Frankenstein vs Blade Runner
English Advanced 2010 Max Whitehouse
What does it take to be human? Why do some so relentlessly lust for the power of the creator? And if acquired can they wield that power or is Pandora’s Box best left unopened?
Good Evening Students, welcome to the Sydney University lecture on “Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts”. On today’s agenda we have a comparative analysis of the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner. You may already notice the many similarities they share but I intend in today’s lecture to take you to a new depth. Both are foreboding tales of creations run amuck. They convey themes of morality and facing our own mortality whilst exploring humanity. You never know students that rhyme may be help come the exams. Today I will discuss the moral dilemmas faced by the characters in both texts. I will provide insight to the influence the creator’s context has on the themes present within the texts and finally the ever haunting motif of death.
In Frankenstein we find that Victor is an isolationist who wishes to give life to a new species that would herald him as their creator. It should be noted that both the protagonists in the texts are in some way given the power of the creator whether it is Victor’s ability to breathe life into inanimate bodies or Deckard’s ability to so swiftly tear that life away. They both play a role that is akin to God. Deckard is forced to “retire” mankind’s creations and when analysed is a morally ambiguous character much like Victor who also engages into a bloody bout with his creation after it rebels and wishes to escape its circumstances.
Both Victor and Deckard also share vary similar personality traits, Victor is a recluse who is portrayed by Shelley as a tragic character that ultimately succumbs to his own hubris, ambition. Deckard is also a detached man who is characteristically more inhuman than the synthetics. Students should note that morality is a major motif within these texts. Deckard’s poor morals are even
What does it take to be human? Why do some so relentlessly lust for the power of the creator? And if acquired can they wield that power or is Pandora’s Box best left unopened?
Good Evening Students, welcome to the Sydney University lecture on “Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts”. On today’s agenda we have a comparative analysis of the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner. You may already notice the many similarities they share but I intend in today’s lecture to take you to a new depth. Both are foreboding tales of creations run amuck. They convey themes of morality and facing our own mortality whilst exploring humanity. You never know students that rhyme may be help come the exams. Today I will discuss the moral dilemmas faced by the characters in both texts. I will provide insight to the influence the creator’s context has on the themes present within the texts and finally the ever haunting motif of death.
In Frankenstein we find that Victor is an isolationist who wishes to give life to a new species that would herald him as their creator. It should be noted that both the protagonists in the texts are in some way given the power of the creator whether it is Victor’s ability to breathe life into inanimate bodies or Deckard’s ability to so swiftly tear that life away. They both play a role that is akin to God. Deckard is forced to “retire” mankind’s creations and when analysed is a morally ambiguous character much like Victor who also engages into a bloody bout with his creation after it rebels and wishes to escape its circumstances.
Both Victor and Deckard also share vary similar personality traits, Victor is a recluse who is portrayed by Shelley as a tragic character that ultimately succumbs to his own hubris, ambition. Deckard is also a detached man who is characteristically more inhuman than the synthetics. Students should note that morality is a major motif within these texts. Deckard’s poor morals are even