Essay 1: Human and Monster
Readings (1 poem, 1 short story, and 1 essay)
Essential Questions:
What do monsters teach us about human nature?
How do individuals define the “monster” and how does this reflect the fears of society?
How can fear control you?
How do dire situations cause people to act out of character?
In this essay I expect you to explore an interesting idea about monstrosity and “expressions of cultural unease that pervade a society and shape its collective behavior” (de Bruin-Molé) so that your readers can understand something new and different about how we perceive our world. This idea can be considered the theme (a universal message or lesson) that the chosen texts reveal when read together. To help support your idea, you must provide support/evidence from each text. These texts should enhance and deepen your own thoughts and help us understand what you have to say. You may adapt one of the listed “Essential Questions” into a thesis statement and focus of you essay or come up with your own question which you end up answering (answer to the question = thesis). Choose 2-3 literary devices you would like to explore to help support your argument—point of view, tone, imagery, symbolism, diction, figurative language, etc.
