought was blooming in the loveliness of youth and health, he was once moved by her looking nevertheless he blamed on her by putting the portrait in Justine’s pocket. The quote shows that he is disappointed for human; he could not trust human easily. Therefore, he killed Justine indirectly without talking to her. In the monster’s version of events, I feel the irresponsibility of Frankenstein. Though the family and William are the people who has actually get in touch with the monster and make the monster become this way, Frankenstein is the culprit.

I believe Frankenstein should create a female monster for the monster. First of all, because of Frankenstein, the monster has  already made a few mistakes; Frankenstein should redeem the monster. Secondly, the monster affirmed that once Frankenstein give him the female monster he would go to the vast wilds of South America with the female monster. Third, whether Frankenstein create a companion for the monster, he cannot against the monster’s power; if the monster revenge after the female monster being created, Frankenstein won’t be capable of fighting back. In contrast, if the monster is sincere,but Frankenstein does not keep his word, his friends and family might be destroyed by the monster. 

In conclusion, no matter what choice would Frankenstein make, he would not defeat the monster; he should just keep his promise beginning to create the female monster.

Frankenstein

Although it sounds cruel to say that Frankenstein has full responsibility for the monster’s crime, we can’t deny that is Frankenstein who created the monster. For the monster, Frankenstein is the person who gave him birth, who made him up and who brought him to the world; Frankenstein is just like the monster’s father.  When the monster came to the world, all he saw was a frightened human ran away from him; he didn’t even have a chance to ask the question. We all know that Frankenstein was shocked by the looking of the monster, but none would abandon a child just because he or she has ugly looking. Apart from the appearance of the monster, Frankenstein is still the person who has the whole responsibility for the monster. The monster was created by Frankenstein. He is the person who stayed at the lab day and night because of “producing” the monster. When the moment the monster opened his eyes, Frankenstein has to be responsible for the monster. 

In addition, the readers may think that the monster is ruthless and bloody, but he is just like a child. He just came to the world and he have no parents. In now society, when the criminal is under eighteen years old, aren't the parents who have to be responsible for the kid?

Misuses of Feminist Rhetoric

The commander has misused the feminist rhetoric, in the story, the commanders seem to have given protection for women, however, it is actually taking women’s freedom away. I think Offred does not agree with the commander. In the story, the quote“Women were not protected then. I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew… Don’t go into a laundromat, by yourself at night.”shows that Offred has experienced the time that women were still free and she always recalls the things that she done together with Luke.

If i lived at that era, I would totally disagree the commanders’ respond. 

Even though the society that commanders created did give women protection, but it deprived women’s right indeed. I don’t want to live under the society that I cannot decide what I want to wear myself.

The Handmaid's Tale Summary

    On Friday, our group mentioned Moira was a gay, but we were wondering why she had not been send out since then was a strict society; and we also thought that Moira's escape would waver Offred's mind, but Offred would not leave since she had no courage and she fell in love with the commander. We thought the reason that Offred fell in love with the commander is that their interactions reminded Offred about past, like Luke and her. Furthermore, the sentence "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum", which appeared in page 52 and page 185, was a significant part for the handmaid who suited and the commander. It was their important connection.

    I found out a news relate to the Handmaid's Tale; a thirty-five-year-old women, Amira Osman Hamed, is a civil engineer. Refusing wearing the Hijab to cover her hair, she was arrested and charged with committing "indecent dress" and "contrary to public morality" on August 27. If she was convicted, she may be flogged for penalty. Both of the society and the government in the news and the Handmaid's Tale was limiting “women’s” dressing. The sentence “Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us. The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen. “ in The Handmiad's Tale showed that the society thought women should be in a certain way. They had to cover their bodies and their hair without any comment. It seems like if they had revolted, the would have the same effect like Amira Osman Hamed. However, in our society, there are still many people support Amira Osman Hamed, complimenting she is a brave women.