Frankenstein Application Essay-MLA PDF

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Surname 1 Student Name Professor Course Title Frankenstein Application Essay Date Science and its Relation to Ethics Introduction Science raises a question of its ability to go too far when equipping man with tools and ways of manipulating life. Mary Shelley presents ethical dilemmas in her book Frankenstein which are similar to dilemmas humans struggle to deal with in the modern world. An example of such dilemma is the issue of selective abortion. Mary creates a doomed creature which shows some of the devastating consequences of bringing unwanted off springs in the world. Morally, there are profound negative results which are brought about by the practice of playing God and the act of choosing the people who should or should not earn life as Mary clearly brings out. Victor Frankenstein creates a creature; he later abandons his own creation after he realizes that it has got faults. Similarly human beings have a current culture which discards its own creations and lives they have created. Mary shows that the problems arise not from what Victor creates but rather from the decision of rejecting the same creation. The results of his decisions seem inevitable. Modern developments are examples of such human ejections. An example of such includes the invention of the atomic bomb, manufacturing of the DDT pesticides and even the performing of genome editing (Ball 12). These inventions have raised

Surname 2 ethical issues and objections to date. Shelley brings out fears evident to even the modern world such as childbirth worries, political worries and the worry of male chauvinism and sexual independence. By creating the mythical monster Mary Shelley expresses several ethical issues. Her definition of human nature has some controversies highly evident in the novel (Veeder 35). Science and morality are two subjects Mary brings together in the process of her writing, raising an amount of controversy with science advancement. Mary wrote the book in a classic way depicting some greater ethical issues. For instance, the fact that the creature could not be able to fix its own deformity was a source of wrath from others. “Finding myself (the creature) unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction… therefore I declared everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me, and sent me forth to this insupportable misery” (Shelley 125-126). This declaration of war against other species (an everlasting war) shows that the creature does not have any correlation with humans due to fear of rejection. Parallel stories found in the book provide a definition of the differences of both science and morality. The different stories either try to define the meaning of life and death or an explanation of the rules and secrets behind abnormalities. Victor’s enthrallment by science and physical world makes him to embark in an experiment that changes his life forever. He portrays to play God in a hidden way (Forry 17). He is highly interested in the knowledge of unknown and clarification of all the mysteries of creation. After these discoveries, Victor walks away aware of his creations’ faults which was a mistake. Through his creations, Victor’s chemistry and alchemy show the effect of science on life. He creates a monster considered to be physically horrific but emotionally human. This monster wages war for its creator and kills as many people as it wills. This shows the effect science has

Surname 3 created on human life. Through science more and more human life is lost. It can be to the best interest of all the humans if science would stop claiming people’s lives. According to Aldis the good deeds science has created do not justify the number of lives it has claimed and if no more lives are claimed could be of great satisfaction to humans (Aldis 72). Currently the society is at a greater ethical war on the issue of euthanasia and test-tube babies. The church has raised issues and reasons why these two practices should not be carried out. The reasons and arguments have a moral and ethical basis (Bohls 24). Recently a man assisted an obese woman to end her life leaving no evidence of suicide or killing. This invention is in line with Mary’s argument with the gap science has narrowed between life and death. Conclusion Frankenstein is a book that addresses ethical issues related to science and faith. The issues can be clearly identified by a reader regardless of the time they access the book. The battle between science and faith or spirituality is a theme of key effect in the book. Ethics were as important in the ancient world as it is in the modern world. This book helps the readers to identify the sole importance of ethics which is to sustain life. While one may view Frankenstein as a simple monster story there is clear evidence that it has a far more meaning especially in ethical issues and life sustenance. In a nutshell, this book by Mary Shelley is a story which clearly addresses ethical issues in science and faith to all of its audiences.

Surname 4 Works Cited Aldis Brian W. On the origin of species: Mary Shelly. Lanham, Maryland: scarecrow, 2005. Print. Ball Phillip. “Hopes and fears of every scientific era” The Atlantic 20 April 2017: 20-21. Print. Bohls Elizabeth A. Standards of taste, discourse of race and aesthetic education of a monster. Illinois: university of Illinois. 1994. 25-36. Forry Steven E. Hideous progenies: Dramatization of Frankenstein from 19th century to the present. Philadelphia: university of Pennsylvania press, 1990. Shelly Mary W. Frankenstein. Nigeria: Evans Brothers, 2007. Print. Veeder William. Mary Shelley & Frankenstein: The fate of androgyny. Chicago: university of Chicago press, 1986....