19th Century Society vs. 21st Century Society: Different or Same?

19^th Century Society vs. 21^st Century Society: Different or Same?

           Last Friday night, I was in a car accident with my parents (don’t worry, no one was hurt). The car behind us rear ended us at 10:30 PM when we were coming back from church for Friday night service. We pulled up to an empty parking lot when the police to came. The officer was irritated that we have been “blocking the road” for ten minutes and couldn't understand why we would even try to cause traffic (as if he told us to get off the road!). He decided to yell at my dad for “not getting off the road”, so I had to tell the raging officer that my dad doesn't speak English. Then he decided to walk back to the car saying, “I don’t know what is so hard about following SIMPLE directions”. The attitude of the officer is the kind my parents have to put up with everyday because their race and inability to speak English makes them inferior in the eyes of American society. Although you might think, ‘not everyone is like that and there are plenty of people who try to understand’, but the sad reality is you are wrong. People have no idea how hard the lives of non-English speaking immigrants are. The fact that they can’t speak English makes them second-rate and unable to enjoy the basic privilege such as receiving respect. This kind of discrimination exists in all shapes and form in society in all ages. From the minute you enter society, it matter what clothes, shoes, cars, house, and etc. you possess, and the groups are organized into monetary standings. Therefore, Frankenstein became very relatable especially when the creature began his tale. Not only did I feel the connection of being an outcast, but also the desperation he felt when he decided to learn the language in order to become accepted. When he bemoans, “Could they turn from their door one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion and friendship?” (130), I knew exactly what he was feeling because I had been in the same situation. Although the inability to speak English might not seem as disastrous as having body formed of dead body parts, the struggle was real and genuine. The constant fear of thinking that people were judging me even when I learned to speak the language haunted me wherever I went. Maybe that is why I feel so much more at ease when I am with children and that’s why I love volunteering for children because they are less inclined to judge and I don’t have to mask any of myself from them. That is why it was really distressing when the creature couldn't find, not one, soul to find comfort from. At least I have my family and church children to care for and receive love from, but he had absolutely no one. Therefore, when I hear other students complaining about how the creature was in constant state of whining, I would think to myself, ‘you have no idea how deeply it hurts’. And the sad reality is that even if the creature were to be created again in the 21^st century, the society would still not accept its existence.