Frankenstein Essay
10th Grade Honors
Things You Did Well
• Excellent overall
understanding of the text
• Quotes were explained very
well
• Nice creative hooks and
introductory paragraphs
• Polished writing overall
• Good depth of thought /
elaboration
VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Things To Work On
• Stating Claims CLEARLY
• Addressing the prompt
• Incorporating THEME and
SIGNIFICANCE into claims
• Introducing and integrating
quotes
• Using ANALYSIS to move
from the text to significance /
personal insight
Fail…
Addressing the Prompt
•
ROLE OF KNOWLEDGE: In an expository essay using the concept of theme, discuss the
author’s warning regarding the role of knowledge and whether there should be a limit placed upon
what we should know. Then connect that idea to today by discussing possible implications.
•
NATURE VS NURTURE: In an expository essay using the concept of theme, discuss how the
novel utilizes Nature vs. Nurture to make a greater point about what shapes people and their
decisions. Then relate to any possible inferences that can be made in today’s society.
•
NOBLE INTENTIONS: In an expository essay using the concept of theme, make a claim about
how the novel treats the concept of noble intentions and then relate this idea to our society today
by making inferences.
•
EVIL: In an expository essay using the concept of theme, discuss how the book treats the
concept of evil by making a claim about who or what is responsible for the tragedies that occur.
Then connect this idea by making inferences to our society today.
•
NATURE: In an expository essay using the concept of theme, show how Shelley’s novel furthers
Romantic notions regarding Nature and experience and critiques the Enlightenment ideas
regarding industrialism, reason, and logic. Conclude by discussing possible implications this has
for our society today.
Using THEME in a paper
• There are TWO main ways to incorporate
THEME into your paper
1) Make a CLAIM using a THEME
STATEMENT

Then PROVE that theme by making sub-claims
ABOUT that theme
2) Make a CLAIM about the text and connect to
THEME in your ANALYSIS of the text.

Move from the text to universal significance
through analysis
Using THEME in your CLAIMS
• Strong claims utilized themes to universalize
▫ Nature vs. Nurture
 “People are largely defined and shaped by their upbringing, which includes the impact of
having parental guidance”
 “The Creature also shows us that we are nurtured into knowing our limitations.”
▫ The Role of Knowledge
 “When people try to take nature into their own hands and “play god” many things can go
wrong leading to unnatural presences in nature”
 “When one’s pursuit of knowledge delves into the unnatural, Nature will find a way to
correct it and punish the inquirer”
▫ Evil
 “Through the experiences of the Creature, we learn that society judges purely based on
appearances”
 “The world has this automatic hatred for those who are disfigured and/or unusual and this
hatred is shown clearly in the Creature’s everyday life and upbringing.”
Weak Claims
• Weak claims don’t make strong points about the
text that can be connected to SIGNIFICANCE
 Victor’s first committed pursuit of knowledge occurs
when he hears M. Waldman give a lecture in school.
 We see Victor’s fixation on gaining knowledge at a
very young age.
 One of the first examples of people abhorring the
Creature from first sight are the DeLaceys.
Using THEME in ANALYSIS of TEXT
• Claim: It was through his short lived life experiences that the
Creature was able to differentiate between feelings, emotions,
sounds and other important human characteristics.
▫ Evidence: The Creature describes his earliest impression of existence:
“No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was confused. I felt light, and
hunger, and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sounds rung in my ears,
and on all sides various scents saluted me: the only object that I could
distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with
pleasure” (Shelley 93). The monster’s mind was overcrowded and
overwhelmed by all of the sensory awareness he suddenly had.
 Analysis: The fact that Shelley describes the mental state of the Creature in
this manner helps to establish that he was truly a blank slate until he was
corrupted by society. Which reveals that environment has a larger role in
shaping who we are than nature.
Non-Specific or WEAK Topic Sentences
(Claims)
• Shelley warns about the dangers of knowledge through
Frankenstein’s scientific pursuits and through Victor himself while
telling Walton of his experiences.
• A very determined hunt for knowledge is shown when Victor goes to
school, prepares to build the creature, and builds the creature.
• The first example that the novel shows is through the Creature’s
story.
Excellent Topic Sentences
• “With Frankenstein, Shelley points out several suggestions that our
nurture and our lessons learned through experience are both more
important for dictating the adult we will grow up to be because we
are all born a blank slate or a “tabula rasa”, because we are designed
genetically to depend on our parents to teach us how to survive in
society, and because our bodies and minds still have a bulk of
growing to do, making a new mind more impressionable.”
Breaking up Claims with Supports (Sub-Claims)
• When dealing with a BIG CLAIM, instead of just looking
for EXAMPLES of a given claim it is stronger to break
that argument down into sub-claims and prove those
smaller claims
▫ Victor’s situation proves to us that knowledge is addicting
(Claim)
 Victor’s dedication to his studies causes him to lose connection
with his friends and family due to his thirst for knowledge and
understanding. (Support)
 “In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and
there is nothing more to know; butin a scientific pursuit there is a
continual food for discovery and wonder” (Shelley 29) (Evidence)
Misplaced Claims
• “The misfortune that is bestowed upon Victor is because of his
pursuit of knowledge (TS). Victor Frankenstein, from the
beginning, was fascinated by learning. Against his father’s wishes,
Victor pursued knowledge by studying various fields of sciences and
finally settling on studying life, this is then when Victor becomes
interested in finding the answer to death. The answer he found was
life, and from this discovery he begins working on creating an article
life form for which he will be “god.” However, upon finalizing his
creation, he was mortified and ran from it “[…] I had finished the
beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust
foiled bmy heart…” (Shelley 58). At this point in time, Victor’s thirst
for knowledge has started a chain reaction. After finishing the
Creature, Victor abandons it leaving this creature without any sort
of nurture to help keep it on the path of good, thus Victor is setting
himself up for bad luck. (Claim proving the TS)
Moving Claims to the BEGINNING
• The misfortune that is bestowed upon Victor is because of his pursuit of
knowledge (TS). Victor becomes so blinded in his pursuit of truth that he is
unable to see the consequences of his actions which sets him up for bad luck
and misery. Victor Frankenstein, from the beginning, was fascinated by
learning. Against his father’s wishes, Victor pursued knowledge by studying
various fields of sciences and finally settling on studying life, this is then
when Victor becomes interested in finding the answer to death. The answer
he found was life, and from this discovery he begins working on creating an
article life form for which he will be “god.” However, upon finalizing his
creation, he was mortified and ran from it “[…] I had finished the beauty of
the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust foiled bmy heart…”
(Shelley 58). At this point in time, Victor’s thirst for knowledge has started
a chain reaction. After finishing the Creature, Victor abandons it leaving
this creature without any sort of nurture to help keep it on the path of good.
Victor “creates” his own bad luck due to this string of events stemming from
his love of knowledge which demonstrates how pursuing knowledge too
vigorously can bring unfortunate consequences. (Analysis leading to
Theme)
Plot Summary vs. Claims
• Another example of the acquisition of knowledge leading to fear is the
accidental killing of Victor’s brother, William. The creature, at this point in
time, has set fire to the home of the DeLaceys, and has decided to seek out
his creator, Victor, in Geneva. One night during the Creature’s journey, he
decides to take a rest in the woods. While resting, he sports a young child
and his father walk by. The Creatures’s plan was to have a friend that he
could educate as his own, one that was innocent and unpredjudiced. “Uged
by this impulse, I seized the boy as he passed and drew him towards me.”
(102) Here we can see that the creature’s intentions were benevolent, but
later on, we find out that his good intentions were feared by William. “’Let
me go,’ he crid; ‘monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me and tear me to
pieces – You are not an ogre – Let me go, or I will tell my papa.’” (102)
Here, we see that William’s fear of the monster is overwhelming. William
accepts his fate, but he knows he will not go out without a fight.
Claim – Evidence - Analysis
• Nature will right things, and in this situation balance came with
Victor’s death. As Victor concludes his tale to Walton, he
acknowledges that his life will never return to normal. He looks at
Walton and regretfully pronounces: “But such is not my destiny; I
must pursue and destroy the being to whom I gave existence; then
my lot on earth will be fulfilled, and I may die” (158). Victor is
saying that the only reason he is still alive is because it is his duty to
finish the Creature, and only then will he be allowed the comfort of
death. Nature has taken its toll: Victor delved into the unnatural
and he has and is paying for it. With the murder of his family and
his inevitable death, Nature restores the balance. This is an
important aspect to keep in mind as scientists continue to
investigate debatable things...
Tips and Tricks
• Try introducing quotes with a colon (:)
▫ Victor explains how sometimes, knowledge isn’t the
most important thing in life: “How dangerous is the
acquirement of knowledge…” (Shelley 54)
• Use TRANSITIONS to signify that you are moving to a
new claim or example in your paragraph
▫ Moreover, Shelley reveals that knowledge can lead to
physical illness.
Writing Conventions
• Things to Avoid:
▫
▫
▫
▫
First Person
Second Person
Repeating Phrases
Rhetorical Questions
 “Sure instincts are important, they help you survive, but how can we survive only
with instincts?”
▫ Opinions
 I believe… I think… I feel…
▫ Contractions
 Can’t, couldn’t, it’s, would’ve, weren’t, etc.
▫ Making arguments about the reader
 “Nevertheless, the reader knows that there is a correlation between the
acquirement of knowledge and Victor falling ill”
▫ Hypothetical arguments
 “If Victor would have created a female creature, the Creature would have …”
PROOFREAD
• Proofread to avoid silly mistakes:
▫ “Marry Shelley”
 I WANT TO MARRY SHELLEY
▫ Capitalize NAMES
 victor, the creature, walton, etc.
▫ Italicize Books
 Frankenstein, Paradise Lost, Lives, etc.
▫ MLA errors
 Missing Works Cited
 Times New Roman size 12
 Remove Extra spaces