There is also Dr Lanyon, who is seen to be completely opposed to the science of Jekyll but loses his Victorian values to his curiosity when Jekyll reveals his secret. The contrast of “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case” to the narrative of Mr Utterson in the other chapters of this book shows duality because Mr Utterson uses the other characters as a point of view whereas Jekyll’s statement of the case looks from only his perspective. Stevenson uses the lasting moral message that good and evil are conflicting inside people - the way that savagery and civilisation contrast and our effects on religion and science. Robert Louis Stevenson uses the character of Sir Danvers Carew to portray that civilisation and religion are important for good people whereas Mr Hyde shows evil through his curiosity of life and his height to represent youth, showing that Jekyll’s youthful sins; which were not explained in detail are replicated as Hyde. This is a comment on Victorian values that Stevenson is making.
Ibbetson makes a blatant appeal to authority by saying that lack of god in the debate over stem cell research will lead to “…an ending point worse than past atrocities.” Not only does Ibbetson contradict himself by having earlier criticized Bush for basing his stance on stem cell research on his religious beliefs, he also manages to somehow tie Hitler back into the debate, although far more subtly this time around through the use of the phrase “past atrocities.” When taking an outward perspective at the argument Ibbetson makes one can realize how ridiculous it truly is. Aside from actually providing any legitimate solutions, Ibbetson essentially states that Stem cell research is a godless and vile science and in Obama’s support of it he will only succeed in reenacting actions brought forth by Hitler. Based merely on the first amendment alone Ibbetson’s final statement clearly has no place in the real life debate on stem cell research, however aside from that its only purpose is the same as any of his other arguments, to demonize those that actually support stem cells by essentially stating they are going against
The theme of disruption refers to the unbalancing of what is natural, a theme which is explored and opinionated in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1817) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Director’s cut), where ‘disruptive’ actions of individuals, involving the exploitation of nature, bring about [ironically] the character’s own downfall, and more importantly, an undesired outcome whilst playing god. The critical theme outlined in both texts is humanity’s desire for power which leads to the rejection of our natural world, and this, by extension, means turning to technology and other unconventional methods in order to gain knowledge and distinction. Shelley specifically cautions against scientific advancement and the obsession which follows
The importance of discovery is measure by the impact it has on people. To seek knowledge and enlightenment is a central part of human nature. The importance of discovery is usually determined by the amount of impact it has on us as the unimportant discoveries are usually realised and forgotten. “Small Mercies” and “Big World” are short stories from the anthology The Turning by Tim Winton which assesses the impact discoveries have on each character. The song “don’t want you back” by Backstreet Boys and the poem “a snowflake falls” by Ruth Adams are powerful examples of the amount of impact discoveries have on the characters .
Question: How has your understanding of the concept 'The Wild' been enhanced through your study of your class texts’? The concept of nature is how nature has the ability to be seen as a source of inspiration, reflection and renewal. The concept is profoundly displayed through the persuasive literature of poems and visual emotive effects of films. Ultimately the texts have reshaped, translated and revolutionised the concept of nature. Nature through diverse texts is deeply analysed and the concept is challenged and explored making personal, social and political comments on nature through strong, persuasive techniques and understandings to shape the reader’s view.
By casting Richard (a York) as a villain Shakespeare is affirming to his Elizabethan audience of the emergent middle class and the nobility of the Tudor’s legitimate right to rule over England. The play also reflects the tension between providentalism and the growing secular interest in free will. This shift from God’s will to free will is particularly evident in the character of Richard as he fights for power and leadership, disregarding his conscience and religion. Al Pacino’s 1996 documentary Looking for Richard produced for an American audience that fails to see how Shakespeare is relevant to the world around them “It has always been a dream of mine to communicate how I feel about Shakespeare to others”. However like Richard III, Looking for Richard was set after another significant conflict in the Cold War.
This explains why God did not simply step in and save us from the worst effects of our choices. For humans to have a genuine relationship with God it is only possible to do through our own decisions and this requires freewill, and this is supported by Richard Swinburne and Søren Kierkegaard’s example of the King and the peasant. Freewill is a necessary characteristic according to Soren Kierkegaard as he aims to put forward his idea through the tale of the King and the peasant. The parable is that a King falls in love with a peasant girl and does not want to appear to her as a king as she will be fearful and this would not be genuine love, so he decides to disguise himself as a peasant as a way for her get to know him and genuinely fall in love with him. This is similar to the circumstance of God and human freewill.
Frankenstein was being written in a time when philosophers and writers such as Rousseau and John Locke where developing their ideas on the human condition. Rousseau’s Theory of Natural Human, which acknowledged that morality was not a societal construct but rather “natural” and “innate”, is questioned throughout the novel. Shelley examines the effect of society and knowledge on the innate goodness of the Creature, suggesting that he has become the monster that Victor sees him as because of the unwillingness of his creator to accept him and nurture him. The idea that humans’ innate goodness is tainted and polluted by society is present when the Creature expresses that his “sorrow only increased with knowledge” and this “increase of knowledge only discovered to [him] more clearly what wretched outcast [he] was”. The relationship between Frankenstein and the Creature is also paralleled with that of Lucifer and God and this is shown when the Creature, a symbol of humankind, acknowledges that “I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed”, suggesting that had it been nurtured/educated, it would have become an
John looks at both worlds through the lenses of the religion he got from the Reservation-a mixture of Christianity and American Indian beliefs - and the old-fashioned morality he learned from reading Shakespeare. He tries to adapt; he deludes himself into thinking that the world he entered is a better one. He faces civilized society with a bright outlook, but eventually comes to hate it bitterly. His beliefs contradict those of the brave new world, as he shows it in his struggle over sex with Lenina and his fight with the system after his mother dies. In the Matrix, conflict between technology and individuality is more hidden in the intricate illusion of the world woven by the
Fundamentalism vs. Freedom of Thought Although the trial in Inherit the Wind concerns the battle between creationism and evolutionism, a deeper conflict exists beneath the surface. Drummond points to this more basic issue when he asks his young witness Howard whether he believes in Darwin. When the boy responds that he hasn’t made up his mind, Drummond insists that the boy’s freedom to think—to make up his own mind—is what is actually on trial. The creationists in the play, who adhere to rigid, fundamental Christian doctrines, are a conservative force that has prescribed for Hillsboro society how their minds should be made up. Their conservatism is rooted in fear.