Mankind has always wanted to know more. More about the world around him, more about what makes life work, more about how to advance as a species. Mary Shelly wrote the novel Frankenstein in 1815 as a precautionary tale about man's obsession with scientific advances. How on earth could a book nearly 200 years old have anything to say to us here in the 21st century? This unit will answer that question.
By the end of this unit, you should:
KNOW
- The characters of Frankenstein
- The author of Frankenstein
- That present-day people involved in science read this book and are influenced by it
- The themes of insanity, destiny, the creation of life and personal responsibility
- Vocabulary from the text of the book as well as: gene, genome, artificial intelligence, transplant
- The task of the Human Genome Project (mapping the human genome)
UNDERSTAND
- With great power comes great responsibility
- Our actions have consequences
- The creator’s responsibilities toward the creation
BE ABLE TO DO
- Recognize current trends in scientific exploration
- Make ethical decisions about current scientific advances
- Identify the themes and characters of the novel Frankenstein
- Write an essay exploring one of the themes of the novel
- Explain how science fiction is a warning for the future
Copies of the text:
Project Gutenberg - HTML document allows you to read the novel online. Includes hyperlinks so you can jump directly to the chapter you're looking for.
Project Gutenberg -- other formats, including Kindle and EPUB, for ebook readers and other devices
Etext -- enhanced text. Has word definitions and notes for difficult passages. Hover your mouse over underlined words to get their definitions.
Classroom materials:
Study guides
Journal questions
Project grid
mary shelley.ppt PowerPoint biography of the author's life
Frankenstein SmartNotebook file -- You will need to download the file, go to Notebook Express and choose "Open an Exisiting File". Then choose the file on your computer to view it.
More Information & Resources:
How many times has Frankenstein been made into a movie?
Comic strip creator
Jeopardy game created by M. Wilson
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