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Frankenstein Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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In an excerpt of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, an internally conflicted scientist recalls the moment he brought an atrocity to life. Evidently, the reader senses conflicting feelings of both dread and fascination from Victor Frankenstein through Shelley's use of shifting tone and sensory details. To begin, Mary Shelley's utilization of emphasized tone in her work allows the reader to experience Victor Frankenstein's complex emotions as he brings life to an abomination. More specifically, the consistent alterations in tone and language indicates Frankenstein's changing perception of his experiment. Near the beginning of the excerpt, the speaker frustratingly asserts, "In the center of the room, a grotesque structure dominated the space - a grotesque mockery of the human form, stitched together from the salvaged remains of the charnel house" (Shelley 1). …show more content…

Meaning, Frankenstein indubiously, feels a sense of shame for his work and simply wants to end it to gain a sense of finality. Despite this portrayed sense of apathy for his experiment, the speaker goes on to declare, "Relief, a wave of pure, unadulterated relief, washed over me. I had done it before. I have created life" (Shelley 7). Ultimately, Frankestein's "relief" expresses how he truly cares for his experiment, which contradicts his lack of regard for the abomination previously in the excerpt. Furthermore, Frankenstein reminisces the overwhelming sensations he experiences as he finally observes his creation, proclaiming, "I stumbled back, fear replacing my initial awe. The creature, its body a grotesque patchwork of humanity, seemed to embody the very essence of my transgression" (Shelley 10). To explain, Frankenstein's reaction to his creature marks a shift from fascination back to fear

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