Ruth D, Jake H, Renae N, Jane H

Art

 













This art piece focuses on nature and the themes of abandonment and isolation which are strongly portrayed in the novel. The art piece shows one lonely tree on a small and shaded island. The tree is like the creature because it doesn't belong in a group of trees. There are dark clouds covering the sky except for one spot where the sun is shining through the clouds and brightening the once-shaded tree.

 

  Music 

 

This piece of music has an eerie feeling throughout. It shows the creepiness  through the background sound of electronic keyboard. This song actually tells the story from the creatures point of view in the lyrics. They use older sounding instruments to get an antique and eerie feeling. Some notes are purposely played off key to capture the effect of an under toned scream. Another connection to the book is that in the song the creature asks for a woman with a dead girls heart. The metaphors in this song are deeper than the book itself and create a  fuller feeling of uneasiness.

   

Literature

Frankenstein
The monster has escaped from the dungeon
where he was kept by the Baron,
who made him with knobs sticking out from each side of his neck
where the head was attached to the body
and stitching all over
where parts of cadavers were sewed together.

He is pursued by the ignorant villagers,
who think he is evil and dangerous because he is ugly
and makes ugly noises.
They wave firebrands at him and cudgels and rakes,
but he escapes and comes to the thatched cottage
of an old blind man playing on the violin Mendelssohn's "Spring Song."

Hearing him approach, the blind man welcomes him:
"Come in, my friend," and takes him by the arm.
"You must be weary," and sits him down inside the house.
For the blind man has long dreamed of having a friend
to share his lonely life.

The monster has never known kindness ‹ the Baron was cruel --
but somehow he is able to accept it now,
and he really has no instincts to harm the old man,
for in spite of his awful looks he has a tender heart:
Who knows what cadaver that part of him came from?

The old man seats him at table, offers him bread,
and says, "Eat, my friend." The monster
rears back roaring in terror.
"No, my friend, it is good. Eat -- gooood"
and the old man shows him how to eat,
and reassured, the monster eats
and says, "Eat -- gooood,"
trying out the words and finding them good too.

The old man offers him a glass of wine,
"Drink, my friend. Drink -- gooood."
The monster drinks, slurping horribly, and says,
"Drink -- gooood," in his deep nutty voice
and smiles maybe for the first time in his life.

Then the blind man puts a cigar in the monster's mouth
and lights a large wooden match that flares up in his face.
The monster, remembering the torches of the villagers,
recoils, grunting in terror.
"No, my friend, smoke -- gooood,"
and the old man demonstrates with his own cigar.
The monster takes a tentative puff
and smiles hugely, saying, "Smoke -- gooood,"
and sits back like a banker, grunting and puffing.

Now the old man plays Mendelssohn's "Spring Song" on the violin
while tears come into our dear monster s eyes
as he thinks of the stones of the mob the pleasures of meal-time,
the magic new words he has learned
and above all of the friend he has found.

It is just as well that he is unaware --
being simple enough to believe only in the present --
that the mob will find him and pursue him
for the rest of his short unnatural life,
until trapped at the whirlpool's edge
he plunges to his death.


This poem is all about the stereotypical Frankenstein. The poem describes the monster with a square head, green skin, and metal knobs protruding from his neck. As always he is chased out of town by a mob with pitchforks and torches. It describes the creature as a dumb being who can barely talk and doesn't know what to do with himself. He meets an old man in a cottage who teaches him how to drink and eat. The monster and the old man become friends since the old man is lonely and desperate for a friend just like the monster. At the end, the monster soon realizes that the angry mob will find him and kill him, so he has to make the best of what he has.

 

Similarities

All three of these art pieces all relate to Frankenstein and the themes found in the novel. Both the song and the poem both describe the story of the creature, what he looked like, and how he was treated by society. The visual art, music, and literature all give off a creepy, eerie feeling. They portray the themes of isolation and loneliness that are also found in the book. The song and poem tell how the creature is alone and wants to be accepted by someone. This relates to the tree in the artwork because the tree is all alone too. These three mediums are all similar because they relate to the novel Frankenstein.