Over the years numerous movies have been produced.  Scary movies, romantic films, thrillers, and comedies have all been created.  Some movies have been based off of books, while others have been completely brand new ideas created by the director.  However, there are multiple movies that are a combination of both.  Memento, a movie directed by Christopher Nolan, is just one example of these types of films.  This movie, for most people, was nothing more than an original idea produced by a director that found actors to play the roles of the characters they crafted; the majority of the viewers would not consider comparing this film to Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley.  I, however, disagree.  I believe that aspects of Memento’s plot, as well as the characters throughout the movie, directly relate to those of Frankenstein.

I believe the characters in Frankenstein compare very closely to those in Memento.  Lenny, the main character in the film, compares to both Victor as well as the creature in the novel.  With no short term memory, Lenny must document everything that he wishes to remember.  He does this by taking numerous Polaroid pictures and then immediately writing on the bottom of them in order to remember what the picture means to him.  For other facts that Lenny feels extremely passionate about, he tattoos them to his body.  On the other hand, if Lenny does not want to believe something, he burns the Polaroid picture.  This is Lenny’s way of convincing himself that because the picture no longer exists, that person no longer exists or that event failed to occur.  This creates a problem for him.  Rather than noting exactly what happened, Lenny writes what he wants to believe; he lies to himself.  Similarly, Victor lies to himself.  Victor refuses to admit to anyone else that his creation killed his brother.  In addition, trying to pretend the creature did not exist, Victor abandoned him.  Victor lied to himself by acting as if he never created the creature as well as acting as if the creature no longer resided on the same planet as him.  Telling themselves lies in order to believe what they wish, Lenny and Victor both live a lie.  

Lenny also relates to the creature from Frankenstein.  Like Lenny killed the murderer of his wife, the creature killed both Victor’s brother and Victor’s fiancée, Elizabeth.  In addition, both characters begin their lives as adults.  After crafting the creature and bringing him to life, Victor realizes the creature was born as an adult.  This compares to Memento, because although Lenny was not actually born as an adult, after falling on the bathroom floor and cracking his head, Lenny’s short term memory was destroyed; because of this, he was recreated as an adult.  To symbolize Lenny’s short term memory leaving his body, the scene shows Lenny’s blood oozing out of his head.  With blood spilling from his head, the scene is dramatic as well as disturbing.  The intensity of the scene symbolizes the intensity of the moment and the drastic effect this moment will have on Lenny’s future.  The vividness and dramaticness incorporated into this scene compares to the creation scene of the creature in Frankenstein.  Shelley describes it with many adjectives and gives her readers a feeling of intensity as well as symbolizing the importance of the scene just as Memento does.  Lenny also compares to the creature, because throughout the movie there are various scenes in black and white.  These scenes are very important to the movie, because they show Lenny in deep contemplation trying to solve the mystery of the murder of his wife.  Furthermore, the lack of color symbolizes Lenny’s confusion and loss of direction in the world.  This relates to the creature from Frankenstein, because the creature is abandoned and feels lost.  Feeling as if he has nowhere to go as well as knowing little to nothing, the creature thinks deeply about his life in order to create a plan of action.

The structure of Memento relates to Frankenstein for various reasons.  First, the movie is extremely disorienting as it is basically told backwards.  For example, a scene is unveiled but the audience is unable to understand it until further into the movie.  Always having to stop and think about what is going on and remember prior scenes, the movie relates to Frankenstein, because numerous times Victor found himself faced with a decision and in necessity of thinking it through in order to make the right decision.  Also, the attention to the past in the film relates to Victor always looking to the past for guidance in his future.  The complicated structure of the film compares to the complicated structure like that of Victor’s personality.

Finally, both the movie and novel relate in yet another way, as they both deal with the essence of filmmaking.  Clearly Lenny is a character in the film, but more interestingly, he directs a film himself; he is a filmmaker.  Always taking Polaroid pictures and piecing them together, Lenny creates scenes in his life.  Like films take various scenes and mesh them together to create a movie, Lenny takes numerous Polaroid pictures and then puts them together in order to understand and piece his life together.  This also relates to Frankenstein, because Victor finds himself trying to piece his life together after the creature killed his brother.  Furthermore, Victor reflects upon his past decisions and contemplates his future decisions by piecing together the prior scenes of his life.

Although many viewers would not compare Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, to the movie Memento, I believe it correlates very closely.  The complexity of each character in the film relates to those in the novel, because in neither the book nor the film do the characters live a simple life.  Also, in the novel and the film both characters experience a creation scene; this is just one example of the many similarities the novel and the film share.  Although when sitting down to watch Memento many people may not think they are watching anything more than a movie, I disagree.  I believe they are watching a movie that relates very closely to Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein.

Over the years numerous movies have been produced.  Scary movies, romantic films, thrillers, and comedies have all been created.  Some movies have been based off of books, while others have been completely brand new ideas created by the director.  However, there are multiple movies that are a combination of both.  Memento, a movie directed by Christopher Nolan, is just one example of these types of films.  This movie, for most people, was nothing more than an original idea produced by a director that found actors to play the roles of the characters they crafted; the majority of the viewers would not consider comparing this film to Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley.  I, however, disagree.  I believe that aspects of Memento’s plot as well as the characters throughout the movie, directly relate to those of Frankenstein.

I believe the characters in Frankenstein compare very closely to those in Memento.  Lenny, the main character in the novel, compares to both Victor as well as the creature in the novel.  With no short term memory, Lenny must write everything down that he wishes to remember.  He does this by taking numerous Polaroid pictures and then immediately writing on the bottom of them in order to remember what the picture means to him.  For other facts that Lenny feels extremely passionate about, he tattoos them to his body.  On the other hand, if Lenny does not want to believe something, he burns the Polaroid picture.  This is Lenny’s way of convincing himself that because the picture no longer exists, that event or person no longer exists or failed to occur.  This creates a problem for him.  Rather than noting exactly what happened, Lenny writes what he wants to believe; he lies to himself.  Similarly, Victor lies to himself.  Victor refuses to admit to anyone else that his creation killed his brother.  In addition, trying to pretend the creature did not exist, Victor abandoned him.  Victor lied to himself by acting as if he never created the creature as well as acting as if the creature no longer resided on the same planet as him.  Telling themselves lies in order to believe what they wish, Lenny and Victor both live a lie. 

Lenny also relates to the creature from Frankenstein.  Like Lenny killed the murderer of his wife, the creature killed both Victor’s brother and Victor’s fiancée, Elizabeth.  In addition, both characters begin their life as adults.  After crafting the creature and bringing him to life, Victor sees the creature was born as an adult.  This compares to Memento, because although Lenny was not actually born as an adult, after falling on the bathroom floor and cracking his head, Lenny’s short term memory was destroyed; because of this, he was recreated as an adult.  To symbolize Lenny’s short term memory leaving his body, the scene shows Lenny’s blood oozing out of his head.  With blood spilling out of his head, the scene is dramatic as well as disturbing.  The intensity of the scene symbolizes the intensity of the moment and the drastic effect this moment will have on Lenny’s life.  The vividness and dramaticness incorporated into this scene compares to the creation scene of the creature in Frankenstein.  Shelley describes it with many adjectives and gives her readers a feeling of intensity as well as symbolizing the importance of the scene like Memento.  Lenny also compares to the creature, because throughout the movie there are various scenes in black and white.  These scenes are very important to the movie, because they show Lenny in deep contemplation trying to solve the mystery of the murder of his wife.  Furthermore, the lack of color symbolizes Lenny’s confusion and loss of direction in the world.  This relates to the creature from Frankenstein, because the creature is abandoned and feels lost.  Feeling as if he has nowhere to go as well as knowing little to nothing, the creature thinks deeply about his life in order to create a plan of action.

The structure of Memento, relates to Frankenstein for various reasons.  First, the movie is extremely disorienting as it is basically told backwards.  For example, a scene is unveiled but the audience is unable to understand it until further into the movie.  Always having to stop and think about what is going on and remember prior scenes, the movie relates to Frankenstein, because numerous times Victor found himself faced with a decision and in necessity of thinking it through in order to make the right decision.  Also, the attention to the past in the film relates to Victor always looking back to the past for guidance in the future.  The complicated structure of the film compares to the complicated structure like that of Victor’s personality.

Both the movie and novel relate in yet another way.  Clearly Lenny is a character in the film, but more interestingly, he directs a film himself; he is a filmmaker.  Always taking Polaroid pictures and piecing them together, Lenny creates scenes in his life.  Like films take various scenes and mesh them together to create a movie, Lenny takes numerous Polaroid pictures and then puts them together in order to understand and piece his life together.  This also relates to Frankenstein, because Victor finds himself trying to piece his life together after the creature he crafted killed his brother.  Furthermore, Victor reflects upon his past decisions and contemplates his future decisions by piecing together the prior scenes of his life.

Although many viewers would not compare Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, to the movie Memento, I believe it correlates very closely.  The complicated structure as well as the complexity of each character in the film relates to those in the novel, because in neither the book nor the film do the characters live a simple life.  Also, in both the novel and the movie both characters experience a creation scene as well as having other numerous similarities between each other.  Although when sitting down to watch Memento many people may not think they are watching anything more than a movie, I disagree.  I believe they are watching a movie that relates very closely to Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein.

Memento is all about facts and the truth, but the irony is that Lenny is living a lie himself.  He continues to tell himself things that he wants to know and feel, rather than what the actual facts are.  For example, Lenny tells Teddy “I am not a killer, just someone who wanted to make things right.”  This however is not true.  Lenny is a killer, because he kills people that he thinks killed his wife.  Another example of how Victor lies to himself is that he burns the polaroids that he does not want to believe happened.  Any polaroid that Victor decides he doesn’t want to believe, he just burns and to him, that incident or that person never existed.  This relates to Frankenstein, because Victor lived a lie by not admitting to the fact that his creation killed his brother.  Victor also lived a lie, because he abandoned his creation after creating him.  Wanting to pretend he never existed, Victor abandoned him; he lied to himself that the creature existed.  Both characters create lies to make themselves feel better; they believe what they want to.

Other notes-

film is very complicated like that of Victor and Frankensteins’s relationship

Lenny resembles both Victor and the creature from Frankenstein.  He is like Victor, because Lenny lives a lie.  They both tell themselves what they want to believe.  Lenny correlates to the creature, because they were both created as adults.  The story of Lenny’s life, for the audience, begins with him as an adult.  Furthermore, they are both created as adults and know nothing.

both have creation scenes. Frankensten- when he is created, the beginning of his life.  Lenny’s creation scene is when he is fighting the murderer of his wife and falls and hits his head and loses his short term memory.

   What if?  This simple phrase, used so commonly, carries a large meaning.  This question implies choice.  We have the power to choose which path we travel down, and this path is determined by the choices we make.  Sometimes when reading novels in high school or college, students find themselves struggling to find and understand hidden meanings scattered throughout these novels.  However, throughout Frankenstein Mary Shelley clearly refers to other texts and allusions; she hides nothing.  Shelley integrates various quotations from Paradise Lost, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and many more.  Each of these texts helps illustrate the effects of the decisions that have been made by each character. Paradise Lost, in particular, directly correlates to Shelley’s emphasis on choices and their consequences.  Shelley asserts, although we can be influenced by outside sources, we ultimately make our own decisions, and we must live with the consequences.

“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay

To mould me man?  Did I solicit thee

From darkness to promote me? –”- Paradise Lost

    The beginning portion of this quotation from Paradise Lost illustrates the choice Victor finds himself faced with.  The creature does not “request” that Victor create him; rather, Victor takes the initiative to craft this creature.  Although Victor understands that “a human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility,” Victor strays from this belief (Shelley 59).  Victor allows the creation of the monster to consume him; his passion for construction engulfs him completely.  Had Victor remained level-headed, he would have recognized the magnitude of the decision he was making.  The choice Victor makes to create this monster, despite his better knowledge, parallels Adam and Eve’s decision to take a bite out of the apple that God had forbidden them to touch.  Adam and Eve failed to keep their composure, and like Victor, allowed their passion and desires to get the best of them.  Like Shelley emphasizes, Victor, Adam, and Eve, each make their own decisions, and they are forced to live with the outcome of their decisions.  For Victor, he must deal with his conscience constantly reminding him that Justine, who is completely innocent, is accused and punished for something she did not do.  Victor’s choices not only created grief for his family due to the death of his brother, but they also created turmoil in Justine’s life, illustrating to Victor the consequences of his actions.  Adam and Eve on the other hand, realized because of their prior actions humanity will never be the same.  Like Victor affected himself and his family, Adam and Eve affected all of us; they transformed the human race.

   The second part of the quotation from Paradise Lost once again illustrates the power of choice.  Victor is not “solicited” to make this creature; he personally decides to create the creature.  Knowing it was the decision he made that caused the death of his brother, Victor realizes he is “the true murderer” (Shelley 84).  Disturbed by this knowledge, Victor is extremely upset.  Through his sorrows, he comes to the realization that he “had been the author of unalterable evils;” the decision he had previously made could not be undone (Shelley 87).  This feeling directly relates to those of Adam and Eve.  After committing the sin, Adam and Eve realized they did not have the ability to undo what they had done.  As Shelley words it, “the apple was already eaten” (Shelley 162).  This metaphor used in Frankenstein alludes to the sin Adam and Eve committed.  The allusion combines the assertion that just as Adam and Eve cannot retrace their steps and erase their mistakes, so Victor cannot take back what he has done either.  As seen in both Adam and Eve’s lives as well as Victor’s, we each have control over our own lives; we have the final say when it comes to making choices.  Furthermore, whatever choice we decide to ultimately make we must live with, because it cannot be undone.

   Faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion, Victor feels the intensity of the power of choice.  Influenced by the monster as well as thinking about his own well-being and the well-being of others, Victor feels obligated.  He feels as if he should create a partner for the creature so that as the creature promised, he would steer clear of humanity.  However, Victor is torn.  He “thought of the promise of virtues which he [the creature] had displayed on the opening of his existence” Victor also contemplated the creature’s “power and threats” (Shelley 130-1).  After much deliberation, Victor consents to the creature’s desire and begins crafting a female.  After constructing all of the pieces of the female character, Victor reflects on what he is doing.  Recognizing what could go wrong, Victor destroys each of the pieces of the creature before assembling them.  Although Victor was influenced by the creature, Victor made a personal decision to destroy the female creature before instilling her with life in suspicion of what could have happened had he given her the ability to roam the world with her companion.  Although this decision may seem rash, Victor’s avoidance of the choice to bring the female to life, was a choice in itself.  This choice, like the others, came with its own consequences.  In the end, Victor’s decision caused the death of his good friend, Henry, as well as the demise of his fiancée.  Not knowing the extent of what two creatures could accomplish together, Victor eliminated the possibility of them working together.  I believe Victor’s attempt to eliminate any problems before they occurred was the right choice and reflects what he learned from his previous mistakes.  I believe Victor’s decision illustrates his understanding of the power of choice.

   Like Shelley is the author of Frankenstein, we are the authors of our lives.  We have the power to write our lives anyway we choose.  The chapters of our lives are constructed by the choices we make, and more importantly, our reactions to those choices.  For example, if we make a mistake do we attempt to fix it, or do we ignore it in hopes of acting as if it never happened?  No matter who or what influences our personal story, we must realize that we are the sole author of our story.  As a result, we must take full responsibility for our actions and the consequences that ensue.

            What if?  This simple phrase, used so commonly, carries a large meaning.  This question implies a choice.  We have the power to choose which path we travel down, and this path is determined by the choices we make.  Sometimes when reading novels in high school or college, students find themselves struggling to find and understand hidden meanings scattered throughout these novels.  However, Mary Shelley in Frankenstein clearly refers to other texts and allusions; she hides nothing.  Shelley integrates various quotes from “Paradise Lost,” “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and many more.  Each of these texts helps illustrate the effects of the decisions that have been made by each character. “Paradise Lost,” in particular, directly correlates to Shelley’s emphasis on choices and their consequences.  Shelley asserts that although we can be influenced by outside sources, we ultimately make our own decisions, and we must live with the consequences.

“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay

To mould me man?  Did I solicit thee

From darkness to promote me? –”- Paradise Lost

 

The beginning portion of this quote from “Paradise Lost” illustrates the choice that Victor finds himself faced with.  The creature does not “request” that Victor create him; rather, Victor takes the initiative to craft this creature.  Although Victor understands that “a human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility,” (Shelley 59) Victor strays from this belief.  Victor allows the creation of this monster to consume him; his passion for construction engulfs him completely.  The decision that Victor makes to create this monster, despite his better knowledge,  parallels Adam and  Eve’s decision to take a bite out of the apple that God had forbidden them not to touch.  Adam and Eve failed to keep their composure, and like Victor, allowed their passion to get the best of them.  Like Shelley emphasizes, both Victor, Adam, and Eve, make their own decisions, and they are forced to live with the outcome of their decisions.

The second part of the quote from “Paradise Lost” once again illustrates the power of choice.  Victor is not “solicited” to make this creature; he personally decides to create this creature.  Knowing that it was the decision he made that caused the death of his brother, Victor realizes that he is “the true murderer” (Shelley 84).  Disturbed by this knowledge, Victor is extremely upset.  In addition, he comes to the realization that he “had been the author of unalterable evils;” (Shelley 87) the decision he made could not be undone.  This feeling directly relates to those of Adam and Eve.  After committing this sin, Adam and Eve realized they did not have the ability to undo what they had done.  As Shelley words it, “the apple was already eaten” (Shelley 162).  This metaphor as seen in Frankenstein alludes to the sin Adam and Eve committed.  As seen in both Adam and Eve’s lives as well as Victor’s, we each have control over our lives; we have the final say when it comes to making choices,.  Furthermore, whatever choice we decide to ultimately make we must live with, because it cannot be undone.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the story of the creation of a monster, and its impact on the world around it.  In order to successfully create the scene, Shelley uses numerous descriptions to accurately depict the characters’ feelings.  Frequently, Shelley shows the characters changing moods due to the weather, other people, or prior actions that occurred that day.  For example, Victor felt happier and freer as he walked through the mountains, while during more difficult times, such as when Victor and his family dealt with the death of Victor’s brother, Victor felt sad and alone.  While knowing that strolling through the mountains can make one feel better, learning about the death of a loved one is not as pleasant.  Shelley illustrates through the characters’ endeavors the dangers of acquiring knowledge. 

            Victor, who had always been an extremely studious individual and always yearned to learn more, changed his beliefs about the acquisition of knowledge.  He told his audience, “learn from me, if not by not my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” (Shelley 57).  Victor understood the treachery of knowledge after realizing the monster he had created killed his brother, William.  After realizing the repercussions of his actions, Victor thought “no one can conceive the anguish I suffered during the remainder of the night” (76).  Acquiring this horrid knowledge did not help Victor intellectually; rather, it destroyed him internally.  He tossed and turned throughout the night, and struggled to keep his mind of these haunting thoughts during the day.  In addition, Victor had to live knowing that one of his dear family friends, Justine Mortiz, was being murdered because of the knowledge he acquired but refused to share with others.

            Like Victor, the monster he created also learns of the dangers of knowledge.  Investigating certain communities, the monster realizes what he does not have.  After learning about “birth and growth of children; how the father doated on the smiles of the infant, and the lively sallies of the older child; how all the life and cares of the mother were wrapped up in precious charge” (110) the monster realizes everything he is lacking.  Until he acquires this knowledge, he feels no remorse about his present life.  In addition, the monster feels as if the “increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was” (118).  Familiarizing himself with a new way of life discourages and saddens the monster causing him to feel left out, because he becomes aware of everything he is without; the monster feels the weight of gaining information.  Had he not acquired this knowledge, the monster would have continued on with his current life believing he had everything necessary to a good life.

            When thinking about the dangers of knowledge I am left wondering, how can we overcome this fear so that rather than fearing knowledge we embrace it?  Also, when gaining knowledge that we regret obtaining, how can we turn this around and use this information to our advantage?  Shelley presents an interesting argument, and I believe that while obtaining information can be dangerous, I believe we must put our fears aside and obtain information wherever available.

The Necessity of Junior Year

Reading and writing have evolved significantly over the years.  In the past, stories were told by word of mouth and passed down from generation to generation.  As our society modernized and technology improved, stories were written down and published in books.  Now, we find ourselves reading text and composing papers more readily on computers.  Our new forms of technology have created numerous ways to make writing more public.  For example, blogging has become extremely popular in the 21^st century.  Authors post their thoughts online and others comment on their writing with thoughts of their own.  Our current young generation spends numerous hours each day on Facebook.  Teenagers “write on each other’s walls,” the catch being, the posts are for everyone to see; they are public.  The way our society is evolving today as well as what I’ve learned from past experiences, I believe writing is a public act.

Entering my English class on the first day of junior year, I was filled with emotions.  I felt excited, curious, and nervous.  Beginning with an overview of the class, my teacher casually mentioned we would be writing a six page research paper.  My jaw dropped.  I had never written more than a four page essay nor had I incorporated detailed research into my papers.  Noticing our emotions, my teacher assured us she would guide us through the process.  She taught us how to analyze our literature, construct a thesis, and draft our essays.  My English teacher’s beliefs coincided with Sven Birkets’ belief in The Gutenberg Elegies, “to be curious, to study, to find out- that was the path to the world” (60).  Constantly stressing always questioning our reading, my teacher taught us to be curious.  She emphasized in depth research as well.  Furthermore, she emphasized “studying” our paper.  She encouraged us to compose many drafts, revise them, and then receive feedback from others.  In order for this process to be successful I was required to make my writing public.  By studying my piece and then finding out which parts I needed to work on, I discovered the key to success: others’ perspectives and their insight.  Most importantly, my teacher emphasized this process beyond this individual research paper.  She encouraged us to use this process for all of our writing projects.

Second semester of junior year of high school, I was required to write another research paper.  However, for this assignment I was to write an I-search.  This paper required me to read a book chosen by my interviewee, (my grandmother) interview her, and then write a paper focusing on the process of the search as well as the connections I found between my grandmother and the novel she chose for me to read.  From start to finish, this project lasted about two months.  My teacher required three drafts to be completed, and after completing each draft we would conference with her.  In order for these conferences to be successful, I had to make my writing public.  I showed my teacher what I had completed, and she provided me with feedback on how to improve what I had written.  These conferences forced me to make my thoughts and emotions public.  This experience is very different from Birket’s beliefs, because he believes writing is an extremely private act.  According to Birkets, to be a writer does not mean one must “just produce words…Rather, it is to position one-self independently, at an angle to society; it is to live in a different and possibly dangerous way in the service of a vision” (41).  I disagree with Birkets, because in order for my writing to be successful I have to write outside of my room.  Unlike Birkets’ assertion, I believe I must be public and incorporate others thoughts into my writing.  Moreover, I have to put myself out there and let my emotions free.  While this made me nervous because I was so vulnerable, I knew if I wanted to be successful I had to allow others to read my work.  Also, the interaction between my grandmother and me during our interviews forced me to make my writing public.  I had to question her on my thoughts and delve deeper into her personal thoughts to successfully complete my I-search.  Ultimately after completing our papers we each read them to the class.  This project was another indicator to me that in order to be successful, I must make my writing public.

This long process I endured while writing my I-search filled with revisions consisting of  changing words, eliminating paragraphs, and adding research to my paper illustrated to me the process of writing was the most important part of my paper; I came to agree with Birkets’ belief that what matters is “not the what of it, but the how” (11).  Birkets made me recognize that the destination is not nearly as important as my journey.  My journey, however, could not have been completed without the help of others.  Allowing others to read my writing granted me the opportunity to receive their feedback.  After the culmination of the project, I realized I never could have been as successful had I kept my writing private; my paper would have only consisted of my thoughts, which is not nearly enough when wanting to be successful writer. Furthermore, the intricate process of this paper illustrated to me that “thinking is now something I partake in, not something I do” (11).  Creating the best paper possible consisted of patience and hard work; it was a process.  I did not just quickly think, write, and then hand in my paper.  Rather, by partaking in thinking I participated in social conversations involving other people, ultimately making my writing public.   

Prior to junior year, I had always been a little hesitant when it came to writing; I had my reservations.  However, during junior year my feelings towards writing made a complete turnaround.  After completing two lengthy research papers, I feel more confident with my writing.  Illustrating to me the process of writing, my teachers opened my eyes to the opportunities that arise when being social.  Furthermore, understanding that if I take writing step by step, allowing others to guide me with their thoughts, and ultimately incorporating their thoughts into my pieces, I can produce successful papers each time I write.  I learned each of these significant things while being social and participating in thinking.  In each instance had I not shared my work publically I never would have completely grasped the concept of composing, drafting, and revising.  After completing junior year, I realized that the facts I collected and studied for each research paper were not nearly as important as what I learned from actually writing each paper.

The Path to the World
Birkets’ beliefs on how a reader and writer should live their lives explains a lot about his past experiences reading novels as well as being the writer of the novel.  Birkets believes reading is extremely private.  Birkets’ father disapproved of reading; therefore, he was forced to lock his bedroom doors and read secretively in the late hours of the night.  Birkets also describes his image of a writer, and his individual beliefs on knowledge.  In addition, Birkets discusses his past moving from city to city, working in various bookstores, and trying to find just the right combination of words to compose his own literary work.  I agree with Birkets’ beliefs on how a writer should live his life as well as Birkets’ beliefs on gaining insight into the world.
Birkets had a very distinct view of how writers should live.  He believed that if they “lived the right way, then the prose would just somehow be there” (Birkets 41).  Birkets goes on to illustrate just how he believes they should live.  First, he believes writers should “position one-self independently” (Birkets 41).  I agree with this statement, because if a writer is independent they have eliminated distractions and are ready to sit down and compose.  Also, if a writer is independent his thoughts will reflect his own personal thoughts.  Birkets also believes that writers should “live in a different and possibly dangerous way in the service of a vision” (Birkets 41).  I believe Birkets is correct in this assertion.  For a writer to be successful, he must expose himself and let his emotions free.  This is dangerous for a writer because it makes him vulnerable, because he is unaware of how others will react to his thoughts and emotions; however, this is essential when looking into the future and thinking about the writer’s final product.
Birkets also explicity describes his belief on how to explore the world.  Birkets tells his readers “to be curious, to study, to find out- this was the path to the world” (Birkets 60).  I agree with Birkets’ belief, because to be curious opens one’s eyes to the world.  If we put ourselves out there and ask questions and explore we open doors for ourselves, facilitating various opportunities.  Also, as Birkets says, we must “study”.  If we want to be successful in life we must take the time to prepare.  Finally, we must “find out”.  I believe this is essential in order to find our way around the world.  In order to be successful readers and writers, we must gain as much knowledge as possible so we can intelligently discuss different topics that spark not only our own interests but the interests of others.
Birkets presents strong arguments in his second chapter of The Gutenberg Elegies, but I am left with a few questions.  First, did he write The Glass to liberate himself from his emotions or just to write?  And if so, was he freed from his feelings after the culmination of his work?
After reading the second chapter, I feel more connected with Birkets.  His point of view coincides with my beliefs in reference to the image of a writer as well as how to find the way around the world.

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