In the modern world, the monster is perceived to a term that subjects forth feelings of fear and repulsion via a body constructed with the ugliness that implies evil and an immediate signifier of something wrong. However, the monster is thought to have originated from a Latin word, “monstrum,” which is known to be an omen of the ancient. Monsters do not necessarily seek any prophecies; instead, people in the modern world still need monsters and their actual meanings. At this juncture, the meaning of monster can be pursued by correctly understanding monstrosity as a social construct. Following the histories and various mythologies about monsters, they sometimes endorse teachings that a particular difference does not amplify that something is wrong. As such, overseeing the world through the lens of a monster can offer a sympathetic outlook. Besides, these people tend to create narratives that center on monsters believed to have terrorized society at large. According to the stories, they could rationalize some findings that people could not understand, like death and ailments. Therefore, despite monsters being reflections of their cultures and mirrored in the contemporary world, the essay will discuss the meaning of a monster, its elements, and why they are essential.
A monster is generally known to be a mythical creature that can be part of a human or animal or can combine elements of two or more animal forms and is always greater in size and ferocious in appearance(Carpi et al. 4) . However, besides this general meaning of monster, this creature was later regarded to be an imaginary creature that is ugly, large and frightening. Despite the monster’s primary definition, it is crucial to understand whether nature makes it appear the way it is or that nature makes it what it is seen and perceived today and in the past years. According to the literature, a monster means something different such that it is clarified to be an image of irregularity and deformity. Based on the literature terminologies, the deformation and irregularities entail works beyond morality and reason (Carpi et al. 11) . The monsters present excessive and viciously improper characters, including scenes. The numerous definitions and perceptions about monsters indicate that they represent the unknown individuals in the darkest fears. At this point, monsters in several stories make people question what can be referred to be human. In addition, the definitions and understanding of monsters help individuals in society to define social boundaries.
Various scholars in the modern-day world have presented their views about the meaning of a monster. This regards how the monster appears and what it means to society. Through the opinions of authors and scholars about a monster, it subjects varying thoughts to people; hence some beliefs can make people perceive monsters to be essential, and others can describe them as evil. The story “On Monsters” by Stephen Asma describes the wide range of cultural and conceptual history of monsters and how they evolved, including what functions they have to people and the shapes they are likely to possess in the near future (Asma et al. 7). Actually, Stephen Asma’s argues that monsters are creatures that embody people’s deepest anxieties and vulnerability. Besides, the monsters symbolize the mysterious and incoherent territory beyond the safe enclosures of rational thinking. Following Stephen Asma’s views, monsters can be perceived and defined regarding how people handle them, which later reflects on how ambiguity, uncertainty, and insecurity are dealt with. Therefore, the author gives a general perspective of unpacking traditional monster narratives for their knowledge and content concerning the inner logic of fascinations and fears.
Consequently, there are elements of monsters that depict how monsters are grouped or categorized. However, each existing monster has a single or combined element, such as fire and water, earth and thunder, dark and light, and metallic and magic. Understanding the aspects of a monster is crucial because it offers insights into what they represent and how they appear in society. In the narrative “Monster” by anthropologist David Gilmore, the article describes the nature of a monster (Gilmore et al. 12) . Before this, a monster’s heart was known to have a nasty reputation and something that cannot be smiled upon. According to societal beliefs, monsters always in nature exist in realists’ scariest form. According to anthropologist David Gilmore, monsters are always enormous, man-eating, sexually sadistic, and gratuitously violent and combine nightmares and most urgent fantasies. The author argues that despite monsters showing scary features in their nature, we sometimes believe that they are our gods and our demons too. Therefore, Gilmour David asserts that being far from an alien, outside none humans and us, monsters are people’s deepest selves.
Nevertheless, light and darkness are other elements that s depicted by most known and experienced monsters. However, the two settings or combinations show that darkness is always against the earth and weak to light. The element of darkness and evil as the elements of the monster is evident in the story” Dracula” by Bram Stocker(Stocker et al.190). The narrative author explains Jonathan Harker, who tends to escape the castle after realizing that Dracula is a vampire and moves to England and plagues the seaside of Whitby. Darkness and light are the primary essences of the story, which indicates the difference between human characters in the line of darkness and Dracula associated with darkness (Stocker et al. 190). As in the case of Lucy, one of the characters falls into a gray position of light and darkness. According to the biblical perspective, it is believed that demonstrating that evil will cease at nothing to taint the society and just because of goodness. God helps whenever there is a need. Lightness in the story is developed in that the light crew is focused on killing the vampire to eliminate a negative impact. Darkness is depicted in the story when Lucy transforms into a vampire, and the author describes their eyes of Lucy to be in form and color. Therefore, the author brings up an element of light and darkness whereby the motif of black symbolizes darkness and evil.
Earth is another element depicted in most monsters, for example, and the giants are associated with this element because of their stamina and flexibility. Other anomalies that have the element of the earth include Oni, Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems. However, most of the monsters associated with the nature of the world have the element of earth. The story “The Battle of the Lapth’s and Centaurs” by Paez Burruezo, Martin, Rafael, and Tegeo is a novel that elaborates on the fight that erupted at a wedding feast of Pirithous, who is the king of the Lapiths (Rafael & Tegeo et al. 148). As the ceremony was going on, the centaurs started to be intoxicated and attempted to carry off the bride, including other women. Referring to how the narrative progresses shows that the earth as an element dominates the natural setting. In this case, the power of strong monsters is seen when the Lapiths and Centaurs conflict with their powers and abilities (Rafael & Tegeo et al. 150). Therefore, the battle between Lapith’s and Centaurs ought to unfold the primary element of the earth. Also, the narrative insists on the element’s raw power and unpredictability.
According to media narratives, monsters are known everywhere in the universe. However, they are believed to be found in video games and computer animations, and they can burst out of comics and graphic novels (Piatti-Farnell and Peaty et al.1) . Regarding the presented common elements of monsters. They are essential because they bring unique features that aid their descriptions. The aspects of monsters can be narrowed down to their behavior, appearance, symbolism, and origins. At this point, the elements of monsters can clarify in their description. This perspective can be directed to the ideas of Lorna Piatti-Farnell in the book “Monster” (Piatti-Farnell and Peaty et al.1) . Basing on the narrative and the author discloses the elements that lead to the identification of monsters. As stated, the critical factors that give an accurate description of a beast are its appearance and behavior. The author claims that the origin and appearance are essential because they show how the demons came to be and how their description distinguishes them from other creatures.
Following the elements of monsters, they are significant because they display the manifestations of the monstrous. However, monstrous with similar and different descriptions have brought about specific changes in human life. as such, some people believe that particular monsters are essential in their lives in one way or another. To this extent, identifying monsters’ manifestations provides valuable knowledge of their societal roles. In the book “Monstrous Manifestation: Realities and the Imaginings of the Monster” by Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bienkowska and Karen Graham elaborates on the significance of the elements of monsters in the universe and how they are perceived in the real world and imagination (Graham et al.33). Historically it is believed that in the society, monsters have been there in terms of reality and imaginations. Therefore, the author argues that the imaginations and realities of monsters display more on their appearance, representations, and how they are handled in society.
In conclusion, monsters have been described, believed in, and perceived in different cultural contexts. However, the beliefs of monsters have made most of the authors raise their views about them. A Monster is known to be frightening, scary, dangerous, and different from other creatures in the universe. Various authors have defined monsters, like Stephen Asma in the book “On Monsters.” This shows that the definition of monsters relies on the purpose and genre of the author’s work. Various common elements of monsters are displayed by most of the monsters. For example, light, darkness, earth, and nature. These elements are significant because they manifest and describe, and identify monsters. Through these features, monsters bring a sense of distinction from other creatures. To recap, monsters are powerful in giving narratives and exploring fears and desires in more detailedly.
Works Cited
Asma, Stephen. On Monsters, an UNNATURAL HISTORY of OUR WORST FEARS. 2009.
Carpi, Daniela. “Introduction: What Is a Monster?” Monsters and Monstrosity, June 2019, pp. 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110654615-001. Accessed 18 Mar. 2023.
Gilmore, David. Monster: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manners of Imaginary Terror. 2012.
Graham, Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bienkowska & Karen. Monstrous Manifestation: Realities and the Imaginings of the Monster. 2013.
Piatti-Farnell, Lorna, and Gwyneth Peaty. “Monster.” M/c Journal, vol. 24, no. 5, Oct. 2021, https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2851. Accessed 16 Apr. 2022.
Rafael & Tegeo, Paez Burruezo, Martin, The Battle of the Lapith and Centaurs. 1835.
Stocker, Bram. Dracula. 1897.
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