Do you agree with these comments about Troll?

http://www.librarything.com/work/53393

Intriguing ideas about The Metamorphosis

What do you think about these ideas about The Metamorphosis?

http://www.kafka.org/index.php?id=203,249,0,0,1,0

Student notecard comments about contemporary issues linked to Frankenstein

You can choose to explore one of these issues in your Frankenstein essay, so getting discussion going here will help people sharpen ideas.  Which ideas do you agree ot disagree with? Which could you add to, expand, or deepen?

Here is what I collected from the notecards people wrote on during class on October 9:

Steroids: “experiments that compromise the humanity of a person should not be inflicted on society . . . people using steroids have developed aggression and an overgrowth of muscle . . .this is cheating . . .what happened to Frankenstein’s creature was like steroids” [Hmmm—is the creature almost experiencing ‘roid rage?]

Stem cell research: ability to make nearly any kind of replacement tissue for human body from stem cells . . .beneficial for organ transplant needs, but many feel creating life in a lab in unethical . . .are we taking it too far to artificially reproduce life? [is your loved one could potentially be cured of Parkinson’s or some other disease through the use of stem cell research, does it change the picture?]

Cloning: Victor had no moral right to experiment with nature and evolution. No one species should have the ability to strive for knowledge, power and curiosity by creating an inhuman being. This creature’s life is similar to a living being who has been cloned . . . (2) this kind of knowledge could be very useful and scientists could build on it in the future. The only unethical part of Frankenstein is that Dr Frankenstein used dead parts from random corpses . . . (3) cloning is pushing us past the ethical limits of science . . . human cloning would change the way we live drastically. (4) I don’t think that there should be any limits on science. The goal of science is to improve the quality of life. . . .Cloning can be used as something that can preserve lives. Cloning guarantees that there will be organs readily available for real people. Clones should be frozen until we need them.[so human clones would not be “real” people? ]

Plastic surgery: the availability of plastic surgery “gives the message that you’re supposed to look like a certain image, which causes self esteem issues for society.” [could be linked to beauty/ugliness issues in Frankenstein).

Genetic engineering: “Frankenstein was unethical by creating the creature because he altered a person’s natural life (how so?). This compares to people being altered before birth to look a certain way or have certain qualities. Limits should be placed on affecting people before birth or after death (in the case of Frankenstein). . .(2) limits should be placed on science—people don’t need to be choosing whether their baby is a boy or girl, has a certain color eyes and hair, or is athletic or not—they should be happy with what they get . . .(3) science sometimes goes too far and should take a step back and let nature take its path and allow things to work out how they are supposed to (4) science should not be able to determine a person’s characteristics (5) science is great for developing medicines to cure diseases, but on the other hand, I believe that NO ONE has the right to alter the body’s genes [but what is gene altering can cure someone?]

Frankenfood: “I know that they are trying to grow meat that does not feel and is edible. This keeps PETA happy and also introduces a new meat industry. We can make it lean, full of protein, and taste just like chicken. There are no limits. I’d name it Frankenmeat.”

Brain-machine interfaces

Here’s yet another Frankenstein–contemporary science ethics question: if we can control machines through brain-implants, is there a possibility that we give up some of our human freedom or sense of self? Read this short piece and share what you think:
Brain-machine

Cyborg videos

Here is a site where you can watch some videos about cyborg (robot) possibilities. How far should humans go with this?Cyborg videos

What are the pros and cons of getting a memory chip in our brains?

Memory chips may help people with memory loss, but what if rich people could afford these as an educational enhancement? What do you think? Memory chip

How does Frankenstein connect to issues of prosthetics, like a disabled sprinter’s “cheetah” legs that disqualified him from Olympics?

How far can we/should we go with considering technological additions to our bodies? Compared to what we could have with technological help, might we all be disabled, in way? Where do we draw the line? Respond to the information on this site: Frankenstein complex: technological additions to body

How does Frankenstein connect to questions of genetic engineering?

The attached article explains some recent developments in “designer babies.” For our upcoming Frankenstein essays, you can investigate how the text touches upon debates still current today, so check out this one and share what you think about people choosing the sex, and perhaps eventually the looks or intelligence, of their baby, and/or why this debate is often linked to issues raised in Frankenstein. Embryo Police

Helpful Writing Links

This link is just helpful for improving writing.  Whether you are an English Major or a Business Major writing is an important skill.  I realize that most people aren’t going to just read this for fun, but some of the links are really brief and easy things to improve writing.  Other ones just have more creative and accessible ways to view a lot of the basic rules of grammar.  There are also some downloads on the page for different spell checks or file conversions if those are problems you are having.  Anyway, hope this can be of some help as a ancillary resource.

http://www.bspcn.com/2009/06/29/50-helpful-resources-that-will-enhance-your-writing-skills/

Money’s Progressive Research

How does Money’s research and paper from Harvard affect the way we view his decisions.  Think about Colapinto’s decision to place this information at the end of the piece.  How dies this affect you as a reader?  Do you think the book is biased against John Money?