To be human is to have great aspirations and ignore limitations Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Anishinaabe-Ojibwe creation myth, The Stairway to Heaven, explains that being human means ignoring one's limitations and having too high aspirations. Victor Frankenstein in Shelley's novel creates danger for humanity with his high aspiration to be like God to create a human race. Similar to the grandmother in The Stairway to Heaven, where she creates danger for the entire village through her aspiration to save her grandson, then climbs the forbidden vine. Over the course of the two stories, both Frankenstein and Grandma create danger for others through their actions of ignoring human limitations, then leading others to face the consequences of their lofty aspirations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Shelley's novel, Frankenstein ignores his limitations as a human and uses the power of science to create a being, just like God. As a result, his loved ones suffered from his actions. He says as he creates his creature, “a new species would bless me as its creature and source.” Frankenstein believes that his aspiration helped him overcome his limitations as a human being, where he, with his newfound power, positioned himself as God, the creator. However, his aspiration leads others to find its negative consequences. As Shelley mentions in the book, Frankenstein's creature killed the people Frankenstein loves, including his brother William, his best friend Clerval, and his bride Elizabeth. Their deaths represent the negative consequences of Frankenstein's lofty aspirations. In this way, Frankenstein forced his family and friends to face the negative impact of his high aspiration to be equal with God. Similarly, in Anishinaabe-Ojibwe Creation Myth Ladder to the Sky, the grandmother with her aspiration to save his nephew breaks the limit of human by reaching the forbidden vine which results in Gitchi Manitou's punishment to the entire community. The story states, "She broke the power of the vine. All night she climbed." Aspiring to get her grandson back, the grandmother would do anything, including disobeying the Great Spirit and thus breaking the human limit of getting close to the sacred vine. As a result, Gitchi Manitou sends a spirit to announce a punishment for the entire community: "Sickness and sorrow will live among you... your people will no longer live forever... all must die when the time comes." Because of this punishment the community no longer has strong, healthy people, which means everyone has to get sick and eventually die. The grandmother's aspiration not only results in the punishment of herself, but also of the entire community as a whole. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The two stories are very different, but the two characters, those of Frankenstein and the grandmother, reflect the same aspiration of human beings. Both have ignored their limits by aspiring too high, which results in negative consequences for others around them. Frankenstein's aspiration leads to the death of his loved ones, similar to that of his grandmother, which results in the punishment of the entire community. By aiming too high and ignoring their limitations as human beings, both have created misery not only for themselves, but also for others around them..