techonology
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Lia Jamian
LBS 133
22 September 2004
Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne's
Views on the Advancement of Science
Scientific research can be beneficial when dealing with medicine, to cure people from diseases and make them have a longer, healthier life. When the science portion of this process is taken too far, creepy things can happen. Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne display their views on the advancement of science through their pieces, "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" and "The Birthmark." In "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," Poe writes with a more open-minded view of the advancement of science, where in "The Birthmark," Hawthorne writes with a more close-minded view of the advancement of science. This topic regarding the perpetual development of science continues to be a problem today, holding controversy all over the world.
P, the narrator of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" who is also the presumed scientist/doctor, is curious to see if it is possible for someone to be mesmerized right before death, in "articulo mortis." It is obvious that Poe is obsessed with science and mesmerism, but he is not taking on this experiment to become a hero God like figure...