When I First Saw The Movie Frankenstein, I Realized That Hollywood Was

When I first saw the movie Frankenstein, I realized that Hollywood was still changing the classic novels. In their usual fashion, they changed the names of the characters to be somewhat pleasing to the audience. I guess Henry Frankenstein was a better wholesome name than Victor Frankenstein. Instead they saved the name Victor for the supporting actor because no one would care what they named him. Next they changed Elizabeth to Margaret for some unknown reason. By movie standards today, the monster looked like a man in bad makeup and stiff acting. In Mary Shelley's original interpretation, I envision a monster with pale Caucasian skin color, misshapen limbs and with more vocabularies than Ugh or Ahh. I have come to the realization that the 1931 movie review of Frankenstein and I share the same opinions for the movie. Though I did find the acting and the makeup mediocre, in 1931 it was as the film critic said, "the most effective of its kind." The background and scenery impressed me. Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory was indeed impressive. The elaborate machinery and sound effects added to the sense that life was being created, though they really did go into great detail as to how life was brought back from the dead. The review says that the actor portraying Frankenstein's monster, Boris Karloff, did not portray a robot but a man sewn together with an abnormal brain. However I believed that the monster acted like a robot in the scene with the little girl. The girl presented a set of instructions (throwing flowers in the lake). The monster then copied the instructions like a program. Unfortunately, the "abnormal" brain caused a bug or glitch in his programming which caused the death of the girl. Humans are programmed, like a robot or computer, to follow instruction to perform actions such as walking, talking, driving, or doing simple math. In a sense we humans are highly advanced mechanisms given the ability to comprehend and interpret. After the monster was created, Frankenstein boasts about his achievements. Demonstrating a perfect example of the God complex, he exclaims; " Now I know how God feels." It is man's greatest task to equal or surpass its creator. At the beginning of the novel, its atmosphere is completely different than that of the 1931 movie. First, the novel begins after Victor created the monster that killed Elizabeth. You realize immediately in the novel that there was no happy ending as the movie portrayed. Elizabeth is dead by the monster's hands and Victor has now become obsessed with hunting down and destroying the creature. You also find out in the novel the background information of why Victor is so in love with Elizabeth. The movie also fails to give a very good reason as to how Victor goes on this journey to bring life back to the dead. They forget to mention his studies into Natural Philosophy or Galvanism. The novel also describes a more dark and sinister outlook. The time he brings life to his creation, readers feel a dark chill down their spines. When he describes how the monster haunts him in the shadows, the readers start to feels as if the monster is watching. When it starts to commit other atrocities, shoc k and horror invade the mind. I believe the film was an unjust representation of the novel. The 1931 film gave a lighter representation. It begins to be a little disappointing watching the film after reading halfway through the novel. During the 1920's and 30's, mankind was involved in the search to improve the human race called Eugenics. I believe the 1818 novel and the 1931 film were perfect examples of how the idea of eugenics was so widespread. At this time scientists were working on ways to create life that rivaled God, whether to create perfect children free of disease or to create the super soldier to fight their wars. It was even being suggested to create towns selected with the best of mankind. However, as in the movie and novel, the question of should we manipulate the forces of nature comes into the equation. The movie could be meant as a warning on the evils of eugenics. Though it seems

Society and Culture in Provincial America

Society and Culture in Provincial America The article titled, Crime and social control in provincial Massachusetts, by David Flaherty is basically a review of criminal activity in modern America. The analysis is majorly focused in the state of Massachusetts which in real sense represents a big part of what is generally referred to as provincial America.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Society and Culture in Provincial America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The article tries to bring out the importance of social control in addressing the issue of criminality in the United States. Among the major issues highlighted include the maintenance of homogeneity in the population, the establishment of a proper system for the prosecution of criminals as well as the involvement of certain interest groups (such as church leaders) in commending appropriate behavior and rebuking undesired character. This article is very relevant to the course as it clearly provides an i llustration of how different components of society influence each other’s development over certain periods of time. Aside from this, American history focuses on various aspects of societal development including the development of criminal law and its application in conjunction with other strategies to reduce vices in society. The author’s main line of argument is that society makes criminals. This is drawn from his proposition that in order to address the issue of rampant crime, it is important for persons to first look at the roles they play in ensuring that the society around them is safe (Tolles 1957, 102). This includes encouraging the individual to personally exercise ideal morality before trying to establish ways of making the community function as a strong cohesive whole. According to the author, crime keeps on developing new facets as the years pass by. Provincial and national crimes are basically on an upward trend this is the main reason why the relevant crim e-prevention authorities need to draw on the resources and skills of different members of their teams in order to arrest the situation. The author explains that crime cannot only be tackled using policing methods only. He asserts that there are some types of criminal activities, such as those linked to drug abuse, which are prevented by tackling the underlying challenge. These, the author says are dealt with by modifying the environment in which they happen or sometimes by altering the social conditions that are purported to have basic linkages as far as the activities are concerned. Flaherty also asserts that in order to reduce crime, a conscious effort has to be made in order to provide support to those individuals who fall victim to the acts of criminals. This, according to him provides the required support to police investigations as well as to ensure that victims are not targeted again.Advertising Looking for article on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Using facts from the Massachusetts provincial criminal records over a given period of time, the author establishes that the art of crime prevention is an analytical process that starts by establishing the causes of criminal acts, the damage they cause to the victims and the amount of resources and skills that will be used to properly mitigate the situation. In this regard, Flaherty suggests that the prevention of criminal activities is most likely going to be effective if the strategies are based in the regions closest the occurrence, i.e. the interventions are more effective if carried out at a provincial level than at a national level. The approach taken is even more effective if a number of problem solving strategies are directed towards the solution of one criminal activity (Frank 2008, 238). Provincial governments, therefore, have a very critical duty as far as the control and prevention of crime is concerned (McDougall 2005, 46). The article has served to enlighten me in a number of ways, both as a scholar and as an individual. First is the fact that I have been able to establish the correlation between individual conduct and its effect in the security and character of society. In this regard, the article has shown me that change in society starts with the individual and that it is only until every member of a given community decides to lead a positive life that change happens. Secondly, I have been able to understand how the provincial culture determines the outlook of the entire society and that the input of various key social groupings can impact on a regions history. Pertaining to this, I have been able to link the basic social unit i.e. the family to the development of individual character which in turn has an impact on proper societal functioning. In his article, David Flaherty has raised a number of important questions. Top on the list is whether or not the destruction of the family structu re is responsible for the surging crime rates. His discussion appears to support the ideology that stability of the family set up is important in the raising of a responsible citizenry. Another question raised by the author and which has also been resolved is the connections are between various social vices such as alcoholism and crime. The author suggests that it is imperative for agencies handling crime to address the underlying issues while seeking solutions for criminal activities.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Society and Culture in Provincial America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Flaherty, David.1981. â€Å"Crime and Social Control in Provincial Massachusetts†. The  Historical Journal, 24, pp 339-360 Frank, Andrew. 2008. American Revolution: people and perspectives. California: ABC-CLIO McDougall, Walter. 2005. Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American  History: 1585-1828. New York: HarperCollins Tolles, Frederick. 1957. James Logan and the culture of provincial America. New York: Little Brown