tH0ugHtS 0n fRank3nsT31n

My English 3 British Literature class has recently finished reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and one of the great things about this classic is the fact that it brings up so many themes and questions to think about. Ultimately, this book causes you to question your view on life and humanity in general, and I think this is one of the reasons why this is such an awesome book that many high school students are required to read.

One of the questions that my class brought up was what the significance of a name was, especially in the story. One common mistake that non-readers of this book often make is the fact that Frankenstein is the monster. However, this is untrue as Frankenstein is the name of the main character in the book, Victor Frankenstein. In fact, Mary Shelley never named the monster at all in the book. This fact was brought up in my class and caused us to question what Shelley's intentions were in doing this, as this was obviously deliberate.

I believe that Mary Shelley did this to point out the fact that giving a name to someone humanizes them. From the very moment we are born, our parents give us a name that we will forever go by because it certifies our existence in the world- it says that "we are". If you think about it, we even give names to our pets, animals that, according to the Bible, are lesser beings. Yet we share the idea that they, like humans, must have names in order for it to be known that they exist, and with that, we sometimes even give them human names. In fact, we often give names to our cars or boats or other precious possessions. In general, we seem to name things that we like. This act is definitely universal because whenever we meet anyone in the world, the first question we ask is, "What is your name?"

The fact that Victor Frankenstein fails to name his creation contradicts his act of creating a human in the first place because essentially, he is dehumanizing the creature in not naming it. Mary Shelley emphasizes this fact every time Frankenstein refers to the creature as "monster" or "wretch." I believe that this simple act of not naming it is one of the reasons why the creature fails to survive in society as it has no sense of the fact that it is a being in the first place. The creature has to learn this sense of existence on his own- something we are taught and have learned by the time we can say our name just by being called by our name. Had he been taught this by his creator, the story may have had a different ending.

So the answer to the question of a name's significance is simple: it humanizes us and is our way of certifying an existence. I believe that Frankenstein, as a creator, had an obligation and a duty to name his creation as it was his choice to play God in the first place. Frankenstein was his own downfall in this sense because he lost everything because of his own actions and refusal to pay the consequences.

Br0Wn Un1v3rs1Ty

Brown University is my first choice for college. I absolutely love the school. It is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island. It is also an Ivy League university that was founded in 1764. Brown was originally founded as the College of Rhode Island and is the third oldest institution of higher education in New England- seventh in the United States. Brown University is a liberal arts college. I have always wanted to go to this school. Some of my family members attended this school and said that they loved it. Brown has a reputation for being a "hippy school" and a "happy school" because of the fact that students seem to have an "active social life". Nevertheless, it is ranked as one of the top schools in the nation. I would really love to go to this school and I hope to get accepted when I apply next year.

LAdY gAGa

Stefani Germanotta, more famously known as Lady Gaga, is an artist who recently debuted with her single "Just Dance." Born March 20, 1986, Lady Gaga grew up in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City where she attended private school at Convent of the Sacred Heart and later studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She began her career at the age of 20 working at Interscope Records as a songwriter for acts like the Pussycat Dolls. In 2008, Lady Gaga released her debut album, The Fame, which had hit singles like "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", which was recently nominated for a Best Dance Recording Gramy Award. Lady Gaga has been influenced by rockers, like David Bowie and Queen, and '80s pop singers like Michael Jackson and Madonna. Lady Gaga's music genre ranges from dance, pop, and electronica. She is currently signed to Def Jam, Streamline, Kon Live, Interscope, and Cherrytree.

Lady Gaga is one of my favourite artists right now. I love her style, music, and fashion. She can very well be called my idol at this time. I definitely recommend her music to anyone who likes the genres mentioned above or just anyone who is as much a music-lover as I am because her music seems to catch on to anyone. The music video for her single "Just Dance" is featured below, and click here to see "Poker Face".

sUmMary 0F H0wl'S m0v1nG cAstL3

"Howl's Moving Castle" by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli is one of the best animated movies of this time. Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, the movie centers around 18-yr-old Sophie who runs a hat shop. She lives a very ordinary and dull life in a very extraordinary world full of wizards and witches. That is, until she meets the very handsome Howl, a wizard notoriusly known for stealing the hearts of young girls. This meeting sets off a whole new and exciting adventure in which Sophie gets transformed into an old woman by a jealous witch, sets off to find Howl in his magnificent, great, moving castle, and makes new friends along the way. In addition to this, Sophie finds love and learns of the dark secrets that are hidden in Howl's past. With this adventure, Sophie also learns to live in the exciting world she is surrounded in and not just dwell in the little hat shop that isolates her from everything else. I truly recommend this movie for anyone no matter what genre you prefer. This movie is captivating and very imaginative. It features the voices of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, and more. The movie has also been nominated for, as well as won, many awards. If you like this movie, "Spirited Away", also by Hayao Miyazaki, is something you should see.

2w3ntY-5 rAnd0m tH1nGs ab0uT M3

1. The first random thing about me is the fact that I have never met anyone whose name is longer than mine. I have 6 initials and 19 syllables all together. Imagine growing up and learning how to write my name!!!

2. I LOVE FASHION. It’s something I just can’t ever get enough of. I love so many different styles. Zac Posen is one of, if not my most, favorite fashion designers. I think his style is unique and sophisticated. Fashion in general is an art to me, as I am sure it is to many people. It is something that changes continuously but stays classic at the same time.

3. I am a music-lover. I listen to almost any kind of genre as long as it sounds good. Music is something that I can relax with by myself or go crazy to with my friends. I don't have a favourite song but lately Lady Gaga and Keri Hilson have been the artists most listened to on my i-Pod.

4. In the future I want to become a doctor. I've been changing my mind on exactly what kind of doctor that is, but right now I like the idea of becoming an anesthesiologist.

5. My favourite book of all time is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. It is such a good book and I recommend it to all even though I'm sure almost everyone has read it by now.

6. I am a middle child. I have a younger brother and sister that I live with. I also have 2 older half-brothers and sisters. I never met my half-brother and I haven't seen one of my half-sisters in about 10 yrs.

7. I am on the track team in my school. I am a sprinter, thrower, and jumper. This year will be my third year on this team. It's a really fun sport, and as long as you put in the effort, you will always improve.

8. As random and weird as this may sound, chocolate chip muffins and crackers are my favourite foods ever. My friends often make fun of me because of the oddness of that, but those are things that I could just live off of.

9. Another "weird" fact, according to my friends, is that I don't like ice cream, slurpees, milkshakes, applesauce, jello, or pudding. The fact that I don't like ice cream brings out the greatest reaction from people, but it's just not something I go for.

10.My favourite color is pink. I like almost any shade of it.

11. My family is from Nigeria. I am a first generation child as both of my parents came to the States in the late 80s and early 90s. I can speak and understand the language really well.

12. Coincidentally, my birthday is on Nigerian's Independence Day, which falls on October 1st.

13. The only place out of the country I have traveled to is Nigeria. Other than that, I have been to Maryland, Washington D.C., Missouri, Atlanta, and Indiana.

14. This summer I will travel to Japan and stay there for 6 weeks as an exchange student. I know a little bit of the language, and I have started teaching it to myself in preparation. I feel like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm so excited about the trip.

15. My top two college choices are Boston College and Brown University. Obviously, I want to go out of state for college, and my preference would be the east coast since I have heard that many of the best colleges are from there.

16. I think I would describe myself as a very skeptical and/or critical person. I tend to not be a very gullible person, though my friends would argue otherwise!

17. As you may have already guessed, my favourite TV show right now is, yes, Gossip Girl. I just love the show and all the drama of it. Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf are my favourite characters as of right now, but that's subject to change.

18. I have lived in Chicago, or the vicinity of it, all my life. It is by far my favourite city in the United States, but another place I would like to live in would be New York. I love the urban life, the chaos and the noise of it.

19. Reading is a hobby of mine; although, schoolwork has kept me from enjoying it for the past couple of months. My favourite genre would be horror/thriller and mystery.

20. I have a very large family, and they happen to be spread around almost everywhere in the world. You name it, one of us will be there (even China!).

21. My favourite place in Chicago is definitely downtown. I could just walk there for hours not even planning to do anything there and still end up having fun. It's such a lively area and there's so much to do there.

22. Although I definitely eat more candy than all of my friends, I am very proud to say that I have never had a cavity in my life.

23. Places I have to travel to sometime in my life include France, Italy, and Egypt.These are my top three places, even though I definitely have more.

24. Something I definitely want to learn sometime soon is snowboarding. I think it's so cool and I really want to be able to say that I can do it.

25. I think "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle" both by Hayao Miyazaki are two of the best animated movies of all time. The plots are so imaginative and completely captivate you throughout the whole movie.

7tE3ntH C3ntUrY vS. 2w3ntiEtH C3ntUrY

Narrow, bustling streets. Unpleasant bodily stenches. Alleys lined with dead bodies. When taking a look back into the disease-stricken era of the 1600s, these things and more come to my mind. According to the information given in Samuel Pepys', an Englishman who lived in the England during the 1600s, diary for the month of July in 1664, seventeenth century London, England is definitely not a place I would like to live in due to the fact that women at the time were basically without any given rights, sanitation was on a downward spiral as disease skyrocketed, and the lack of technology hindered many day-to-day activities that I now take for granted.



Women in London during the 1600s were basically seen as almost worthless in the eyes of society. Not only were they limited in their rights, but they were also deemed the property of their husbands. At that time period, a woman had to have a husband to take care of her or she would be seen as a disappointment and her reputation ruined. Due to my very independent nature, one can only imagine my thoughts on that fact. In addition, according to Samuel Pepys' diary, respectful treatment towards women was was nonexistent, as Pepys himself often beat his own wife. In one of his diary entries dated Monday July 4, 1664, he talked about how he had threatened to "break off the ears" of his wife after they had gotten into an argument. In addition, he also went on to call her insulting names. This lack of respect towards women seemed to be the norm at this time and is not something I could live through; and imagine, it would be about three centuries before this changed!



Another reason why I oppose the lifestyle of this time period is due to the fact that sanitation was basically nonexistent, while disease was in abundance. I, myself, am sometimes teased by my friends for being "germophobic"; so apparently this time period just isn't for me. In addition to this lack of cleanliness, disease was widespread. In one of Pepys' diary entries, he mentions a man who was left dead in an ally, as were many others who died from disease. In another entry, he talks about getting an ulcer from the dirty water he uses daily. All in all, I could not subject myself to this kind of life if I were given a choice.



My last reason for opposing the lifestyle of the 1600s is on account of the lack of technology. So many everyday activities are taken for granted in this modern day and age. I am the kind of person who must have their i-Pod or cellphone within their site at all time. Technology is something I have come to rely and depend on fully; it's a luxury I know I cannot live without. The fact that people in London at that time actually died from little things like colds or flues because of inefficient or unavailable doctors and medicine is just unimaginable to me. Technology is simply a way of life for me now.



The treatment of women, lack of sanitation, and lack of technology are all reasons that convey why I oppose the lifestyle of the 1600s in London, England. While the culture of that time is interesting, the differences in today's world and that of the 1600s are just too great a change for me to become accustomed to.