Explore what it means to be human in all its various forms

Reference no: EM133631842

Question: Human monsters are the greatest monsters of them all, for they are the real and therefore the most dangerous. We can attribute evil qualities to a Siren or Slender Man, wonder at mermaids or super smarts robots, fear Dr. Frankenstein's creature or a werewolf in the woods, or be awed or disgusted by vampires or zombies, but in the end, the greatest challenge is to confront the human monster, to explore what it means to be human in all its various forms.

Hitler's Prompt 1-Research the Holocaust, which involved the systematic execution of more than nine million people, including more than six million Jews. Hitler's text states his philosophy and justification of the extermination of so many. What is the difference between the destruction wrought by Hitler and that caused by many of the monsters described in previous chapters of this semester's readings? Provide specific examples and textual support to prove your claim.

McCormick's Prompt 2-According to our author's biography, "McCormick points out that today's
monsters-often aliens-have no trace of humanity, which allows us to cheer unabashedly as they are destroyed" (256). Yet, in classic monster stories, like original text of Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll & Hyde, and even Dracula, we are not only haunted by "the simple-minded creature features," instead we are also haunted by an "underlying sense of sympathy... for these misshapen men. In their deaths and destruction, we experience some pathos, some tragedy, perhaps even some shred of regret for the ways they have been abused, goaded, and abandoned" (257). These stories are confronting us with our own disfigured embodiments of ourselves and invite us to reflect on our own humanity and, dare I say it, our inhumanity (259). Research the misshapen men from our text and answer why we feel sympathy for these disfigured monsters? Who is the real monster in these texts? Provide specific examples to prove your claim.

Fahy's Prompt 3-Research other stories of horrific crimes committed by people who seem on the surface to be unlikely villains. Compare those criminals to Hickock and Smith. What characteristics do they share that make these seemingly ordinary people monsters?

Schwartz's Prompt 4-Research additional information about Dahmer-his crimes, his trial, and his death. In what ways can his story be called a monster story? Consider whether there was any humanity left in Dahmer in the end.

Myers' Prompt 5-Myers quotes Ivan from The Brothers Karamazov: "People speak sometimes about the 'animal' cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to animals, no animal could ever be so cruel as man, so artfully, so artistically cruel" (30). Research how different thinkers, writers, and artists have attempted to explain the human capacity to commit evil. Which ones seem more persuasive to you? Why?

Berger's Prompt 6- Asma argues that monsters have a moral purpose. Research a monster-either fictional or real life, contemporary or historical-and argue how it serves (or served) a moral purpose within its culture. Be sure to define what you specifically mean by "moral purpose."

Reference no: EM133631842

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