Directions: Respond to one question concerning Frankenstein and one question concerning Romantic poetry. Each response should consist of at least three well-developed paragraphs and should use evidence and examples from the text.
Frankenstein
1. Write an essay in which you articulate your view of Frankenstein and its position concerning science. Is science good, evil, or neutral within the novel? What does the novel have to say about science coexisting with ethics? As always, justify your answer through logic and the careful use of textual evidence.
2. Write an essay in which you take a position concerning the humanity or inhumanity of the creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. That is, is the creature human? How does the reader’s view of the creature affect the reader’s final interpretation of the novel? Give specific examples to support your claims.
3. Even though the creature in Frankenstein kills more than once, many readers have found that Dr. Frankenstein actually has more moral culpability than his murderous creature. Write an essay in which you explain why either the creature or the creator is more morally responsible for the death and mayhem that occur within the text. Use specific examples from the text to support your argument.
Romantic Poetry
1. Coleridge and Wordsworth published together in the groundbreaking work Lyrical Ballads, yet many readers find their styles and themes quite different. Write an essay in which you argue for or against the idea that Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s poetry belongs in the same volume. Depending upon your position, emphasize how the poems can be read together or in opposition to each other.
2. “Ode to a Nightingale” describes a speaker who defeats his melancholy by transcending it through nature, while “Ode on a Grecian Urn” advocates the theme or immortality through art. Write an essay in which you argue which method of achieving beauty and transcendence is more effective: nature or art. You may argue that a combination of the two poem’s themes is best. No matter what position that you take, be sure to justify your answer.
3. Describe what you feel is the most important moral lesson put forth in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” (Be sure to use textual evidence when identifying this moral.) Has humankind learned the lesson(s) taught in the poem, or would the Mariner need to continue telling his tale?
4. Choose any poem except poems not mentioned in questions 1-3. For the poem, begin by explaining how it fits into the modes of Romantic literature. The, explain the significance of the poem and apply the poem’s meaning to contemporary society.
