My composition, to me, was rather good but maybe behind what I should be doing. This was the essay that I should have written for my narrative in AP Language but still adds more emotion and less story than what was meant to be brought up in that previous essay. I found something for this paper that I never would have been willing to show my teacher last year. I was able to put myself and my feelings from that day out there on the line and, hopefully, bring someone along with me. I put memories to paper but also the emotions I keep connected with those memories. This essay brought me back to that summer and what I endured and the climb to happiness I made through it. I tried to express Universal Human Truths that I found on my trip.

One of the themes I tried to relay in my narrative was that loving yourself is more important than what others think. Dr. Frankenstein did not care what others thought of him and he was absolutely OK with what he did (until, of course he realized the insensibility of it all). Victor is obsessed with the creation of this being and others’ opinion on this, had he told them his ideas, would not have swayed his need to complete his task.

            I am like this, where when I find something or some idea that I love I become obsessed with it, trying to find as much information on it as possible. Dr. Frankenstein shows this through his love for electricity. He is enchanted by it and what miracles it can perform. He works with all the knowledge of this natural phenomenon that he can find until he patterns a way to use it to bring life to this being he has put together.

            Another Human Truth was that forgiveness starts with ourselves. If we do not find wrong with our doings then there is going to be no fight for redemption. We have to verify our mistakes and understand what we did wrong before healing and resolution can begin. After his young brother’s death Frankenstein realizes that his creation was most likely not the best decision he has ever made. He made choices that ultimately lead to the death of William. Life had become complicated for Victor after his monster came to life that night.

            Like Frankenstein, I had to get to the root of my problems. I had to realize what I had done to bring myself to that darkness that had surrounded me for almost three years. I had to backtrack to the decisions I had made that lead me down the path of despair I was on. I needed a 180˚ that could only come through forgiving myself for the mistakes I had made because I was the only person at fault for my general displeasure at life, there was no one else to blame. This is the same for Victor; he has to forgive himself before he can expect to be forgiven for his accountability in all of his misguided endeavors.

            While Dr. Frankenstein and I share some characteristics we are also different. One of these differences is that I can tell where the line needs to be drawn. Frankenstein did not know where to stop when it came to his experiments. He overstepped with his successful attempt at reanimation and the creation of life.

 Another distinction is how we act around people we do not particularly care for. I can usually hold in my disdain and act with civility through the time I must spend with those I would rather not spend any time with. While I am sure that Victor is graced with the manners of that time period he does not always show it, especially with his own creation, the one that looks to him almost as a father. He cannot control himself and his ‘monster’ can easily pick up on the fact that he is not welcomed as more than a successful check mark on Victor’s life to-do list.

Through writing this paper and reading this book that it is alright to express one’s self and to share profound experiences. Frankenstein held back news of his success and I have also withheld major accounts from friends and especially family. Putting yourself out there with self-confidence is good and it will garner respect from those around you. Hiding away is not a good idea.