Definition Of Monster Essay

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.

What is a monster, really? Is it really a Creature that has three eyes instead of two, with pus seeping out of every crevice in his face and an abnormally large form? Or is it someone with a mind so corrupt it rivals that of Satan? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story within a story that centers on the tale of a man with an immense thirst of knowledge and a fetish to imitate the Creator. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a lot like the Greek mythological tale of the Greek God, Prometheus, and his brother, Epimetheus, who were assigned the task of creating man. The story captivates the theme of monstrosity. Mary Shelley wrote the novel in a form so the reader’s opinions never stray far from sympathy for the monster and apathy for Victor

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

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

Rhetorical Analysis of “ Monster Culture ” In his opinion piece at the beginning of the book Monster Theory: Reading Culture , entitled “ Monster Culture (Seven Theses) ” , Jeffery Jerome Cohen tries his best to detail to his audience why monsters are symbolic of those things which e xist on the edges of culture. What monsters are changes according to the ideas and convention s most disruptive to any given culture at any point in time.

The United States judicial system says that you are innocent until proven guilty. In language arts class we read a book called Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. Monster is about a 16 year old boy named Steve Harmon, and how he had to go on a trial for felony murder. The book is set as if Steve is making a screenplay. At the end of the book Steve is proven innocent, and free to go, but I believe that there was not enough information for Steve to be proven guilty. The jury did not see many parts of the story that readers of the book Monster read, for example, in his journal Steve writes about wanting to be like King, he also has flashbacks to before the crime that show him interacting with other members of the crime, and finally he had a lot of really close people doubting him.

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.

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

Monsters are often thought of as green, abnormally large and scary. They are believed to hide in dark shadows and forgotten street corners. Monsters have a bad reputation and the very nature of the term monster is not smiled upon. I believe these thoughts are generic and relics of a much safer past. In our morally bankrupt society monsters exist in the realist scariest form. As we step into adulthood and take our heads out of the comic books that shows us the danger of the Green Goblin we must now be alerted the real demons. Adolf Hitler killed thousands upon thousands of people. His persona and legacy can only be thought of as sick and sadistic. Adolf Hitler did by himself what would take an entire army of

The argument in the paragraphs is what make a monster a monster and what makes a human a human. In the article it talks about how the humans treat the monster badly which end up with the monsters creating disaster, if the monsters are being treated cruel does that make the humans monsters and the monsters humans?

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

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).

Is Frankenstein a Creature or Monster? Whether Frankenstein's creation is a creature or indeed a monster is a key factor of the novel as a whole. Mary Shelley successfully uses language to create and manipulate the reader's opinion of this nameless creation. Frankenstein is from a well respected and well educated family; "my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic".

Monsters run free in epic poems of centuries far past; horrific, villainous creatures of fantasy who illustrate all that is bad in the world and stand for the tribulations the epic hero much overcome. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is no different. Some are born of, and in turn give birth to legends, such as the fire-breathing dragon, while others are tied to the bible. In studies, Beowulf's monsters are explained and will continue to be analyzed as symbolic of countless different ideas. In relation to each other and the epic's hero, the monsters of Beowulf represent the ever-present flaws of humanity and the monstrous feelings or behaviors that over take the mind in a moment of weakness, leading to eventual downfall.