Brief Summary Of The Book 'Monster' By Walter Dean Myers

Steve has put on trial for felony murder, a crime in which he insists he did not commit. He has lost all but one of his possessions, his journal. In this journal steve writes about his experience in jail and what happens on trial in the courtroom. He formats it into a movie script, with the occasional notes pages, and titles it Monster. In the book Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, he writes about a young man named Steve, he is a sixteen year old African American who has been put on trial. Steve believes that he is a monster, he dislikes his life, at the moment, and being on trial does not help with the fact that his self esteem is low. Steve Harmon does not want to be in jail anymore, he wants to be

In many dystopian compositions, the characters In The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas, the receiver of memory chooses to return all the memories back to his communities so that they could have a life with emotions, color, and diversity. In The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling, members of the street were being very paranoid because some aliens came to their community to raid them. They had played with the neighbors, which lead to false accusations on each other. Jonas and the residents of the community show paranoia because they were second guessing their peers, they were hoping that no false accusations happen on them, and also because they want to protect themselves and their loved ones so that nothing bad happens to them.

Jeffrey Jerome Cohen is the writer of “Monster Culture: Seven Theses.” He went to the University of Rochester and acquired a PhD in English and has been teaching at George Washington University since 1994. The intended audience of this essay is anybody interested in the monster culture. This essay came from Monster Theory: Reading Culture. The essays within analyzes and studies certain aspects of culture. Cohen breaks down popular and earlier modes of cultural studies by suggesting knowledge is not local and creates seven theses to help the reader to understand the cultures the monsters have created. The monsters that are mentioned are Aliens, Werewolves, Vampires, Frankenstein, Grendel, and the Boogeyman. The theses show off unique concepts. Such as: Monsters and their significance in society beyond the literal and imaginary and the cultural use of these monsters in literature and our media. The points are valid, they indeed represent the way cultures view and treat the idea of monster.

Imagine a kid having their father leave them, their mother dying when they are three years old, having a speech problem, and being a highschool dropout at the age of seventeen. Who would ever come over all of this to become successful in the real world? Walter Dean Myers would to shape himself into someone for African-American children to look up to, to show there is a way out. Writing more than one hundred books about African-Americans and Juveniles helped him be shown as an author that speaks out on equality for African Americans. His own life impacted what he wrote about and his message is there is a way out for young African-Americans. With his speech difficulties and troubles growing up, Walter Dean Myers brought his way into African-American and Juvenile literature to show the possibilities that exist for younger

If you were blamed for a crime you didn’t do, would you let that accusation go and let it tarnish your reputation? Would you let it fly by and have others judge from every angle? No, right? Normally people who get accused of crimes demand justice as they know they did not commit the crime and only justice can give them the freedom they deserve. But let’s look at Steve Harmon, the main character from the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers who was on trial for murder. The book ended ambiguously and left the reader to question whether or not Steve was truly innocent. Because of the numerous questionable scenes/parts in the novel, I believe that Steve Harmon is guilty of being a participant in the crime that led to death of Mr. Nesbitt.

Many people believe monsters are imaginary creatures that are seen in movies or even for others, it could be a serial killer that was heard about on the news. Stephen T. Asma wrote “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” which “first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education in October 2009” (Hoffman 61). Asma, who is a professor of philosophy, examines how different individual’s perceptions of a monster can be different depending on the era or even events happening around them. In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Stephen T. Asma wrote a nonfiction, persuasive article for an educated and possibly specialized audience to examine how the idea of monsters have changed over time, what could be the motivation to create them, or even how life experiences could change an individual’s perceptions.

The novel displays Steve’s father’s perception regarding his son’s presence in jail. Steve Harmon ends up in jail for suspected murder, leaving his innocence to be questioned by those closest to him. Steve’s father finds it difficult to believe that Steve is innocent. Steve’s father experiences “tears in his eyes” and “struggles with his emotions” just after Steve asks if his father believes that Steve is truly innocent (Myers 111). The emotional struggles prove that he wants to believe Steve is not guilty, but struggles to do so. Moreover, his father finds it difficult to remain optimistic during the proceedings. As Steve and his father continue to talk, Steve searches for the look of “reassurance he has always seen” in his father 's face (Myers 112). His father lacks the look of reassurance because he cannot seem to understand how his son remains in jail for accused murder. Steve’s parents still feel apprehensive if their son is trustworthy. Though Steve is ultimately found

In Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Monster Culture (Seven Thesis), Cohen analyzes the psychology behind monsters and how, rather than being a monstrous beast for the protagonist of the story to play against, “the monster signifies something other than itself”. Cohen makes the claim that by analyzing monsters in mythology and stories, you can learn much about the culture that gave rise to them. In Thesis 1 of Monster Culture, Cohen proposes that “the monster’s body literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy”, specifically the fear, desire and anxiety of the cultures that gave rise to it;; fFor example, vVampires, undead, represent a fear of death. Monsters are born of an intense fear, desire, or internal conflict, “at this metaphorical

Before the trial, Steve is already scared of what the outcome is and how he might spend his whole life in jail and starts doubting his chances of being found not guilty. During the trial, Steve starts hearing the things the prosecutor is saying and sees the people who are testifying against him, which is already not putting him in a good state of mind, and this combines with him seeing his father who looks very scared of Steve, and this all gives Steve disappointment. After the trial, Steve is found not guilty and gets to return home and we next hear from him five months later where we see his father had left him and that Steve doesn’t even know who he is, which shows that he feels damaged. With all of this in mind, we can see that Steve, a dark-skinned, sixteen-year-old boy, has gone through a change from being afraid to feeling lost with himself through doubt, disappointment, and damage. Image how other people feel in

The monster archetype has been one of the most riveting archetypes that surrounds the concept of ‘evil’. It has been portrayed as a supernatural creature with grotesque features that normally brings disruption to the city and needs to be tamed or controlled to bring once again peace to the story. Due to this, it is most commonly depicted with a negative connotation, and with the idea of horror and fear. The monster has been present since the bible, which was written approximately 3,400 years ago, with the anecdote of Goliath. It has remained with its primary role of converting the protagonist into a hero and providing fear to the storyline. The monster archetype in both modern and ancient literature has been shaped to benefit the protagonist, which is depicted with the conversion of the protagonist to the hero, the element of the climax, and its important role of protection.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Hunter, Paul J. Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W. North & Company, 2012. Print.

Steve Harmon, the defendant, is faced with an internal conflict that questions his self-identity and his character in relation to the crime.

Monsters have always been perceived as creatures with petrifying characteristics. They are often described as dire, dreadful, and horrendous. An individual deemed as a monster by an entire community must have committed atrocious acts; however, the unnamed protagonist in Margaret Atwood’s short story “Lusus Naturae” was considered monstrous by the entire faction despite neither committing such acts. The protagonist, who’s suffering from an illness called porphyria, was disdained and classified as a monster merely because of her looks—her yellow eyes, pink teeth, red fingernails, and long dark sprouting hair around her chest and arms. Even though her outward appearance is comparably peculiar with respect to the appearance of typical humans, one cannot basically imply that she is a monster. As ironic as it may sound, the protagonist’s family, along with the priest and the townspeople, are the genuine monsters in this literary piece.

Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley goes in depth to the theme of the relationship between the Creature and the Creator. Categorized as a gothic novel. Victor Frankenstein develops an interest in science after reading about the "wild fancies" of several noted alchemists who live hundreds of years before him. He maintains driven by ambition and scientific curiosity. His quest for absolute knowledge and power will eventually end his own ruin. Frankenstein created a Creature that later resented him for his creation. The unnamed Creature believes that Frankenstein should have to pay for the damage he has done. The Creature and Frankenstein develop a contrasting relationship throughout the novel and end in somewhat compassionate relationship.

Monsters are described as big, ugly, no-feelings creatures. They are also described as creatures of hell or creatures that are not acceptable in the society. This is disagreeable, not all monsters are ugly, and some monsters do have some feelings. The monster Grendel, in the book Grendel by the author John Gardner, shows that he is sensitive and has human's feeling traits even though he is a monster. Different events in the book, prove that the monster is impressionable and afraid.