Monsters: A Fictional Narrative

“Fear and euphoria are dominant forces, and fear is many multiples the size of euphoria” - Alan Greenspan. New York author, Alan Greenspan, here is explaining that the threat fear presents is really no different than the state of intensity caused by euphoria. In Andrew J. Hoffman’s anthology, Monsters, there is substantial evidence that both fear and euphoria are inflicted upon men, by female monsters. The two threats men typically face against women are temptation and emasculation. Thus, in mythology and folklore, female monsters exemplify the impulse of desire (sexually) for men, and male weakness. These are creature that are lusted after and yet, still feared because of their power. Men find female monsters both fearsome and euphoric and will always threaten their dominance and control.

In the article “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Stephen Asma, a professor of Philosophy and Distinguished Scholar at Columbia College Chicago, argues that the existence of monsters have a purpose in our lives. It is not only to reveal our deepest fears, but to question our moral instincts. Being attacked by fictional monsters seems impractical, however, chaos and disasters do happen and exist in the real world. The creation of monsters is due to our reaction of our fears and the inability to control the world we live in.

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.

“I can kill a man, dismember his body, and be home in time for Letterman. But knowing what to say when my girlfriend's feeling insecure... I'm totally lost”-Dexter Morgan (Hall, 2007). Dexter Morgan is a fictional serial killer from Showtime’s series “Dexter”, but the writers and actors have portrayed a real life serial killer. Manuel Prado is the real Dexter Morgan. Prado was a Miami cop who started with smaller crime and worked his way up to becoming a serial killer. ”Prosecutor David Waksman told the Miami Herald: "He was very cold. He was doing robberies and went home and slept like a baby. He was proud of what he did."” (International, 2012) Real life serial killers do not have any empathy. They kill their victims and then return to

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

The novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers is the book I chose to read and do my essay on. The genre Walter chose for the book Monster is realistic fiction. The novel was published in 1999 which is a year after I was borning. The reason why I chose this Novel is because a teacher recommended the book to me a couple year ago but, I never got a chance to read it. I always assumed the book was good because it won three awards. The first award the book won was the National Book Award for young people’s literature. The second award the book won was the Michael L. Printz Awards. The third award the book won was called the Coretta Scott King Award Honor all in which the book won in the same year 2000. The book is told from the perspective of a young african american teenager named steve harmon. Steve lives in harlem where the story takes place. One night steve chose to hang with a bad group of friends and was in a robbery. During the robbery one of Steve’s friend kills the cashier. Now Steve is in jail and going back and forth to court hoping to be proven not guilty of felony murder. Steve and I lives are alike in many different ways although we come from different backgrounds.

Straight Outta South Central Why is gang affiliation such an alluring, appealing lifestyle? Admittedly, the appeal is conceivable. Watching Boyz in the Hood or listening to hip-hip may cause some to think, “I can live that life,” but thought does not turn into action while others never formulate such a thought.

Judgment is a fundamental function of the human brain. On a daily basis one judges their peers for their actions, whether it be good or bad. In the novel, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, a young boy named Steve Harmon is put on trial for felony murder; he shares his experiences of what is going on throughout the case and how he is being perceived by his peers. The jury has to make a decision, marking Harmon guilty or not guilty. The jury must make a judgment about him, about who he is. Evidently, it is revealed that judgment is determined by one’s traits, actions, and appearance.

The Humans on Maple Street Think about a time, where wild accusations occurred due to a power outage. This is exactly what happened during “Rod Serlings” teleplay. In the 1960s version, “The Monsters on maple street” (2003 Movie). During the unexpected power outages, neighbors accuse neighbors of aliens from a different

In the 2014 article The Devil in Disguise: Modern Monsters and their Metaphors, published by The Geek Anthropologist website, author Emma Louis Backe talks about the “monsters” surrounding pop culture and their hidden significance and meaning. Author Emma Backe an Anthropology and English major explains that explains that with each “monster” we see an underlying threat to human life as we know it. She states that pop culture has taken these images and made them a reincarnation of our fears. That these creatures are symbolic of incurable disease, indestructible beings, the undead, loss of humanity and extinction. Emma claims that we have moved from dismissing and ignoring these fears to confronting them in a more literal and real way. In the

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is a screenplay by Rod Serling that was televised as part of the Twilight Zone television series, a popular series that began in 1959 and is still televised today. After reading and then watching the selection, I prefer the teleplay better than the episode. The reason I prefer the teleplay are based on the characters, actions, and visual effects. The first reason is the characters, I like imagining how the characters behave, and be able to make them act how I think that character would act, while you can’t do that in a episode. I like to make the character my own while in the episode, if I played the part I would be told how to play that person. Instead of being told I like to make that character my

Monsters and the Moral Imagination by Stephen T. Asma is an exploration into why, as of recent, society has become so fascinated with monsters. Asma considers a vast amount of reasons why this surge in interest could have come along, such as; “social anxiety in the post-9/11 decade, or the conflict in Iraq” (Asma). Another possibility is even the fall of the economy that occured around December 2007.

Reading the essays in the Monsters text, it is fascinating to see how connected all the stories written by different authors with dissimilar purposes are. Through the issues regarding the monsters, the elements that hold the essays together, and what is interesting about the readings. Though these stories span different times, each one shows a different side of humanity, monsters are scary because they are so humanlike and we can see ourselves as these monstrosities.

The monster giggles while I silently cry. It has curly short brown hair and blue eyes. Its nose is oval with giant, hairy NOSTRILS! Some parts of its skin are bright pink while others beige. It holds me with its two bulging hands, but I can barely endure it. It sits on the moist grass and holds me between its legs. It’s a shame that I had to be captured on such a sunny day.

And Though The Darkness. How is the term “monster” defined? Are monsters dark creatures, with the ability to call upon hell and all its attributes? Do they have mangy fur and eyes the vibrant color of blood? In reality, monsters are not furry beast that live under the bed. Monsters