Powers of Horror Essays

and feminist writer. Her work on abjection gives an engaging insight into human culture in terms of it’s relationship to larger overarching power structures. In Powers of Horror, Kristeva argues that the oppression of woman in patriarchal societies is constructed through fear of the abject. “The tremendous forcing that consists in subordinating maternal power (whether historical of phantasmic, natural or reproductive.)” (Kristeva, 1982, p.91) The abject refers to the human reaction of revulsion to

Hungry for power. Querulous. Weak. The Commander is the representation of male insecurity. This character is derived from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood’s novel reveals that hunger for control can lead to the oppression of women, this is demonstrated through the Commander’s characterization, the Aunts attitudes, and some of the Gileadean rules/laws. Having the world at the tip of your fingers, and still feeling as if that is not enough, is the reason for the oppression

The feminist theory is based on finding and exposing negative attitudes toward women in literature. Their goal is to reveal the reality of how women get portrayed in literature due to the fact that most literature presents an inaccurate view of women and are most of the time minimized. In the Catcher in the Rye there is a few female characters such as Sunny, the girls at the club, and Sally who are put in situations that show nothing but stereotypes and puts them in a bad spot throughout the novel

In The Powers of Horror Kristeva provides a definition of the abject ex-negativo, asserting that the abject is “neither subject nor object” (135), implying that it is a state which exists in-between, when the subject is directed towards its boundaries. (10). The nature

How is the horror genre element of foreshadowing shown in “The Black Cat”? The strongest example of foreshadowing comes in the form of the black and white cat, who not only is missing an eye like Pluto, reminding his narrator of his violent act; but his white mark on his chest changes shape to look like the gallows. This foreshadows the judgement that will ultimately find the narrator. The quote, “Yet, mad am I not- and very surely do I not dream. But tomorrow I die, and today I would unburthen my

Do you remember stories of the boogeyman from childhood? Well for the kids of Maycomb they have their own sort of boogeyman, he goes by the name of Boo Radley. Not only is he the source of nightmares for the kids of Maycomb, but a source of fascination for every reader. Boo Radley is the most interesting character so far because of all the folklore about him, his motivation for hiding out, and the children's fascination with him. “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks;

The Haunting Retribution of a Tortured Man The “Tell Tale Heart”, published in 1843, is a gothic short story written by the infamous author Edgar Allen Poe. Poe is known for many poems and short stories such as “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” to name a few. “The Tell Tale Heart” is an eerie fiction of an unreliable narrator attempting to convince the reader of his sanity. In doing so, he reveals more about his insanity while he tells the tale of a dark deed. The narrator is psychotic

completely feminised the hell out of that handsome jock). It is one of the most viscerally assaulting pictures ever produced; a film so utterly subversive in craft that rivals the greats of Hitchcock or Carpenter. “Funny Games” is a masterwork of horror, a film that pierces our minds with stunning imagery, symbolism, dark humour and, implicit violence with hyperbolic effectiveness. The premise is simple –a vacationing family who gets an unexpected visit from two deeply disturbed young men. Their

What is the definition of crazy? Crazy means to be mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way. And that is the definition of the main character in the story “Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. The story “Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is told in the first person perspective by the main character who is the narrator. It starts with the narrator. This narrator wants to kill an old man.The reason for this is because of the old man's “ugly eye”. Thus the narrator

When one compares two monsters such as a zombie and a vampire it is easy to see the differences between them. Zombies and vampires have more differences than they do similarities. With one being a walking corpse only seeking the consumption of flesh, and the other being a blood sucking un-dead creature with some human qualities. These monsters also represent specific fears that people have, and in return make the people of today so much more drawn to these movies. People like things they can relate

Giff, Patricia, Reilly., Pictures of Hollis Woods, Dell Yearling, New York, 2002, 166p. Sammy: Hollis Woods is a foster child who doesn’t like to stay in one place for long. She made herself the reputation of being a handful. One thing Hollis loved to do was draw. She drew several memories in her life and always had a special meaning of her own to them all. Hollis was placed with the Regan family. Mr. Regan, Izzy, and their son, Steven. The Regan’s were different from all the other familiar she

I predict that the children will not meet Boo Radley because he is locked up in his house and because of how scared of him they are. The first reason I believe this to be true is because he is locked up in his house. Many years ago, when Boo was thirty-three years old, he was sentenced and locked up for a crime. The crime being, driving a pair of scissors into his father’s leg, while he was just calmly cutting items out of The Maycomb Tribune. As a result of his actions, Boo was locked up in

In the poem “Mid-Term Break,” Seamus Heaney expresses the reality that death provokes in a family and within himself through the use of devices such as emotional diction and symbols. First off, Heaney begins the piece by having the speaker observe the family members around him, seeing all the grief and sorrow that has engulfed them from the tragic death of his little brother. The family members observed are rather openly distressed, for they seem to express their feelings rather than contain them

I predict that the kids won’t see Boo. The first reason I think they won’t see Boo is because he is rarely ever seen outside. People in the town rarely see Boo because he was in a gang with a couple other people, they got in trouble and Boo had to go to court but his dad made a deal with the judge to keep Boo inside the house so he will be able to watch Boo. After Boo got put in the house he has rarely been seen outside. Another reason the kids have never seen Boo is because Boo doesn’t go to church

Friedrich Nietzsche presents several ideas on the concept of power and what humans do with it in his work “On the Doctrine of the Feeling of Power.” Such ideas can also be found interspersed into the personalities of characters in Nancy Farmer’s book The House of the Scorpion. We conceive power as a person’s ability to have others do what he wants, and Nietzsche highlights this points in various parts of his text. Having power is not bad, but people do not always use theirs for good. Finally, aspects

1) Harriet Jacobs chooses to start her biography with her childhood and how extremely fortune she is. The very first sentence is “[She is] BORN a slave; but [she] never knew it till six years of happy childhood ha[s] [went] away ” (8). The reason why she does not know she was born a slave is because “she never dream[s] [she is] a piece of merchandise” (8). Jacobs, Linda the protagonist, says “When [she is] six years old, [her] mother die[s]” (9), and that is when Linda realizes that she is a slave

In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley shows the everlasting power of nature by limiting the knowledge man can learn about it. Throughout the book there are many times when Victor yearns for nature in order to heal him from the misery and violence in his life. This misery and violence are caused by his determination to learn more about the natural world. The monster Victor creates, due to his loneliness, defies the unwritten rules of nature and exemplifies the supernatural aspect of the

Why do certain people hold power while others don’t? Is it because of their social status? How much money they have? No, it is not materialistic things that make a person powerful, but their personality. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys crash on an island and have to survive the challenges of nature, and themselves. This book strips down how humans function in a society. It shows us that what really makes an individual powerful is their ability to manipulate, keep

narrative explores the prominent theme of power and its effects on people and society. The plot explores the effects that result when one person has the ability to control and alter reality through their dreams. The novel unfolds the complicated dynamics and ethical issues that develop when power is concentrated in the hands of the protagonist, George, whose dreams have the potential of changing reality. Alternatively, the novel explores ways in which power is ever-evolving and what it can do for the

who have power in either numbers or in influence. Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings, shows fighting for equality against generations of traditional discrimination is an arduous battle that requires action to combat, not passive wishing. Those who suffer from a lack of choice will usually find they have a lack of voice to protest what they believe is their injustice.