Draft: Technology: The Modern Frankenstein
Literature provides a hypothetical situation that can be used to outline theories. From hyperbolic exaggeration that requires willing suspension of disbelief to the plausible extrapolation of preexisting scenarios, fictional writing provides a medium with which to examine how different problems and ideas can impact humanity as a group distinct from time. Theoretical medical situations are a common tool used to create fictional representations of the human condition.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein is driven by sheer curiosity to understand the “change from life to death, and death to life” (84). When his curiosity drives him to the creation of life and crossing the threshold of mortal behavior, Frankenstein abandons his abominable creation. His curiosity is mirrored in modern medical society; the prevention of death and prolonging of human life has been a goal of medical research for some time. This technology has progressed to the point where brain-dead humans can have their biological processes maintained by machines, essentially sustaining an unsustainable life. Both the text and these situations bring up the question of what it means to be alive and what it means to be human. Frankenstein’s creature is made in the visage of man but is made by the hands of man. His organs, blood, and brains are human, but because of his hideous physical appearance, the community assumed he was not. Medical cloning of humans has been reproduced on a cellular level; full cloning could be developed in the future, running into the same ethical concerns .In short, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a work of fiction that brought up hypotheticals on medical ethics that are now completely relevant.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. "Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus." Google Books. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=5twBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=frankenstein&hl=en&ei=7xd-TZ7MEsi3tgfo3ZG6BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=twopage&q&f=false>.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein is driven by sheer curiosity to understand the “change from life to death, and death to life” (84). When his curiosity drives him to the creation of life and crossing the threshold of mortal behavior, Frankenstein abandons his abominable creation. His curiosity is mirrored in modern medical society; the prevention of death and prolonging of human life has been a goal of medical research for some time. This technology has progressed to the point where brain-dead humans can have their biological processes maintained by machines, essentially sustaining an unsustainable life. Both the text and these situations bring up the question of what it means to be alive and what it means to be human. Frankenstein’s creature is made in the visage of man but is made by the hands of man. His organs, blood, and brains are human, but because of his hideous physical appearance, the community assumed he was not. Medical cloning of humans has been reproduced on a cellular level; full cloning could be developed in the future, running into the same ethical concerns .In short, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a work of fiction that brought up hypotheticals on medical ethics that are now completely relevant.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. "Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus." Google Books. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=5twBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=frankenstein&hl=en&ei=7xd-TZ7MEsi3tgfo3ZG6BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=twopage&q&f=false>.
