a synthesis of monsters in todays view

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Monsters have always been depicted as some atrocious beings that were created to inflict fear into whoever it could, in anyway possible. Monsters vary from culture to culture but never do they vary in the havoc they wreak and the fear they inflict in some. Three authors have shown a more advanced definition of what society sees as a monster.Three greatly written novels “Parasites and Perverts: An Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity” “Gothic Realities: The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture” “Civilized Vampires versus Savage Werewolves: Race and Ethnicity in the Twilight series” show clearly the theories in novels that depict others as the monster.
Excerpts from three books, written by three magnificent novelists, show how sexuality, race, physical appearance, etc. play a major role in writing that are often times overlooked or downplayed, but are put in the the novel to show a bigger picture of what people define as a monster. In Judith Halberstam excerpt “Parasites and Perverts: An Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity” Halberstam argues that “ Nineteenth century literary tradition is a Gothic tradition and that this has everything to do with the changing technology of subjectivity that Foucault describes” (Halberstam,1991,p.125). In the excerpt from “Gothic Realities: The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture” L. Anderson Cooper expresses the formula of how “MONSTER=HOMOSEXUAL”(Cooper,2010,p.141). He tells how the homosexual is expected to be reversed with the popular heterosexual. In the final excerpt of “Civilized Vampires versus Savage Werewolves: Race and Ethnicity in the Twilight series” Natalie Wilson show readers about the white privilege. White (vampires) is associated with “ civility, beauty, and intellect...

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...bout the black male aggression towards white female bodies” (Halberstam,1991,p.127). Through Wilson’s excerpt you can see that even with the white equating to evil (vampires killing humans for blood) that they are still idolized and wealthy. In the excerpts you see that no matter the situation the fairer skinned people will always be overpraise while the darker skinned people will be seen as the enemy, the one to go against.
Overall these three excerpts did well with analyzing what a true monster is viewed as in todays society. Not they are scary and less like us, but that they are just like us and live among us and go through everyday life living among us. The way that a monster is depicted through the media is a surefire way to keep minority groups oppressed through physical attributes , sexuality and race being portrayed as something monstrous and nothing more .

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