Integration into Music

As we have learned in class, Frankenstein is very prominent in many aspects of media. However, the idea of integrating Frankenstein into the music industry is sometimes overlooked and unnoticed. We have been analyzing literary pieces for decades in order to uncover various themes or messages hidden by the writer. You can do the same with a song or a music video and after reviewing a couple clips on Youtube and a few songs, that idea is proven to be true.

The first clip was a music video for the song Frankenstein from the band Willoughby. The whole melody of the song seems to be quite down and dreary, which fits the mood of the creature character. The creature is portrayed as a wanderer– or hobo– and has expressions that radiate the feelings of sadness, loneliness and the feeling of being lost. These feelings never concern Victor Frankenstein, who is the creator of the creature, and in reality it seems like he doesn’t believe his creature exists. Now, the music video never pinpoints the reason why Victor doesn’t tend to his creature, but I think we can conclude it is because he believes his creation is ugly, without a soul and inherently evil. All of these pieces to this music video correlate very well to the story within Mary Shelley’s Novel Frankenstein.

Overall, I believe Willoughby is trying to convey a particular message, just as Mary Shelley did. No matter the outward appearance of an individual, the internal make-up is the same as the rest of humankind. We are all imperfect beings that thrive on the God-given desires of love, compassion, fellowship and companionship.

The second clip was a portion of Frankenstein’s Wedding where the song My Body is A Cage, by Arcade Fire, is played in the background.  This truly moving clip opens with Elizabeth sitting at a table alone. Overcome with impatience in waiting for her husband Victor, Elizabeth storms out of her seat and approaches the only other person in the room, the creature. Upon realizing he was a “monstrosity” Elizabeth shifts into a mood of intense fright. This is when the music starts to play in the background. One of the main verses in the song states, “My body is a cage that keeps me from dancing with the one I love, but my mind holds the key.” This verse represents the attitude the creature portrays and the story he tells through this whole clip. Because of his deformities and monstrous-like figure, he is automatically judged and disowned, and because of this, he finds no companionship or love. He places blame on Victor Frankenstein for creating him so ugly and without a similar being to which he can relate to.

In the same clip, the creature kills Elizabeth in order to show Frankenstein the pain that he has suffered. As Frankenstein attempts to put an end to his creature, the police bust in and shoot Frankenstein. This sends a great quake of emotion through the creature and the verse in My Body is a Cage that states, “set my body free” increases in intensity and volume. This shows how the Creature ultimately feels at this point. The one person he wanted to have a relationship with, his creator, had died. Almost all hope is lost and the creature just wants to have his body and spirit free. The song fits into this scene very well and enhances the effectiveness of the creature’s monologue.

I was sorting through my iTunes the other day and stumbled across the song Reclusion, by Anberlin. Even by the title, it is obvious that this could be inspired by Frankenstein. A recluse is someone who is completely secluded from society. In the case of the creature, he is completely isolated from all other living things because of his appearance. No one is like him and no one can relate to him. From the chapters, it is also noticed that he lives in a hovel for a long period of time by himself, again representing the act of seclusion. As I looked deeper into the lyrics, I noticed even more similarities to the creature in Frankenstein. The first line in the song states “There’s someone inside me that softly kills everyone around.” I believe this could be a representation of the creature. He is inherently a good creature, but he becomes overwhelmed with pain and suffering which creates another “person” within him that causes harm to other people. Another verse that is a good representation is, “You’re sick, sick as all the secrets you deny.” I feel as if the creature has this attitude toward Frankenstein because he feels that Frankenstein should own up to his creation and not abandon him.

It is very obvious after reviewing these pieces of media, Frankenstein has penetrated even into the music industry. Touching every corner of the media spectrum with one book is an incredible feat! If I would have just listened to these songs as opposed to analyzing the lyrics, I wouldn’t have thought of them as Frankenstein representations. Now-a-days, songs are not just music, but stories and lessons in which we can relate to. Everything is not always what it seems to be, even when it comes to music.

 

God Bless

Arguement Quotes

The concept of good versus evil is a key idea that is touched on in many novels, T.V. shows, and movies. In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one’s idea of which character is good or evil can be different depending on how he or she interprets each character. For our first paper in ENGL106, our task is to decide who is the ultimate evil in Shelley’s novel and we must support our ideas with quotes from the book. After reading the first few chapters of Frankenstein, a handful of useful quotes bubbled to the surface.

Personally, at this point in the novel, I believe Victor Frankenstein is the biggest source of evil. Now, others might object to my opinion. This thought that Victor is not evil can be interpreted from when Victor says, “I prepared myself for a multitude of reverses; my operations might be incessantly baffled, and at last my work be imperfect… I was encouraged to hope my present attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success” (Shelley 54). After a first glance at the quote, it seems like Victor is a very humble character, where he would be okay with not succeeding in his creation as long as it benefited others. Unfortunately, I don’t fully believe Victor in his statement.

Considering what Victor says earlier in an chapter can help you realize why I don’t believe Victor’s statement. Frankenstein says, “Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death” (42). It is apparent, from this quote, that Victor is not set out for knowledge for the common man, but for fame and glory. Also, if you refer back to the first quote from page 54 of the text, it is easily recognizable that it is almost a direct correlation to the persona of Cornelius Aggripa. Aggripa was looked at by many individuals as a nut-case and therefore the information in his text books were inconclusive. But aside from that, he was recognized and known by many individuals. This is what Frankenstein was desiring in the long run.

To further support this fact that Victor Frankenstein is evil is the following statement from him, “… my more than sister, since death she was to be mine only” (37) From this quote, the words mine only really stood out to me. I think this was really the first instant where we begin to see Victor’s greed. This quote also helps us realize that his attitude of “I am more important than anyone else” started at a very early age. Moreover, it shows us that he was incredibly greedy as a child and that his greed carried over into his adulthood.

Using an in-depth look at these three quotes, it is obvious that Victor Frankenstein possesses some kind of attribute of evil. Some people do not criticize Frankenstein for the shear fact that he is human and he makes mistakes. However, the same logic can be applied in the reverse fashion. Since he is human, he has morals, values and a human spirit inside of him. Unfortunately, his spirit is corrupted by greed and self-satisfaction yielding an overall evil spirit and evil being.

Monster Green Glad Bags!

The Frankenstein Monster uses Glad Bags!

Today, we encountered an interesting blog that exposed us to a plethora of ads that integrated the Frankenstein monster into them.

After looking through the sample ads within the blog, I had a few ideas of my own that I found to be pretty entertaining!  My first few ideas included the Frankenstein monster using a series of bolts in an automotive application. A quote I was going to use for the ad was, “Frankenbolts, by PortlandBolts, make sure your car is contained!” This would have related to the fact that Dr. Frankenstein didn’t keep close tabs on his monster, so it escaped. Also, it was fairly hard to catch and keep the monster in one place.  However, I didn’t feel like that ad would have been as effective as the one I created above.

The Glad ad that I created starts out in the top right hand side of the screen with the monster looking rather daunting. Around his head, it says, “Are your trash bags making you angry?” Then following that is the famous Glad quote, “Don’t get mad!” After those two lines, I had to figure out something that would correlate between the two topics of Frankenstein and crappy trash bags. In my personal experiences, I tend to always get really frustrated when a full bag of trash busts open. So, I figured “Get the new Glad Monster Green Bags! Guaranteed to put to rest the monster inside of you!” would be an applicable quote for the ad. I thought this quote really pertained to the ad as well as the movie itself! At the end of the movie, it seemed as if the Frankenstein monster was “put to rest” in the windmill. At the same time, Dr. Frankenstein’s obsessive and psychotic side of his personality seemed to disappear.

Here’s to the Misfits

Frankenstein is a “one-in-a-million” kind of film, not purely because of the interesting aspects contained in the book and in the movie. Frankenstein is like a sheet of saran wrap that lays over the world. The ideas and morals contained within the movie and book can be traced to each “corner” of the earth. After reading a set of two reviews, one being from The Onion A.V. Club and the other from Horror Reviews, it seems like the two authors share the same opinion.

Keith Phipps, the author of the Onion A.V. Club review, stresses the fact that most people can relate to the monster very well. In our human nature, we generally feel sympathetic toward those that are left out or, as Phipps labels the individuals, misfits. Personally, when the monster started to be treated poorly, that is when I really started to get into the movie. It stirred something up inside of me when Fritz started to threaten the monster with the fire. Because of the monster’s confused and scared state, his flight or fight response kicked in. Obviously, it turned out to be a “fight” rather than “flight” experience.

To go along with the idea of being a misfit, Brett Gallman, the author of the Horror Reviews review, mentions another point that we as humans can relate to. At one point, most of us, if not all, have felt like we have been misunderstood for some reason. Gallman introduces this point by stating, “The monster is more misunderstood than malicious.” After taking a closer look at the movie, it seems Gallman is correct. Referencing the scene where the monster is playing with the little girl, it is apparent that he enjoys throwing the flowers into the water with the little girl. He got excited and wanted to see if other things floated, so he tossed the little girl into the pond, not realizing what he was really doing. His intent was not to kill the little girl, but to play with her and enjoy his time being alive, rather than dread the fact he was created. However, that is not how the town’s people saw his actions and he ultimately had to pay for their judgmental nature.

Personally, I think there is a lesson to be learned within the movie. Judging someone, whether that be their character or intentions, is not an action that we are qualified to do. So, the next time you have an urge to judge someone, recall the events in the movie Frankenstein and try to reevaluate your decision.

God Bless

 

The Cemetery Skeleton

Completely covered by muscle, skin and other bodily casings, the bones of our bodies lie at our core. And when all of those bones are assembled together, a skeleton is born. However, when a skeleton is placed within the movie set of Frankenstein (1931), it becomes much more than the core of a body. In the article The Cemetery Skeleton, the author believes this fact to be true and mentions some compelling information.

The author analyzes the introduction scene in Frankenstein where a group of people are gathered around a burial site, mourning the death of a fellow human. Within the scene, a skeleton figure is present at the cemetery. I skimmed over the skeleton in the graveyard, because that is what I expected to see. In addition, I didn’t think much about the symbolism behind the figure. Luckily, the author of the article stressed the significance of the skeleton occupying the right hand side of the scene. In one of the author’s points, he or she mentions, “In a telling gesture, Colin Clive’s Frankenstein, concentrated on his urgent task, blithely throws a shovelful of graveyard dirt square into the skeleton’s face.” When the author elaborates on this point, it is  mentioned how blinded Frankenstein is by his devious actions. I would have to agree with this point because Frankenstein, even though he is a doctor and has a higher intellect level than most, does not take the time to actually think about the morality behind his actions.

Burials and funerals are not suppose to be the happiest of times; however, it is a time to say farewell to the deceased and to send them off into eternity (depending on religious beliefs). Frankenstein intervenes in this process and removes the body from its rightful place. Ultimately, just as the author states, when Frankenstein slings the dirt in the face of the skeleton, it shows “Frankenstein’s disrespect for Death itself.”

Without this article, I don’t believe I would have considered the skeleton as anything more than a decoration. After reading The Cemetery Skeleton, it is apparent to me that the skeleton is much more than a prop. Even little details in movies such as this can mean something far more significant.

That was suppose to be scary…?

Nate Yapp, member of classic-horror.com reviews, brought about some interesting points regarding the 1931 version of Frankenstein. He touched on quite a few points within the movie that had key importance. First of which, the graveyard scene. It played a key part in the movie because it shows just how determine, and yet somewhat twisted, Dr. Frankenstein was. In actuality, both the doctor along with his companion Fritz were beyond excited about digging up a recently deceased man. I found myself agreeing with Yapp through this point because I too found myself somewhat disturbed by the fact that Frankenstein had no problem digging up a grave.

Confused about the reasoning behind the introduction of the “criminal brain”, Yapp goes on to question the integration of the idea not present within the book. Even though he has “criminal-like tendencies” they are not out of murderous intent. Just as Yapp explains, it seems as if “he is a child that has too much power”. If you recall the part where Frankenstein throws the little girl into the water, he seems to get scared when she doesn’t float as the flowers did. Since his brain was most likely dormant for some time, it is clear that he must relearn most of the basic human motor and mental skills. So, when the girl didn’t float as the flowers did, it frightened Frankenstein because he expected the same outcome from the child as he did with the flower.

Within his review, Nate Yapp converts from the plot description to the cast and content the cast brought to the movie. Yapp was not pleased by the fact that Elizabeth would clearly and properly speak within the movie. This made him feel as if someone else could have been a better candidate for the role. However, I found that she played the role of the bride quite well (Although i haven’t read the book, nor seen The Bride of Frankenstein). Clearly articulating his enjoyment with the creation of the Frankenstein monster, he praised the abilities of Pierce and Whale. I believe they did a phenomenal job as well because of the quality of realness that radiated from the character.

Nate Yapp has a lot of interesting points to take into account about the 1931 version of Frankenstein and I tend to agree with most of them at this point. Now, those agreements might change after reading the book, but who knows!

 

God Bless and Take Care

“Remix and Direct Attention” ~Joichi Ito

Remixes. They are much more than just a new spin on the latest song. It can be applied to anything, any media, any overall idea. In the video Everything is a Remix, it shows that most modern films today are adapted or “remixed” from previous works that people have done (http://www.everythingisaremix.info/everything-is-a-remix-part-2/). At first, I really didn’t believe that fact to be true because when you look at movies like Star Wars or Kill Bill, they seem like incredible original works. However, that isn’t true at all. After taking a deeper look, it was apparent that these films had scenes that were spun off of other director’s original works.

Something else that really hit me in this video was the fact that different directors can “remix” the same idea, but in different ways. That can apply both to music as well as films. The remixes that really stuck with me the most were those of Alice and Wonderland. Tim Burton, a brilliant director, producer and writer, focuses in on his creations with a dark and eerie lens. Disney, on the other hand, likes to fill their movies with sugary messages and happy tones. The two of the Alice and Wonderland productions differed greatly, yet still seemed to have some common ground. In the Tim Burton film, Alice and Wonderland is more of a dark adventure and an overall mission of destruction by both the protagonist and antagonist. Most scenes are presented in a dark and ominous fashion. The Disney version opens the film up to a whole different perspective. Within the Disney version, just about each and every color on the screen contains a bright hue to accent the overall feel of a Disney movie. Even the antagonists within the film seem to look nice and happy. However, both of the versions seem to play off of the drug references, sometimes subtle and other times super obvious.

I am a personal fan of remixes in music. A lot of the time that is what I search for because it is a new sound to an old song. Now that my eyes are opened a little bit wider, maybe I will be on the look out for “remixed” movies as well!

 

God Bless and Take Care.

Me, Myself and I

My name is Austin Clemens. I am from Westfield, Indiana, which is about thirty minutes north of Indianapolis. I’ve been a hoosier all my life; however, I am not a big fan of IU. Since I was little, I have dreamed about coming to Purdue to get some type of engineering degree. That dream is finally coming true. Enough with the boring stuff though. Through out the past four years of my life, I have become increasingly defined by my passions in life, all of which are random and unrelated. Volleyball, Classic Cars, Drawing and Graphic Design, and my Faith. Each one of these have played a key role in my life.

Since I was a preschooler, I watched my dad play volleyball in a variety of different leagues. I finally came to an age, 15, where I could actually play in the league with him. I absolutely sucked, but as time went on my skills became honed. Within a year or two I was playing with college league kids and was told to play IVA (Indiana Volleyball Association). I played through that league and loved it. Still, to this day, I play whenever I can and sometimes go back to my “home court” in Westfield to play with my old team. Volleyball doesn’t require much strength, but restoring cars definitely does.

When I was in eighth grade, my dad bought us a 1971 Chevelle SS. It was junk. Rust was everywhere, the headliner was falling down and the engine compartment had fuzz and feathers from a plethora of animals. From the ground up, we resurrected a decrepit beast and created a fully functioning muscle machine. Every aspect and component of the car was refurbished to factory quality. I learned basic mechanical, pneumatic, and electrical concepts and systems, which has proved to be useful beyond the car industry. Unfortunately, we had to sell our pride and joy because of the ridiculous gas prices. I now drive a 1987 Camaro IROC Z28, which I treat like a child. Sometimes keeping a car in a “classic car” condition takes an artful eye.

Art has always been a subject that has been weaved into my veins. I received my first art set from my aunt at age 4; this is where my passion for art started. Over the years, I have drawn countless amounts of pieces for myself as well as other people. In addition to that, I have drawn ideas for permanent art, tattoos. In my senior year of high school, a handful of my graduating class came to me and asked if I would draw their tattoos. They offered pay, but I wouldn’t accept it. I felt honored they were willing to put my art on their body permanently. I also engage in photography here and their and edit it in photoshop and other photo editing programs.

Lastly, my faith defines who I am. During the summer of 2011, I found myself at an extremely low point in my life. Coming into college, I found myself in an even worse position. I was incredibly lonely because I knew hardly anyone. I struggled to get through the first few months. I was born and raised a Christian, but never really acted on that fact. I finally looked to God and found the backing I needed to get through the rest of the days. God along with the Steve Jobs Biography helped me push through. It sounds ridiculous that the former CEO of Apple Inc. could provide any bit of help in a situation like mine; however, the man had a lot of knowledge regarding life and what life will throw at you.

I hope this gives you a little background on who I am. More later.

God Bless and Take Care