When asked to envision a monster, everyone would have different ideas. Some would speak of beastmen with large horns and sharp teeth. Some would imagine a swarm of hive-minded insects that surround their victims to drain their lives. Some would find that their demons as shapeshifters that disguises themselves as familiars or loved ones, only to stab their targets in the back and consume their soul. These sort of creatures aren’t seen in reality except, perhaps, in a videogame or a horror novel. Instead, everyday, we are burdened by the “monsters” that are expectations, challenges, and our own minds. These obstacles aren’t ones we can physically fight, but ones we must overcome. As for myself, I would imagine an invisible voice that clings to …show more content…
Combined with the fears of rejection, failure, and disappointment, the idea of self-expression appears as a dark, impassible wall that looms over the bottle of trapped emotions that are kept within. The guards that constantly patrol this prison 24/7 long to relax and let the pressure go, but they must continue vigilantly due to the unknown consequences such a release could cause. Unable to take the risk, these emotions are collected until the bottle shatters, spilling more trouble than it could have made, had they’ve been free to be expressed in the first place. I’ve operated this prison before, and it still functions today; some things aren't meant to be known. However, I’ve been learning from the cracks and meltdowns that result from this enforced containment. Regulating this control is an extra burden that I create on my own, and the graffiti that paints the outer walls are the efforts I’ve made to paint the illusion that I am whatever my superiors wanted me to be. In this containment, I’ve made a monster out of what shouldn't be, and I’ve slowly been searching for a way to feel again. Tapping into the interests I used to have, I turned to art. I’ve always been an artist, but, for the most part, I’ve only been creating what others want or copying preexisted works. I came to learn that I enjoyed finding myself in the things I make. I came to prize originality, finding that I must replace my loss of interest in others’ work with my own. I came to recover a scrap of comfort in myself and a strand of hope based on a trend that drew through my
We live in a world inhabited by Monsters. Monsters have been identified and represented in a myriad of ways since the birth of time and humanity. The intrusion of uniformity as we define it, the monster. Monsters have been depicted to frighten and agitate, to destruct and clout arguments, and to shape societies. In the chapter “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)”, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen argues with logic and reasoning to the way monsters have been interpreted far and near time. In everything we create, monsters are the by-products of our technology, the products of the things unconsidered. By inspecting our monsters, we divulge the intricacies of our culture, past and
Have you ever experienced that feeling when your heart beat goes into hyper drive, your palms start to perspire, and your muscles tense up? Fear is an emotion that everyone has succumbed to at least once in their lifetime. Our fears are like our shadows, for they follow us around to wherever we may go. They are lingering in the back of our minds from the moment we wake up in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night. Fears are so powerful, however, that they can even crawl into our dreams and manifest into other beings. We, as humans, like to put names or concepts to either faces or objects; we like to possess the ability to visualize what something or someone looks like. As a result, our fears are personified into monsters. Prolific essayist, Chuck Klosterman, points out how “Frankenstein’s monster illustrated our trepidation about untethered science” and “Godzilla was spawned from the fear of the atomic age.” In Klosterman’s article, “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead,” he tackles the
Asma, Stephen. On Monsters :An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
If you think back through history some people may think that prisons and jails have just always been there as a way of punishment for criminals but that is false; they have not always been there. In fact, prisons and jails were used just to hold people until their trial concluded and their actual punishment was determined; people were not separated either. It was completely mixed with males, females, murderers, and thieves. In the early coming of prisons and jails they were very poorly maintained causing many to die due to diseases spreading throughout. Typically, in the 16th and 17th centuries, a person did not go to prison or jail for their actions but instead they would be shamed in public as a way to teach the individual and deter others
Canada reached its utmost population rate in 2013, with 15,000 inmates; this is a drastic increase of 75% in the past decade. Incarceration rates are rapidly increasing as crime rates decrease. Upon release, former prisoners have difficulty adapting into society and its social norms. Criminologist, Roger Graef states that, "the vast majority of inmates, the loss of local connections with family, job, and home sentences them again to return to crime." Prisoners often result in lethargy, depression, chronic apathy, and despair, making them ultimately rigid and unable to assimilate back into the public. Depression, claustrophobia, hallucinations, problems with impulse control, and/or an impaired ability to think, concentrate, or remember are experienced by prisoners who are isolated for a protracted amount of time; research has indicated that prisons can cause amenorrhea, aggressive behaviour, impaired vision and hearing, weakening of the immune system, and premature menopause. With the lack of system programs, the constant violence, and the social isolation, the prison system fails to prepare prisoners for reintegration to society. Prisons do not provide the proper structural functionalism to rehabilitate former long-term prisoners into society.
Correctional ideologies have contributed greatly to the present correctional trends in the United States. With all of the correctional ideologies contributing in some way, some greater than others, the United States corrections has seen many problems. One such problem is the steady increase in incarceration rates. In result, the prison facilities have become overcrowded and hard to manage. As Dawe from New York City’s Department of Corrections said, “We are so understaffed and so overcrowded across our prisons, it’s miraculous that we can handle it,”(New Week Global, 2014). In fact, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, Federally-operated facilities have grown by 41% while correctional workers have only increased by 19% (New Week Global, 2014). The increase in the prison population rates is due to five contributing factors: (1) increased arrests and more likely incarceration, (2) tougher sentencing, (3) prison construction, (4) the war on drugs, and (5) state and local politics.
Gilmore, David D. "Why Study Monsters?" Gilmore, David D. Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary Terrors. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003. 210.
In the United States prison system inmate’s struggle and face conflicts within the culture, they live in on a daily basis. Prison life is very structured and within this system, there are multiple layers of racism, bigotry, and injustice. As a result of extreme conditions and the prison climate, many prisoners often experience stressful situations that influence their mental health. In addition to mental health issues, many prisoners often experience emotional, social, organizational, and arduous physical conditions while incarcerated. Due to these harsh conditions, further research is needed in our prison systems to evaluate the impact of our prison culture and the climate that these inmates are subjected to when incarcerated. Corporate
The interpretation of monstrous behaviours can be done in a social, cultural, or sexual context. Monsters threaten to blur distinctions between the world of its creators, essentially provoking
I guess you knew him, you knew more than I wanted to know. I was very
When one hears about the abuse of a child, they are immediately moved and feel pity for the kid. However, when one hears about the mistreatment of prisoners, one does not feel the same way more or less because they believe that the prisoner deserves whatever comes to them. Mistreatment of prisoners in the United States is not as uncommon as many may think. In American prisons today, deliberate staff brutality and degrading treatment of inmates occur across the country with distressing frequency. According to CBS News in 2009, 60,000 inmates are sexually abused every year; unfortunately, this number does not even include the number of physically abused inmates along with that. These prisoners do not deserve the abuse that comes to them, many of which are undeserving. Although they are convicts for a reason, they are foremost human beings.
Monstrous creatures reside behind closed eyelids. The stroke of a pencil on paper or the line glowing on a computer screen releases them, bringing them to life. Worlds and scenes put on pages, constantly changing and hardly set in stone. Inspiration comes from those around me, the people I talk to and the experiences I have- all of this develops what goes on in the depths of my computer or lingers in the memory of others I’ve spoken to. My bed is littered with the soft bodies of monsters in video games or movies, that others have shared and input their own ideas. Colored creatures from the past stand with them, codes attached to the string that had once been wrapped around the sometimes-neon animals now in a small bag on my desk. The screen
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Monsters have been portrayed in many different ways in many different works of fiction. The inhumane, evil, dark, and scary attributes they are given bring out a sense of wonder and fear into the readers and watchers. The best monsters, however are the ones that make the world think about themselves or the world around them just a bit differently. Leaving them wondering who or what the real monsters are in their world.
This paper explores the benefits provided by educational programs in jails and prisons. Included are the reasons inmates need education in order to successfully reenter society once they are released and use the knowledge and skills they have learned to obtain a job in order to support themselves and their families. Also examined in the paper are the financial benefits of incorporating educational programs instead of cutting them, as well as the effect these programs play on the recidivism rate. Lastly is a focus on understanding the importance of education and job training, even though the recipients are criminals.
The arts have influenced my life in amazing ways. Throughout my life, art has been the place I run to and my escape from the world. As I’ve grown older, art has become so much more than that. Every piece of art I create is a journey into my soul. It’s a priceless way to deal with my emotions and my struggles. I create art not only because I enjoy it and because I want to, but because I have to. Somewhere deep inside there is a driving force, urging me to put my heart down on paper. I become emotionally attached to each of my pieces because they are like dashes on the wall marking my growth. Each one is the solution to a problem I have dealt with and overcome.