🔥 Frankenstein: Part 4 – The Creature’s Tale & the Power of Narrative 🔥

In this episode, we dive deep into Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, exploring the Creature’s heartbreaking monologue and his plea for understanding. As he compares himself to Adam and Lucifer, we analyze his struggle for identity, acceptance, and justice.

📖 Topics Discussed:

• The Creature’s framing of himself as both Adam and the fallen angel
• The use of frame narratives and their persuasive power
• The impact of Othering and rejection in literature and culture
• The Creature’s moral compass and self-awareness
• Connections to Paradise Lost, Highlander, Star Trek, and Pinocchio

🔎 Why It Matters: Shelley’s novel isn’t just about horror—it’s about humanity, society’s fear of the unknown, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. This episode examines how Frankenstein raises philosophical and ethical questions that remain relevant today.

📺 Watch now and join the discussion! Do you sympathize with the Creature? Let us know in the comments!

#Frankenstein #MaryShelley #LiteraryAnalysis #Horror #Philosophy #ScienceFiction #ClassicLiterature

🔥 Frankenstein: Part 3 - Unraveling the Madness of Victor’s Creation 🔥

Welcome back to our deep dive into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! In this episode, we explore Victor Frankenstein’s descent into obsession, his tragic downfall, and the moral dilemmas surrounding his scientific triumph.

📖 Key Topics Discussed:

• Victor’s reliability as a narrator—can we trust him?
• The Prometheus parallel: Victor’s god-like ambitions and their consequences.
• The Creature as the “Other”—a reflection on fear, rejection, and identity.
• Justine’s tragic fate: justice, morality, and inevitable doom.
• The cycle of revenge: How Victor’s hatred mirrors Hamlet and the Ancient Mariner.

We also draw comparisons to literary figures like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and even Marvel’s Hulk! How do these characters help us better understand Victor and his Creature?

⚡ Join the conversation! What do you think about Victor’s moral downfall? Is he a tragic hero or something else entirely? Let us know in the comments!

🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss the next part of our Frankenstein breakdown!

#Frankenstein #MaryShelley #LiteraryAnalysis #GothicHorror #TragicHero #ClassicLiterature

Frankenstein: Part 2 | A Deep Dive into Mary Shelley's Themes

In this episode, we continue our exploration of Frankenstein, analyzing the key themes of lineage, nature vs. nurture, and the power of mentorship. Through Victor's reflections on his upbringing, we examine how his privileged yet structured childhood influenced his worldview, setting the stage for his later obsessions.

We also discuss the objectification of Elizabeth Lavenza and its implications in both the Romantic era and contemporary feminist discourse. Is she merely a possession in Victor’s eyes, or does Shelley use her to critique the societal roles imposed on women?

Finally, we shift focus to Victor’s academic pursuits—his fascination with Cornelius Agrippa, his father’s dismissal of his interests, and the contrasting mentorship styles of Professors Krempe and Waldman. What impact do encouragement and criticism have on a student's path? How do these academic experiences parallel real-world mentorship in education and research?

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on one of literature’s most enduring works! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments below.

#Frankenstein #MaryShelley #LiteraryAnalysis #NatureVsNurture #Feminism #Education #Mentorship

🔬 Frankenstein: Introduction | Mary Shelley's Creative Origins & Influence 🧪

Join us as we explore the origins of Frankenstein, diving into Mary Shelley's creative inspirations, the literary and historical context of Romanticism, and the novel’s lasting impact on storytelling and pop culture.

📖 Topics Covered:

• Mary Shelley's early writing experiences and creative influences
• The famous ghost story challenge that led to Frankenstein
• Romanticism as a movement and its opposition to Enlightenment ideals
• The psychological depth of Victor Frankenstein and his Creature
• Connections between Frankenstein, Prometheus, and modern characters like Marvel’s Hulk

Shelley’s masterpiece is more than just a horror story—it’s a philosophical exploration of science, ambition, and human nature. Watch as we analyze its themes, connections to ancient myths, and how it still resonates in today’s literature and media.

🔔 Subscribe for more literary deep dives! 💬 What are your thoughts on Frankenstein? Let us know in the comments!

#Frankenstein #MaryShelley #LiteraryAnalysis #Romanticism #Hulk #Philosophy #ClassicLiterature

🎙️ Welcome back to the final installment of our deep dive into I.A. Richards’ Philosophy of Rhetoric! 🎙️

I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was”, and today we’re wrapping up this series by exploring Command of Metaphor—how metaphor shapes our thinking, the role of context in interpretation, and how our minds naturally connect ideas.

📌 What We Cover Today: ✔️ Metaphor in Action – How tenor and vehicle influence meaning ✔️ Comparison & Connection – Why our minds instinctively link ideas ✔️ The Role of Context – How medium and genre affect rhetorical situations ✔️ Language vs. Visualization – Do words create images, or do images inspire words? ✔️ Mimesis & Interpretation – How discourse shapes our understanding of reality ✔️ Kenneth Burke’s Influence – The dialectic of independent yet harmonious ideas

Richards argues that metaphor is the foundation of meaning-making, shaping how we process language, literature, and communication. Whether in poetry, comics, or everyday speech, tenor and vehicle work together to form our understanding of the world.

🧐 What do you think? How do metaphors influence your thinking? Do you agree with Richards’ take on the flexibility of language? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

🔔 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more content on rhetoric, philosophy, and communication!

📚 Further Reading & References:

• Philosophy of Rhetoric – I.A. Richards
• A Rhetoric of Motives – Kenneth Burke
• Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature – Erich Auerbach

#Rhetoric #PhilosophyOfRhetoric #IARichards #Metaphor #LanguageMatters #VisualRhetoric #TheBestAssistantProfessorWhoNeverWas

🎙️ Welcome back to another deep dive into rhetoric and philosophy! 🎙️

I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was”, and today we’re continuing our journey through I.A. Richards’ Philosophy of Rhetoric, focusing on Some Criteria of Words and Metaphor—how language shifts, how we perceive meaning, and why metaphor is central to thought itself.

📌 What We Cover Today: ✔️ Language Shifts & Recursion – Why changes in meaning follow recognizable patterns ✔️ The Myth of Natural Talent – Learning and skill development aren’t just for the “gifted” ✔️ Metaphor as a Fundamental Principle – Not an exception, but the rule of language ✔️ Tenor & Vehicle – How Richards explains metaphor with examples like Superman’s S-shield ✔️ Visual Rhetoric & Cognitive Interpretation – How images influence thought ✔️ Mimesis in Philosophy & Literature – From Plato and Aristotle to Erich Auerbach

Richards challenges assumptions about how language and metaphor function, arguing that metaphor isn’t a decorative tool—it’s the foundation of all thought and communication.

🧐 What do you think? How do metaphors shape the way we understand the world? Drop your insights in the comments!

🔔 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more discussions on rhetoric, philosophy, and communication!

📚 Further Reading & References:

• Poetics & Rhetoric – Aristotle
• Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature – Erich Auerbach
• Philosophy of Rhetoric – I.A. Richards

#Rhetoric #PhilosophyOfRhetoric #IARichards #Metaphor #LanguageMatters #VisualRhetoric #TheBestAssistantProfessorWhoNeverWas

🎙️ Welcome back to another exploration of rhetoric and philosophy! 🎙️

Hello, I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was”, and today we’re diving deeper into I.A. Richards’ Philosophy of Rhetoric, focusing on the interinanimation of words—how words interact, shape meaning, and depend on context for their significance.

📌 What We Cover Today: ✔️ How written and spoken words gain meaning through interaction ✔️ The Rhetorical Situation—a framework for analyzing communication ✔️ The intersection of rhetoric, composition, literary, and critical studies ✔️ Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric—why studying both matters ✔️ How brainstorming techniques in writing stem from rhetorical strategies ✔️ Why words don’t have fixed meanings but derive power from their usage

Richards highlights how words are never truly independent—their meaning shifts depending on context, purpose, and audience. This idea connects with how we approach writing, multimodal communication, and even the way we interpret literature and art today.

🧐 What do you think? How do you see language evolving in a world dominated by digital and visual communication? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

🔔 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more discussions on rhetoric, philosophy, and communication!

📚 Further Reading & References:

• Writing Without Teachers – Peter Elbow
• Poetics & Rhetoric – Aristotle
• Philosophy of Rhetoric – I.A. Richards

#Rhetoric #PhilosophyOfRhetoric #IARichards #Interinanimation #LanguageMatters #TheBestAssistantProfessorWhoNeverWas

🎙️ Welcome back to another deep dive into rhetoric and philosophy! 🎙️

Hello, I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was”, and today we’re continuing our exploration of I.A. Richards’ Philosophy of Rhetoric. In this episode, we tackle Richards’ views on context, discourse, and meaning, and how our understanding of rhetoric continues to evolve with technology and multimodal communication.

📌 What We Cover Today: ✔️ How context shapes meaning in communication ✔️ The relationship between memory, experience, and perception ✔️ Writing assessment and the paradox of measuring an abstract process ✔️ Remediation—how new technology reinvents old tools ✔️ How Aristotle’s enthymeme and syllogism still influence modern rhetoric ✔️ Connections to visual rhetoric, linguistics, and multimodality

Richards argues that words aren’t static—they work within contexts, evolving over time. Understanding rhetoric today means embracing multimodal literacy, shifting from traditional print-based approaches to digital and visual communication. If you’ve ever wondered how memes, comics, and images function as rhetorical tools, you’re already engaging with these ideas!

🧐 What do you think? How does technology change our perception of writing and communication? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

🔔 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to keep up with more rhetorical and philosophical explorations!

📚 Further Reading & References:

• Remediation: Understanding New Media – Jay David Bolter & Richard Grusin
• Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design – Gunther Kress & Theo van Leeuwen
• Understanding Comics – Scott McCloud
• Act of Reading: A Theory of Aesthetic Response – Wolfgang Iser

#Rhetoric #PhilosophyOfRhetoric #IARichards #ContextMatters #MultimodalLiteracy #TheBestAssistantProfessorWhoNeverWas

🔹 Welcome to another deep dive into rhetorical theory! 🔹

Hello, I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was”, and today we’re exploring I.A. Richards’ Philosophy of Rhetoric. Richards challenges traditional understandings of rhetoric, shifting the focus from persuasion to misunderstanding and its remedies—a perspective that remains relevant in today’s world of complex communication.

📖 In this episode, we cover: ✔️ The historical struggles of rhetoric within English departments ✔️ How rhetoric evolved from classical “rules” to modern “strategies” ✔️ Richards’ take on language fluidity and the “Proper Meaning Superstition” ✔️ The relationship between thought, action, and meaning-making ✔️ Connections to pop culture—yes, even Castlevania!

Richards argues that words don’t hold fixed meanings but change depending on context—an idea that shakes up traditional linguistic and rhetorical studies. Understanding rhetoric through his lens means embracing the instability of language and how meaning is constantly negotiated in communication.

🧐 Join the conversation! What are your thoughts on Richards’ take? Do you think meaning is fluid or should words have a more fixed definition? Let’s discuss in the comments!

🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss a new breakdown of rhetorical theory and philosophy!

🎓 More Rhetoric and Philosophy Coming Soon! 📌 Follow for future videos on Burke, Aristotle, and more!

#Rhetoric #PhilosophyOfRhetoric #IARichards #Language #EnglishStudies #TheBestAssistantProfessorWhoNeverWas

A Rhetoric of Motives: Order Part 8 | Kenneth Burke’s Final Insights

Welcome back, everyone! I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was,” and today we’ve reached the grand finale of Kenneth Burke’s A Rhetoric of Motives. 🎉

In this episode, we dive into Burke’s exploration of hierarchy, dialectic, mysticism, and identification—all central themes in his rhetorical framework. We examine how imagery builds social and moral hierarchies, how dialectical opposites seek consubstantiation, and how belief structures influence our understanding of the natural and supernatural.

💡 Key Topics Covered: 🔹 The role of hierarchy in rhetorical analysis 🔹 The dialectic between natural and supernatural motives 🔹 The rhetorical magic of questions and their social significance 🔹 Mysticism, the sublime, and rhetorical transcendence 🔹 How Aristotle’s Ethos, Logos, and Pathos tie into Burke’s theory 🔹 Enthymeme vs. Socratic Method: Audience participation in rhetoric 🔹 Mimesis and its impact on literary and rhetorical studies

We’ll also explore Jimmy Durante’s twist on The Golden Rule and how it reflects the social climb—an apt metaphor for rhetorical hierarchies! 😆

As we close out A Rhetoric of Motives, we see how Burke provides not just a method for analyzing persuasion, but a way of understanding how we structure meaning itself.

If you’ve enjoyed this series, be sure to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more deep dives into rhetoric, literature, and critical theory!

🔔 Stay tuned for more explorations of the most fascinating ideas in English studies. See you next time!

#KennethBurke #Rhetoric #Philosophy #LiteraryTheory #Aesthetics #Mimesis #Persuasion #Mysticism #TheGoldenRule #EthosLogosPathos