reflection 1

After the teachers and students conference with Rachel, I make a self- examination again. Actually I think most of classmates’ issues and subjects are fun and interesting but also difficult. Comparing to them, my topic “is it right for men to control lives” becomes very simple and easy. I set my position first clearly that I strongly oppose that men can control lives: even though men might have the ability to control lives, but the real problem is that men cannot solve the following troubles or even cannot predict what will happen next. In my opinion, it is selfish and unwise for human being to try to challenge lives. Because my position is so clear, so the four annotations are not that difficult to me: the only thing I should do is to find four related information and find out “what can really support me”, and use these proofs to combine with my works. As the teacher says, the function of the four annotations is to support our standpoints. I think some of our members forget this main point that makes it even more difficult for them to write the annotations.
My problem appears in the third annotation. Here my information is conflict with my topic. So my solution is to make my topic clearer: the original one is “do men have the right to control lives”, and I change it to “is it right for men to control lives?” I think it is better after I change the topic.

Annotation 4(revised)

Reference：Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft(1797-1851),(2009).Frankenstein.
Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications

“Frankenstein” was written by Mary Shelley (1797-1851). Frankenstein is a young man indulges in science. Devoting every effect to the scientific experiment, Frankenstein finds that he successfully discovers the secret of life: the power of bestowing lives to lifeless matters. This makes him go wild with joy and forget this discovering actually comes along with dangers. It is when the giant, ugly Monster he creates awakes and shocks him that he comes to realize his error. The Monster kills its creator’s most loving people just because it hates the desolate state it has. Frankenstein tries to do everything with utmost effort to destroy the Monster’s life but all in vain. The Monster keeps killing and Frankenstein continually fails to catch the Monster. At the end of the story, Frankenstein dies before finishing his task, and the Monster decides to go to the most northern extremity of the globe and embraces the death.
Actually Frankenstein symbolizes human being’s ambitions of experimenting, discovering and creating. “But this discovery was so great and overwhelming that all the steps by which I had been progressively led to it were obliterated, and I beheld only the result, what had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world was now within my grasp.” (p.47)As a scientist, it is undoubtedly that he is full of excitements to see his experiments finally yield positive results. The secret of life motivates him to bestow life to lifeless creature, and it is so fascinating to him that he can’t pay any attention to the potential dangers. “I was like the Arabian who had been buried with the dead and found a passage to life, aided only by one glimmering and seemingly ineffectual light.” (p.48)That’s the mistake Frankenstein makes which leads to the miserable tragedy. He doesn’t consider any possibilities of wrongs or mistakes about his actions.
The other character, the Monster, actually symbolizes the ill effects produced by human being’s ambition, impulse and proud. The Monster once said to his creator: “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”(p.107) Men try hard to challenge nature and control the power and secret of life, but have no ability to control the lost situations. We can see numerous of creations (even babies included) are born with deformity from men’s experiments. It is unfair for them to live with abnormal shape or functionless organs. The Monster says to Frankenstein, “How dare you sport thus with life?” (p.106)Indeed. How dare men treat life and nature in this way?

Annotation 3(revised)

reference: http://news.discovery.com/human/sperm-donor-overdependence-incest-accidental-111009.html Discovery http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/209570/20110906/sperm-donor-sperm-bank-150-children-fertility-clinc.htm The International Business Times
The two articles from “Discovery” and “The International Business Times” are both focus on the problems of sperm banks. Some couples might have the difficulties of breeding, but they don’t prefer to adopt a child to solve this problem. Under this circumstance, the emergence of the sperm banks seems to be the light for these worried couples. There are successful cases that the wives finally pregnant and have their own child. But is that safe enough? Are there any serious defects hiding in the shadows that people just not discover and see?
Actually there are indeed some terrible and even dangerous flaws of sperm banks. “The New York Times ran a story this week about a 48-year old woman who discovered that her son - conceived through artificial insemination - had 149 siblings, with more on the way.” It is only one of the cases happened in the world that being mentioned for audience to know this “truth”. With 149 siblings exist in the world (or even more siblings that you can’t imagine), it becomes dangerous for these children if they fall in love with their siblings and breed their child after they grow up. “People who seek sperm donation are from the same socio-economical status. They know each other, they are advised to see the same doctor, and they live in the same neighborhood. It's not randomly distributed.” It is not impossible for the siblings to meet or even get marry in the future. The worst of all, the sperm donor might have the chance to have sex with his daughter. Actually, it is very probable.
The “dangerous meetings” might cause serious problems: incest. The inbreeding might spread the gene diseases, including rare diseases. “Specialists warn over-reliance of one donor increases the risk of the transmission of genetic diseases and malformations, and some say there are dangers of inadvertent incest between half-siblings.” It seems men always ignore the potential and possible dangers while challenging nature. Men might have the ability to change lives, but it still doesn’t mean that it is right for men to do so.