FINAL PAPER TOPIC
The stories of Frankenstein and Never Let Me Go are both inspired by the dark side of science and the failure of the modern world to be always in control of progress.
Even though the two novels were published almost two centuries apart they both examine the consequences of scientific ambition and the politics of scientific society in different historical contexts.
Mary Shelley’s time is the beginning of the world as we know it: modern, secular, greedy, hopeful, regretful, uncertain, arrogant, naive, anxious, eager, Promethean, immoral.
Ishiguro’s time –our time— appears to be as contradictory: great achievement and moral bankruptcy seem to be the two sides of progress as depicted in Never Let me Go. The shadow of Shelley’s defiant, solitary and marginalized creature in Frankenstein casts his shadow over Ishiguro’s novel: he is the new “other,” and this time he is multiplied, domesticated, and systematically used and abused supposedly for the benefit of humanity.
Your task for this paper is to draw some comparative threads between these two novels and discuss similarities and contrasts in patterns, trends and motifs. Go beyond the obvious “uncontrolled-science-is-bad-for-us” thinking. Think of the two novels you have read and of the reactions they prompted. How did they make you feel? Why? Were you shocked at certain moments? Appalled? Thrilled? In disbelief? Did you detect any connections between the story lines and the symbolisms of the two works? This is the general frame. Then start brainstorming and isolate certain instances from both novels that reveal comparable mindsets and conclusions. To do so you may choose to discuss characters’ actions, dialogs, descriptions, motives, and/or the authors’ representation(s) of certain situations, characters and circumstances.
You should begin this paper by having a clear comparable thesis. You are comparing two novels, two periods, one or two prominent theme(s) in the novels, and naturally one or more characters. Think small and avoid generalizations. Be aware of the distance between Shelley’s Romantic period and Ishiguro’s postmodern landscape. Build your thesis around a clear argument that emerges from your own reading and understanding of the novels, and your own curiosity to take it further.
All rules of grammar and syntax already discussed apply. The paper should be about 3-4 pages double-spaced (no less no more, unless you want to write more)
-Insert page numbers
-Do not jump from tense to tense, stick with one tense
-Make sure your third-person verb forms are correct
-Know not only the forms of figurative language, but also how to use them
-Use specific examples in the form of quotes from the texts to illustrate your points
-Have a clear thesis and personal perspective on the topic
-Do not oversimplify or generalize and AVOID clichés. Be specific and think small
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