Eng101
11/4/2018
Brainstorming
Part One
Question One: Rhetorical Analysis
In Latin America, stories are told of mythological Chupacabra a strange creature that sucks
blood and has a resemblance to several animals including a dog, bat, rat, coyote, and aliens. In the
article Monsters and Messiah, Mike Davis analyzes the differences between theoretical and real
aspects regarding monsters concerning Chupacabra. Davis observes that sometimes monsters are
messiahs of consolation. This is to mean that, sometimes the fictional monsters that people believe
in can be a sense of comfort. Chupacabra story is told as an embodiment of the ordinary person's
fear and "lightning rod of immigrant's anxiety'. Chupacabra is an avatar of the poor masses deepest
fears and the emblem of cultural populism.
Mike Davis explains the reasons behind the increase of mysterious attacks on pets and
livestock in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is on recovery from massive hurricane damage
and drought while Mexico has suffered loss from El Nino since the early 1930's. This comparison is
made to enlighten readers that the said mysterious attacks in Mexico and Puerto Rico have nothing
to do with Chupacabra but technically is a relation to natural calamities and environmental effects
on animals. Mike Davis gives a perspective regarding the Chupacabra as people's symbolism of fear
and imagination.
Latino cultures are accustomed to telling the Chupacabra story to scare children into staying
indoors. The intended audience in this article is the human race in different nations; human beings
understand using emotions, therefore, resulting in the skewed and biased interpretation of the
reality. The story has led to "intellectual advancement of the human race." Accessing information
plus the research conducted by scientists has made it easy to understand various situations in our
countries. Therefore, it is clear that the story of Chupacabra communicates human race's fear and
imagination in political and social aspects. For example, the citizens of Africa and the Caribbean
can relate to the Chupacabra story as regards the Chinese involvement in projects and implications
their presence brings.
The author conveys the message of symbolism and mythology that, whatever frightens
people at first can have a very positive outcome. It is true that emotions drive human beings and in
the process make skewed and biased assumptions of the reality, but the truth is that they also learn
from the mistakes they have made. The creature is a metaphor for everyday tragedies in real life
where Mike Davis compares it to Carlos Salinas de Gortari who had "sucked the blood of his
country." Pop culture provides a bridge for reflection on various trajectories. Does the monster story
reflect human beings drives and passions?
The story of Chupacabra as seen in Mike's perspective is to determine whether it remains a
mere historical story or has resulted in any intellectual advancement. Chupacabra in mass culture is
an avatar of the deep fears that poor live with. Puerto Rico and Mexico are countries ravaged by
natural calamities like hurricanes and drought. This claim is meant to enlighten the reader that the
mysterious attacks have nothing to do with Chupacabra but to relate natural disasters and their
effects on animals. To some extent, it shows the human character where it is easy to take advantage
of situations especially when it comes to a scenario where one party is disadvantaged. The article
employs mythology and symbolism to explain issues affecting human race in everyday life.
Chupacabra could be poverty, racism, pollution among other matters of life.
What are these ways the author communicate his/her ideas to the reader? Explain?
The author used various characters to describe the beliefs that engulf monsters. The author
claims that the Chupacabra dominated the ex-president character. The Chupacabra was seen as a
bloodsucker in the community meaning it was destructive to the society's environment. The author
used pathos to show how monsters affected the lives of the people in America. For example; the
chupacabra was named the run-away president meaning the monster has led to the negative
development in the country.
Additionally, people from America started designing T-shirts with Salinas's visage, the
name of the ex-president who had a similar character with the chupacabra. The t-shirt also consisted
of a picture of the chupacabra elaborating the strength of the monster. The t-shirts with the image of
the Chupacabra were aimed at persuading people on how dangerous the animal was and so the
person wearing the t-shirt. The logos were also used in the article. For instance; the author applies
the logic of drought and pollution to explain the reason for the attacks by the monsters on the
people. The monsters attacked people and farms because of the prolonged drought that happened in
Mexico, North America and south-west America. Additionally, logically, the attacks might have
been induced by the increased pollution that affected the mentality of the monsters.
How do these strategies and textual features help the author deliver their message?
Explain.
The strategies helped the author describe how the real chupacabra was regarding behavior,
strength, and intelligence. The features show the reader the picture of the monsters in their absentia.
The characters portrayed in the story help the reader understand the importance of the monsters. For
example; the author uses the unique features of the Chupacabra to show how significant it is to the
tourist attraction sector.
How successfully does the author communicate his/her ideas to the reader?
The author achieved much in his endeavor to explain the existence of monsters in American
society. Through the use of character traits of the monsters, we can understand where, when and
how the monsters existed. For instance; the author logically explains different reasons to why the
monsters attacked human beings in the society. Successfully the author describes that this was due
to a prolonged drought.
Arrangements of words, details, and pictures
First, the author explains what the chupacabra is. He describes the monster as a combination
of dog, coyote, bat, rat and also an alien. The arrangement of this combination starting from dog
shows specific meaning. He began with the dog to show that the animal was somehow dangerous
and essential to society. The dog can be tamed to serve domestic roles such as security purpose. The
use of the word bat means that the chupacabra was capable of traversing across various countries in
America such as south-west America and Mexico.
Furthermore, the word alien which is the last in the combination means that the monsters
being mobile many times it seems to be new to any place it lands. The topic word arrangement itself
portrays a specific meaning. The monsters and messiahs- the monster was the real picture of many
wild animals that exist in the society. However, these monsters in some way were essential to the
community that's why they were clarified as messiahs. They could bring fortune to society by
attracting tourist. We note that the author also used different arrangements of words to explain the
various reasons why the monster was migrating. For instance; he describes the wild as a predator
and unpredictable. The monster will emerge at unknown times in different parts due to the drought
and pollution.
Question Two: Topic Area
My general topic area is the depiction of monsters in the news media, and I look forward to
critically exploring this topic area. I find the subject matter to be intriguing because I have always
been fascinated by folktales and literature that is based on monster narratives. I find such stories
captivating, exploring how monsters influence people’s mental processes.
Question Three: Free-writing
The four sentences that I underlined during my timed free-writing sessions are the
following:
1. Monsters are wrongly depicted in literature.
2. Monsters are reflecting people’s fear of the unknown.
3. Monsters are vicious and can murder any human beings they come across.
4. Many authors prefer using monsters as a force of evil in their narratives.
Question Four: Rhetoric Situation Analysis
The rhetoric situation I would address is the fact that most news media have differing views
on the depiction of monsters in their works. These differing perspectives end up creating a
contradiction for the public, with the reports influencing people’s thoughts and their psychological
activities. Therefore, it would be wise to investigate and determine the effect of differing views and
perceptions regarding the depiction of monsters in works of art or literature.
My targeted audience is all literature and art lovers, any academic scholars, and all students
who are willing to learn from my critical review. The central claim of the paper will be humans are
the masters of life, and we create more misconceptions by different descriptions of monsters. The
minor claims would be that people fear of unknown . I hope that the intended audience uses the
paper for research and for improving my findings. I also hope that the audience distributes the
contents so that a wide variety of individuals can be educated.
Question Five: Annotated Bibliography
Whether or Not a Loch Ness Monster Exists, Belief in Such Creatures Is Thought to
Fill Human Need By JANE E. BRODY
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/04/archives/whether-or-not-a-loch-ness-monster-existsbelief-in-such-creatures.html
This article is an excellent source of information that is needed to understand the depiction of
monsters. The authors explore A belief in monsters, seems to fulfill a universal human need
to explain the unknown, to reach beyond the dullness of ordinary life, to give form to
undefined fears and hopes for a brighter future.
Drout, Michael D. C. Rings, Swords, and Monsters: Exploring Fantasy Literature. Recorded
Books, 2006.
This book is an excellent source for obtaining information about the general way monsters
are included in literary works. It provides a critical analysis of fantasy literature, which includes
monster narratives. It will be used to explore illustration of monsters by different authors.
Column: Why we’ll always fear monsters Exploring the influence of rumors on the society
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/column-well-always-obsess-fear-monsters
This article explores the changes brought about by the enlightenment and the scientific revolution
brought new fears. And people’s deep anxiety about controlling anything.
Jacobsen, Hanne Mørch. Our Monsters, Ourselves An Analysis of the Modern Monster in
The Fall and Hannibal. The University of Stavanger, 12 May 2016,
https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2400455/Jacobsen_Hanne_Moer
ch.pdf?sequence=4.
This article is about the illustration of monsters in modern literary works such as The Fall
and Hannibal. In particular, the publication intends to explore the use of the moral monster and its
impact on society. This effect in the community is judged based on the influence to create
boundaries and structure in the society. It will be useful in the research paper because it presents
some crucial information regarding the depiction of monsters in modern literature. Moreover, it
explores a different angle of the moral monster. Such diversity is vital for creating an influential
essay.
Question Six: Thesis Statement
In this paper I will evaluate how do monsters affect human psychology. Representations of
monsters and assessing whether they enrich knowledge or confuse the public, to emphasize that
authors and artists should focus on diversifying their illustrations of monsters further.
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