Research Paper Outline

Jonathon Wallach
Guerrero
Humanities
02/25/09
The Industrial Revolution that was Heard Around the World
I. Thesis: In Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, she shows how major scientific advancements, such as bringing someone to life, can drastically change the way we live and how we think, whether it be for better or for worse.

II. In Frankenstein, a scientist by the name of Victor Frankenstein makes the discovery of how to re-animate life-less material. No one could have been prepared for the horror Victor unleashed upon himself, and those around him.
a. Victor dreams of destroying disease and making man almost invulnerable. (Shelley 34)
b. Victor brings his creation to life. (Shelley 55)
c. He discovers that his abomination killed his youngest brother. (Shelley 80-81)
d. Victor promises to make his creation a bride if he leaves forever. (Shelley 177)
e. Victor destroys his most recent work, and vows to never again make such a monstrosity. (Shelley 205)
f. The creature kills Victor’s wife. (Shelley 241)
g. Victor begins his pursuit for the monster, and vows to destroy him. (Shelley 251)
h. Victor dies. (Shelley 269)

III. Many, major changes happened throughout the world during the Industrial Revolution, that changed how everybody lived and worked.
a. Definition of an Industrial Revolution
b. Loss of jobs and new jobs
c. Most major innovations

IV. While the Industrial Revolution brought about much scientific advancement, it was also a very hard time for women and children before the “Factory Acts”, due to increased child labor.
a. Child Labour
• How women and children worked during the I.R.
• Abuse in factories
b. Factory Acts

V. Even today we are still having some trouble with newer sciences. More, ethical trouble to be exact. We’re researching cloning, genetic manipulation, etc. But, is it right? Should we have the power to play god, like Victor Frankenstein?
a. Info about cloning
b. Research on genetics and other related sciences
c. Relate modern sciences to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

VI. Conclusion: The Industrial revolution was an era of innovation, and new inventions that helped make peoples’ lives easier. Even today the human race continues to advance in different technologies and sciences, but, is there a line somewhere that we cannot cross?

Thesis Statement

In Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, she shows how major scientific advancements, such as bringing someone to life, can drastically change the way we live and how we think, whether it be for better or for worse.

Refined Research Question

Why does the Industrial Revolution count as a real Revolution? How much exactly, did it change the world, and in what ways?

EDIT: What was the impact of science and technology on human life during the Industrial Revolution?

QQC

Quote: "Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be miserable to you. You are my creator, but I am your master;- obey!"

Question: Why do people assume that having power means being able to have control over people?

Comment: Frankenstein killed one of Victor's brothers, and one of his friends. After agreeing to leave for South America, and never appear again if Victor made him a bride, he becomes enraged when Victor destroys months of work right in front of him. He rushes into Victor's lab and demands an explanation. The creature makes many threats to Victor, but he vows that he will never make another horrible monster, and set it loose upon the world. Frankenstein follows through with his threats, and murders another one of Victor's closest friends, and promises Victor - "I will be with you on your wedding day." It seems as if Frankenstein will never forgive humanity for his miserable treatment.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

The real plot begins when an old, half - dead man tells the captain of a ship, how he winded up floating on a piece of ice on the virge of death. He talks about where he went to school, and how he stumbled upon the means to animate lifeless material. After a year of work and study, he brings to life a gruesome monster, who he fearfully runs away from. Years later, he meets the monster again after it kills it's creator's brother. He finds the monster, who tells his own tale, and begs his creator to make a wife for him, and only then will he leave him alone forever. That's as far as I've gotten so far.

My group is studying the Industrial Revolution, which is believed to have happened around the 18th century to the 19th century. It originally started in Britain, and gradually the revolution enveloped most of the world. Over the course of many years, a lot of new and helpful inventions were created, (steam power, powered machinery, internal combustion engines, etc.)

One thing I want to know about this time period, is how the world advanced so much faster with technology during the Industrial Revolution then ever before. If the world HAS advanced like that before, when was that? (Besides the Enlightement era).