The freak is not merely a figure subjected to oppression, but yet an uncanny figure that’s appealing as it exceeds the borders of self-identity. Tod Browning’s 1932 movie called Freaks ultimately put an end to his career. The film uses real carnival sideshow performers with deformities to disclose how “freaks” are the normalized and trusting figures while the “normal” members of the circus are delineated as the real monsters that exploit the freaks for their own desires and benefits. The film manifests the freak as a spectacular body that’s repulsive yet fascinating paralleling to the objectification of a monster.
The freak is characterized as an entity of repulsion because it crosses the borders of self-identity that’s socially constructed.
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This being said, we fear we may transgress social morals that will result to invoking our darker monstrous doppelganger. In the film Freaks, Mr. Barker commences by presenting the monstrosity as they serve to “point out something by signaling or symbolizing” (Gilmore 9). He goes on to reveal, “she was once a beautiful woman. A royal prince shot himself for love of her. She was known as the peacock of the air” (Freaks), keeping the viewers oblivious to the monster’s superficial outlook until the end. The viewers learn that the beautiful Cleopatra’s immoral actions of crossing laws invoked her inevitable fate because as Cohen (1996) argues, one that steps outside official geography, risks of becoming monstrous oneself. In the end of the film, Cleopatra’s impending doom is revealed, “a creature with no human body beneath her head. A feathered, bird- like belly bulges from her frilly circus jacket. She supports herself on shaky arms, as Johnny did with more grace, and her face is scarred, deformed, and has a dead expression. From her mouth comes a wild squawking sound, in keeping with her chicken-like appearance”, …show more content…
“ They occupy the impossible middle ground between the oppositions dividing the human from the animal, nature from culture, one sex from the other, adults and children, humans and gods, and the living and the dead” (Grosz 57). This being said, the freak is the middle ground of something that causes “people think to themselves: how do they do it? “ (Grosz 64), prompting society’s desire to go see their talents and differences. This curiosity beyond imagining how one can be a woman and man simultaneously draws an appeal because we want to understand how these people function. Grosz focuses on two forms of monstrosity in her Intolerable Ambiguity (1996) work, one pertains conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are fascinating because they question “the nature of bodily boundaries and the distinctions that separate one being from the other” (Grosz 64). In the film Freaks, the Siamese twins are played by Daisy and Violet Hilton, who are conjoined by the hips and buttocks. Our fascination is amplified when Daisy is to marry Roscoe, questioning our comprehension of how this relationship will work and “ what kind of sex lives are available to Siamese twins” (Grosz 64). In the film, Violet also becomes engaged to Vadjez and he states to Roscoe,” you must come to see us sometime” and Roscoe responds “ thanks. You must come to see us sometime, too” (Freaks), this type
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” a quote that sums up humanity’s unchanged love for horror movies. Over the years, as millions of people have watched horror movies the graphics, special effects, and sounds have changed for the better. While scenes have intensified yet remained the same someone gets stabbed, butchered or killed violently. It’s hard to imagine how anyone in their right mind could choose to see such violent acts. Which is the reason why Stephen Kings say’s “I think we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better-
Asma, Stephen. On Monsters :An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Morgan, J. The biology of horror: gothic literature and film. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002.
From reading the first few lines of the book, Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein, I was immediately hooked. I personally connected with the section “We are all somebody’s freak.” At first glance of the title, it implied something sexual to me. After reading the explanation I completely understood the concept. The concept is basically that we are all individuals, and somebody out there considers us to be a weirdo. In the same way I would consider somebody to be weird. It’s extremely eye opening because I never thought of that before. Also, within this section I learned that there is hate within the transgender, gay, and lesbian community. Initially, I was under the impression that all of that community would only be drawn
The narrow ways of men continue to put constraints on that which is acceptable and that which is different. Similarly, the things that are repulsive, scary, hideous and vile. Humans have a constant need to categorize things they do not understand, so they attach a label to everything. The Creature's father and creator Victor Frankenstein berthed him to life with out a name. This is possibly the saddest aspect of The Creature's character. Viewed this way a perspective on humans as compassionate and caring individuals is distorted to show people as cold and inconsiderate. Attempting to define difference, humans socially segregate distinction and inconsistency.
Many people struggle to be accepted in our world because of disabilities. Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, is a dramatic and inspiring novel about how two boys, who are “different”, become friends and unite towards a common cause. Kevin, an eighth grader who lives with his mother Gwen, is one of the two protagonists in this extraordinary novel. Kevin is a very knowledgeable young boy who doesn't let his disability limit his abilities.
86). I like his definition of the word freak show, which is “an elaborate and calculated social construction that utilized performance and fabrication as well as deeply held cultural beliefs” (p. 86). The freak show was a place in which white people could come and recognize their difference and privilege and reaffirm their superiority over individuals who were different from them, who fall into the realm of the ‘other.’ It causes me to wonder that if some individuals saw this as a morally unjust thing, why was it such a popular phenomenon that had a great turn out? And it takes me back to what a friend said, that the only way things sell, is because there is a high demand for it. These freak shows were able to thrive in society, because some individuals needed to know and confirm that they were indeed higher than some other saps out there, whatever they had, they had it better than others. Yes these spectators were being duped into pay high prices to see people with highly exaggerated features, but they did not mind, because why they were there, was to have an opportunity to look at themselves and say Thank God, we are not like them and to reassert their dominance over the
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? In society, people are often judged based solely on their physical appearance. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a living creature, however, he then abandons it and becomes a “deadbeat father”. Due to Victor Frankenstein’s absence from the monster’s life, the monster had to learn how to be a productive member of society by observing, stalking others, and reading books. He becomes a nice, benevolent person and has a tender heart, however, he was still eschewed by society simply because of how physically unappealing he was. Although the monster was kind at heart and true in spirit, his pariah from society poses the underlying question; Why should we
ur identity is built upon our own memories and with those memories we can construct ourselves. Throughout the Walking Dead, we see that zombies are portrayed as nothing more than hollowed and grotesque version of people that had existed from a different time. They may retain some familiar human appearance such as having hair and clothing, but the part that made them mentally human died when the virus inserted the body. Their memories are gone, their sense of self has faded, and all that remains is the everlasting need to feast on anything that moves.
Jeffery Cohen's first thesis states “the monster's body is a cultural body”. Monsters give meaning to culture. A monsters characteristics come from a culture's most deep-seated fears and fantasies. Monsters are metaphors and pure representative allegories. What a society chooses to make monstrous says a lot about that society’s people. Monsters help us express and find our darkest places, deepest fears, or creepiest thoughts. Monsters that scare us,vampires, zombies, witches, help us cope with what we dread most in life. Fear of the monstrous has brought communities and cultures together. Society is made up of different beliefs, ideas, and cultural actions. Within society there are always outcasts, people that do not fit into the norm or do not follow the status quo. Those people that do not fit in become monsters that are feared almost unanimously by the people who stick to the status quo.
In his essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” King attempts to bring understanding to the phenomenon of the horror film genre. He states “sanity becomes a matter of degree” eluding to the theory that sanity is relative and that all humans are relatively insane. Jack the Ripper and the Cleveland Torso Murderer were the examples of humans on one extreme of the spectrum of sanity; saints represent the other safe end of the sanity spectrum. He illustrates the thought that in order for human kind to stay functionally sane there needs to be some sort of outlet for our violent “mad” thoughts. In King’s view horror movies provide a stable outlet and mental relief for innate madness. King argues that his insanity/ant civilization emotions are ingrained
“Why We Crave Horror Movies,” an essay by the legendary Stephen King, explains two challenging concepts to understand: why people like gory horror movies and how people are able to control their darkest desires. “I think that we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better, after all.” King opens the essay by addressing the hard truth- we are all insane. People have dull lives, and often it’s the little bit of crazy within in us tha...
Tragedy shows no discrimination and often strikes down on those undeserving of such turmoil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a creature more repulsive than one can imagine is brought to life by a young scientist. Although this creature is horrifying in sight, he is gentle by nature. Unfortunately, the softer side of the creature is repeatedly overlooked and the so called “monster” is driven to a breaking point. Even though the Creature committed many crimes, Mary Shelley’s Creature was the tragic hero of this story because of his efforts rescue the life of a young girl and helping destitute cottagers.
The definition of ‘monstrosity’ and what it means to be ‘monstrous’ can be understood to mean something that is visually unattractive, malformed and/or terrifying. However, monstrosity is not exclusively about something aesthetically ugly, it can also apply to what differs from what is considered ‘normality’. What is ‘normal’ versus what is ‘monstrous’ is closely linked when exploring ideas about the human condition. The representations of monstrosity in Frankenstein and in The Tempest reveal how what is monstrous and what is normal are often found side by side, challenging the idea that it is limited to outcasts who do not ‘fit-in’, and that deep down, a desire to be understood, accepted and included and to live life with meaning are central to the human condition and that monsters in society often reveal our deep seated fears and anxieties about our own existence.
Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals one of life’s most relevant purposes that stretches across cultures and relates to every aspect of enlightenment. The novel examines the life of the strong-willed Janie Crawford, as she goes down the path of self-discovery by way of her past relationships. Ideas regarding the path of liberation date all the way back to the teachings of Siddhartha. Yet, its concept is still recycled in the twenty-first century, as it inspires all humanity to look beyond the “horizon,” as Janie explains. Self-identification, or self-fulfillment, is a theme that persists throughout the book, remaining a quest for Janie Crawford to discover, from the time she begins to tell the story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Hurston makes a point at the beginning of the novel to separate the male and female identities from one another. This is important for the reader to note. The theme for identity, as it relates to Janie, carefully unfolds as the story goes on to expand the depths of the female interior.