week 4

Dunhuang Chen

0244729

Critical Practice

According to Cohen`s essay, monster is given seven particular different attributes  pertaining to their looks, meanings, representation or character. Every each of aspects is refer to reflection of social development.

Firstly, Cohen believes that monsters are always symbols and representations of cultures. They are created and brought to this world from different culture background and different time periods and places. They are represent certain culture moment.

Second, monster is always able to escape from being hunted and they can never be captured. They can still back to life even if they get caught. Monster is capable of  shifting their forms and looks, it will return. They will leave some remnants or trials when they are killed. Sometimes, there is no physical objects remained, however, there are some evidences like footprints or hint, somethings that confuses people, and make people unsure of monster`s death and completely elimination.

Third, most of monsters are not easily to be assigned to so actual and exact category of human or animals. They have extremely complicated physical form, social characteristics and psychological that blurs boundary of certain classification. Monster can be a hybrid like half man half something else, but does not belong to any of those category. What is more, they are difficult to be identified or being classified because they have some kind of special attributes or social characteristics. They does not belong to any specific species at all.

Fourth, monsters consists of something that make them different from others. As what this essay has pointed, they are different sexually, culturally, racially,politically and economically and politically. They always come up with some unique thought and never think as normal people do. Which means most of people are insisting or holding something to be true,or believe in one ideas, the monster must think the opposite way.

Fifth, monsters represent some sort of warning of the unknown or uncertain. They embody the ideas that threats us in order to keep people away from looking into them deeply. For example, at the great ocean exploring age. The monster like serpents are made to inhabit at the ends of the earth, so that people will be warned and are trying to avoid somewhere beyond their understanding of the ocean, they are signs of unknown.

Sixth, monsters reveal our hidden desires. Sometimes we create monsters therefore we can test and try our taboos. They represent strange ideas about gender roles, sex, aggression, domination or location. We can manipulate it in any way we want. Like ruin them or hurt them badly, and not to worry about being punished by someone, or has no guilty at all. Monster provide opportunities for us to play them as being something but not themselves. Like people are making up and masking or dressing up wired costumes like dooms and other monsters.

In the end, monster draws people attention to examine our culture, they embody something deep inside ourselves that made us to create them. They offer a great chance for people to discover and explore their minds, find something we can rely on and believe in.