Essay,

Final Paper: Monster Analysis 

Before you write: read! 

In "Monsters and the Moral Imagination" Steven Asma's thesis suggests “Monsters can

stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis...”.

What Asma suggests here is that Monsters are symbolic. Even if they are "fake", they represent real fears about the world, about each other and about ourselves. 

If you would like to read his essay, you can view the PDFs 

Monster Prompt Paragraph Structure:

PARAGRAPH 1

Intro: Introduce your monster. It can be a category of monster (ghosts, vampires, etc.) or a particular monster from a movie, video game, graphic novel, or book (e.g., Lestat from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire or Freddy Krueger from Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street). Provide a bit of background for the monster…who are they? What is their origin story?

Thesis: How does your monster illustrate Asma’s thesis? How does your monster represent a social fear, contradiction, or conflict?

PARAGRAPHS 2, 3, and 4 (Body)

Body paragraphs: Include support for your thesis statement. Each body paragraph should have its own topic sentence that ties back to your thesis. You can also include a quote from the movie, video game, graphic novel, or book your monster is from.

BODY 1 (paragraph 2)-victims of the monster

• Who are the victims of this monster? Why did the monster choose these victims? Is there a clear motive for the violence?


• Reconnect to the thesis. Why do the victims tell us about what the monster represents symbolically? (For example, why does Godzilla’s victims connect to the deeper, more “true” social fear Godzilla represents). Remember, you do not have to write about Godzilla...choose any monster you are interested in.


• QUOTES: What real life data could you share that connects with your monster?

BODY 2(paragraph 3)- Methods of the monster

• What are the ways the monster attacks? How does he or she kill? If they use a weapon, explain the symbolic significance of the object.


• Reconnect to your thesis. How does the monster’s methods connect to the thesis about the monster representing human weakness, fear, vulnerability. (For example, why is it significant that Godzilla destroys cities, smashes buildings, sets places on fire? How might this be connected to the nuclear bomb in real life?)


• QUOTES: What real life data could you share that connects with your monster?

BODY 3 (paragraph 4)- The Mask of the Monster

• Does your monster wear a mask? Does the mask reveal or conceal something about the monster? Does the mask allow the monster to hide or cover its true nature?


• If they don’t wear a mask, do they rely on deception? Is the monster itself a mask for some form of human weakness or vulnerability?

PARAGRAPH 5 (Conclusion)

Conclusion: What have you learned about the monster from the application of Asma’s theory, and how has it enriched your understanding of this particular monster…and monsters in general?

Works cited page.

You must include a works cited page for this assignment. To review works cited, please consult the Purdue OWL.