Event Blog

The event that I attended for this weeks blog was the showing of Bride of Frankenstein in the Loyola- Notre Dame Library. It was an interesting event to attend mainly because it was during the time our class was reading Frankenstein and participating in discussions about the novel. While we were making connections in class I was able to see a different perspective when seeing the movie. This event also allowed me to explore Loyola and learn about new areas. Most of our discussion in class was related to the relationship between characters and also companionship in life. We discussed how one of the main themes that was evident in the novel was the search for a companion in your life. Both Dr. Frankenstein and the monster where taking part in that search.
The film, however, portrayed a different perspective in Dr. Frankenstein's life. It showed incentive and the reasons for doing something. Throughout the movie Frankenstein wants to settle into a normal life and be done with his creation from the past but intruding forces do not allow him to do so. Dr. Pretorius and the monster both involve themselves in Frankenstein's life and want to create a new monster. Frankenstein is against this creation until his wife is kidnapped by the monster. This kidnapping has given Frankenstein a new reason to build a mate for the monster, his wife will be returned safely if done. This connects to Mukherjee's short story. The father found out the the baby was not created by natural sexual ways but rather through a doctor, it gave him a personal reason for destroying the life of the baby by hitting the mother. Towards the end of the film when the monster realized that even his bride was horrified at the sight of him he realized that they all needed to be brought back to the dead. That encounter with her gave him an incentive to destroy the tower and all those in it. Seeing this movie allowed me to view the readings for this week in a different vantage point and apply them to life and events that go on around me.
Both of the poems, “Directions for Resisting the SAT” and “First Practice” contain ideas that I can relate to. Richard Hague's poem speaks of a test that many college freshman have taken not to long ago. The SAT can be based on luck and does not always accurately represent a students skill. By naming specifics such as “October or May” and “lie about numbers”, Hague makes the poem more personal to the reader. He portrays the message that don't let this test decide what you do with your life. This test should motivate you to “make your marks on everything”, the person taking this test should prove that they don't need a test to show what type of person they are. It relates to the event because the monster didn't need a companion to show that he wasn't ugly, his thoughts and mindset showed his true looks, he was not a bad person and didn't need a mate to tell him that.
Gary Gildner brings the reader behind the scenes of a coach speaking to his players in “First Practice”. He does it through the eyes of a player causing the reader to feel the same emotions that all of the players on the team feel. The coach seems harsh in the beginning of the poem with his appearance and words such as “he was a man who believed dogs at dogs”. But the poem shows the incentive of the coach doing it. His reasoning lies behind the taste of victory. He is a coach who wants to win, so he will push his players to feel the same way. This poem speaks of a coach's desire to win and it portrays his reasons for wanting to win and pushing his players.
The short story “A Father” by Bharati Mukherjee is a story with many issues and layers. One of the main overall themes is the cultural assimilation the family is undergoing as the live their life in America. At the same time the father is more of a traditional person who follows his religion while the rest of his family are agnostic. This causes troubles in the family as issues arise with the father spending too much time on prayer. This is similar to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as Victor becomes obsessed with his work and does not spend enough time with his family. Another issues comes up in the story when the father realizes his daughter is pregnant. He keeps it to himself but eventually his wife finds out. His wife becomes enraged and the father does not understand why, he is happy for her until he hears that the man who impregnated her was “a bottle and a syringe” rather than a human. This infuriates the father who hits his daughters womb with the rolling pin. His motive for doing so was he did not approve of those methods.
Stephanie Shapiro's short story, “Serving up Hope” relates to the event from this week and the poem “Directions for Resisting the SAT.” It is the story of a couple attempting to change society and to give people a second chance. They take convicts and drug abusers and allow them to become part of their 'family' and help them run their restaurants. Bridget and Glen are making their mark on society. They are trying to change the world and the way people view people who have done wrong. This connects to the theme of incentive and motive for this weeks readings.