Shelley & Marx Study Questions (discussed in class)

Some questions involve Metropolis, which we'll be watching in class... :)

Discussion Questions Regarding Communist Manifesto:

1. According to Karl Marx in The Communist Manifesto, what have been the costs of the modernization of the western world? Did he believe that the promises of classical liberalism (Locke, &c.) were fulfilled? Why/why not?
2. How did Marx specifically feel about classical liberalism and the freemarket industrialization of western economies? How does classical liberalism and stack up against his own social and economic philosophies?
3. What is the "bourgeoisie"? What is bourgeois culture? How does Marx think bourgeois values are affecting society? Do you see some of these values affecting life in Metropolis? How?
4. Does Metropolis ultimately have a Marxist message or a liberal (as in, classically liberal) message? Why? How do Marx and Locke crop up in the story? What style of society/economy seems to win out in the end?

Discussion Questions Regarding Frankenstein:

1. What was Victor Frankenstein's main goal in Frankenstein? Where did his pursuits "go wrong"? What lessons did he learn from his mistakes?
2. How is the story a warning about humanism? What does it seem to say about scientific progress? Modern progress in general, as the result of the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment? What lessons should the reader take away from the story regarding the relentless pursuit of technology and understanding? Is it possible to achieve too much in pursuit of natural truth?
3. Are there characters in Metropolis that have something in common with Dr. Frankenstein? Who, and why?