A Monster Can Be Hard To Define. Describing A Monster Can

A monster can be hard to define. Describing a monster can be easier than defining one. The term ’monster’ is broad and vague and as a result, it is easier to describe a monster rather than to define one. Tina Boyer says: â€Å"A monster is a cultural construct. By definition, it is a thing that shows or reflects cultural fears and forbidden obsessions, social and moral problems that express themselves in the body and behavior of the monstrous creature (Boyer 240).† What makes a monster scary differs among cultures, however, there are general trends of monsters and villains among cultures. Monsters are ugly in many European-based cultures, depicted with asymmetrical limbs and features. Hollywood has used these traits to make better movies for†¦show more content†¦Europeans believed it was possible that a disfigured, crazy, or foreign being would jump out and act maliciously towards them. However, after the renaissance, they learned monsters would not jum p out at them (Wright 2-4). Wright explains that the Europeans started to find deeper meaning in the monster stories: â€Å"As monstrous races faded from popularity, the increased focus on unnatural or monstrous individuals added new interest in the long-standing philosophical and theological debates about whether or not monsters could be human and where monsters fit within God’s ordered universe [†¦] philosophers and theologians in both the medieval period and the Renaissance often interpreted these monstrous individuals as carrying a specific meaning for the community into which they were born (Wright 6).† Early philosophers found lessons in monster stories. One of these lessons was that monsters had a bigger meaning. They were correct. These monsters had more meaning in the community they were born in and therefore were scarier. As people learned about these monsters they became less scary, however, new monsters emerged. Thus, the definition of monsters changed and will continue to change as the fears of society change. As stated before, different cultures are scared of different monsters. Horror movies are only as scary as the viewer perceives them based personal experiences. Essentially, the viewer has to know what is scary before they can beShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Percy Jackson And The Battle Of The Labyrinth859 Words   |  4 PagesPercy Jackson And the Battle of the Labyrinth Draft Prompt: In this book, Hera talks about how important family is. However, we then learn that she really only values people who are perfect. Write an essay describing three characters in this book who have flaws and imperfections. Are these characters still useful? You should write a paragraph about each one, and make sure to describe a time where they were helpful because of their imperfections. Then, write a fourth paragraph about how a real personRead More Narrative Voices in Shelleys Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev1523 Words   |  7 Pagesnovels of Frankenstein (F) and Fathers and Sons (FS). Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is an example of first- person narrative, with Walton describing his encounters in letters to his sister Margaret, in England. He includes his meeting Victor Frankenstein, of Victor’s experiences with his creation of Frankenstein the monster, and the monster himself and his experiences. This narrative is written in the form of letters, with the use of this epistolary style of writing novels giving verisimilitudeRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1685 Words   |  7 Pagesa gothic setting, ’It was already one in the morning, the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when by the glimmer of the half extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs’ 2. The scene is highlighted with imagery, and gothic tropes serve as warnings of the potential outcomes of scientific endeavour, especially when fuelled by hubris and notion of heroism, power and glory.Read MoreAnalysis Of An Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian1262 Words   |  6 PagesThis rhetorical analysis will bring you through the How to Fight Monsters chapter of Sherman Alexies story : An Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. This book is a semi-autobiography that won the 2007 U.S. National Book Award For Young Peoples Lite rature. This story is about an Indian boy from a poor reservation with an alcoholic father, who wishes for a better life. In order to achieve this better life, Junior decides to move to another school in order to have hope for his futureRead MoreSatirical Abortion Essay1425 Words   |  6 Pagesabortion because we disagree about what defines human nature. First trimester abortions may have absolutely no moral implications whatsoever--perhaps a first trimester embryo is no more conscious than a kidney or spleen. Or they may have more serious moral implications. Our culture hasnt come to a consensus on that yet. But we know a little bit about murder, and the differences between murder and other forms of killing. And murder, in the way that we define it in all other instances, involves theintentional  deathRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Sherman Alexie s An Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian 1278 Words   |  6 PagesThis rhetorical analysis will bring you through the How to Fight Monsters chapter of Sherman Alexie s story : An Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. This book is a semi-autobiography that won the 2007 U.S. National Book Award For Young People s Literature. This story is about an Indian boy from a poor reservation with an alcoholic father, who wishes for a better life. In order to achieve this better life, Junior decides to move to another school in order to have hope for his futureRead MoreA Scientist s Judgement1885 Words   |  8 Pagesgreat unknown, but they must do it in a way in which they are absolutely prepared for it. They set out to discover al l of nature’s secrets, however it is also necessary that they know the ramifications that these secrets may bring about. It is not hard to see that this is circular reasoning. Per this argument, science is an idealistic possibility which may never occur without a great tragedy. This trend of unbound science leading to tragedy is a reoccurring theme in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Read MoreThe Mystery Of Vampire Legend1350 Words   |  6 Pagesthrough cultural beliefs, of both current and past times, that the character of the vampire has altered. Lately, while still powerful and endearing, vampires have become a symbol for estrangement, choice, their own personal definition of evil, but can also act for examples of self-control, sacrifice and belief. Anne Rice’s Interview With a Vampire and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight are just two novels incorporating the obsession and fascination of the vampire. In Interview With a Vampire, Rice tellsRead MoreThe Representational Theory Of Mind1659 Words   |  7 PagesMind) which runs on physical hardware (the body). It suggests, too, that we are computing machines functioning as something other than a computing machine, just as every other machine does. Many are disconcerted by the idea that humans and Minds can be described as systems which operate based on interpretations of symbols, much like machines, computers, and robots: things that we have created yet do not think of as being â€Å"thinking,† themselves. We, as human beings, are comforted in the notion thatRead MoreCan A Social Movement Be Fundamentally Flawed? Essay1535 Words   |  7 PagesCan a social movement be fundamentally flawed? Most people would answer â€Å"yes,† pointing to National Socialism or the Ku Klux Klan. However, few would consider the German New Left to epitomize a flawed social movement. According to history professor Dagmar Herzog, they should. Throughout her publication Sex After Fascism, Herzog disputes this central argument of the New Left: â€Å"Numerous New Leftists argued directly that sexuality and politics were causally linked; convinced that sexual repression produced