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emily segura

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Cherrie Moraga’s play Heroes and Saints tells the story of a Mexican American farming community whose children are dying. “They believe local tap water, contaminated by pesticides, to be the chief cause of the high incidence of cancer among children in the area. They claim that the extensive spraying...causes the toxic chemicals to seep into the public water system. The majority of residents are from a nearby housing tract of federally subsidized housing. It has been alleged that the housing was built on what was once a dump site for pesticides with the full knowledge of contractors.” (Moraga 110). In the play, Heroes and Saints, the monster in the story is not just the one person with bad intentions or a horrid looking creature. The monster is someone you would not expect since their job is suppose to protect us. It is the whole government that is monster in this short story. This quote points out the couple of issues caused by the government that is harming these poor innocent people. The first issue that the quote points out is how people in that town can not even drink water which is supposed to be a needed necessity for a human to live. However, their water is contaminated with some poisonous substances which will lead to cancer so what are the people supposed to do die of dehydration or drink the water and end up with cancer. The other issue is that these houses that the people are living in are built on an old pesticide dump site. The contractors were even aware of this but they did not care and continued to build houses. Pesticides can cause serious lifelong effects on the human’s health and it can even lead to death. The quote is from Ana Perez who is the local reporter and is proving a news broadcast report of what is going on in this small farming town for the world to see. So the government must be fully aware of this whole harm situation that is going on but they are not doing anything about it. It seems that they are allowing this issue of innocent people dying continue on just for their own amusement.

“How many babies’ bodies pile up on top of each in the grave?”(Moraga 111).

In the play, the dead bodies of the community children are crucified as a silent protest of the cancerous pesticidal conditions. They hang these dead, limp bodies of children to demand the attention of the government. Amparo asked this quote during a live broadcast demanding to know how many dead babies will it take until the government finally decides to step in and help save these innocent farmer worker and their families. Amparo knows that bringing up the fact that many babies are dying will receive a lot of attention and probably a lot negative backlash towards the government for allowing this to happen to innocent babies. The fact that babies are dying from this shows that the government had no morals. Babies are supposed to be growing up not dying a couple months later just after being born.

Emily Segura (427 word count)

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https://vusf.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/to-be-a-monster-physically-or-mentally/

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I've chosen a few passages from different sections of the story, the first one is from chapter 3 " Then one day, the answer came to me. Suddenly I was sure that I knew the secret of life. I knew that I could put life into a body that was not alive"(pg.8). This is the start of monstrosity, Dr.Frankenstein is starting to become obsessed with trying to create life that he doesn't realize the consequences that come with it. We later see in the story that he was the real monster. Frankenstein was only doing this for his own pleasure to see is he could push the limits of science, in which he did.  The next passage is from chapter 4, "The dead body had been an ugly thing, but alive, it was much more horrible. Suddenly I wanted to escape from it. I ran out of the laboratory, and locked the door. I was filled with fear at what I had done".  Dr.Frankenstein now has a problem with what he had created, he now realizes his mistake. He should've known that the creature was going to be unpleasant when he was picking out body parts.He spent most of his life dedicating his work into something abnormal only for him to later reject his own creation. Dr.Frankenstein was blinded by his selfishness of trying to play god. That's the monstrosity of this story,  playing with life itself not knowing the consequences it leaves behind and not being able to take responsibility.Some will say that the monster was the creature itself cause of the murders, but if Dr. Frankenstein hadn’t decided to participate in cheating life and death then none of that would have happened.
-Jessika Medrano

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWAFHN4YCo

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In the story Dracula, there is only one monster. someone that preys on vulnerable women and can manipulate them into doing all sorts of tasks. There is one person, Jonathan harker, who doesn't see his monstrous ways, but does think that the count is odd. "The mouth so far as I could see it under the heavy mustache, was fixed and rather cruel looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years…. Strange to say, there were hairs in the center of his palm. The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point. As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder.... A horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which do what I would, I could not conceal." (17) In this part of the story Harker is explaining the way Dracula looks, as you can see he describes the count in great detail. he looks at count as more of a monster than a human but still stays at the castle with him. Harker does seem a bit uncomfortable staying there but doesn't make a fuss about it. "He [Dracula] is brute, and more than brute;… he can, within limitations, appear at will when, and where, and in any of the forms that are to him; he can within his range; direct the elements: the storm, the fog, the thunder; he can command all the meaner things: the rat and the owl and the bat -- the moth, and the fox, and the wolf; he can grow and become small; and he can at times vanish and come unknown."(197) . Harker now realizes that the count is some sort of creature/abnormal human being. Hes obviously aware of what the count can do to him, but still chooses to stay there,  if anything the count seems to enjoy harkers presence. Throughout the story Dracula is posed as a threat to the townspeople. But in reality Count Draculs can’t do much without permission, so he really isn’t all that bad. People just think he goes out to murder innocent women when they’re the ones who invite him in. “The women represent potential for transformation; they are the place through which threats to cultural stability can enter. The metaphor of entry is a sexual one so that “Woman” must remain soul not body, a transcendent value not open to transformation- women must not become sexual. For the characters in the novel, sexual desire leads to and is mingled with horror.” (Boone 83).  (436 words)
-Jessika Medrano

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For the next passage that i've chose which is on chapter 5 when Dr Frankenstein's brother has been murdered by his monster "My poor brother had been a kind and happy boy, and we had all loved him. Again the lightning lit the sky, and I saw a huge figure standing in the rain. When I saw it, I knew at once what it was. It was the creature that I had made." (pg 15) For that he realizes the monster he created has done harm to others to which it considered to make himself a monster for his actions that he caused. When he mentioned how his brother is a "kind and happy boy" this also shows to how innocent he was and for that his attributes led him to his death. Another passage that i've picked is on chapter 6: " A few days after the murder, the police had searched
the house and had found the gold chain in Justine's coat pocket. Everyone in the family knew that Justine had not murdered William. I knew who the murderer was, but I
could not tell anyone." (pg. 17) As we can tell that Victor's actions was also affecting many others and for that when he mentioned "I knew who the murderer was but could not tell anyone" that he realizes that he has created a monster and to which if tells his family what he created then they would've hated him.

One more to which its still on the same chapter is when Dr Frankenstein found his creature and his creature told his creator "You made me, and you should love me and be kind to me, like a father.
William and Justine died because you did not love me. Why did you create me if you were not ready to love me?" (pg 20) For that we can see that when the monster was mentioning the word "love" it shows how much emotion it had inside him and his creator didn't give him the love he needed to which it made him into a killer monster. If Dr. Frankenstein would've gave him the love that he wanted then maybe his own creation wouldn't harm any of the people he's close with and for that it wouldn't make him feel like a monster. But still yet to what he sees that his actions has done harm to others and for that it still makes him a monster. [408 words]
Carlos Loera

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In Wicked there are many characters who could be seen as monstrous. The first one I’ll be discussing is the Wizard.In one conversation with Nessarose, Elphaba talks about her idea of monsters: “‘I may not be sure if monsters exist, but I’d rather live my life in doubt than be persuaded by a real experience of one.’” (Maguire 323). At this point Elphaba does not have an idea of what she believes about monsters, but this changes as the story progresses.

In the last section of the book “Murder And the Afterlife,” we see Elphaba’s ideas about monsters have changed after she finds out the Wizard has imprisoned Nor and is keeping her in chains in awful conditions: “She fell to her knees, her forehead dropping almost to the floor...She had no intention of surrendering the Grimmerie to such a monster, ever.” Because the Wizard is cruel to Nor and seems to have no sympathy for her, he becomes a monster. The fact that he commits evil against an innocent person, hence breaking a moral norm, makes the Wizard a monster in Elphaba’s eyes, though she previously did not view him as such.

The other character who becomes a monster, ironically, is Elphaba. Though she herself is too blinded by her emotions to see it, many of her actions are very cruel and make her seem monstrous. One of the moments where The Witch becomes monstrous is in one of the last scenes in the book when she becomes angry at Dorothy and begins threatening and interrogating her. Her status as a monster is not only revealed by the fact that Dorothy is terrified of her, but also by Lirs reaction. In this scene, Liir steps in to defend dorothy , yelling, “You old hag, let her alone,”(Maguire 399). In this moment the Witch is a monster in both the eyes of Dorothy and the eyes of her own son. Liir’s choice to call The Witch a “hag” further reveals how she had become evil. The word “hag” is used to describe particularly evil and monstrous witches. Because some witches in Oz are considered to be good, this description of Elphaba as a hag shows that she is not good, but rather is a monster. Because both strangeness and maliciousness are needed to define a monster, the strangeness of Elphaba’s skin is not enough to label her as such. It is only when her actions become malicious and harmful to others that she is seen as a monster.

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Close Reading of The Cask of Amontillado   

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Close Reading of The Cask of Amontillado   

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In the Cask of Amontillado the narrator can be seen as a monster because of how his mind is malicious. In the first section, Montresor talks about how he wants revenge on a man for insulting him: "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge." This shows how much harm this man had done to him and when Montresor said "Revenge" it means he wants to hurt more in a more harmful way that it will be on Fortunato's hands. That does sound like he wants to kill him and monsters can be known as killers.
For the next section to which is on section 6 is when Montresor lures Fortunato to his family underground catacombs and it appears to be filled with moldy walls and skulls: "We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs." For that Montresor's plan was to bring Fortunato to the deep catacombs to kill him and this sounds like an evil plan to which is in fact what monstrous people are known to do. The narrator attributes are showing signs of evilness since he is telling a story about killing a man and shows gratefulness.

Since monsters are also considers wicked since those type of monstrous people like to harm others, the narrator intends to harm this one person for a reason but doesn't really explain what insults this man has done. He just wants to kill in a more painful and harmful way. In the last section, we see the narrator tying up Fortunato with chains in a small space and building a brick wall around him. "For the love of God, Montresor!" "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" We can tell Fortunato is crying for help and Montresor did complete his plan to which since his actions has cost the life of a human being it can be seen that he is a monster. But then when Montresor was telling himself:  "My heart grew sick" he can already see himself that he is a monster for his actions since he did mentioned his "heart" because of how he felt thinking if he did the right thing or not. But yet his mind still shows how much revenge he wanted and we can tell that he felt good about, still considered monstrous. [406 words]
Carlos Loera

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopdD9Cu-So

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0T3gpfH_-w

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This meme uses humor to humanizes witches and show that they are often just misunderstood.

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Wicked was about an individual that grew up different than anybody else. When younger, the child was different compared to any other child. This child was green, but a nice shade of green. Along with the color of skin, she was born with teeth which astonished the ladies that helped give birth. They were debating what was best was to end the life of the child because they thought she was a monster. “To kill it was the kindness course of action. The question was how.” (Maguire, pg. 28) They were so intrigued by how the child looked, they couldn’t stand seeing it around anymore they were starting to have thoughts on how to get rid of it. When the mother awoke she was afraid of how her child looked so she tried ways that she could get rid of her childhood for good, but she never got the chance to get rid of her.

From birth, Elphaba has been seen as a monster because she was seen as different or odd. Due to her unique looks, her parents didn’t care as much for her compared to how they cared for her sister Nesarose. Since there was a lack of parenting and love for the child, the parents are the real monsters here. “Shall we go walk by the edge of the lake today and maybe you’ll drown?” (Maguire, pg42) Elphaba’s mother, Melena, is not an ideal parent especially since she told her daughter negative thoughts. Such negativity towards a child causes them to be insecure, which can be seen in Elphaba’s personality as she goes through her life. Unfortunately there are consequences with having neglect towards an individual. Neglect may cause one to have a low self esteem and even cause them to have difficulties in trusting others. Taking that  into consideration, neglect brings upon many negative aspects, it's no wonder that Elphaba is not much of a social person. Despite the fact that Nanny also thought that Elphaba was scary looking, she still took the courage to take care of the unwanted child. She was the one that looked past her physical features (her green skin) and her imperfections. Not much changes as Elphaba grows more mature.

As time goes on and Elphaba gets older, she gets the opportunity to live the life of a college student. Unfortunately her life doesn’t seem to be any different than it used to be. She is described as still looking the same with her green skin and slender body, just with her teeth adjusted to adulthood. Since she isn’t like the other popular girls like a character named Galinda, a girl that is of high standards. Saldy, her life hasn’t changed regarding the point that she is still left alone on many occasions. Elphaba gets excluded from little get togethers that the girls have, and they usually make fun of her and they see her as a joke. “I-wrote-the-letter,’ heaved Pfannee between her gales of laughter. Avaric began to chuckle, and Elphaba’s eyes went wide and a little unfocused.” (Maguire, pg 157) So instead of Ephaba being the monster, society is considered to be the monster in this situation the individuals are the ones being disrespectful towards her, especially since she do anything to them. Considering the fact that she was left alone most of the time, she has become more self-conscious about herself and more vulnerable towards the thoughts and opinions of others.

Word Count: 517

Word Count With Quotes: 566

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Kindred started when Dana had these unexplainable feelings that caused her to travel back in time. Things seemed to be alright until it came to time that she first got to see a man get whipped.  “He began to moan… low gut-wrenching sounds...torn from him against his will. Finally he began to scream. I could literally smell his sweat, hear every ragged breath, every cry, every cut of the whip. I could see his body jerking, convulsing, straining…” (Duffy et al. pg 42)  It was quite a scary site seeing the man tied up to the tree. When the individual yelled out, his speech balloons were rigid and distinctive. The man’s screams of pain and agony were quite dreadful to Dana. The panels showed off how much of a pain that slave was in by showing different face emotions that indicated his agony and discomfort. Also, by having a description of how the man sounded and how he looked, gave the reader the opportunity to think about how the situation was dreadful and horrific. Not to mention that the author added how the person sounded like, it definitely brought chills down one's spine. Even though it's shown from Dana's perspective, it's still allows the reader to develop a deeper visual of how painful it was when individuals would get whipped back then. The words chosen to express the situation allows it to seem more intense along with the different panels shown in the given pages which allows it to be something for the reader to look more into, correlating to the intense feeling growing inside of freight. The way that monstrosity is layed out here is by the slave owner being a monster himself and by him being destructive and careless.

The final setting that was represented through the graphic novel was represented by violence. Rufus made the mistake of making Alice learn a lesson because she tried to run away, she didn't live long after that. "I didn't see much in the dim light until my eyes adjusted. Then they turn to look at the place where I had been strung up and whipped. 'Oh Alice… Oh No." ( Duffy et al. pg 218-219) The image in the panel illustrated how Alice was hung, showing that she hung herself in misery thinking that her kids got sold. It was a scary sight to behold taking into consideration all the shading and color that was added within the image. The image depicted Alice to be within the deep shadows along with her lifeless body. Adding to that was Dana's sad crying face which made the image depressing overall, allowing the reader to be filled with dread and trembling fear. The way that monstrosity was shown wasn’t the fact that the death scene was a scary sight to behold, it was the way that Rufus acted. He was the monster by telling such a painful lie to one that he supposedly loved. It was his actions towards others that made him the real monster in the story.

Word Count: 431

Word Count With Quotes: 506

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Links Showing Causes for Becoming a Monster:

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Links Showing Causes for Becoming a Monster:

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Neglect:

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-child-neglect-4151259

Being Excluded:

http://socialpsychonline.com/2015/11/psychology-ostracism-feeling-excluded/

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This shows that even though monsters are considered to be scary or odd, they have emotions too.

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The way that one turns out is represented in the way that they have been treated...

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The way that one turns out is represented in the way that they have been treated...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTzW1ol5vkc

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Everyone has something that torments them, and its something that Rufus never fixed in his life. That's why he grew up to be aggressive despite the fact that he tried to change multiple times, which then made him be the monster of the story.

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emily segura

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https://youtu.be/VP-tehZXvDs

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“If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency - what is one to do?” (Gilman 648). In the story, The Yellow Wallpaper, the husband John plays the part of the “monster” in the story. John may not physically look like frightening, mutant creature but he sure acts like one. A "monster” is an individual who has cruel intentions in which they have full knowledge of the harm that they are creating, and commits their actions for their own selfish desires. From the quote above it can be inferred that the husband is the all powerful and he is very much aware it that he takes advantage of it.  He has the power to say and do whatever he pleases and no one will go against him. So he deprives Jane of her freedom and manipulates everyone including herself into thinking that she is too sick to care for herself. His purpose for doing this is not clear. However, it seems that his goal might be to make Jane all weak and sickly so he can isolate her and take control of her.

“John says if I don't pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. But I don't want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John... only more so!” (Gilman 650). In this next quote, Jane is fully convinced that she is sick and is relying on her husband to help her to get better. Little does she know that she is actually becoming worse and this is just allowing John to gain more power. His next move is to now put fear into Jane by threatening her. John tells her that she will have to be sent to Weir Michell if he doesn't see improvement in her “sickness” by fall. This supposedly sickness that she has is put on her by John. From the quote we know that Jane does not to go at all because she heard that Weir Michell is just like John but “only more so”.   This begins worrying Jane and makes her start to believe that she is at best staying under the care with John. It seems that Jane is becoming vulnerable and falling straight into John’s trap.

The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John. (Gilman 653).

This last quote is what shows that Jane might be starting to catch on and see John for the monster he really is or it can maybe be that John’s plan is working. Either way, it seems that John is winning here, Jane is now stating that she is becoming a little fearful of him. This is probably a good thing for John. If Jane is scared of him then she might be afraid to go against him so she’ll just keep going along with the way John controls her.

Emily Segura (407 word count)

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http://weirdfictionreview.com/2012/03/a-brief-history-of-monsters/

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https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=ngresearchconf

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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1475-4975.2012.00234.x

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https://mvc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=79614952&site=ehost-live

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https://assets.ctfassets.net/4wrp2um278k7/47BQpIF6PeQeUgyOMuosAG/affda2e940592834afbcd632ef5cd1de/ARC-REF_Mittman-MonstersVol1_ToC___Intro.pdf

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In The Cask of Amontillado, it is not just the act of murder that makes monstresor a monster. It is the fact that it was very specifically and meticulously premeditated: " I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled—but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity."Montresor, rather than killing his friend in a got of rage, draws out the process and relishes in the suffering of Fortunato. Montresor's assertion that he wishes to "punish with impunity" is proof of his extreme evil and vengefulness. This points out another monstrous flaw of Montresor, which is his wrath. The fact that he is provoked into murdering his own friend simply because he felt insulted by him shows a monstrosity and lack of normal human reason. Another  part of this story that reminds us of Montresor's monstrosity is the part where he lays the bricks: "It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it partially in its destined position" (Poe 10). His actions are motivated by extreme pride and vengefulness and so he ends up killing Fortunato in a way that was slow and painful because his aim was not only to kill but to ensure his victim suffered. When thinking of the long time it must have taken Monstresor to lure Fortunato, and then still lay every brick around him also reminds us how he had every chance to regret his actions and turn back. But he didn't. Furthermore, he describes how he lays a brick in it's "destined position" this tells us even more about how Montresor feels no guilt, but rather feels that Fortunato fully deserves the cruel ending he is about to be subjected to. Rather than his own evil choice, it is "destiny" that decided Fortunato's death. By this way He absolves himself of guilt of the crime, showing a lack of remorse and empathy that are characteristic of Monsters. Monstresors behavior in killing Fortunato uncovered another part of monstrosity: duality and manipulation. Montresor is made all the more evil by the fact that he lures his friend to his death all the While pretending to have his best interests at heart. He continues to ask about Fortunato's health: "Come...we will go back; your health is precious" (Poe 5). This manipulation and duality is further proof of Montresor's Monstrosity. 

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In The Cask of Amontillado, it is not just the act of murder that makes monstresor a monster. It is the fact that it was very specifically and meticulously premeditated: " I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled—but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity."Montresor, rather than killing his friend in a got of rage, draws out the process and relishes in the suffering of Fortunato. Montresor's assertion that he wishes to "punish with impunity" is proof of his extreme evil and vengefulness. This points out another monstrous flaw of Montresor, which is his wrath. The fact that he is provoked into murdering his own friend simply because he felt insulted by him shows a monstrosity and lack of normal human reason. Another  part of this story that reminds us of Montresor's monstrosity is the part where he lays the bricks: "It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it partially in its destined position" (Poe 10). His actions are motivated by extreme pride and vengefulness and so he ends up killing Fortunato in a way that was slow and painful because his aim was not only to kill but to ensure his victim suffered. When thinking of the long time it must have taken Monstresor to lure Fortunato, and then still lay every brick around him also reminds us how he had every chance to regret his actions and turn back. But he didn't. Furthermore, he describes how he lays a brick in it's "destined position" this tells us even more about how Montresor feels no guilt, but rather feels that Fortunato fully deserves the cruel ending he is about to be subjected to. Rather than his own evil choice, it is "destiny" that decided Fortunato's death. By this way He absolves himself of guilt of the crime, showing a lack of remorse and empathy that are characteristic of Monsters. Monstresors behavior in killing Fortunato uncovered another part of monstrosity: duality and manipulation. Montresor is made all the more evil by the fact that he lures his friend to his death all the While pretending to have his best interests at heart. He continues to ask about Fortunato's health: "Come...we will go back; your health is precious" (Poe 5). This manipulation and duality is further proof of Montresor's Monstrosity. 