YEAR 13 LESSON FOURTEEN [23rd Oct 13]: Homework.

Today's lesson was an exploration of the essay title:
'THE CREATURE ALLOWS SHELLEY TO PRESENT HER KEY IDEAS.'
 To what extent do you agree with this statement?

This lesson involved a rousing class discussion worthy of failing an OFSTED lesson inspection. The class discussion was used to create communal notes that could be used to construct a structured and textually specific response to the essay question. The three main areas of philosophical consideration offered by the class were:

• The novel as social criticism. Shelley uses the creature to illustrate the destructive consequence of intolerance. The creature becomes a symbol of a life lived without receiving love or empathy. He is the product of cruelty and emotional isolation.This reading could also consider the interpretation that the creature could be used by Shelley to reflect the ideas of John Locke. Students also considered which gothic quote they would refer to when constructing the critical argument as reference must be made to the gothic tradition within this essay.
• The novel as didactic Christian Fable. A warning to the Scientific community. Reference was made to how the imperfection of the creature is symbolic of the inability of Science to replicate the perfection of divine power. Reference was made to the majesty of nature being symbolic of God's creation with the creature being symbolic of man's hubris. Students discussed the significance of the Prometheus myth being used by Shelley to reinforce the idea that the novel is a warning to science. Some students suggested that this paragraph could also consider the view that VICTOR is also a crucial symbolic character when constructing the view that this is a conservative Christian fable. So this paragraph could in fact be two paragraphs! One that considers the philosophical significance of the creature and one that considers the symbolic significance of Victor. Students offered some interesting observations relating to the novel as a secular warning to science. Could Victor's suffering be psychological rather than linked to some idea of religious sin??
• A novel that explores the powerless role of women in this male world. There were some excellent comments relating to the symbolic significance of the male narrative, the fact that three women die within the novel [four if you count the female creature who is destroyed before she is animated], and observations that women seem passive in the male world of the novel. Reference was made to the comments of the literary critic Anne Mellor who refers to 'anxiety of authorship' and suggests the male narratives are evidence that 'Shelley doubted the legitimacy of her own literary voice.' The most perceptive comment was the observation delivered by AA that the passive nature of the female characters simply reflect and document the reality of the female experience in 1830 and not the anxiety of authorship suggested by Mellor.
• Conclusion needs to offer a consideration of the gothic tradition and link this to the text and author's aim.

Class discussion was superb. We will continue to link content to the assessment objectives in the next session as I expect an essay to be created during half-term. Students should be deciding which essay they will attempt to construct.

Homework: Read the text and consider the essay questions. Our next lesson is the last lesson within which we will be discussing possible content for this essay... so bring some questions to the next session.

Below is the link that I played this morning to illustrate the fact that human beings are a wonderful species. Turn it up. GET BOLVING :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-24602741