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Jeffrey cohen monster culture
Jeffrey jerome cohen monster culture
Jeffrey jerome cohen monster culture
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Individuals and groups within a society have an intolerant tendency to exclude and discriminate against persons or groups who appear to be different from the rest of their society. Differences in race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., can often lead to this kind of treatment. Humans have been prone to unfairly treat anyone who appears different or anyone who does not follow the "normal" trends. This leads one to examine and question the current norms which Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's explores in his essay "Monster Culture". Humans perceive the "Other" as different from themselves and not one of their society, which leads to humans fearing the monster. This fear stems from the misconception that the "Other" pose a threat to their society. …show more content…
Cohen states that, "When the monsters come back, they bring a fuller knowledge of our place, but they bear self-knowledge, human knowledge—and a disclosure all the more sacred as it arises from the Outside" (Cohen 20). As the monsters evolve, their intelligence and knowledge levels begin to surpass those of the humans. The monsters begin to question the humanity of humans by asking them, "How do they perceive the world, and how have they misrepresented what they have attempted to place" (Cohen 20). The monsters bring awareness to concerns and issues that exist in society. In one way, monsters appear to have been created to aid the "real humans", but the humans feel so threatened by the monsters that they fail to realize the positive influence they bring to society. Due to the poor treatment the "Other" receive, Cohen demands humans, "To reevaluate our cultural assumptions about race, gender, sexuality, perception of difference, and our tolerance toward its expansions" (Cohen 20). Ideologies that disparage or discriminate, such as evil lies behind homosexuality or that women play an inferior role in society, must be abandoned and left in the past. These mindsets are unsupportable, and it is counterproductive and simply wrong for any group to exclude others merely because of their
In society, there have always been different roles in defining the boundaries between right and wrong; Monsters take a big part of that role. In Jeffrey Cohen’s “Monster Culture,” Cohen explains seven theses which provide a clearer explanation of how monsters take a part in establishing these boundaries. The oldest Anglo-Saxon story written- “Beowulf”- provides three different monsters which all connect to Cohen’s seven theses. In the older version, however, the monsters do not relate to humans in any way, except that they are enemies. The modern version of Beowulf portrays Grendel’s mother to still be evil but also have relations with the humans in the story.
An Analysis of “Alien” through the Lens of Jeffery Cohen’s “Monster Culture” The constraints of normality within today’s society often determine what or who does not fit the designated mold of behavior and character traits. Discrimination towards difference is seen throughout cinema, portraying characters that differ as dangerous and malicious in their actions, unethically predetermining their demeanor despite society’s implementation of provocation and selfish pursuits. Likewise, the antagonist extraterrestrial in “Alien”, by Ridley Scott, is misrepresented as a simple and malicious reptilian, personified as a foreigner in its own territory. The alien does not attack unless hunted first, signified by its feeble attempt to sleep within the
Intolerance, reluctant to welcome beliefs, views, or behavior that contrast from one's own. It has not been dissolved and may never be resolved. In the last several decades, we have seen our world look down on those who are different. It could be as little as they dress differently to a different ethnicity. We make assumptions that those who alter our views are the evildoers, and those are monsters. Monsters don't stay the same; they change as times do. When a new fear is created, the monster than shifts.
“The only motive that there was was to completely control a person… and keep them with me as long as possible, even if it meant just keeping a part of them.” Using this statement, Jeffrey Dahmer offers his insight about what made him the cruel, demented being people have known him to be for the last 25 years. Many questions still remain, however. How do we, in society, define the term “monster”? What makes a monster? What shapes our perceptions of monsters, and how do these perceptions change over time? Several centuries passed between the time of Grendel from the epic poem, Beowulf, and the Milwaukee Monster, Jeffrey Dahmer, for instance. Grendel is a creation of the Anglo-Saxons, whose culture
In "Monster Culture," Cohen widely talks about and investigates monsters regarding the way of life from which they climb. Keeping up the formal tone of a scholastic, he battles that monster climb at the intersection of a society, where contrasts develop and nervousness increases. The beast is an exemplification of distinction of any quality, whether it be ideological, social, sexual, or racial, that rouses trepidation and instability in its inventors. The creature or monster is habitually an irritating half breed that challenges categorization its hybridism defies nature. Yet despite the fact that there are unreliable monsters, real individuals can get to be monsters as well. Keeping in mind the end goal to bring oddity under control, the individuals who submit to the standard code of the day bestow huge personalities to the individuals who don't. Nervousness is the thing that breeds them and characterizes their presence. In this manner placing the beginning of creatures, Cohen strives to uncover our way of life's qualities and inclinations. For the larger part of the article, the monster is just the subject of our examination, an extraordinary animal under our investigation.
A person is not satisfied if they are not treated fairly. When people are mistreated because they look, act, or are different they face a stage where their feelings are mixed. These feelings vary from depression all the way to wanting to end someone’s life. In the novel of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the monster faces difficulties because he is different the only thing he wants is to be treated equally; the monster actually discovered the meaning of justice.
...rs were and still are very active, but how we decide to define these monsters is changing. As our understanding of these monsters becomes clearer, our perception of the monsters will change. In his article and book chapter Monsters and the Moral Imagination and chapter 5 of On Monsters, Stephen Asma suggests that monstrosity, as we know it, is on the rise as humans progress and how we perceive monsters can often define monstrosities in itself, providing evidence of reasons why monster cultures are on the rise, and showing how human progress has evolved our perception of how we think on the topic that is monsters.
Children’s intelligence is being shaped everyday by experiences with people objects and events. Frankenstein's monster learned all that he knew from the family he watched after he escaped from the confines of Dr. Frankenstein. “Every conversation of the cottagers now opened new wonders to me” (Shelley 117). Here the monster is shown inquiring about his surroundings and wanting to learn from them. The monster explored the world on his own; he learned language and the nature of the world on his own. He watched human interaction and tried to mimic human behavior. “Men appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other’s blood.” (Shelley 156) The author uses the word monsters to describe ordinary people suggesting that their intentions are the same as the monsters.
Jeffery Cohen's first thesis states “the monster's body is a cultural body”. Monsters give meaning to culture. A monsters characteristics come from a culture's most deep-seated fears and fantasies. Monsters are metaphors and pure representative allegories. What a society chooses to make monstrous says a lot about that society’s people. Monsters help us express and find our darkest places, deepest fears, or creepiest thoughts. Monsters that scare us,vampires, zombies, witches, help us cope with what we dread most in life. Fear of the monstrous has brought communities and cultures together. Society is made up of different beliefs, ideas, and cultural actions. Within society there are always outcasts, people that do not fit into the norm or do not follow the status quo. Those people that do not fit in become monsters that are feared almost unanimously by the people who stick to the status quo.
When the monster dwells on the fact that he has no friends, money, and property because of the way he looks he claims, “I was besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man”(Shelley 102). With the monster’s emotion toward his first encounters, he struggles with accepting who he is because he feels the hatred from others. The words “deformed and loathsome” express the disgusted and discomfort that clouds the thoughts of each human during their first encounter. He recognizes his differences in comparison to others and begins to become self-conscious when he attempts to come out into the community. In the same aspect, humans today feel the same way when they look different than the ones around them.
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein expresses human nature specifically through the character of the “Creature” and his development. The Creature has an opportunity to explore his surroundings, and in doing so he learns that human nature is to run away from something so catastrophic in looks. The Creature discovers that he must limit himself in what he does due to the response of humans because of his deformities. I feel that Mary Shelley tries to depict human nature to running away from the abnormal, which results in alienation of the “abnormal.” Even today, people have a prejudice against someone or something that is abnormal, and these people will act differently towards this abnormality that is put in front of them. In the novel, Shelley seems to suggest a conception of humanity that is deeply influe...
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” These are the words of, once president of the United States, John Francis Kennedy. He relays a message of strength and a lecture on what it means to perform one’s duty as a member of a modern, accepting society. Likewise, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein exploits one of mankind's most persistent and destructive flaws that has never died down over the thousands of years of our existence, prejudice. From his very beginning, the creature was abandoned and left to question his very existence. Nearly every character in the novel assumes that the monster must be dangerous based on its outward appearance, when in truth the monster is essentially warm and open-hearted. Continuously the monster
Reading Frankenstein, I began to feel that it mirrored modern society. It is a sad fact, but most people today are either alienated by others or they alienate themselves. People that are alienated, like the Creation, tend to become monsters out of retaliation for their situation. They feel a loss of faith in the world around them and this leads to despair and destruction. Mary Shelley seems to foresee what society has to offer us today, which is an amazing feat in itself. In my interpretation, I feel that she also reflects hugely on human nature. It seems she is saying that people do not have an innate evilness but instead they acquire it through their circumstances.
Left on his own to strike out in the world the monster soon experienced the prejudices of those he came meet. Prejudices based upon his frightful, or unusual, appearance and his inability to communicate initially. I quickly had empathy for the abandoned creature, despite the descriptions of his gruesome appearance, and felt mixed emotions about his actions towards others in the story. Were the violent actions of the monster towards others spawned from their violent rejection of ...
The Monster’s confusion about the world and his inability to understand why he cannot simply be accepted in society drives his actions. Dutoit elaborates on the not so apparent truth that The Monster goes to great lengths to assimilate by acquiring language, understanding mannerisms and participating in customs. The Monster grows fond of a family, at first he watches them carefully, paying close attention to the details of their life and even steals food, unaware of their poverty. Supporting evidence which allows for the conclusion that he is innately good and simply longing for domesticity is shown by The Monsters willingness to help the family with chores, in secret of course. Nevertheless, he is universally shunned by everyone he encounters, except for the old blind man who was willing to have a social connection with him, until his family returned home and in fear rebelled against The Monster. This constant exile only leads to a greater alienation from the social world he deeply longs to be a part of. Unfortunately, due to his outward appearance, his good intentions are ill received by the people he