Dr. Coffman, ENG IV DE/H

Transcription

1 Frankenstein Portfolio Project Dr. Coffman, ENG IV DE/H For the next few weeks, we will be working to complete a portfolio reflecting our work with the novel Frankenstein. The portfolio will contain 5 sections (outlined below). The final portfolio should be placed in a three-pronged folder and should include a title page/cover sheet and table of contents. The portfolio due date is. This portfolio counts as TWO TEST grades. All work is to be completed as an individual. There is no group work on this assessment. Each component should demonstrate critical thinking about the novel and include citations from the novel as appropriate. Portfolio You must complete project(s) from EACH of the five categories: Category I Criminal Analysis Component (Must complete the first option and then choose one from the other two options) Create criminal profiles of Frankenstein or the monster (see worksheets with questions). Create a crime scene diagram of at least two murders in the book (see handout for crime scene work). Create a list of modern crimes the monster or Victor could be tried for along with citations from the text that prove he intended to commit these crimes. Category II Creative Writing Component (Choose TWO) Write an editorial for the newspaper expressing your views on Dr. Frankenstein s ethical dilemma. Rewrite a scene from the novel from the objective point of view and explain how it changes the tone and mood of the work. Rewrite a scene (see list) from the novel but make it modern and use a new technology. The novel uses an epistolary structure. Select a character other than Robert Walton or Victor Frankenstein and compose a series of three letters from that character to any other character. The letters should demonstrate an understanding of characterization, conflict, development, etc. Category III Artistic interpretation (Choose TWO) Create a storyboard/ graphic novel (ten panels minimum) of a scene from the novel. Create a soundtrack for ten of the novel s chapters. You must summarize the chapter and tell why you picked the song you did in a paragraph. Bonus points for including an actual mix CD of the project. Create a book cover for the novel. Be sure to include the front and back cover. Think of the various elements to include such as title, author, image(s), significant quote(s), reviews, etc. Create a collage on a sheet of typing paper depicting one of the themes of the novel. The collage should include elements from the novel (e.g., quotes, images) as well as connections to the world outside the novel (e.g., images, photographs, headlines, movies, quotes, etc.)

2 Category IV Essay (Choose one) and compose an essay ( words). Include citations. The horror story is just as popular today as it was in Shelley s early nineteenth century England. What is the appeal of this genre? Discuss elements from the novel that parallel characteristics of modern horror tales such as Stephen King s novels or contemporary films such as Nightmare on Elm Street. What are the effects of these elements on the audience and how might that explain our fascination? Select a motif or symbol from the novel and discuss its development and significance. For example, ice is a prevalent image and an integral plot device in the novel. How is it appropriate that the novel ends and begins on ice? What is the symbolism of ice for the characters in the story? Or you might explain the significance of dreams and nightmares in the novel. Trace the use of dreams throughout the book, with emphasis on how they relate to changes in Victor s character. There are many other motifs you could choose from (e.g., the importance of family, Place Frankenstein s creature in modern times. Suppose he had a family that raises him, includes him, and even enrolls him in school. How might today s society treat Victor s creature differently? Similarly? Shelley s novel raises many questions and touches on many topics that are still discussed in today s society (e.g., the ethical responsibilities and ramifications of scientific inquiry; the cause of criminal behavior nature vs. nuture; the value of education and educational styles/philosophies; etc.) Select an issue addressed in the novel that is still debated. Discuss the basic arguments as well as how the idea is portrayed in the novel. Mary Shelley s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, wrote in A Vindication of the Rights of Men, No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks. Discuss this quote s significance in relation to the novel, to history, and to modern society. Although Shelley s novel is fiction, there are many true stories of humans efforts to control and redirect nature, the evolving relationships between humanity and science/technology, contemporary interpretations of monstrosity, society s treatment of those who are different, etc. Discuss one of these theme s application in the modern world using specific examples. Category V Critical Reading Strategies & Research (only one option must do) Select any three critical reading strategies (e.g., biographical, mythological, feminist, Marxist, psychoanalytical, historical) and explain how each would interpret Frankenstein. For each, include at least one article from the databases that you have read and annotated and cite this article in your explanation. Grading: I. Criminal Analysis 15 points II. Creative Writing 15 points III. Artistic Interpretation 15 points IV. Essay 15 points V. Critical Reading Strategies & Research 30 points VI. Format (folder, title/cover page, table of contents) 10 points TOTAL: 100 points For bonus points, you may complete the Reading Analysis Questions.

3 Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley People (both fictional and real-life) you should know from Frankenstein; explain who each character or person is next to his or her name: Shelley: Introduction, Preface, Letters 1. Why did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein? 2. What discussions influenced the development of her idea? 3. In the preface, what does the author say she is trying to preserve?

4 4. What is the structure, or form, of the novel? 5. Who was writing the letters? 6. To whom were the letters written? 7. Where was the writer, and why was he there? 8. How did he meet Victor Frankenstein? 9. How did Robert feel about his guest? 10. Why was Frankenstein in the Arctic? Frankenstein Chapters Who told this part of the story? 2. How did Elizabeth come to live with the Frankensteins? 3. Who was Frankenstein s closest friend? 4. What was one of the themes of the writers who influenced Frankenstein? 5. What natural phenomena influenced Frankenstein? 6. What two major events happened to Frankenstein when he was seventeen? 7. What goal did Frankenstein decide to pursue? 8. How did Frankenstein feel when his experiment succeeded, and the creature came to life? 9. What happened to Frankenstein the day after he completed his creation? 10. Who took care of Frankenstein during his illness? Frankenstein Chapters What did Clerval give Frankenstein when he was better? 2. How did Frankenstein and Clerval spend the next several months?

5 3. What news did the letter from Frankenstein s father bring? 4. What did Frankenstein see just outside the gates of Geneva as he was returning home? 5. Who was accused of committing the murder, and why? 6. What was Frankenstein s reaction to this accusation? 7. What did Frankenstein do about his dilemma? 8. What happened to the accused person? 9. What was Frankenstein s state of mind after the trial and its conclusion? 10. Where did Frankenstein go to seek relief? Frankenstein Chapters Whom did Frankenstein meet after he had ascended to the summit of Montavert? 2. How did Frankenstein react to this meeting? 3. What did the creature want of Frankenstein? 4. How did the creature feel when he first felt life? 5. What was the reaction of the villagers the creature encountered? 6. Where did the creature take shelter? 7. What observations did the creature make about the people in the cottage? 8. What does the creature learn to do, and how does he learn this? 9. What was the elder De Lacey s reaction when the creature entered the cottage and began speaking with him? 10. What was the reaction of the rest of the De Lacey family when they saw the creature? Frankenstein Chapters 16-20

6 1. What did the creature do to the cottage when he returned and found that the De Laceys had moved out? 2. What was the reaction of the man whose daughter was saved from drowning by the creature? 3. What discovery did the creature make when he approached another human? 4. What did the creature do to this person? 5. How did the creature feel after his deed? 6. What did the creature tell Frankenstein about the locket? 7. What did the creature ask Frankenstein to do, and why? 8. How did Frankenstein react to this request? 9. What threat did the creature make when he saw Frankenstein destroy his second creation? 10. What happened to Frankenstein when he landed his boat? Frankenstein Chapters Who had been the creature s most recent victim? 2. What happened at Frankenstein s trial? 3. What event occurred next in Frankenstein s life? 4. What happened on Frankenstein and Elizabeth s wedding night? 5. What happened to Frankenstein s father as a result of this latest tragedy? 6. What was the magistrate s response when Frankenstein told him the entire story of the creature? 7. What did Frankenstein do after he left the magistrate? 8. What request does Frankenstein make of Robert Walton?

7 9. What happened to Frankenstein? 10. What happened to the creature?