Essay about Frankenstein and Bladerunner - 1179 Words

‘It’s not so much about survival but more about the quality of life’ To what extent can this statement be applied to the two texts you have studied this year? Survival is the continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions, whereas The quality of life is the fulfillment and personal satisfaction a person has with one’s life. Percy Shelley’s novel ‘Frankenstein’ (1818) and Ridley Scotts film ‘Blade Runner’ (1982) both demonstrate a struggle for quality of life within their texts. The texts show that it is not so much about a being’s survival, but about their undeniable want for quality in their life. We can see this issue expressed through the ideas of compassion and humanity, autonomy and freedom, along with the basic†¦show more content†¦It is questioning humanity on how a creation can absorb emotions. How can a mere creation display such compassion? This is outlining the monster is no longer concerned with simply surviving, but more concerned with experiencing and understanding every aspect and quality of life. We are also shown the idea of humanity and compassion in the film ‘Blade Runner’. The replicants are only seen as objects. This is shown through the repetition of the reference to replicants as ‘it’. It shows the lack of compassion and humanity and to have quality of life you need a certain degree of this. Blade Runner also illustrates that it may not be the replicants fault for their need to survive but lacking of the quality of life. The film noir expresses the films artificial and ‘depressing’ world with dehumanized buildings and dark eerie environments. This makes you ask is this world forgetting about humanity? Their quest for survival is only one step into gaining quality of life as the world they live in now does not contain all elements needed to acquire this. ‘Frankenstein’ expresses a clear idea of freedom and autonomy. Shelley portrays the monster as lonely and only wanting to fit in. With the use of characterization we can see the monster feels locked out from the world; his emotions explain to us his feeling of being trapped. This shows no freedom for the monster. With no freedom he forgets about the need to survive, and focuses solely on gainingShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein vs. Bladerunner1866 Words   |  8 PagesAs society changes around us, we spot things we never noticed before: high divorce rates, murder rates, and drug use just to name a few. James Riddley-Scott and Mary Shelley noticed and had a fear of child abandonment. In Frankenstein, Shelley explores this subject through the viewpoint of a man, Victor, who creates a child so hideous that he cannot bear to look at it, and consequently deserts it. In Blade Runner Scott explores this matter through a businessman, Tyrell, who makes replicants ofRead MoreCompara tive Studies of Bladerunner and Frankenstein1157 Words   |  5 PagesCompare the ways in which texts offer insights into the human experience. Every text is a product of its time. In Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein†, she uses the gothic horror genre to explore some of the concerns of her time relating to the use of science and technology and its impact on humanity. Similar concerns are also present in Ridley Scott’s â€Å"Bladerunner†, a futuristic text which combines science fiction and film noir to present a bleak view of a future world overrun by technology and consumerismRead More Frankenstein Vs. Bladerunner Essay1830 Words   |  8 Pages As society changes around us, we spot things we never noticed before: high divorce rates, murder rates, and drug use just to name a few. James Riddley-Scott and Mary Shelley noticed and had a fear of child abandonment. In Frankenstein, Shelley explores this subject through the viewpoint of a man, Victor, who creates a child so hideous that he cannot bear to look at it, and consequently deserts it. In Blade Runner, Scott explores this matter through a businessman, Tyrell, who makes replicants ofRead More Essay on Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and Bladerunner941 Words   |  4 PagesSimilarities between Frankenstein and Bladerunner    Many similarities can be found between Mary Shelleys 1816 novel, Frankenstein and the 1982 movie Bladerunner . The number of similarities between these two works, created more than two hundred years apart, is staggering. A cursory look at both works reveals these similarities: Both stories feature a very intelligent person trying to play God through the creation of life. Both of the creatures were subsequently mistreated by their makerRead MoreTexts in Time Frankenstein and Bladerunner : )1400 Words   |  6 PagesModule A: Texts in Context â€Å"Mary Shelley’s values are still relevant to society today†. Discuss with reference to your knowledge of Blade Runner and Frankenstein. (1200 words) Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s cautionary tale of science vs. religion was first published in 1818, in an increasingly secular, but still patriarchal British society, amongst the aftermath of the French and Industrial revolutions and a burgeoning scientific research scene. Upon the second release in 1831, the novel was greetedRead MoreFrankenstein and Blade Runner1069 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"A deeper understanding of disruption and identity emerges from considering the parallels between Frankenstein and Blade Runner.† Compare how these texts explore disruption and identity. Frankenstein and BladeRunner both explore disruption and identity through the creators who have created life unethically and through the characters who were created and were abandoned. Shelley and Scott present the responder with a disrupted world where the relationships between nature and science and creatorRead MoreThe s Neo Noir Film Bladerunner And Mary Shelley s Gothic Novel1025 Words   |  5 PagesScott’s neo-noir film Bladerunner and Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein, both of which are science-fiction works that explore the complexities of genetic engineering and the consequences of the hubris it entails, demonstrate how one’s prolonged solitude, whether voluntary or involuntary, results in a warped vision of the world that causes one to act irrationally through the characters of Victor Frankenstein, his monster and J. F. Sebastian. Firstly, Victor Frankenstein purposely confines himselfRead MoreKnowledge Kills: Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay821 Words   |  4 Pages† (Shelley 47). In this quote, Victor judges the monster as soon as he is born. Due to the monster looks and without considering his personality Victor judges him and thinks he is stupid, scary, and mean. In this article it states, â€Å"Throughout Frankenstein, the reader is left with the feeling that Victors obsessive desire to defeat nature, through the creation of another life, directly led to the many tragedies that befell him.† That means that due to his irresponsible judging his life starts toRead MoreA Study of Bladerunner Essay2089 Words   |  9 PagesA Study of Bladerunner In June of 1982, Warner Brothers released the highly anticipated Harrison Ford film Bladerunner. The film was directed by Ridley Scott, who earlier had a hit with Alien. Both films are science fiction films. The characteristics of the science fiction genre are quite broad. The main things science fiction films have in common are things such as the technology being far superior than today e.g. flying cars and bizarre, otherworldly imagery. However

5ytyt Free Essays

Funding Jill Moran’s Retirement Annuity Sunrise Industries wishes to accumulate funds to provide a retirement annuity for its vice president of research, Jill Moran. Ms Moran, by contract, will retire at the end of exactly 12 years. Upon retirement, she is entitled to receive an annual end- of-year payment of $42,000 for exactly 20 years. We will write a custom essay sample on 5ytyt or any similar topic only for you Order Now If she dies prior to the end of the 20-year period, the annual payments will pass to her heirs. During the 12-year â€Å"accumulation period,† Sunrise wishes to fund the annuity by making equal, annual, end of the year deposits into an account earning 9% interest. Once the 20-year â€Å"distribution period† begins, Sunrise plans to move the accumulated monies into an account earning a guaranteed 12% per year, At the end of the distribution period, the account balance will equal zero. Note that the first deposit will be made at the end of year 1 and that the first distribution payment will be received at the end of year 13. Please answer the questions listed below. . Draw a time line depicting all of the cash flows associated with Sunrise’s view of the retirement annuity. 2. How large a sum must Sunrise accumulate b the end of year 12 to provide the 20-year, $42,000 annuity? 3. How large must Sunrise’s equal;, annual, end-of-year deposits into the account be over the 12-year accumulation period to fund fully Ms. Moran’s retirement? 4. How much would Sunrise have to deposit annually during the accumulation period if it could earn 10% rather than 9% during the accumulation period? How to cite 5ytyt, Papers

Life Expectancy and Resources free essay sample

Others believe that we should go ahead and use the resources that we have available to use, starting with the untapped oil fields in Alaska and in the Gulf Coast, and even all the other areas in the country that have not been explored. Others say trying to obtain new power sources will be very expensive and a long process. I can honestly say that I agree with both sides but I am in favor of the United States using all the resources they have and not trying to come up with new way to power America. A new way to power America is not a bad idea just not the one we need to fix our problem. Solar panels and windmills still should be worked on for the future of America, but as for the present we should use all our oil resources. The reason I say that we need to use our resources is that we are not going to live forever, the average human life expectancy is 67. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Expectancy and Resources or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2 years. So in 200 years that would be my third generation of children and I am sure in 200 years they will have the same issues that we have today if not worse. Our country had an energy shortage in the 1970s and I am sure that they were saying the same things that scientist are saying today. On the other hand I do believe that we should look into securing other sources of energy just as a backup. There is nothing wrong with developing a plan b, in a just in case situation. Even though the majority of scientists think that we will never run out of resources, there are still some scientist that think that we do not have much time left. More research and studies can help us come up with a better solution to the questions that we all have. All the data that the scientists are coming up with should be compiled and have a scientist with an unbiased opinion examine the data from both scientist and see exactly where we stand as a country. If we were not to take our focus off finding more resources and still try and find other ways to power our nation we would still be accomplishing both goals. If at any time we needed to switch over to non-fossil fuel energy we could. We need energy, so why not find as much as we can now and not worry about if we will run out of the resources that we are using. The children are the future and as long as we keep producing them than there will always be someone who can figure out how to find the United States more energy. Reference Validation for gas guzzlers and comfort for those who fear oil shortage. (2005, Mar 19). National Post, pp. FW. 9-FW9. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/330334817? accountid=35812 Foss, B. (2006, May 22). How much oil is there, and when will we run out? Buffalo News, pp. C. 4-C4. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/381749245? accountid=35812

Jude The Obscure Essays (2256 words) - Jude The Obscure,

Jude The Obscure Guilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love: Deconstructing the Love Triangles in James Joyce's The Dead and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure ?It's no problem of mine but it's a problem I fight, living a life that I can't leave behind. But there's no sense in telling me, the wisdom of the cruel words that you speak. But that's the way that it goes and nobody knows, while everyday my confusion grows.? --New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle, from Substance, 1987 Most people who have watched a soap opera can recognize that the love triangle is a crucial element to the plot. In fact, the original radio broadcasted soap operas seemed to consist almost entirely of love triangles. The love triangle, for plot purposes, seems to be a popular technique employed to change the dynamic, add dimension, and generally ?spice up' an otherwise stagnant monogamous relationship. It would make for a pretty dull and quite unpopular show if such popular daytime soap characters as Luke and Laura or Bo and Hope had enjoyed a smooth courtship, uncomplicated marriage and then grew old and gray together without a single conflict. The viewers watched them go through many conflicts, some of which involved the classic love triangle. Such conflicts as the love triangle keep the story moving. Common elements of triangles in today's soaps consist of lust, greed, jealousy, any of which are interchangeable with the conflicts resulting from situations involving lovers coming back from the dead or paternity uncertainties. Yet love triangles, whether in the soap opera or in the novel, are not all uniformly constructed. James Joyce's The Dead and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, both modernist novels, each contain love triangles as an integral element of the story. The key triangles I will focus on are comprised of Michael, Greta and Gabriel, and, Philotson, Sue, and Jude. Although not absolutely identical, deconstruction reveals guilt, duty, and unrequited love as essential components to the construction of both. Besides the most obvious similarity that both triangles are composed of one woman and two men, guilt also figures prominently. Although the men of the triangles may have their own guilt-related issues, it seems as though it is the guilt felt by the women that presents the most conflict. In The Dead, Greta has to live with the knowledge that it is because of her, although indirectly, that Michael died. It is likely that because of this guilt that she pauses on the staircase to listen to The Lass of Aughrim, a song that, as she tells Gabriel later, reminds her of Michael. At the time, her husband interprets her expression on the staircase as one of ?grace and mystery?as if she were a symbol of something.?(Joyce 2028). He was correct, except not in the way that he thought. All the way to the hotel, the lingering memory of that sight of her incites his passion. However, he experiences a terrible upset as Greta tells him about the song and what it means to her. This is the critical moment where Michael, or rather his memory, enters and completes the triangle, although he may have been there all along without Gabriel's knowledge. To Gabriel, this turn of events casts a different light on his entire marriage to Greta as he ?thought of how she who lay beside him had locked in her heart for so many years that image of her lover's eyes when he told her that he did not wish to live?(Joyce 2035). He wonders ?how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life?(Joyce 2035). Although it is a bit peculiar for one of the members of this bizarre love triangle to reside beyond the grave, we see here that Michael plays a significant role, perhaps altering Gabriel and Greta's relationship forever, with Greta's guilt as the instigating factor. As for Sue, in Jude, her guilt operates on a completely different level, a religious one. Like Greta, Sue also had a sick man die after braving the elements just to see her. Yet, unlike The Dead, this event has no great impact on the love triangle between Jude, Sue and Philotson. This three-cornered romantic disaster, because of Sue's return to Philotson, had already

Aztec Culture Essays - Aztec Gods, Aztec Society, War Gods

Aztec Culture Essays - Aztec Gods, Aztec Society, War Gods Aztec Culture Aztec Nation The Aztec Nation A distant sound is heard. It sounds like a deep drum being hit with a heavy instrument. You hear it again and strain your eyes in the direction of the sound. All around you is dense jungle. Snakes slither between your legs. You hear the sound once again. In front of you is a dense stand of ferns. You part them and look down into a wide open valley. The valley gets so wide and it is so green that it takes your breath away. But that is not what you are looking at. You are staring at a huge city with glittering buildings shining in the spring sunlight. Smoke rises up from some of the many houses. You can see and hear children playing in the wide open fields in front of the shining buildings. Lamas and chickens are being bought and sold. You see bags of gold jewelry being bought and sold. Beyond the market place you can watch a religious ceremony. You hear the scream of a person being sacrificed to one of the gods. Beyond the city there are roads made of stone and canals full of pedestrians and canos. Who are these people and what are they doing here you wonder? The above paragraph describes what an early explorer in Mexico might have seen between 1400 and 1500 AD. The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to ever exist on earth. Just about every part of the Aztec life was advance to such a state that at that time of the world the people were living better than many European nations. The Aztec nation is unique in its history, economy, environment, and way of life then any other nation at that time. Perhaps three to four thousand years ago, small bands of hunting-gathering peoples made their way across the land bridge that was the frozen Bering Strait, migrated southward through what is now Alaska, Canada, the United States, Central America, South America, and Mexico, settling along the way. One such hunting- gathering group settled in the Central Valley of what is now Mexico (Nicholson 1985). There is a long history of civilizations in the Central Valley of Mexico; as early as several centuries before Christ agricultural tribes had already settled, and by the birth of Christ had established as their great religious center Teotihuacn. The history of the Central Valley after circa the tenth century A.D. is one of tribal conflict and superiority. About the time of the fall of this agricultural civilization, which flourished from approximately the second to the tenth centuries A.D., a new tribe, who we know as the Toltecs, settled at Tula, Hidalgo. They belonged to a larger group known as the Nahua, or Nahuatl- speaking, and seem to have entered the Central Valley from the north or northwest. The Toltec civilization gradually replaced the older, agricultural civilization, as Toltec influence was felt as far as the Yucatn Peninsula and other areas occupied by the Mayan peoples. Yet by the eleventh century A.D., another tribe, the Chichimecs, had already begun to eclipse the Toltecs as the dominant gro up of the Central Valley. By approximately the thirteenth century, the Chichimecs had replaced the Toltecs (Wolf 1998). About this time, another Nahua tribe known as the Aztecs began their migration, in c. 1168. They left their mythical mysterious homeland called Aztln, place of the herons, or Chicomoztoc, place of the seven caves, and migrated southwards through Michoacn (Len-Portilla 1992). The Aztecs, or Crane People, arrived in the Central Valley and obtained permission to settle at Chapultepec in c. 1248 (Caso 1958). The tradition of tribal conflict in the Central Valley was continued; however, it seems that the Aztecs, at first, were practically enslaved by the other Nahua tribes inhabiting the Central Valley. The Aztec culture would not be subjugated, however, and continued in its struggle for power. By the fourteenth century the Aztecs had founded two settlements on islands in lakes: Tlaltetalco and Tenochtitln. The traditional founding date of Tenochtitln is 1325; the quest for the sacred site on which to found Tenochtitln is relayed to us by an Aztec myth, ...[its]

How to Get a Good Community Service Letter 4 Steps to Follow

How to Get a Good Community Service Letter 4 Steps to Follow SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you done some volunteer work or community service and want to get a letter that shows how many hours you've completed and what jobs you did? Or maybe you need a community service letter to apply for a scholarship, job, or to a particular college? Do you know who you should ask to write the letter and what it should include? Read on to learn what a community service letter is, why it’s useful, and how you can get a great one written for you. What Is a Community Service Letter and Why Would You Need One? A community service letter is a letter that explains where you did your community service, how many hours you worked, and what duties and responsibilities that work included. It may also include additional information, such as the dates you worked, if you had a specific job title, and contact information from the organization. There is no standard format for a community service letter, so what they look like and the amount of information they include can vary widely. Some letters are little more than a form with a few lines that your supervisor signs. Others are more like a standard letter of recommendation and can be several paragraphs long, explaining in detail the work you did and what your personal strengths are. What Is a Community Service Letter Used For? A community service letter provides proof that you completed volunteer work, and it also gives more information on what duties and responsibilities that work included. Having that information can be useful for multiple situations, including the following: College Applications If your community service work was particularly important for you, for example, if you spent a significant amount of time at one location, worked for an organization that is in the same field as your future career, or reference your community service work in other parts of your application, then you may want to attach a community service letter to your college application to provide proof of your volunteer service and give more information about your work. Scholarships There are many community service scholarships available, and some require a letter or proof of your community service as part of the application. Resumes If you include your community service work on your resume (which you should, many jobs count volunteer work as work experience), attaching your community service letter gives the employer more information about your work, as well as a way for them to contact the organization. Graduation Requirements Some high schools require students to complete a certain amount of community service hours before they graduate, as do some extracurricular organizations, such as certain chapters of the National Honor Society. Your community service letter provides proof that you completed those hours. Some high schools require community service in order to graduate, or to graduate with honors Now that you know what a community service letter is and when you may need one, read on to learn about the steps you should take in order to get a great letter. #1: Get Strong Community Service Experiences It may seem obvious, but the better your community service experience, the stronger your community service letter will be. They are multiple ways to get solid community service experience: Volunteer Primarily With One Organization Having a strong community service letter from one place that goes into detail about the work you did is better than having a bunch of letters that show you did a couple of hours of work, then moved on to the next organization. Sticking mostly to one location shows dedication and commitment, and it allows the people writing your letter to go more into detail about you and the work you did. Volunteering often at one place may also lead to increased responsibilities, which will strengthen your letter because it shows that you are gaining more skills and are seen as trustworthy and responsible. Get to Know Your Supervisors and the People You Work With You should make it a point to regularly make small talk with the people you’re around while volunteering. This includes supervisors, other workers, and any people you may be helping. The person writing your community service letter will always be able to write a stronger letter if they actually know you because they will be able to include more details about your personality and skills. Work at a Place You Care About While you may think that some places are â€Å"better† or more impressive to work at, what’s really most impressive to schools and employers is you showing a passion for the organization you volunteer for. Even if you have a volunteer experience that you think is very impressive, if you don’t particularly enjoy it or care about the issue much, this will show when you are asked to speak or write about it for applications or jobs. For example, if you volunteer for, say, a video game conference and put in a lot of time and got a lot of the community involved in participating, this will be more impressive because your community service letter will show that you’ve done more work, and the person writing the letter will be able to discuss your evident passion and dedication to the job. #2: Think About Who You Should Ask to Write Your Letter Who you ask to write your letter will depend on both what the letter should include as well as any restrictions the place you are sending the letter to has. Your first step should be to check with the school, scholarship, or job you’re submitting the letter to in order to see if they have requirements for who can write your letter. Your supervisor is mostly likely the person you'll ask. Many scholarships and colleges require your supervisor or another person working above you to be the person who writes your letter. Your supervisor is a great person to ask because they have a good idea of the work you've done and usually know you pretty well. However, there may be some circumstances when you don't interact with your supervisor much, for example, if they work mostly weekdays, and you volunteer on weekends. This isn't a problem if you only need a short letter that lists your duties and when you volunteered; your supervisor can still write that even if they don't know you well. If you need a more in-depth letter that describes your personality and specific examples of your work, and you don't have a close relationship with your supervisor, you may want to ask someone else to write your letter. Only do this if the person or place you are submitting your letter to allows it! If you are able to submit a letter written by someone other than your supervisor, ask a coworker or someone else you worked closely with and who knows you and the work you did well. It's personal details that separate good community service letters from great ones, so you want someone who can recount specific anecdotes and examples of your work. You may also be able to have a coworker write your letter and your supervisor sign it, verifying that the information is correct. In any case, don't just choose your best friend at community service to write your letter. You want someone who can write professionally about the work you did and explain clearly why you are a strong worker. It will most likely be your supervisor or boss who writes your community service letter #3: Ask Them! Once you have decided who you want to write your community service letter, the next step is to ask. If all you need is a short form filled out, this will not be a big deal, and your supervisor may be able to complete it right then and there. However, if you need a longer, more detailed letter, you will want to give the person writing your letter enough time to complete it, so try to ask them early. At least a month before the letter is due is ideal. You should ask for a letter in person. It's more personal and mature, and it gives you an easy way to set up a follow-up meeting (see the next section). As for what exactly you should say, there are a lot of ways to ask. One example is: "I've really enjoyed doing community service work here and learning new skills and meeting new people. I'm applying to a scholarship/job/college and need to submit a reference letter from my community service, and I'd be flattered if you would be willing to write me a strong letter." After you've asked, make sure you also give the person writing your letter all the information they need to submit a great letter on time. If there are any specific instructions they need to follow, make sure they have them. Also, make sure they know when the letter needs to be completed. If they will be sending the letter themselves, remember to provide them with the proper mailing address or e-mail address. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today: #4: Discuss What You'd Like to Be Included in Your Letter As mentioned previously, community service letters can vary widely in length, content, and format. After you ask your supervisor or coworker to write you a letter and they agree, ask to set up a time to discuss what information you would like the letter to include. You may only need them to state the number of hours you completed and list what your duties were. However, if you’re using this letter as a way to give an employer or school more details about your personality and strengths, you will want the letter to include more. Talk to the person writing your letter about what you’d like them to write about. Sample ideas include: Details of any major projects you worked on. Specific examples of you going above and beyond expectations. Specific examples of you working well with others. Particular work you did that you’d like to be emphasized (for example if having those skills or experiences will be useful for a future job or class). Final Things to Remember Before you ask for a community service letter, remember to think about what information you’d like the letter to include, and how in-depth you’d like it to be. After you receive your letter, double-check it to make sure all the information is correct, including the number of hours you worked and when you worked them. Many organizations have multiple volunteers working for them, and it can be easy for information to get mixed-up. Send your supervisor or co-worker a thank you note after they complete your letter. Make copies of the letters you receive so that you can use them for multiple college, scholarship, or job applications if you need to. What's Next? Are you applying to a community service scholarship? Many of these scholarships are quite competitive; fortunately, we have a guide that gives you all the tips you need to maximize your chances of winning these scholarships. Do you need other letters of recommendation? Read our complete guide on how to ask for a letter of recommendation to ensure you get the strongest letters possible. Do you need to write an essay about your community service as well, whether for a scholarship or graduation requirement? We have a guide that gives step-by-step instructions on how to write a great community service essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Reaction Paper on Geraldine Brookss The Year of Wonders Essay

Reaction Paper on Geraldine Brookss The Year of Wonders - Essay Example This essay discusses that the contaminated articles and clothes of the tailor were not initially destroyed because of lack scientific knowledge. Eleanor and Michael reveal marriage secrets to Anna. Bradford family faces Mo mp hellion's wrath because they ran away, as they had the means to do so like any other noble family. Rector’s secret shadows fall on the nobility of his work. Anna goes through a mental and spiritual unraveling and almost attains a rebirth. All female characters, Lib, Anna, Gowdies, Anna’s stepmother all show the enormous strength of character. Those were the days when antibiotics have not been invented, though science was receiving royal patronage. Methods of disinfection were not well-known even in London and this fear of infection drove Londoners to inhuman methods during the plague. Fear and superstition and survival made them merciless. Other than burning the infected material, there were hardly any alternatives of infection. Written in modern a nd fluid style, not dull or tedious, the book maintains uncanny optimism despite the prevailing grimness, ‘how fear drove ordinary people first into superstition and then into primeval brutality’. It also shows that human nature does not change while knowledge does. The village is in stark contrast with the treatment London gave to its sick, locking them up with the healthy in their houses, sealing the houses without water or food, and according to Samuel Pepys, ‘making us cruel as dogs to one another’. London was gripped by the fear of unknown.