Definition Essay 'Re-Defining The Unknown'

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a monster is described as “part animal and part human”, “ferocious”, “ugly”, and “frightening”. Yet at the same time, a monster can be “amazing” and “extraordinary” . From these characteristics alone, a monster can essentially be anything. In the literal sense, a monster is perceived to be large and physically grotesque, however inner qualities of monstrosity can be easily masked, and are therefore often overlooked. Three 19th century novels, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reveal both physical and mental qualities of monstrosity through the characters and demonstrate how these qualities relate to one another.

Monsters are part of an imagination so they “ –exist only to be read.” (Monsters page 12) Second Thesis says “The monster always escapes.” In this case the monster gets away with it too but this monster damaged a lot of things that can’t be undone. So the monster escapes meaning it is never truly destroyed or defeated because there’s always something it left behind. They can never be caught but they can also return in a different form way to get back at those who tried to destroy them. Third Thesis basically explains that monsters cannot be categorized in the animals or people. As Cohen says “—they are disturbing hybrids whose externally incoherent bodies resist attempts to include them in any systematic structuration.” (Monsters page 14) Their physical and psychological characteristics just don’t fit in classification because they can be half human, half animal and may have some other deforms. Fourth Thesis explains the monster is an “outsider”, they are different so it depends on “cultural, political racial economic, sexual.” (Monsters page 16) Monsters have aspects. The monster will always

Like all words, “monster” has multiple definitions, and more than just these two. But what monsters really are are tools that society uses. Monsters are a storytelling tool used so we can reflect on ourselves, others, and society, without directly comparing specific living people or cultures. By using monsters to reflect on ourselves, we can analyze our own actions, decisions, and morality. How would someone act when getting attacked by a monster?

When analyzed online many of the definitions you will find for the word monster include: a strange or horrible imaginary creature, one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior, or an animal of strange and/or terrifying shape. (Merriam Webster) When observing the “Monster Theory” by Jeffrey Cohen and the 7 theses that he provides in this text, one can begin to somewhat disagree with these formal definitions and attempt to say that it has an even greater meaning. Monsters might scare us and frighten us because of their physical appearances but also can provide us with possible solutions to gaps and uncertainties in our mind that Sigmund Freud would label as “The Uncanny”. I can only but agree with

When people hear the word monster, they usually picture in their minds images of vampires, zombies, demons, ghouls, or other physical supernatural beings. However, today's society contains its own modern monsters contained in minds of people or in systems in society, as opposed to some type of physical entity. Examples for modern monsters of today can be pressure and apathy, but caring too much has more effect and negative results rather than apathy’s effect of caring too little.

Oxford dictionary defines monster as, “Originally: a mythical creature which is part animal and part human, or combines elements of two or more animal forms, and is frequently of great size and ferocious appearance. Later, more generally: any imaginary creature that is large, ugly, and frightening. (Oxford English Dictionary)” This definition is basic in nature. What must be added is whether it is nature that makes the monster what it is or is it nurture that makes it what it is. In both Beowulf and Frankenstein the monster complex engages, complicates and has an effect on us. Beowulf has to battle Grendel, his mom, and the dragon to do his duty as a warrior, but the monsters only make it more difficult to tell

The definition of a monster is very arguable. A monster is typically seen as something inhuman and hideously scary. A human could also be a monster in that they could be extremely wicked or cruel. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein, creator of the creature, is the real monster because he is a hypocrite, he created the monster and abandoned him, and he is extremely selfish.

Asma states, "Monsters can stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis, and as such they play imaginative foils for thinking about our own responses to menace.” This means that human weaknesses and fears are represented through monstrous figures, and these fictional situations provide perspective into how we react in fearful environments. In our current society we fear many things, including but not limited to failed or corrupt governmental systems, the afterlife, the unknown, and captivity, which makes this claim valid. Although we may not realize it, these fears are embodied by the horror monsters we see in popular culture. Society shares common fears, and often times the most prevailing fear is reflected in the most popular characters at any given time. Monsters are the fictional representations of society’s dark subconscious, exploring not only why the author’s statement is accurate but what we actually fear.

What defines a monster? Is it their grotesque, unnatural appearance that separates them from the rest of mankind, or is it their lack of remorse and compassion that makes them different? The word monster conjures up figures from gothic horror of exotic peoples with horrifyingly exaggerated features, and the kinds of impossible delusive beasts inhabiting the pages of medieval bestiaries. Well at first I thought exactly that. When I used to hear the word “monster”, my mind immediately pictured the petrifying beast that took residence under my bed for a substantial portion of my childhood. It had demonic beating red eyes, razor sharp teeth that glistened with fresh blood and amphibian like scales covering every inch of its enormous body. However, as I got older, I started to realize that there was no such thing as monsters and that it was all just a figment of my imagination. Accordingly, the fear of the monster under my bed slowly dissipated. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until after reading a quote by my favorite author, Steven King, that I was finally able to fully comprehend what the true definition of the word “monster” really was. “Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win”. It had taken me awhile to truly grasp what King had meant, but then it clicked. Everyone has a monster inside them, dormant or not. That monster is the voice we hear in the back of our heads, urging us to cheat or to steal, and in some instances, worse. That monster

When monsters are thought of a very distinct picture comes to mind. An ugly creature that is out for blood, born into a life where causing misery is his driving force. Do these features really define what a monster is; works of literature like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Shakespeare’s Othello tell quite a different story. Monsters are not born but made just as people are not born evil but can sometimes end up there. Othello and the Monster start of as good men looking to be part of society but were pushed out because of what others perceived them to be. This caused them to mentally and physically isolate themselves from everyone allowing hatred to take over. Iago and Frankenstein also helped to instill thoughts

A little girl screams in fear for her parents as she envisions a green, three-eyed monster lurking under her bed, waiting to get her until she finally closes her eyes. A little boy scares fellow trick-or-treaters as he’s dressed as a vampire for Halloween brandishing his pointy teeth with blood dripping out of his mouth. Both of these examples of monsters focus on the physicality of a creature and undermine the weight which the word ‘monster’ actually carries. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, and in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, there are characters that perfectly fit the description of a tangible monster. However, monsters are more than their somatic features. Monsters are created within based on circumstances, decisions that are

What is a monster? The word "monster" causes one to imagine a hideous, deformed or nonhuman creature that appears in horror movies and novels and terrifies everyone in its path. More importantly, however, the creature described generally behaves monstrously, doing things which harm society and acting with little consideration for the feelings and safety of others. "Thus, it is the behavior which primarily defines a monster, rather than its physical appearance"(Levine 13).

Irrational; unintelligible. The emotions and actions of monsters go beyond the supposed human range, and so are difficult to relate to from a human perspective.

Monsters: Fear or Desire? Monsters are often identified as hideous creatures of the night that seek to terrorize innocent victims. However, for several decades, monsters have portrayed a seductive role that makes the creatures appealing and mysterious to the human psyche. Monsters like the boogie man caused great fear in kids and adults alike.

Monsters, one of my favorite subjects in drawing, I remember when little my favorite activity was to draw and create beasts, acting out their behaviors, it is what has motivated me to pursue drawing monsters as part of my career as an artist. Delving into that mindset I could imagine a change in my senses, trying to think how the beast would stalk after its prey, feeling that liberated feeling of being allowed to be wild, but also that uncomfortable nagging that this behavior is unacceptable, this nature scares other people but also your own being. Predation is a common trait in all monster based media, that the ‘Other’ is equal or even higher up than humans on the food chain. The possibility of us becoming this predator is ever present along with the fear of being preyed on, placing humans into the most primitive of choices of fight or flight when faced with a creature that challenges our position. Thanks to Exploration of Humanities and studying the meanings and features of the monsters in this semester, has given me more insight on how and why being hunted by the other, changes and horrifies us so, coupled with the possibility of us ourselves turning into the predator, the consequences when we cannot control such a nature, and blurs the distinction between ‘us’ or ‘them’ in terms of moral and ethical nature.