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Introduction

The human race is a curious species and likes to experiment with the world around them

as it pushes the limits of any known boundaries. As such, humans are constantly fascinated with

the idea of what life is and how it can be manipulated. Through various realistic fictional stories

such as Frankenstein and Rise of the Planet of Apes, people are able to get a clear picture as to

how far the human mind can go. After reading and watching Frankenstein and the The Rise of

the Planet of Apes, it is evident that both tales share common themes of science and ambition.

The experimentation of the mind and body of humans results to consequences that follow such

actions. This paper aims to evaluate, compare and contrast the two films to show the tension

between our fear of tampering with the human form, mind and body and the desire to improve

them.

Evaluation

The Rise of the Planet of Apes

In science, technology assist humans to engage in a process that is intended to help

humanity move forward such as finding better cures for diseases and helping the needy in the

society (Jasanoff 53).Although there have been great concerns regarding technological

breakthroughs such as nuclear energy, nowhere has there been greater fear in certain areas of

research witnessed as has been in the case of genetic engineering. Rise is one of the stories which
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highlight this issue that has plagued humanity for ages. Will Rodman explores the area of science

to drive his ambition of getting a cure for the Alzheimer disease that is tormenting the humans.

The film is story that is told in the perspective of Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimp who is

accidentally exposed to a drug simply referred to as ALZ-112, which is being tested in treating

Alzheimers condition. Caesar is exposed to the drug while he is still in the womb and it causes

his already large brain to develop more rapidly than that of normal chimp species or human

beings.

Rise depicts scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) who repeatedly performs Alzheimers

research on various chimps, with the end result being Caesar, a chimp with cognitive abilities

that rival even that of humans. Due to this encounter with the drug, Caesar ends up being raised

by Will Rodman, the person behind the Alzheimers drug. However, as Caesar continues to

develop, his place in Rodmans home becomes uncertain which leads to his reduced loyalty to

humanity. After experiencing several incidences of abuses and neglects, Caesar ends up using his

enhanced intelligence as a tool to defend himself and to liberate himself, including his fellow

apes. As Caesar continues to develop, his intelligence also continues to increase. Unfortunately

he becomes more aggressive, at times becomes atrocious, violent or even barbaric, especially

when he recognizes actions that do not bode well with his instincts. The film illustrates the

possible consequences of meddling with genetic makeup due to the possibility of creating

something that may not be human yet might be powerful or more intelligent than us, thereby

putting the whole of humanity at risk (Matthews 12).

Frankenstein
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Frankenstein on the other hand, also reflects the hopes and fears of every scientific bodily

enhancement experiment. Mary Shelleys classic novel is a story about a hideous and dangerous

creature that blames its monstrous and cursed nature on its creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

Published almost two centuries ago, Shelleys gothic novel is perceived as an article that gives

insights about the problems of using human body to perform experiments (Harrison 12).

Dr. Frankenstein, who describes himself in the novel as always wanting to "penetrate the

secrets of nature" (2.7), had the original goal of exploring the unknown mysteries of life and

bring life to his creation, but the final results were terrible Inflamed by pain (16: 19-20), the

creation, which had not learned the morals of human life, ended up escaping and causing harm

throughput the town, and Frankenstein only realized that he had created a monster when it killed

two of his family members.

The monster soon learns how to write and even requests for another creation of his own

appearance, but after realize the consequences of his creation, Frankenstein failed to fulfill its

request but instead decides to pay for it by killing himself (Darabont 2). In essence, shelly creates

a strong message which highlights the fact that advancements in technology can lead to very

costly consequences. This novel acts as a warning that using technology to go beyond human

abilities is not always a noble idea. There are similar issues in this novel in the modern word in

which 21st technology is becoming increasingly advanced and human beings are continuously

becoming dependent on it. Technology is today used in almost all aspects of life and its

continued advancement means that we will continue to depend on each other less.

On the other hand, scientists are increasingly doing more research on making human

clones in order to make life easier by picking out the positive and negative things in living
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creatures in order to create the perfect life form. This is similar to Frankensteins case in the

novel, in which he tries to create a new type of human being based on his desired qualities. It is

therefore important for humans to think of the advantages and disadvantages that come with such

human experiments. The costs of these experiments are hard to know until the exact

consequences actually transpire. Mary Shelly clearly illustrates this scenario through the

character Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who believes in his noble idea as he goes about

assembling actual human parts from different graves with the aim of reanimating it, and bringing

it back to life. Just like Rise, this story illustrates ambition of humans to bring change into his

environment. Victor has the thrust to replicate the human form, mind and body and the desire to

improve them but the consequences seem to far outweigh the benefits (Grinbaum and Groves 9).

Comparisons

Right off from the start, it is evident that the two films heavily involve the use of

technology as a vehicle for enhancing human life. They also represent the ambitions of human

beings as self-defining. In each account, the aspiration is unique, but the ultimate desire is to use

scientific knowledge to explore the ambition of the creators. This shows that humans can bring

change to their environment once they are aware of the situation. The two stories also represent

the outcomes of the ambition as devastating. The efforts often lead to monsters that are not

compatible with the human race. Similarly, the two stories depict an adverse scenario whereby

humans are not on good terms with the outcome of their actions. The creatures are represented as

having battles with their creators. It is therefore easy to conclude that our ambitions to a greater

extent have the aspect of ambiguity.

Although these two tales share common themes, they diverge in how the plot develops as

they explore different methods of using technology in ways that are deemed beneficial. By

assessing both tales, it is not difficult to notice the differences in experiments, consequences and

relationships. The first major difference is the types of experiments used on the two protagonists

in the two tales. For instance, in Frankenstein, the doctor uses a mysterious electrical field,

simply referred to as the spark of life to reanimate his creation and bring it to life in order to

use him in fulfilling his own ambitions.

Rise on the other hand, the protagonists objective of conducting the experiment was for

the greater good from the onset. Given the way the two plots are dissimilar, audience are able to

see how even though scientists at times totally have different ideas and perceptions, the end

result from such experiments is usually not that much different. The other major difference

between the two tales is how they end. In Rise, the result of the experiment was the total

destruction of the city which was the only way the human beings could find safety. The apes end

up reaching their destination and although they have destroyed everything in their path, they are

generally safe and complacent while Caesar quietly mourns the death of his friend.

In the novel however, the creature causes devastation for the sole purpose of tantalizing

its creator. The creator of the monster, Victor, ends up losing his life in the hunt for the monster,

while the monster commits suicide leaving behind no trail of any leads of its whereabouts or

events. These two differences are what make the two stories unique when compared. However,

the two stories share one common theme; they warn humanity of the dangers that come with

scientific bodily enhancements.

Each tale ends in suffering, loss and destruction caused by the results of the superhuman

experiments. They tend to convey the message that meddling with the body or the mind can be a

volatile process and should therefore be carefully controlled. Even though one main character

lives while the other one dies, they both realize the power and consequences of their actions

thereby providing the audience with a life lesson regarding these kinds of experiments. These

two works show a significant aspect of contrast. Right from the plot of both the movie and the

story to the characters exist differences.

The first major difference is the way the creatures interact with the human beings. In the

Frankenstein story, the creature is more demonic to the extent that victor flees it and the creature

is involved in so many human killings that are intentional (Ronald 2). After being accused and

confronted by the locals, Victor is taken to the local magistrate Mr. Kirwin, who then decides to

bring Victor along to one of the crime scenes to see what effect it has on him. Upon seeing the

body, Victor is indeed shocked, seeing the monsters hands around the victim, Mr. Henry

Clervals neck. Overwhelmed by what he had just scene, Victor falls into convulsion and

thereafter suffers a long illness. However, in Rise, there is a very close interaction with between

the creatures and the human beings. The first death is associated with the creatures is accidental

while the last one is more defensive although it shows an aspect of revenge. Also, in Franklin

story, the creature learns how to speak by listening to humans and reading books. In the movie

Rise, Caesar does not learn from books and human beings, but he can speak when resisting

Dodge (Barbara 11).

Similarly, another difference arises in the naming of the creatures. In the Frankenstein

story, the creature is not given a name. This minimizes the excitement aroused by the names. On

the other hand, the creatures in Rise are given a name. Each name is unique making the story
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exciting and outstanding. The development of the story also shows a difference in the two. The

Frankenstein story was influenced by the conversations of friends and the need to compete

among themselves in fictional work. On the other hand, Rise was inspired by an article that was

about a troublesome chimpanzee.

Besides, a difference exists on the account the future. The theme of existence in the two

stories shows disparity. In the Frankenstein story, the future of the creature is uncertain and

unexplained while in the movie the future is sure to a greater extent. The beast by Frankenstein

disappears alone after having promised to kill itself while in the movie the creatures escape into

the forest. It is therefore uncertain if the creature in the Frankenstein kills itself and leaves the

humans safe (Ronald 2). Therefore the survival of human beings is more likely while that of the

monster has a low likelihood. On the other hand, it is clear that the apes got into the forest and

would naturally multiply. Similarly, the virus used on those apes is traced to have devastating

effects on humans. This suggests that the human population is headed towards a decline while

the ape population is about to increase in the context of Rise.

Moreover, there is a difference in the fate of the main characters. In the Frankenstein

story, Victor dies after being exhausted while pursuing the creature. In Rise however, Will

passionately hugs Caesar and leaves him with the rest of the apes in the forest. Will does not die

as for the case of Victor. The extent to which the moral of the two accounts is presented differs.

In the Frankenstein story, Victor informs Walton to avoid ambition. This is a presented moral of

the story. However, in Rise, there is no clear moral given, and the viewer has to make

conclusions on his or her behalf.

Conclusion

In general, people need to think of the positive and negative consequences of getting

carried away by the potential of such experiments. Both tales show the importance of conducting

more research to take care of the terrible implications such as those that occurred Rise and

Frankensteins case. Both Mary Shellys novel and the film depict a very good example of what

is happening in modern times. They illustrate the point that during the experiments, Frankenstein

and Will did not stop to think about whom they really were and what they had before

commencing these experiments. In essence, using technology to go beyond human abilities is not

always a noble idea we therefore need to find out what makes us who we really are and what we

have; before we create other versions of ourselves that we believe are better or superior.
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Work Cited
Britton, Ronald. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: What Made the Monster Monstrous?." Journal of
Analytical Psychology, vol. 60, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp. 1-11. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/1468-5922.12126.
Darabont, Frank, et al. "Frankenstein (1994 film)." The Francis Ford Coppola Handbook-
Everything you need to know about Francis Ford Coppola (2013): 392.
Grinbaum, Alexei, and Christopher Groves. "What is responsible about responsible
innovation? Understanding the ethical issues." Responsible innovation: Managing the
responsible emergence of science and innovation in society (2013): 119-142.
Harrison, Gary, and William L. Gannon. "Victor Frankensteins Institutional Review Board
Proposal, 1790." Science and engineering ethics 21.5 (2015): 1139-1157.
Jasanoff, Sheila. Designs on nature: Science and democracy in Europe and the United States.
Princeton University Press, 2011.
Matthews, Joshua. "War for the Planet of the Apes (Movie Review)." (2017). Web.
Robertson, Barbara. "Chimp Change." Computer Graphics World, vol. 34, no. 6, Aug/Sep2011,
pp. 10-15. EBSCOhost,
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