( I linked one source, here is the second one, https://www.salon.com/2011/12/03/the_evolution_of_monsters/
Introduction – ½ page
What is a monster?
Who have you read that defines a monster?
How have course readings defined a monster?
Orientation – ½ page
What monster captures your imagination?
Or, what monster will you be discussing and why?
Texts – ½ page
Where has this monster appeared?
What is the storyline, context, background?
Walk through examples of this monster through time.
Analysis – 1 page
What have the changes been to this monster?
What do those changes mean?
What is the rhetorical effect of that monster?
Future – 1 page
What is the new monster?
Does your monster stand in for new developments of the old monster?
Does your monster replace the old monster?
What does that imply? What does the new figure, or the new development stand for?
How does it function in culture?
Conclusion – ½
Summarize what you have discussed
Reiterate the definitions you used
Reiterate the development and future of the monster
Compare/contrast (as a conclusion) the differences between old and new monster
In this component, trace the development of a monster figure. And as you will notice, monster figures change over time. Vampires stood for one thing in their earliest configurations, and have developed over time to include other values – take Twilight as an example: vampires can be morally motivated figures, capable of restraining their need for blood, engaging in tender relationships. That development points to productive rhetorical considerations that you will need to indicate. You might compare texts (films, television programs, graphic novels, novellas, popular culture generally) that represent the monster you are interested in differently – in this comparison, why is the monster different? What has changed over time and why? Why would the monster change, and what did it represent compared to what it represents now?
Like the texts we read for class, the texts which feature monsters deploy the figure (character, person, concept, value, etc…) in different ways, and those figures come to mean different things over time. Further, monsters represent things that are relevant to audiences. Fairy tales and folklore have morals and truisms that the audience is meant to take away. Those morals reflect the Kairos of the that rhetorical situation.
In this section include:
specific description of your monster’s development up to now. For this section, you’ll need to rely on the summary and synthesis skills you’ve learned throughout the course to include what your chosen sources tell you about your monster. You should also highlight the ways your monster “works” rhetorically. For instance, what was the rhetorical exigence for your monster? What audience did your monster’s creator(s) imagine? How does your monster appeal to that audience using pathos and/or other appeals?
rhetorical force/impact/effect/meaning of the monster you’ve selected. The purpose of these sections is to establish a framework/scaffolding for discussing the development of the monster, and for preparing the reader for the second half of the paper.
changes in the features of the creature (the appearance, behavior, anatomy, etc…), corresponding changes to what that creature is supposed to represent (what it does rhetorically). This is an important aspect of the first half, as it will enable you to create your own creature/monster later in the paper.
Citations of course readings that define monster
Citations of course readings that support your sense the rhetorical function of monsters
Citations of the texts you are using to illustrate your monster’s development (books, films, comics…)
The second “half” of the paper should look toward the future of the monster you have selected. This could proceed in at least two ways: the monster changes again in the future (and has corresponding rhetorical changes), or the monster is replaced by a new monster (which has corresponding rhetorical changes). This is a creative move on your part: you can craft that new monster, or the new version of the monster, however you like. Take some time on it, and think strategically about what those changes will be, and what the rhetorical function of that monster will be.
Option 1: speculate (reasonably) about how the monster you chose will change next. For example, if Godzilla has been a metaphor for the dangers of nuclear power/weapons or for “toxic waste” or for industrialization, what will it stand for in the future? Terrorism? Climate change? Why do you think so?
Option 2: invent and describe a monster that you think could replace the monster you chose. For example, maybe Cookie Monster has run his course. Maybe parents’ concerns about gluten have finally caught up with him. Who/what might be a replacement? What might s/he or it look/sound like? How would s/he or it be “monstrous”? Feel free to integrate visuals if you know how to do that using your composing software. For that matter, feel free to create a 3D mockup of your monster. But remember that this assignment, like our other assignments, is really an opportunity to write in ways that help you practice for all of the other writing you’ll do at the U.
In this second half include:
A section that either speculates about how your monster will develop next or that describes the kind of monster you believe could replace it. This is where you choose Option 1 or Option 2 and go with it. For Option 1, how do you believe your chosen monster will change, and why? For Option 2, what would a new/replacement monster be like, and why?
Along with the changes in the features of the creature (the appearance, behavior, anatomy, etc…), there have been corresponding changes to what that creature is supposed to represent (what it does rhetorically).
Citations of rhetoric readings (possibly same/similar to first half of paper) that support your sense of the rhetorical function of the new monster
Citations of monster readings from class that help support your discussion of the new monster’s meaning
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