My Creation

  

   My creation is an extension of myself and represents how Gothicism and Romanticism go hand-in-hand with one another. My experiences made me want to express that I believe there is still undiscovered beauty in the world, mourning the dead and feeling joyous over life can occur simultaneously, and simplicity and beauty are occasionally the same thing. By creating an original piece of artwork, I have discovered and revealed a form of simplistic beauty to the world, as the artwork itself is not loud enough to drown out the medium's intended message. The two hands reaching for each other are both shrouded in darkness and light, reflecting the fine line between life and death and how they can coexist but not have a middle ground. My creation also conveys that if there was ever a possibility of life after death, there is no hope of ever reaching the world of the living again, no matter how much you are missed, represented by the white hand in the darkness desperately reaching for the light that calls its name. This is a concept that is similar to how Caroline might feel after dying and leaving Victor, Elizabeth, and Alphonse behind. This product of my experiences will inspire others to take their own journeys to uncover the mysteries of the unknown. Its symbolism of how Romantic and Gothic elements meld together is simple enough to comprehend, yet it is still beautiful and significant in its own right.

Post #3 Nature

   This picture is from the first snowfall of 2015 while my bus was leaving the school parking lot. Call me simple-minded, but the little things in nature such as snow just make me feel awestruck. My experience with nature is similar to that of Victor's, for it has always found a way to relieve me of my worries by allowing me to indulge in its beauty. Victor experiences this when he travels with Henry to his old university. The sights and nostalgia help Victor begin to recover from his illness, and he says "We passed a fortnight in these perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress..." (Shelley 45). This experience inspired and reminded me to appreciate the simple things in life, as they are often the most important. With the help of Henry, Victor also comes to this realization, stating that he "became the same happy creature who, a few years ago, loved and beloved by all, had no sorrow or care. When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations. A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy. The present season was indeed divine; the flowers of spring bloomed in the hedges, while those of summer were already in bud. I was undisturbed by thoughts which during the preceding year had pressed upon me, notwithstanding my endeavours to throw them off, with an invincible burden."(Shelley 45). What I desire to express from this experience is that simplicity and beauty in nature often correlate to each other to provide a form of comfort to the beholder.

Post #2 Emotions

   This video was taken on the car ride home from my brother's funeral. Unsurprisingly, the experience was not a happy one. My experience with dealing with the death of a loved one and the view on life obtained afterwards both relates and differs to Victor when he is coping with his mother's death. Like Victor, I feel as though nature and life appear duller than before due to my perspective being tainted by my grief, for he says "I feel pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self"(Shelley 20) while recollecting his childhood to Robert. The only major difference between Victor and I during this experience is that I do not wish to resurrect and bring back the dead as a result, as I have come to terms with the fact that death is irreversible. This experience inspired me to appreciate the life I have and the people in it, because I will never know when exactly it will end, so I need to take advantage of my time left while I still can. This inspiration relates to Victor's realization that life must continue on when he says "My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to perform; we must continue our course with the rest, and learn to think ourselves fortunate, whilst one remains whom the spoiler has not seized." (Shelley 24). What I desire to express from this experience is that grieving over the dead and feeling joyous from being alive can occur simultaneously, enforcing Mary Shelly's theme of Frankenstein that Gothicism and Romanticism can easily blend together and coexist.

Post #1 Exoticism

   This image is from when my father took me with him on his sailboat back in September. We were out sailing for about four hours, just quietly enjoying the view. During this, I felt a form of quiet tranquility while watching the waves gently melding into one another. I connected this experience to the romantic element of exoticism because this was my first time going sailing and being so far away from land that it was like entering an entirely different world. My experience is similar to when Victor is lost at sea, although since I was with an experienced sailor, I did not feel the panic and fear that Victor does as he contemplates all the ways he could die, such as being "driven into the wide Atlantic and feel all the tortures of starvation or be swallowed up in the immeasurable waters that roared and buffeted around me." (Shelley 126). This experience inspired me by showing me a beautiful aspect of the world that I was unfamiliar with, and thus made me realize just how much I have yet to experience in life.Victor experiences this form of inspiration in relation to exoticism when he spots land on the horizon while at sea, stating "Almost spent, as I was, by fatigue, and the dreadful suspense I endured for several hours, this sudden certainty of life rushed like a flood of warm joy to my heart, and tears gushed from my eyes." (Shelley 126). From this sight, Victor is inspired to not give into his despair and his fears of death, and begins to realize that there is still beauty to be found in life and the world around him, which is similar to how I discovered that there are still so many beautiful things in this world that I have yet to experience and behold.