Week of 7/16/2018 – 7/19/2018
This week we looked at monster reviews, analyzing monsters, library research, and Frankenstein to name a few. You have started to research your monsters, so this is a great opportunity to look up modern representations of your monster, and even reviews of the monster representation you are looking at. What was the critical and popular reception to your monsters, both when it came out and a modern day version?
Requirements are still the same. About 250 words, summary and response to the article/post/news/etc; aka text.
Comment below with a link to the text and your summary and response.
Professor Ramos' Blog 
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10788996/Godzilla-why-the-Japanese-original-is-no-joke.html
The Japanese film, Gojira was created in 1954, shortly after the success of King Kong in the west. Known as “Godzilla” to western audiences, Gojira was received well by the Japanese people. The film used the giant monster to symbolize the destruction and terror of nuclear weaponry, which the Japanese became all too familiar with during the Second World War The monster was awakened by bomb testing and moved to wreak havoc on Japan, leaving its cities in a state of ruin that resembled the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even his roar was designed to be reminiscent of air raid sirens. The movie acted as a warning that nothing good can come from the weaponization of nuclear energy, only chaos. There have been almost 30 Japanese Godzilla films now and even a couple from the United States. In the newest American made film, the theme of the danger of nuclear weaponry remains at the forefront, however, many of the other Japanese ideologies and cultural standards are missing because they are not relevant to our society. While Godzilla in Japan represented the danger and price of change and abandoning national heritage, the American Godzilla appears as an agent of change. No one can stop him and even more monsters are on their way. The film makes it clear that this change is coming whether we want it too or not and that we are to blame for it. The monsters in the current American Godzilla franchise were also awoken due to bomb testing, mining, and other technological advances.
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In the popular kids’ movie, Coco it emphasizes ideals in Mexican culture in order for the main character Miguel to discover his family’s history. The movie includes performances of Disney’s interpretation of old Mexican songs. One of the adaptations is the old folktale song, La Llorona, where is was first introduced are the 1950s. The original song has been classified mores as sad rather than love due to the feelings evoked in the lyrics.
The performance is by the character Imelda, where she refers to herself as La Llorona or the ‘weeping woman’. The song itself is not scary nor does it depict any horror. It is about reaching new heights for love, but in a heartbroken matter. The song itself reflects the pain and vulnerability behind loving someone who isn’t around anymore, which was in the original story of La Llorona. La Llorona was devastated by her husband’s unfaithfulness to her, which relates to the sorrow and pain felt in the lyrics of the song. The scene itself does not present the ideal or purpose of La Llorona. It is a scene of getting over stage freight and obtaining a desired goal at the end, which drifts away from the originality of La Llorona as a fear or a monster. Instead it is just an empowering moment for the character Imelda as she is progressively growing as a character.
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http://andrewloganmontgomery.blogspot.com/2018/06/masks-of-nyarlathotep-review.html
Nyarlathotep has not changed much since the original prose by Howard Phillips Lovecraft written in 1920. Nyarlathotep has always been the same god of a thousand forms who loves nothing more than to screw around with the very sanity of humans, unlike every other god who are not aware of the humans’ existence. In this review, Andrew Montgomery reviews an 1984 addition to a table top role playing game, Masks of Nyarlathotep. This rendition of Nyarlathotep still holds all of the key elements that make him Nyarlathotep, but this one in particular proves a little bit of difference by the way he works as part of the game to make it more possible for humans to outwit. Aside from that, Nyarlathotep still makes himself out to be the sadistic god who makes humans his playthings using his powers as a deity of insanity. He can be regarded as the best antagonist to the Cthulhu Mythos, as demonstrated by the other reviews mentioned in this review of the addition of Masks of Nyarlathotep. Most of the Cthulhian gods do not even bother to know of the existence of humans, neglecting to recognize if anything is there, so players in this table top RPG do not even get to deal with the gods themselves, but rather must face other smaller entities much closer to the level of humans, such as aliens or cultists. Nyarlathotep, however, does recognize the existence of humans. This gives the players the opportunity to face off against Nyarlathotep himself, giving a much more episodic feeling as players come into contact with Nyarlathotep himself who does see their individual existence. It gives a similar feeling to the classic brave knight against the fiery dragon feeling but on a much more massive scale because of Nyarlathotep’s potential ability to end our world. Nearly all depictions of Nyarlathotep outside of the original Mythos only change him by making him stoppable. Even with this addition, he is still considered to be a fearsome entity not to be looked at lightly.
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Iv’e been researching Aileen Wuornos’ life. Although Aileen isn’t a Frankentein” Monster created from imagination, she might me scarier because she is real. The Documentary of Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer gave up close and personal detail of Aileen’s murders. The documentary features Nick Broomfield as he interviews Aileen and neighborhood friends. The documentary follows Aileen after she had been convicted and was waiting to exhaust her appeals. Aileen’s friends remember Aileen as having a troubled childhood and adolecences. Some researchist say Aillen’s childhood may unlock clues as to why Aileen became who she became. The researchist call this Attachment Theory. This states that what you see regarding adult relationships around you when your a child make you who you are in regards to how you see relationships with peers throughout your adult life. Aileen’s biological mother abandoned her when she was a child. Her father who suffered from schizophrenia was a convicted pedophilia. He would never met Aileen. He killed himself in prison. Aileen’s maternal grandparents adopted Aileen but her grandmother was an alcoholic and never protected the Aileen and her Brother Kieth from their abusive grandpa Lauri. Aileen and her brother thought their grandparents were their real parents. After watching the documentary it becomes clear why Aileen did such horrible things. I tied monster theory to Aileen in a few different theories. The first theory that applies is”The Monsters Body is a Cultural Body. This idea most closely ties to Aileens childhood and life
https://www.netflix.com/watch/60033282?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Ce95e8e12e0e458f0d5c2fdeea6aa46b466eef2e6%3A1917d93285658ab6c292a1c678a4edffd48fde65%2C%2C
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https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10255014_842048999141818_5762890331305552627_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=fc2ffa62772c72b8ecd2984ba5af1b60&oe=5BD2B9F1
This past week we have been talking about Frankenstein’s monster and how it became a monster. Frankenstein’s creation was not born a monster, even though it was made from many different people and brought to life in a unnatural way. It became a monster when it was face with rejection and fear multiple time. Even though this creation had done nothing wrong it was hated and condemned just for being alive. This got me thinking about one of my creation that has now become a monster. In the link above is a picture of my AR15 that I built. I put every nut, screw, spring, and part of that rifle together myself. Much like Frankenstein’s creation, my rifle was made up of different parts from different companies. It was made up of Stag Arms, Magpul, Arrow Precision, DPMS, and Raddlock. It was literally a Frankenstein gun. Unlike Frankenstein, I loved my rifle. I pet it, let it sleep by my bed, and fed it a well balanced diet of 5.56 and .223.
Then mass shootings started to happen and the weapon of choice for wholesale mass slaughtering happened to be the AR15. The media quickly jumped on this and demonized not just the gun used, but every gun like it ever made or yet to be made. Now I can assure you that my rifle has never been used to shoot at people. It’s shot a lot of evil paper people, but that’s it. Even though I’ve never fired it with malicious intent my rifle has now become this monstrous thing.
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https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/07/22/brewers-fans-greet-josh-hader-with-loud-cheers-in-first-outing-since-offensive-tweets-surfaced/23487200/#
Josh Hader has been receiving a lot of attention for manly two reason. He is a baseball player who has shine as a pitcher for the Milwaukee team. Yet when he was at the age seventeen he tweeted about disliking anyone of color and homosexuals. Since then he has apologize to the public of his unkind words. Social media has come back to hunt him and his career. Social media is used daily by almost everyone in the world. It tracks your action and words even after deleting the post. Which was the case of Josh Hader’s tweet which were deleted and were brought back. What has happened to Josh Hader can happened to anyone of us. It was bigger for him due to his raising fame in baseball. Anyone of us could easily post a tweet, picture, and post that could ruin their career and life. The importance of what is posted on social media needs to be brought to the awareness for everyone. It is only mention shortly. Nothing is really deleted from the internet. Since Josh’s apologize his tweets will always hang over his head and even when a team may choose to sign him they are signing his actions when he was seventeen years old. People must be careful with what they post at all time.
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And the Oscar for Best Picture goes to The Shape Of Water! Many have said and even the director may giving hints that The Shape Of Water is retelling of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. These films are so different yet so alike. We are introduce to the gill-man with the appearance of his hand creeping out of the water. Both gill-men are mention to be from the Amazon. In The Shape of Water it is even said that the gill-man was worship as a god in the Amazon. This has lead fans to believe the gill-man from The Shape of Water could be related to the gill-man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. In both films the gill-man is being hunted and wanted to be studied on. What is the gill-man and where does it come from? How can it be the last of its kind? The purpose of the creatures to be the same for both which is looking for a partner. Yet in The Shape of Water the main female character is the creature’s hero by helping him escape from the lab and further giving him shelter.
The Shape of Water is a different outlook of The Creature of the Black Lagoon. The gill-man is not a monster but the helpless creature who wants to be back home. In looks the gill-man is a monster but in The Shape of Water the true monster is not the gill-man but actually those in charge of the lab where the gill-man was kept against his will.
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The Xenomorph made its first appearance in the 1979 movie, Alien. The Xenomorph is a terrifying monster that embodied the most primal savage instincts that were associated extraterrestrial life due to the anxieties and inexperience that humans have had in space. The newest representation of the Xenomorph is from the film Alien Covenant. The monster is just as savage as it was in the original 1979, a killing machine that’s only purpose is to hunt the life forms around it. The article described the slight difference between the 1979 Alien and Alien Covenant. The Xenomorph behaves similar to the original Xenomorph with only slight differences in the appearance of the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph also takes a new name, the Protomorph. The article describes the Protomorph as being looking extremely organic compared to the previous Xenomorph. The article briefly elaborates on the history of the Xenomorphs, as well as the differences between the two. The article is based off the trailer of the movie, and not the actual film. I have seen Alien covenant and Alien, and in alien covenant the Xenomorph takes a more aggressive stance on hunting its prey. In Alien, the Xenomorph tends to kill from a stealthy approach, often killing its prey when it least expects it. The Xenomorph has roughly stayed the same throughout all its adaptions. The Xenomorph is still a primal killing machine with no regard for any life except its own. The physical body of the xenomorph is the only differing aspect of the xenomorph throughout its adaptations.
https://www.alien-covenant.com/news/alien-covenant—the-protomorph-not-xenomorph
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According to Greek mythology, the lernaean hydra was an serpent like water monster who terrorized the Greek countryside. Legend tells that if one head was decapitated, two more would grow in its place. It was not until its encounter with Hercules and Iolaus’ quick skill with cauterizing each head was the creature slain. Nowadays in 2018, no such thing exists of a multiple headed creature. Instead, the hydra evolved into a metaphor. In its place is the hydra effect. Used figuratively, the hydra effect explains that a direct solution to a problem may result in a worse situation. This article explains hydra effect between the United States and its campaign in the middle east.
Currently the United States military implements a “striking without asking” policy. We do not ask why or whether our own actions contributed to their resilience. These precision strikes leave civilians enraged or humiliated and often create unintended consequences. Eliminating the terrorist threats in one area only contributes to uprisings elsewhere. We then become surprised when a new uprising occurs and the hydra grows another head. In truth the middle east is complicated situation. Different allegiances align themselves with different groups and because of this differences, these groups cannot see eye to eye. These shaky alliances then complicate the situation even more and it becomes a clusterfuck. Additionally, finding a more effective solution or “cauterizing the wound” is easier said than done. The articles says that the solution is to promote government accountability instead of promoting suppression and disenfranchisement, however implementing such an idea is difficult. Personally, I think we should pull out of the middle east entirely.
https://fpif.org/americas-hydra-problem-in-the-middle-east/
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/kraken-the-real-life-origins-of-the-legendary-sea-monster-a6796241.html
In ancient Nordic texts we first see mention of the sea monster, The Kraken. When it first came in to existence, it was looped in with many other sea monsters and shared many of the same traits: huge, tentacles, terrorizes sailors, etc. The monster terrorized sailors in the oceans of Norway and surrounding countries. It is believed that its origins stem from sightings of a giant squid- which exists. It wasn’t until the 1800s, however, that it took this shape. When a giant squid washed up on Danish shores, the ancient sea monster took a specific shape. Although the giant squid is said to reach up to only 18-20 meters in length, representations of the creature would suggest otherwise. The mythological Kraken is said to have been able to crush an entire ship, effortlessly. In more modern representations, we see the Kraken evolve into something much more terrifying than a giant squid. The example in this article and in my paper is the Kraken from the movie Clash of the Titans. This representation is the giant squid on steroids. It is massive, WAY more massive than a mere 18 meters. It has huge, demonic tentacles that would never exist in real life. In addition to these tentacles, it also has big claws that it uses to cause more destruction. Contrary to ancient beliefs, this Kraken is on the beach and not in the deepest depths of the sea. It also has a monstrous head with giant teeth. This creature has most definitely evolved with time. It has taken on much more monstrous qualities, to feed into the fears of the modern day society. A half sea, half land monster that can terrorize both sailors and beach city dwellers, is much more frightening than an 18 meter squid in the deepest parts of the Arctic Ocean.
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https://www.texasobserver.org/chupacabra-legends-texas/
The most recent version of the monster, “El Chupacabras,” is a canine. As the article describes in Texas is where supposedly various Chupacabras have been captured, like the Cuero rancher Phylis Canion. She hunted this creature in 2007 and since that incident media was very interested to know more about the so-called monster. However, this animal, which is the most acceptable to be the Chupacabra does not correlate with the descriptions of other civilians in Puerto Rico and other places in America. According to Benjamin Radford, the grotesque and scary appearance of the Chupacabra (or better said the idea of it) in the earlier years was a misconception. Canion, like many others, found difficult to believe that the famous monster is a mere coyote. A hypothesis for the appearance of a strange dog is because it is possibly a hybrid between a Mexican wolf and a dog. A canine predator that likes blood and leaves the carcasses in the scene. It is intriguing the gap between the first sightings in Puerto Rico and how the phenomenon was scattered across the globe and then it diminished. And how recently many people have seen the Chupacabra, something that with various investigations in the past was difficult to agree on one theory. If it was only a dog, then why do a lot of scandals. As for now the beliefs of the Chupacabra being a rhesus monkey, a vampire bat, or a bird like a nightjar have been totally discarded. But the origin of the creature and sudden attacks from the 90’s are still a controversy.
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Werewolves are known as shape-shifting humans. There is not a known set time of when the werewolf was created, but it ties also with Greek Mythology. Many people in the past were said to hunt werewolves at night and that they were part of witchcraft. Werewolves were perceived as murderous beasts. The werewolf also had a mix story in European middle ages, where many witches had trails held in which supposed witches were also accused of being werewolves.
However, as of right now werewolves are seen everywhere and although they appear scary, they are mostly protagonists and not necessarily the antagonist of the story. For example, Twilight portrays werewolves and it has helped shift the way we perceive them. Watching the movie, the werewolf role is played by a very attractive actor named Taylor Lautner. Watching this shifts the representations of a werewolf. Before, many people thought of the werewolf as a vicious “murderous” monster that had to be killed and destroyed. Now, in the 21st century with the movies that are out, werewolves are perceived as good and attractive human beings now. I have been researching a lot on my paper and I have come to the conclusion of doing mine on the show “Teen Wolf”. This is another example of how the modern day werewolf has come to be. In this, all of the werewolves are attractive human beings and they are a mix of good and bad. The modern day representation has shifted, as with all of the movies and shows on werewolves, we have become less worried about them as we were when this monster was first created.
https://exemplore.com/cryptids/Werewolves-Where-Did-the-Belief-Begin-Is-There-Any-Proof-They-Exist
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For my article this week I chose to reflect on the soon to be released movie, The Meg. The Meg is an action horror movie by Jon Turteltaub. After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible. Currently in class we have been discussing the topic of monsters both fiction and nonfiction. It goes without saying the a seventy foot shark attacking the human population is a monster. This monster was not newly created. This monster dates back centuries and a prior film corresponding to The Meg is the good old fashioned Megladon created in 2002 by Pat Corbitt. The two movies are very similar. The 2002 Megladon movie version is about a deep-sea drilling operation that goes horribly wrong, releasing the deadliest ocean predator that has ever roamed the seas since prehistoric times-Carcharodon Megalodon, sixty feet of prehistoric terror. The differences in the two films seem to be the size of the shark varying by ten feet and the quality of films has enhanced creating a much scarier and vivid horror movie. Reviews about the original Megladon movie include most people explaining it was a waste of time. For example a movie review states, “The shark “bumps” into their oil rig a couple of times (which looks extremely fake, because the shark dosen’t even touch the buildings) then the people get up to the surface.The shark eats a fat guy, but nobody cares, but when it eats one of the women, then some dude gets angry, chases the shark and blows it up. The end.
And that’s it!”(https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/megalodon/reviews/?page=2&type=user). Technology and film making has come along way in almost fifteen years now so The Meg will most likely be a much better version of the movie. However, the movie is out on August tenth so we will have to wait and see just how much the shark monster has changed and evolved into a bigger and scarier terror.
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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093773/
The predator first appeared on the big screen in 1987. Since then the Predator has now had three sequels, two cross over movies mixed with the Alien franchise, an entire book series, comic book series, and various video games. These Predators are humanoid looking creatures that are a far old species with superior technology as well. These monsters strive off the hunt, trying to find and kill the toughest of the tough of species throughout the galaxy.
When comparing the Predator from 1987 to the Predator of 2010 (soon to be 2018) the biggest difference is that Humans are no longer the targeted prey of the Predators (at least for now). Originally the Predators played on the fears and anxieties of the public making them fear that if there is extraterrestrial life out there, that humans may no longer be the most technologically superior as well as be at the top of the food chain. The original movie also portrayed the Predator as possibly the persona of human hunters. Going out into a possibly unknown world, with codes and regulations guiding you to find and kill the biggest, strongest, or rarest of prey. Now comparing that to the most recent films Humans are more seen as possible allies or minions to the predators as they hunt the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Again in these movies instead of humans being portrayed as the prey they are portrayed as the lesser species that help the more superior one conquer or kill their desired target. When looking at it from a reality stand point it’s the same as how Humans ally themselves with other species to help hunt their desired targets. for example we dogs and birds to help lure, kill, or track down prey. Over all I don’t feel that the monster that is the Predator has changed over the years, however their agenda and what actions are presented to us have. The warning is clear however, that we may not always be at the top of the food chain.
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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/“The shape of water” film has been released, and the audience feels that the film about the monster really touches the world. And the reason given by the director Guillermo del Toro, who has always been keen on monsters, is “The monsters have a human heart. The important thing is never the shape, but the heart. “Love is the most important expression of “water-like story”. “Water-like story” tells the story of the American cleaners during the Cold War in the 1960s. Elisa was a deaf-mute person. She usually communicated with the outside world through sign language. She found a reptile strange creature amphibious that looks like a squama, living in the water, was locked in a huge tank. Because of the inability to endure the torture of the monster in the laboratory, Elisa began to sneak a visit monsters, the two developed their feelings. The monster in this film is a merman, there is a conflict with the mermaid. In the impression that it has a perfect back, this back has a charming hip. In addition to his half-fish and half-human, the image that is directly promoted is the sexy index. From the outside, the modern monster is no longer an ugly and disgusting image, but a combination of sexy and healthy. Modern monsters can not only communicate with others, help others, but also love, no longer a combination of cruelty, adventure and horror. The merman of “The shape of water” begins to try love. It is essentially different from the little mermaid and other mermaid in the past. It is closer to us like human beings, It is like our neighbor. You can barbecue with them and hold a cold beer chat with each other. It is no longer far away and unbelievable. There is also the same aesthetic between human and monster. I saw the female host swimming in the water, The monster snorkeled under her and was obsessed with her. It was a very romantic and beautiful picture. I think this is love.
We know the strange of monster, because it is more real than us. no monsters, the world will be boring.
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This is the trailer to the movie The Predator set to release this September. It is the fourth installment of the Predator series with the original movie released in 1987. This relates to class because for my monster evaluation essay I choose aliens/ extra-terrestrials as my monster. The Predator, alongside the Xenomorph from the Alien series, are a considered the most well-known and feared aliens in movies. The alien plays to our fears and anxieties regarding to the question, “Are we truly alone in the universe?”. Human also have the belief that we ae are at the top of the food chain and biological order; nothing in in the world is more superior than a human. The Predator alien is a combination of those fears: an alien superior to humans by being bigger, faster, stronger, and most frightening of all, smarter. The Predator alien is part of an alien race from deep space that hunts other alien species for enjoyment and sport, and in this case humans. As already mentioned these aliens at extremely intelligent developing advanced technology that aid them in hunting; technology that includes thermal imaging and camouflage. The predator alien fits in various aspects of the monster theory. Appearance-wise they have a humanoid look, being bipedal, but are enormous, towering over the protagonist, Dutch, portrayed by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger; a tall person himself. Another aspect of the monster theory that pertains to the Predator alien is that he always escapes. In the original film rather than admit defeat to the protagonist, a last-ditch effort the alien decides to self-destruct knowing there is a chance the protagonist might get caught in the blast. After that incident the alien has appeared countless times throughout the various installments of the series. In the latest film, a young man triggered the Predator’s return, but with a twist. The aliens have genetically modified themselves to become even more bigger and stronger than previous becoming super predators.
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In the popular fantasy novel Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort is the villain of the series. Lord Voldemort is so evil that most wizard population are too scared to say his name. He is known as “he-who-must-not-be-named” or Dark Lord. Voldemort, a half-blood wizard who is hungry for power and for immortality. Voldemort real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, his name came from his father and his grandpa name. The analysis of the source that I came across, is about 7 theories of Voldemort that completely change the Harry Potter movies. One theory is that Voldemort and Harry Pottery are somehow distance related. It even shows and explain the history of the timeline, and give the reason of how Harry Potter was able to understand and speak snake. The reviewers also believe that Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizard might also be related to Voldemort somehow because Dumbledore was able to understand Parseltongue in one of the scene. Parseltongue can only be passed down by generation and that no one cannot learn Parseltongue, it’s something you’re born with. The reviews of theories go into detail about why and how each scene is portrayed. The analysis talked about the wand choose their wizard, distance relation between Voldemort, Harry Potter, and Dumbledore, the one-way ticket to port key, the 7 Horcruxes, the reason behind Voldemort birth (unable to love), the cursed job of the high turnover rate of the teacher, and Voldemort is fear of death. The book considers Voldemort as the evilest wizard with red eyes and chalked like pale skin, slits nostrils, and skull face. As of today, Voldemort is still considered as the evilest wizard. In today movies, Voldemort still looks actually like the book had described him except for his eyes, they are blue like a normal human instead of red eyes. Some viewers even believe Voldemort could have been a different wizard if he was raised differently with love and the right guidelines. This is part of the monster culture thesis four, “The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference.” If Voldemort would have been a norm like everyone else, he would not be monstrous, but because he used his evil side to gain immortality. Voldemort is considered a monster because he has done so many evil things such as stealing, manipulated, killing others to get what he wants. Overall Voldemort will remain the evil, most powerful and dark wizard of all time.
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In the story of Medusa, beauty is punished and brought to the point of horror. Medusa has two sisters and the are known as the Gorgon sisters. She was the only mortal of the 3. She was well know for being so beautiful, having lovely healthy hair, and remaining a virgin in the temple of Athena. Many men wanted her but she chose to remain pure. One day after several failed attempts, Poseidon, the god of the sea, pursued Medusa and raped her in the temple of Athena. Since punishing a god is unthinkable, Medusa was punished for the act and turned into a hideous monster. She was so ugly that one glare could turn any man into a pillar of marble. Later, Perseus slays her with a special blade and a mirror-like shield from Athena. Similar to the Frankenstein story, Medusa did nothing wrong, but she was victimized until she was pushed to be evil and reckless. I think a hidden meaning in this story that could be accepted in modern day is that pureness can be corrupted by others in the surroundings and can cause one to be evil and as deceptive as a snake. It can cause others to become numb or stone to the product of the evil and the only way to overcome the monster is to look in the mirror.
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https://people.com/crime/golden-state-killer-suspect-possible-arrest-murders-rapes-california/
A modern day monster doesn’t have to be stories like Frankenstein or vampires. The Golden State Killer was a man who used to defend people against the very thing he became. Joseph DeAngelo was a police officer in Visalia and Auburn back in 1979. He was allegedly fired for shoplifting and his crimes only progressed from there. DeAngelo was arrested in April 2018 and charged with capital murder for four killings back in 1978. Police have linked his DNA to murders, 45 sexual assaults and burglaries. These crimes ranged from Sacramento to Orange County, and police say he may have committed crimes during the time he was employed as a police officers. Its said that DeAngelo targeted victims ranging from 13 to 41, and mainly targeted women who were alone or with children. This article highlights that monsters are everywhere and can even take shape as someone who is suppose to protect us from monsters. This monster tormented his victims for years, up to 20 years after he attacked them. The most recent he called a victim in 2001 and then stayed off the radar up until 2018 when his DNA caught up to him. People like the Golden State Killer are the type of people we are afraid of now, the ones who aren’t in cartoons and movies. These monsters exist and thrive on hurting people and for the longest time were unable to be caught. The fact that Joseph DeAngelo was an ex police officer makes what he did that much more frightening because he was trained to protect but did the complete opposite.
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Given that my monster is a real person from the relatively recent past, there aren’t any “versions” of him to talk about, however, his work in the fields of aerospace engineering and space travel have changed our perception of him over time. The story of Werner von Braun is filled with controversy. The story of a starry eyed youth who dreamed of traveling in space, to the lead scientist in one of Nazi Germanies “wonder weapons”, to a lead chair and engineering position at NASA in the 60’s. As time passes I feel that our perception of him has changed due to the massive success of his rocket technologies and the fact that he was instrumental in the U.S. winning the “Space Race”. As space travel and exploration becomes more and more plausible we often look back at von Braun’s achievements in admiration and wonder as we look at a brilliant man who overcame many odds to succeed, but have we chosen to remember only the best parts of him, rather than his whole story. Whether through coercion or his own free will, von Braun is partly responsible for many deaths, from slave workers at Peenemunde to the victims of his rocket bombings in England. It is true that we owe much to von Braun for his work in the fields of space exploration, but I have no doubt that if he hadn’t succeeded in getting America to space and beyond, he would have been demonized once again and punished like all the rest of his fellow german supporters from the war. I have yet to delve more into the nature of von Brauns work with the Nazi’s during the war and how he felt about it, but as far as I can tell this is the main way that perceptions of him have changed throughout history.
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It was difficult to find reviews or analysis from the time the kraken was first introduced in film and television. I have attached a video that shows us 5 of the kraken interpretations in film. One thing that stands out is that the kraken is hardly ever a stand alone monster. We also see that the kraken is always essentially an octopus or a squid except for in “Clash of the Titans” and “Pirates Of The Caribbean.” I believe that the early interpretations of the kraken as just a squid or octopus are what held it from reaching the full monster potential that it truly has. We are able to classify both octopus and squid so its not as fear inducing. Where as in “Clash of the Titans” we see the kraken in a hybrid state with a torso, a head, and arms in addition to its famously destructive tentacles. In “Pirates of the Caribbean” we are introduced to the kraken in pieces having us imagine that it is just a squid or octopus and then in the climax of the film we are shown this horrifying mouth filled with hundreds of teeth. Both of these versions have been the versions of the kraken that have been remembered in comparison to the kraken in “It Came From The Sea” which is just an octopus. We remember these versions because they are monstrous and we can’t quite figure out what components it is made up of or what it’s trying to achieve. I believe the kraken is severely underrepresented and underrated as a monster and I’m ready for the day we get a proper reimagining that will finally do it justice as the beast that it is.
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In the story of Medusa, beauty is punished and brought to the point of horror. Medusa has two sisters and the are known as the Gorgon sisters. She was the only mortal of the 3. She was well know for being so beautiful, having lovely healthy hair, and remaining a virgin in the temple of Athena. Many men wanted her but she chose to remain pure. One day after several failed attempts, Poseidon, the god of the sea, pursued Medusa and raped her in the temple of Athena. Since punishing a god is unthinkable, Medusa was punished for the act and turned into a hideous monster. Some say Athena did this act out of jealousy towards Medusa because many men would say that her hair was more beautiful than Athena’s. They would even say that her skin and face were better than that of Athena’s. In this moment of opportunity, Athena changed Medusa’s long beautiful hair into horrible hissing snakes. She turned her beautiful skin and face into hideous, crusty scales. She ruined all of Medusas beauty and created a monster for no man to lay eyes on. She was so ugly that one glare could turn any man into a pillar of marble. Later, Perseus slays her with a special blade and a mirror-like shield from Athena. Similar to the Frankenstein story, Medusa did nothing wrong, but she was victimized until she was pushed to be evil and reckless. I think a hidden meaning in this story is that pureness can be corrupted by others in the surroundings and can cause one to be evil and as deceptive as a snake. It can cause others to become numb or stone to the product of the evil and the only way to overcome the monster is to look in the mirror.
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https://www.instagram.com/bbcnews/?hl=en
On the BBC News Instagram there is a post titled, “Insta Is For Phoneys” about how Wim Wenders (Award-winning Director and Photographer), talks about how mobile phones are a type of monster, it’s taking art and aw out of photography. He says that with everyone taking millions of pictures photography should be alive, but it’s not. He goes on to say that with all the smart phone pictures is that nobody sees them and goes on the say that the owner of the phone doesn’t really even see them because most people snap pictures. Once the pictures are taken as time passes most people don’t go on to share photos or go back and look at them. Wenders goes on to talk about how the apps and filters aren’t making people more creative either. He also goes to say that as we all take selfies, himself included it is not photography. “Looking into a mirror is not an act of photography.” Wonders states. He wants to find a new name for the active of people taking pictures with smart phones, cause as we call it photography. In the really photography world it is not photography.
I have to say that I understand were he is coming from yes I too, love taking pictures of everything on my smart phone. I also have a majored in photograph it’s self. There both two different things, messing with the aperture, shutter spend, lighting, touching the film (or digital) and being able to develop your film there is such an art to photography that is being lost. For people that do photography from pictures to developing your own film is getting harder more and more expensive and harder to do.
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