presentation of the characters

7

PRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTERS

THE MONSTERHe is a manifestation of the dark side of Victor Frankenstein’s soul.

VICTOR FRANKENSTEINYoung scientist consumed

by a passion to discover and control the force that sustains

human life.

CAPTAIN WALTONAn English Arctic explorer who

takes Victor aboard in the Arctic.

È il mostro

Un uomo giovane benestante

Capitano di una nave inglese nell’ Artico

HENRY CLERVAL Victor Frankenstein’s loyal friend

ELIZABETH Victor Frankenstein’s wife. Adopted child of Alphonse and Ca-roline Frankenstein.

ALPHONSE FRANKENSTEIN Wealthy and generous father of Victor.

CAROLINE FRANKENSTEIN Kind and loving mother of Victor.

MARY WALTON SAVILLE Sister to whom Robert Walton writes his letters, which include an account of Frankenstein’s life.

JUSTINE MORITZ Frankenstein family servant falsely accused of murder.

WILLIAM AND ERNEST FRANKENSTEIN Younger brothers of Victor.

DE LACEY Blind man who lives with his son and daughter in a cottage.

FELIX AND AGATHA DE LACEY Son and daughter of the blind man.

PROFESSOR WALDMAN Victor’s chemistry instructor and advisor.

PROFESSOR KREMPE He gives Victor sound advice.

MR. KIRWIN MAGISTRATE who arrests Victor as a suspect in the murder of Henry Clerval.

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GRAFICA

Una nave che naviga nell’artico

CHAPTER 1THE LETTERS

Vocabulary

While reading the fi rst chapter you will come across these words. Read each word and then choose the correct meaning.1. breeze

a) a light and pleasant food

b) a light and pleasant wind

2. excited

a) calm, composed

b) very happy and enthusiastic

3. to rent

a) to get something by paying money

b) to pay money to use something, not to own

4. to share

a) to take over

b) to divide equally

5. out of sight

a) something or someone that cannot be seen

b) something or someone that cannot be kept

6. busy

a) lazy, idle

b) occupied, active

7. to weigh down

a) make a person feel happy

b) make a person feel worried

8. kindness

a) friendliness, sympathy

b) severity, cruelty

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CHAPTER 1 | THE LETTERS

To Mrs Saville, England St Petersburg, December 11th 17-

You will be happy to hear that I have arrived in St Petersburg and so I will let my sister know that I have arrived and tell her of my high hopes for the journey I am about to go on.The northern breeze I feel here makes me happy because it has come from somewhere I am going to and so it is almost an insight of what is about to come. It is a breeze fi lled with dreams from a place where the sun is always shining and makes everything appear possible. I am excited about this journey, sister, like a child is before going on a boat of discovery with his friends. I have wanted to go on this journey for almost six years now, ever since I read the accounts of other travellers and so I have prepared myself, both mentally and physically, for it. Sister, do I not deserve to do something great and important with my life? I know this journey will be long and diffi cult, as I have to support other people. This is the best time to travel in Russia. I will leave for Archangel in two or three weeks and there I will rent a boat and encourage other sailors to join me. Sister, I do not know when I will return - it all depends on how productive this adventure of mine is - it could be months or even years until we see each other again. Good bye Margaret. Bless you and thank you for all your love and kindness. Your affectionate brother

R. Walton

(DISEGNO)

1

Insight: intuition

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To Mrs Saville, England Archangel, March 28th 17-

Time is going by really slowly here Margaret but I am one step closer to my adventure. I have already sorted out my boat, and lately I have been looking for more sailors to join me. But I have no one to share my joy with, Margaret. I have no friends to share my enthusiasm with. Yes I write down my feelings here but it is not the same as having someone to support me. These complaints are useless though - I will defi nitely not fi nd a friend whilst on the ocean. But there are good people on board with me such as my lieutenant, who is wonderfully courageous and kind. Because of the bad weather conditions, we have yet to set sail, but I am so excited. Spring looks promising though, so we could be setting sail soon. Can I see you soon, sister, once I have returned? I cannot help but feel I am being too optimistic, but I have to be because the op-posite scenario is far worse. Please carry on writing to me whenever you can - your letters provide me with the support I need in some situations. I love you and remember me if for whatever reason you do not hear from me again. Your affectionate brother Robert Walton

To Mrs Saville, England July 7th 17-

Dear sister, this is just a quick letter to let you know that I am safe and have set sail.Nothing major has happened onboard apart from a few strong winds and a leak or two - events that are not even worth recalling.

Adieu, dear sister. Do not worry about me, I will be safe but I am sure I will achieve my goal.

I must stop writing now, beloved sister. R.W.

Sorted out (to sort out): organisedOn board: in a shipPromising: favourable, optimisticScenario : situationLeak: an escape of liquid

S

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To Mrs Saville, England August 5th 17-Something bizarre has happened that I have to tell you about. But you might see me in person before this letter actually reaches you. Last Monday, we were completely surrounded by ice and fog. Once the mist had cleared, all we could see was ice - it was infi nite. But then, through our telescopes, we caught sight of some dogs pulling a sledge. They were about half a mile away from our ship and inside the sledge, was a huge man. We continued watching them until they were out of sight. We were under the impression that we were hundreds of miles away from any sort of land but apparently not. Two hours later, the ice broke and our ship was free, but before continuing with our journey, we decided to wait until morning in case we ran into any icebergs. As soon as the sun came up, I went on deck and saw the sailors busy talking to someone in a sledge, similar to the one we had seen the night before. The sailors were trying to convince him to come on board by saying that they wouldn’t have suffered to let him die. The stranger then addressed me and said; “Where is this ship going?”You could imagine how surprised I was considering the fact that if this man did not come on board, he would die at sea. I simply told him that we were on a trip of discovery headed towards the North Pole. The stranger seemed to be happy with this and came onboard. He fainted as soon as he got onboard and it took him two days before he was able to speak again. Once my guest had recovered, the sailors wanted to ask him lots of questions but I did not want to overwhelm him. Once the man gained his strength, the lieutenant asked him why he was travelling on such a strange vehicle and he responded that he was following someone who was trying to escape from him. “And the man you were following, was he using a similar vehicle to yours?” asked the Lieutenant. “Yes.”“Then I think we saw him a couple of days ago. We saw a gigantic man in a sledge being pulled by dogs.”

2

Sledge: a vehicle used on ice and snow Deck: the top fl oor of a shipOverwhelm: give too much emotion for someone to handle

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This made the stranger very curious and he started asking lots of questions about the direction in which we saw the vehicle headed.When the stranger and I were alone, he said “I am sure you want to know what has happened to me.” I simply replied, “I do not want to weigh you down with lots of questions.”“You are very kind. I have nothing in my name and I thought I would not have the opportunity to tell anyone my story but your kindness in taking me in means that I owe you an explanation.”“I would be happy to listen to you but please do not feel you have to tell me.”“Thank you, but do not worry about me as my life is almost coming to an end. I only have one thing to do and then I can rest in peace and when you hear my story, you will understand.”I have decided to write down the words in exactly the same way he tells me them. I will send the manuscript later.

(DISEGNO) su una distesa di ghiaccio un uomo infreddolito

su una slitta

SU DOPPIA PAGINA

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(DISEGNO) continua pag. precedente

POST-READING ACTIVITIES

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1 - Into the TEXT

Circle the correct letter for each question.

1. The narrator is ...

a) optimistic about his journey

b) late for his journey

c) excited about his journey.

d) breaking his journey

2. The narrator has wanted to go on this journey

a) for almost fi ve years now

b) for almost six years now

c) for almost seven years now

d) for almost eight years now

3. The narrator writes in his second letter that he

a) has no parents with whom to share his enthusiasm

b) has many friends with whom to share his enthusiasm

c) has many relatives with whom to share his enthusiasm

d) has no friends with whom to share his enthusiasm

4. The lieutenant is ...

a) courageous and kind

b) cowardice and severe

c) handsome and tall

d) ugly and fat

5. In his third letter the narrator is sure

a) to score a goal

b) to reach his goal

c) to reach an agreement with his sailor

d) to reach his sister by cable

6. The narrator and his crew saw

a) some horses hauling a boat ashore

b) some dogs barking at the moon

c) some bears walking on the ice

d) some dogs pulling a sledge

7. The sailors tried

a) to convince him to go on his journey

b) to get him drink some hot tea

c) to convince him to come on board

d) to get him to stop his journey

8. The stranger was following someone who

a) was trying to show him the way

b)was trying to show him north

c) was trying to escape from him

d) was trying to show him south


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Give the following information referring to the text.

1. How the narrator feels as he fi rst sees the sailor:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. The peculiarity of the landscape around the ship:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3. The relationship between the narrator and the addressee:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . The narrator’s reaction as the sledge passes through :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

USE OF ENGLISHFCE Read the summary of Chapter 1 and choose the answers (a, b, c or d) whic best fi ts each spece.

In a series of letters, Robert Walton, the captain (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts to his sister back in England the progress of (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein. Victor (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travelling by dog-drawn sleighs across the ice and (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . weakened by the cold. Walton takes him on board the ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears (6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . interesting tale.

1) a. RUGBY TEAM b.

PLANE c.

CAR d.

SHIP

2) a. DARK b.

DANGEROUS c.

SAFE d.

SECURE

3) a. STAYED b.

REMAINED c.

INTERRUPTED d.

CONTINUED

4) a. SLEDGE b.

CART c.

MOTORBIKE d.

LORRY

5) a. UNDER b.

BY c.

AWAY OUT d.

ABOARD

6) a. POOR b.

CERTAIN c.

FANTASTIC d.

REAL

9. The narrator and his crew are on

a) on a trip of discovery headed towards the South Pole

b) on a trip of discovery headed towards the North Pole

c) on a trip of discovery headed towards Australia

d) on a trip of discovery headed towards South Africa

10. The stranger wants to tell the narrator

a) what has happened to the dogs

b) what has happened to the sledge

c) what has happened to the ship

d) what has happened to him


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2 - Working with LANGUAGE

Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Progressive

Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is continuing or has just fi nished. Often, both forms are correct, but sometimes there is a difference in meaning:

We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to em-phasise the result.Ex. I have just done my exercises (my exercises are now completed.)

The Present Perfect is also used for permanent situations.Ex. He has lived in America for 14 years.

We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous sequence of an action. Ex. I have been doing my exercises all day. (This is how my time has been spent. It does

not say whether the exercises are comple-ted or not.)

The Present Perfect Progressive is also used for temporary situations. Ex. He has been living here for 2 years. (His stay here is temporary.)

We can also use the Present Perfect Progressive to express annoyance.Ex. You have been playing that music for hours. (Annoyance.)

Fill in the blanks using the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Progressive of the verbs given in brackets.

1) Our captain (just buy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a new telescope.2) The radio on board (work) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for a long time.3) Victor (not meet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . his sister since last year4) R. Walton (write) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . his sister all day.5) R. Walton (talk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . too much. Can you please be quiet?


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3 - Beyond the TEXT

Short adventure storyFCE Write a short adventure story of 120-180 words. The story begins like this and you must

fi nish it:

Last Monday, we were completely surrounded by ice and fog. Once the mist had cleared, all we could see was ice - it was infi nite. But then, through our tele-scopes....

presentation of the characters

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