Group Two's presentation of the comparisons between Frankensein and the movie Power grasped my attention. Not only do I feel that Powder is one of the most captivating and emotional movies of all time, but I felt that the comparisons that were made to the book Frankenstein very much paralleled. Although the group didn't spend a long time talking about the intricacies of the story lines of both the book and the movie, they did a very good job at picking significant scenes from both, while pointing out the similarities. In the interpretation of the movie and book, I felt that they were right on in the discussion of the rejection in society. Because of the rejection that both Powder and the monster experienced, the change that took place within the minds of these two innocent and sheltered individuals would begin changing the lives of everyone they were to come into contact with. The nievity begins to fade as hurt and anger absorbs the lives of these two beings. I think that most people don't realize the hurt that they can cause others through "innocent teasing" or "joking around". I definitly feel that this presentation is a very good example of some of the feelings that can be related to the Columbine High shooting. When individuals are shunned from society because they don't measure up, destructive things can happen, as both Powder and Frankenstein show. Not only do these rejected individuals want revenge on their perpetraters, but they also feel that they are feared and hated for a reason which in many cases causes them to want to turn on themselves as a way out of the hellish life that they are living. This presentation was an awesome way to open up a situation that needs to seriously be addressed in the world that we live in. If anyone hopes to begin fixing the problems that exist, the best place to start is within ourselves.

jredman

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: A look at it's relation to "Powder"

I really enjoyed the presentation that Jerry Avalos, Chris Yeh, and Louis Gonzalez preformed. Their interpretation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein in comparison with the movie "Powder" was very intriguing. I have seen the movie "Powder" numerous times and yet I was unable to see the strong similarities that the main character Jeremy has to Mary Shelly's monster until they were pointed out to me. The monster and Jeremy were both very innocent when they were brought into the world. Unlike the monster, Jeremy did not enter society until later in his life. When he finally did try to live in our world everything he saw and did was a new experience. Jeremy was "a lot like a little child," just as the monster was. He also had a "creator" that did not want to see him. Jeremy was considered abnormal and hideous, sickening the one person that is supposed to love him, his father. "Powder" is a very powerful movie. Every time I see it, I am forced to realize how cruel the world can be. I think that the presentation subtly made this reality clear in both our world and the literary world of experience that we have been studying. The presenters did a very good job of allowing us to see the comparisons to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and "Powder" on our own, permitting us to draw our own conclusions. Their personal interpretations were also very insightful, reconfirming my initial comparisons to the book and the movie. Overall, I thought that the presentation showed a deep look into a modern day Frankenstein story.

Natalie Jewell

All of the presentations this go around were very well thoughtout and presented in a great manner. The one presentation that did stand out to me was the presentation comparing Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and the movie Powder. I had never seen this movie before and saw so many parallels in the monsters and Jeremy (the albino man). This group picked out clips from the movie and then told how that clip was similar to the monster's life in Franskenstein. The biggest parallel betweeen the monster and Jeremy was that they were different from the rest of society. People thought both of these characters to be freaks and didn't want to associate with them. This is so true in our society anyone who looks different, talks different, or just doesn't fit in is shuned from society and not accepted. Since the monster and Jeremy received this negative attention from society it caused them to become mad at society and therefore destructive ending in killings. At the end of the group's presentation they tied these parallels together by talking about the recent shooting in Colorado. Some of the same things were happening to these boys at that school and they became isolated from eveyone elese, and formed their own group. The constant harassment and negative attention that they received caused them to lash out at their fellow classmates and kill people. I thought that it is very interesting how much society has affects on people. It is a scary thing, but if society doesn't change we are going to have bigger problems in the future.

jdjohnst

The group presentation by Christopher, Jerry, and Luis was my favorite. The connections they made between the movie "Powder" and the book "Frankenstein" were wonderful. They brought about new insights in regards to both this movie and this book.

I have seen Powder tons of times and I had never before seen any connection between it and Frankenstein, but as this group pointed out, there are several. Much like Victor, Powder's father didn't want to see what he has created. One look at Powder and he turns and runs, no longer to be heard from again. Powder's mind develops the same way as the monstor's. They both learn experiences and emotions through what they read and through others. Both of these characters were rejected by society and treated as social outcasts, therefore taking away their innocence and forcing them to become murderous. The monstor in Frankenstein kills himself after Victor dies, no longer having any reason to live, and Powder kills himself out of anger at being an outcast in society.

This group also gave me the possible insight that this could be prevalent in our society to outcasts and their rejection from members of society. Overall Christopher, Jerry and Luis did an excellent job in clearly identifying these connections between the book "Frankenstein" and the movie "Powder".

jnunes

I truly enjoyed all of the students' presentations and took something away from each of them. The talk in which the film Powder was used as a comparison to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the one which I have chosen to respond to. It is the most meaningful to me as I feel that the issues brought up by group members Jerry, Chris, and Louis are prevalent in today's society.

Like Frankenstein's monster, Powder was physically different from the general population. They were both cast out from society for their odd appearances and lack of social skills. Their fundamentally compassionate and kind natures of innocence went unappreciated and the love they so freely gave was not returned. Even their makers rejected them for their ugliness. Through constant rejection and lack of love, these outcasts turned violent and evil.

I see this pattern being repeated throughout the ages and especially I see it today. The group brought up the connection to the recent shootings at Columbine High School. The gunmen were members of the "Trench Coat Mafia" which apparently was formed of a bunch of vengeful misfits that were unpopular and "different" than what society expected of them.

This presentation made me think about where blame should be laid. I am generally a firm believer that everyone is responsible for their own actions and I never sympathize with criminals who claim that they were molested and beaten as children and therefore chopped up a few people. But then I think that all people are born inherently good. Evil is learned in my opinion and it's such a hard call to make on the issue of where to place the blame and punishment. How can we prevent replays of violent asaults caused by the attacker's lack of love and acceptance? I suppose these stories have helped me sympathize with the perpetrators, but I still consider each of us individually responsible.

It's sad that as a community we can't make everyone feel accepted and okay about themselves. It's extremely idealistic to imagine that kind of world, but we could all spread the love around a little more.

Brook McCurdy

The presentations on Tuesday were full of thought and different interpretations. It was quite interesting to see how many ideas come from reading the same book or poem. The presentation I would like to focus on was that of Frankenstein and Werther(2). The group of females all focused on a time in their life when they felt looked down upon, "different". For women in this society, that is an issue faced daily unless you learn to accept your differences and build you self-esteem. The organization of the presentation was impressive. Having each person discuss a time when they felt different and "looked at" had me engaged in what they were saying. Each woman took confidence and strength to discuss their own difference. The differences varying from having a scar on a forehead, a child of divorce with an unpleasing stepmom, a weight/diabetic issue, or an eating disorder. The collage of women who are deemed beautiful contrasting to those who have flaws and the fix-its to help tied the entire presentation together. I am impressed by the courage the ladies had and applaud them for their strength in sharing and trying to discuss the issues. Doing so will automatically help other students feel secure in their "reasons for being them", not look at differences negatively!

Erin Kreitz