Discuss the allegorical dimensions of Frankenstein implied by its subtitle, The Modern Prometheus.
Read the following article. There are some spoilers, particularly in the first paragraph, but you can skate over that part and still get the gist of it.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/01/why_frankenstein_is_still_relevant_almost_200_years_after_it_was_published.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/01/why_frankenstein_is_still_relevant_almost_200_years_after_it_was_published.html
So, argue the for or against the following statement:
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is today's Dr. Frankenstein
"Our goal is not to build a platform; it's to be cross all of them.", a quote expressed by Mark Zuckerberg, an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. Mark started his interest in online media as a college student. He combined his thoughts and ideas and put them into play with the help of his peers. Mark co-founded Facebook and became labeled as the fifth richest person in the world. Facebook is defined as "a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues". The creation of Facebook largely impacted the internet and lives of people across the globe.
ReplyDeleteDr. Frankenstein or Victor Frankenstein is one of the famous mad scientists of all time. He is a scientist who, after studying the lives and effects on beings, gains a look into the creation of life. Victor puzzles together his skills and grants life to his own creature. He named his creature Frankenstein. He is often associated with the title "the modern Prometheus" as they both share characteristics of stealing values and forming Victor was able to take life and form it on a whole new level with the help of science and knowledge.
In my opinion, I do agree that Mark Zuckerberg is the modern Dr. Frankenstein. Mark created the work of social media. Social media has been running our generation for the past decade. Dr. Frankenstein stole the natural value of life. He used his skillful mind to produce and control new life with the power of science. I find that Mark is similar to Victor's ways as he steals the natural life of everyday people and sucks their brains into the virtual world of internet. Internet has grown to be dangerously powerful to our society. It has become so dependent for this world to be apart of. Internet is taking away the values of nature and experience.
I can see where your argument is coming from and your strongest point is when you say Facebook has been running our generation for a decade. It is still not enough to convince me that Zuckerberg is the new Frankenstein but it is a very good argument.
DeleteI think that what you are saying about the internet would be no different if FaceBook was never created. I'm not sure you can say that Mark Zuckerberg is solely responsible for creating social media because one could argue that social media has existed from the beginning of computers. Also, I do not think that Mark "steals" anything from us we give it to him. I agree that this media is a large part of the recent generations, but is social media itself bad?
DeleteI also don't think that you can say Mark Zuckerberg is responsible for creating social media. Other than that I agree with you on your blog.
DeleteI do not think that Mark Zuckerberg is the modern Dr. Frankenstein for several reasons. When Dr. Frankenstein created his monster he was creating something that was only meant to be created through reproduction. When Zuckerberg created Facebook he was creating something completely new just as the Doctor was but he created something that is just a technological advancement. A person can argue that Frankenstein was doing the same thing and that he was just advancing technology. To counter that argument I would say that Facebook cannot completely function on its own and if necessary it can be powered off or shut down. A person could argue against that statement and say that Frankenstein could have done the same thing with his monster and could have powered it down or killed it. The people that are capable of creating artificial intelligence and things that can fully think and function on their own, those are the people that are most modernly related to the modern Frankenstein. By creating Facebook Zuckerberg was in no way cheating science, when Frankenstein created a monster he was cheating science. Even though they both used science and it's advancements only one of them used it for its proper use. I think it is incorrect to label Mark Zuckerberg as the modern Dr. Frankenstein because of how simple his invention is. All of the technology that is on the edge of creation and all of the things that are yet to come will all make Facebook look like the pinky finger of the Frankenstein monster. Facebook can be called a monster and in many ways that is true. Both Zuckerberg and Frankenstein created their creations for good. I think that Facebook still serves more good than bad. Also it is hard to single out Facebook due to the large number of social media sites. The monster that Dr. Frankenstein created was the first and only of its kind, because of this there were no regulations or past models to use as an example. Facebook is surrounded by many other sites and does not live on its own. The person that creates a robot or computer that acts for it self and does not have humans proving it continual support is the modern Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteI see what you are trying to say here and I understand completely, but I'm sure we can both say that we don't know how difficult or easy Facebook is programmed. Maybe programming was involved in both creations, programming facebook to work the way it does vs. programming the monster to work how it did. But, I could be wrong. I can say though, you prove a good point stating that the monster was the first of its kind and Facebook was not.
DeleteI think this is a very interesting interpretation. I like that you argued against that Mark is the modern Frankenstein. I also agree, very much so, that if there extreme problems with Facebook it can just be shut down. I think this is a very good point. Good blog.
DeleteI argue that Frankenstein's monster was not meant to be created through reproduction. If a creature is made through the collaboration of dead body parts, I think galvanism is the only way to bring life to that creature. Reproduction would not create that therefore I do not agree with that statement. I do agree with most of your paper however.
DeleteMark Zuckerberg and Dr. Victor Frankenstein are are very, very similar, but also quite different in a few ways. Zuckerberg helped create probably the worlds most popular social media cite from what we all know of as Facebook. Dr. Victor Frankenstein created a monster from what we all know of as Frankenstein. They both have created something that would have an effect on the world, but they have created two totally different things. One was created as an easier way to talk and share ideas with friends at almost an instant, but the other was just a recreation of a human, in sorts. Some similarities, but some differences. I can say though, the similarities out way the differences. One huge similarity that helps me to agree that Mark Zuckerberg is the new, modern Dr. Frankenstein is that when people see or hear about Facebook, they are only interest in its contents and don't think about the creator, this is the same with Frankenstein, they hear or see something on Frankenstein, but never think about the creator, just its contents or characteristics. Another topic on the creation of these two ideas is another difference, the outcome of each idea. Frankenstein was trying to see if he could do the impossible by creating life and improving it perhaps and had achieved so, but Zuckerberg may have been trying to improve life as well but instead has made life harder since we are now all attached to our devices and nothin else. Another similarity would be the fact that both events happened at least more than half a decade ago and yet they are still two pretty well remembered ideas. So, even though there are several difference, there are just as many similarities, but it's the type of similarities that make me believe and agree that Zuckerberg is the modern day Dr. Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Frankenstein and Zuckerberg both had major impacts on the world, but I do think there are more similarities than differences.
DeleteI agree with Logan when saying that there are more similarities than differences. I also do disagree though when you say that people are only interested in the contents and don't think about the creator. I think that some people do think about the creator just in different ways.
DeleteThe Modern Prometheus can be interpreted in a few ways. Mainly the fact that, right from the beginning, the reader knows that there will be some parallels to this story in Frankenstein's journey. Will it be that man kind is the last to receive a gift? Will it be the struggle that Prometheus faced after trying to give fire to man? Whether it is the godly nature of that ties the two stories together or the destruction that arises from the main characters in both tales, there is clearly going to be some connection.
ReplyDeleteMark Zuckerburg, creator of FaceBook, may be compared to Dr. Frankenstein, but I think that there are many things that set them apart and protects Zuckerburg from wearing the title "The Modern Frankenstein." He has not abandoned FaceBook and he created something brand new, rather than bring something to life that is already dead and then abandon it. FaceBook was created to be a good way of keeping in touch with other people and has continued to do just that, but with a few downfalls that are expected to come with new technology. There has been fake news posted on the website that has caused controversy, but that is not because of Mark, but rather the person who posted it is at fault. Regardless, Mark stood with his platform and defended it from being ridiculed. That is when Dr. Frankenstein would have ran away from his creation and that is where the mass chaos took over in Frankenstein's tale. Because of the advances in technology and programming, FaceBook appears to take on a mind of its own because of the adds that come up reflect things the user has already clicked on, but that does not make it objectively bad. The algorithms that are used to suggest articles are not anything exclusive to FaceBook, therefore FaceBook is not alone in having a mind of its own and in reality there is human interaction that causes FackBook to to what it does. All social networks receive criticism for taking away from life and controlling people's lives, but they are a part of the new age and these changes need to be embraced because they are so powerful. The problem is that people use them for the wrong reasons. Many negative messages have been spread through these networks, but there is so much good that can come from using them for good. Messages can reach millions of people in an instant; people can follow the pope, the president, and so many more influential figures and keep up with what they are doing. It's when the users start to use these networks for corrupt reasons that it turns into a monster. Those are personal choices that the creator did not intend to take place, nor does he condone them. Mark Zuckerburg's social media platform is not a monster, individual members of society are and Mark's network is taking the fall for them.
I think you did a very good job of making a distinction between Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Frankenstein by stating the public's involvement with the situation and the mature/immature way that the creator handles these situations. Great ideas!
DeletePrometheus is a mythological god credited with the creation of man in Greek mythology. His feat was notable for the destruction he caused himself. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein bears the subtitle "The Modern Prometheus." This makes a distinct allusion to Prometheus by which we can expect a correlation between the stories. Prometheus created man and Frankenstein created a monster. Both created something that would have repercussions upon themselves. With Prometheus, giving fire to man caused his imprisonment and torture. With Frankenstein, giving life to the creature caused some of the same problems as with Prometheus. One could say Frankenstein was bound to his monster and every action it performed represented the creator. The story of Frankenstein, or the modern Prometheus, can be applied to many modern day people and occurrences.
ReplyDeleteAn application of the story of Frankenstein can be given to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. Is Mark Zuckerberg the modern Frankenstein? He does compare to Frankenstein in many ways from a modern perspective. Both created something for an advancement; Zuckerberg for technology, and Frankenstein science. Their creations then resent them. Frankenstein's monster grew to hate its creator because he abandoned it. Facebook can grow to hate it's creator with what people are turning it into. Zuckerberg intended Facebook to just be a communication site where people could share ideas and talk about latest trends, but it now possesses the power to influence things as important as elections. This it developed without the influence of its creator. It also reflects the image of its creator. If menacing things are said on Facebook, it directly reflects the face of the creator. Good or bad, it still reflects Zuckerberg. He is letting Facebook alone in the wilderness, and is not controlling what it is becoming. He is just sitting and collecting the billions. Frankenstein's monster did the exact same thing. So the fact of the matter is that these two stories are very paralleled. So is Zuckerberg a modern Frankenstein? It is very possible to think so. After all, the novel is still very popular almost 200 years after it was published. Plus, the ideas discussed in the novel tend to apply to more than just direct interpretation. They happen in significant similarity very often in the modern world. Then of course there are some differences on the extreme side of things, Zuckerberg was not trying to create a human being for science, or studying anything related to that matter. The stories just overlap in some ways that prove to be significant enough to call Zuckerberg an embodiment of a real modern Dr. Frankenstein, or Mark Frankenstein if you will.
I think one of the most important things that you said in this blog was that the creator is bound to their monster. That is a very powerful idea that can relate to many things in today's society. Good blog!
DeleteI think that saying that something said on FaceBook "directly reflects the image of its creator" is a flawed statement. Is everything I do a direct reflection of God? It is definitely not. Free will allows me to choose who I imitate with my words and actions. The fact that I do something good or bad on FaceBook has no reflection to Mark Zuckerburg, but rather shows my character. That is like saying that everything a murderer does is a reflection of their mother because she brought them into the world. Mark brought FaceBook into the world, but how it is treated by the moder world is not his fault.
DeleteFrankenstein is referred to, in its subtitle, as the "Modern Prometheus." Prometheus was an Ancient Greek Titan who was the creator of man. Prometheus wanted only the best for his creation, and he kept pushing the boundaries for the people, until they became to much like the gods, and then Prometheus was punished by Zeus to endure suffering from his own creation. The same sort of thing happens in with Dr. Frankenstein. Frankenstein creates his monster, and he is only trying to do the best for the advancement of his society. However, somewhere in the process, Dr. Frankenstein pushed the limits too far, and his own creation came back to punish him. Both stories have similar parallels, which was very significant at the time the book was published, because it shows the theme in the story of Frankenstein that an attempt at an act of heroism can turn out to be a detrimental act to society because of simple mistakes and defiance of moral objects.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, Mark Zuckerberg can be related to Dr. Frankenstein. Mark Zuckerberg was a creator of Facebook, a "simple" social media website originally intended for the purpose of meeting up with old friends and companions. However, with the growing popularity of the website and the new advancements on the website, Zuckerberg may have taken it "too far." The website is now a dominating figure of our society, and many people are on it like their life depends on it. The website's original intention has also been twisted to include inappropriate or hateful things on it, rather than good things to re-connect with old companions.
At the same time, there are differences between Mark Zuckerberg's case and Dr. Frankenstein's case. Dr. Frankenstein pushed the limits too far on his own, and every problem he faced was a result of his own actions. However, Mark Zuckerberg and the trouble he has faced from his website are not all a result of his actions. The monster is to Dr. Frankenstein as Facebook is to Zuckerberg. They are each a personality to their creator. Dr. Frankenstein distorted his own personality by himself, without the input of others. However, Zuckerberg's personality was distorted by all of the users of the personality, not directly by Zuckerberg himself. While Zuckerberg did assist in the destruction of his creation's personality, the distortion was not a direct result of his sole actions, but rather an assisted destruction with the help of the already distorted society.
I like how you referred to Zuckerberg's creation as a personality and his creation was distorted by the users of the personality. This brings a new light to his creation. Good blog.
DeleteI think it is very important that you talk about Facebook being distorted with the imput of others because that is a huge difference between him and Frankenstein. You made a good argument about Facebook taking over the lives of many people because they depend on it, but I think that dependence is created by humans because they don't have to use Facebook. That is a very hard thing to do for some people though which is what makes your argument good.
DeleteMark Zuckerberg is co-founder and CEO of the social-networking website Facebook, as well as one of the world's youngest billionaires. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is the chairman, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Facebook. “With a generation of younger folks who have thrived on the success of their companies, there is a big opportunity for many of us to give back earlier in our lifetime and see the impact of our philanthropic efforts.”
ReplyDeleteVictor Frankenstein is the title character of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. He is a scientist who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature, often referred to as Frankenstein's monster, or often known as "Frankenstein". "I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven, for nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose — a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye."
I think that the quote from Frankenstein could relate to social media in many different ways. I feel that Mark Zuckerberg is the modern Dr. Frankenstein. Mark was all about the social media part of life. Social media is something that always has to be a part of everyone's everyday life. Frankenstein took away the whole value of what life really and truly means. I think that Mark Zuckerberg, and Dr. Frankenstein are very similar because they are obviously both very smart, and they always use the power of science in any situations, wether it had to do with science, or it had to do with social media. I believe that the Internet is taking over everyone's lives day in and day out. We are all worried about the Internet and everything that is on the Internet that it is becoming so powerful it is taking over may people's brains.
Frankenstein is a truly haunting and unique tale that still is studied today, some 200 years later. The question is why? What makes the story so relevant to the world today? I think the answer of that can be seen in the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his monster. The monster was created to simply prove Victor's theory, not to effect the lives of others in a negative way. I think this relates to the modern world in many cases today. If one looks into the realms of technology and bioethics, etc., there are countless operations or inventions that were only meant to benefit the people around them, not damage the lives of others. For Victor Frankenstein, his invention did just that, it damaged the lives of others. Although this story might have been a fictional tale, many cases in the world are not and they do gphave edfect of people's lives. One such example is Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook.
ReplyDeleteMark Zuckerberg, like Victor Frankenstein was a very intelligent but seemingly normal individual. Nothing separated either if them from society except for their will to create something special. Frankenstein wanted to prove that you can create an organism through galvanism, and Zuckerberg tried to create a social media site for college students. These are both seemingly harmless inventions, but they both eventually had different consequences then could have been intended. Frankenstein's monster reared havoc on people, and Zuckerberg's creation has an effect of the entire world. Mark can be connected to Victor through his effect on the election. Facebook had constant reports of fake news. Some said that Hillary was not supported by the pope and things similar to that. All of these news reports swayed voters and therefore enraged many people. Some even suggest it altered the outcome of the election. This changes the course of history, just like Frankenstein did. That is why I think it is safe to call Mark Zuckerberg the modern Victor Frankenstein.
Adding modern day examples with the election really helped strengthen your argument and allows the reader to see your point from a different view. Also, by looking deeper into the background of the people and the time period helped show similarities between the two men.
DeleteThe Modern Prometheus is the subtitle for the book Frankenstein. This implies that there are some allegorical connections of Frankenstein to Prometheus. These men were both considered leaders of powerful men at the time by many. Frankenstein created a life which was the monster and Prometheus brought fire to man and helped create man. They were able do the impossible for man. I would argue that there are many differences between Mark Zuckerberg and Frankenstein which would not consider him to be the Modern Frankenstein. Mark Zuckerberg is the creator of Facebook while Frankenstein is the creator of the monster. The difference is that Zuckerberg created a technological advancement which is a nonliving creation. Frankenstein created the monster by bringing his creation to life. He created a monster with the ability to walk, breathe, and think. His intentions were good in the beginning, but also very selfish which lead to the creation of another selfish, imperfect being. Zuckerberg on the other hand, created his advancement of Facebook to allow people from around the world to connect with each other or spread news. Facebook does not have a life of its own or has a goal to destroy the world. It is used by many people who control what is in the application. The posts or comments can become evil or news may become false, but there is always the opportunity to have a comment reported and removed. This is a way the good can outweigh the bad aspects of Facebook, Frankenstein's monster had turned evil and destroyed many people. I think the monster had a mind of its own and is not controlled by others. Just by analyzing the the creations of both of these men shows just how different they truly are as well as their motives. They can be similar in an important way though. Frankenstein and Zuckerberg are both very powerful and smart men. They each created something for mankind and their creations were thought to be very difficult to create at the time. Both men had to be very intelligent to be able to accomplish these creations. Many people may think that Frankenstein's motives were pure and that he wanted to create the monster for the betterment of the human race, but I believe part of him wanted to play God and create life. Zuckerberg's intentions for creating Facebook may have been for the money, but he emphasizes many times that is to connect the world. "Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission- to make the world more connected." This is what Facebook continues to do today. For example, it can be used to spread ideas about awareness of cancer of organ donation. It can be simply used to keep in tough with old friends. The motives of Frankenstein and Zuckerberg are too different which disproves the idea that Zuckerberg can be considered the Modern Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteWhen the congregation of people in the time of Mary Shelly’s teenage years came together to see who could write the best ghost story, no one expected this little nineteen year old to be able to come up with anything semi decent. When she came waltzing back up to them with a story of a man who makes a man out of dead flesh, they all looked at her like she was crazy. Which, to be able to think up something so absurd, one must be a little out there. The thing is, most of the others people’s stories are gone and forgotten, while hers is still read in high schools everywhere. The creature that the doctor created in this book is Dr. Frankenstein, while the creature is never actually given a name, only to be referred to as the creature or monster. This brings in the fact that somewhere there had to have been a translation issue that they started calling the creature Frankenstein. There are counts of using Franken as a prefix to certain foods, thus making it be named after the doctor, not the creature. If they stuck with this, then they would be saying that this food made something that they thought they would like, but instead ended up hating and left out in the cold. The whole reason that the Doctor made the creature was because the doctor wanted a friend, so if he were to abandon this friend, why would he even have started? Did it just get out of his hands? Or did he want a perfect friend that could only be made from science? What if the monster had outside influences acting upon it? These could all be questions being asked about FaceBook, the online website that started off as a good place for people to stay connected to people they would have never been able to, but has mutilated into a place for passive aggressive soccer moms to vent about their coworkers. While there are other reasons for people having it, which include LOOK AT ME posts, snarky comments, and grandmother drama. This is not what Mark was thinking FaceBook would be used as. I don’t think that he was like Dr. Frankenstein, because he ditched the creature because it was nasty as soon as it was made. Mark was more of a make something good, but something else took over and made it into something different. Though different can be good, the different that includes awful grammar is not the different that can be used as good.
ReplyDeletePrometheus gave mankind fire, Frankenstein gave the dead new life, and Mark Zuckerburg gave tech-savvy citizens of the new century his most talked about creation. Facebook, like the other ancient creators mentioned, Mark made and bestowed an unbelievable gift on man and left them to run with it. As one shouldn't play with fire, neither should any individual tamper with social standings and relationships over the internet. So yes, it would seem that dear Mark Zuckerburg is, at least to some degree, the modern doctor Frankenstein. As mentioned in the article provided, Mark had formulated Facebook with high hopes, only to shadily abandon it later on amidst the increasing popularity and controversies that came along with his creation. Both the mad scientist and internet pioneer did not have a good grip on the darkness that would come with their methods until the actions had already been carried out. So, for the most part, both men tried to simply ignore the supposed problem they'd formed with their own two hands. This strategy, of course, would prove to be ineffective for several reasons. One cannot merely retreat from such influential creations- the credit could not be discredited just because they attempted to step back or remove themselves from the situation entirely. Great work demands great responsibility, the kind that cannot be withdrawn. No matter how reluctant, both men, though one may be fictional, will always be known for the achievement they'd so tried to neglect. The ideas of Facebook and the reanimated monster created long ago will never be erased from the minds or hearts of mankind, only skewed in the time passed.
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