Assignment Paper

For the second paper in ENG102, choose one of the following prompts and develop a cogent argument
supported by not only two (2) texts from Monsters (see full list) but also a minimum of FOUR (4)
LIBRARY sources (see below):
Option A – The Superhero vs. the Monster. Think about superheroes such as Wolverine, Spider-man,
and Hulk – specifically those figures that not only have superhuman abilities but also are bestial in some
significant way. Question: To what extent is a monster different from a superhero – and what
important elements divide these two fantasy figures? To answer this question, do some research on a
popular superhero, especially one that has “monstrous” qualities: in what ways is your superhero a kind
of distant cousin of monsters? What interesting factors make them heroic as opposed to nightmarish?
Where is the line drawn between the superhero and the monster – and are there characters where that
boundary is fidgetingly tenuous? What fundamentally differentiates Wolverine from werewolf?
Option B – Build a Monster. Several of the readings we’ve encountered point out that each generation
develops its own monster(s) as a kind of exorcism of the demons that haunt a society’s collective
consciousness. While the monster may be an amalgam of older traditions reconfigured with new forms,
it is nevertheless an expression of contemporary anxieties and fears (e.g., zombies or Godzilla).
Question: Design a new monster for your generation: what makes your creature the expression of
your generation’s greatest fears? To do this project, vividly create a new monster for our time: What
does it look like? What was its back story? What abilities does it have? What drives its distractive
negative capabilities for destruction? This is to say, examine the various monsters discussed in this
book—not only their physicality but also the horror that they symbolize. Beyond an exercise in
creativity, be able to explain – in reasoned detail by drawing upon sources from the class and from
library research – why the monster you’ve created is an expression of our cultural/historical moment.
Paper Writing Requirements:
o Minimum 4-5 pages of writing, not including works cited page; 12 point font; 1 inch margins;
MLA format – including in text and works cited citations for all sources used (see The Bedford
Researcher (“Using MLA Style,” pgs. 326-354).
o Writing must use a minimum of SIX (6) sources total: TWO (2) from Monsters and FOUR (4) from
the library – one of the sources MUST be a scholarly, peer-reviewed academic journal article;
and one source must be a book – from the catalog or eBooks. Note: Papers that do not meet the
source requirements listed above will be devalued by one third of a letter grade for every source
missing. See details below:
Source requirement from Monsters – minimum TWO (2) sources from our book:
Stephen King, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” (16-19); Chuck Klosterman, “My Zombie, Myself: Why
Modern Life Feels Rather Undead” (40-45); Mary Shelley, from Frankenstein (20-22); Susan Tyler
Hitchcock, “Conception” (23-34); Bram Stoker. “From Dracula” (196-201); Guillermo del Torto and
Chuck Hogan, “Why Vampires Never Die” (36-39); Mike Davis “Monsters and Messiahs” (46-49);
Peter H. Brothers. “Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare…” (51-59); Stephen T. Asma, “Monsters and the
Moral Imagination” (61-67); Jorge Luis Borges. “The Origins of Half-Human, Half-Animal Creatures”
(72-78); Apollodorus. “The Birth of the Minotaur” (80-81); Ovid. “The Battle of the Lapiths and
Centaurs” (83-88); Kenneth H. Simonsen. “The Monstrous and the Bestial” (89-97); Bruce F. Kawin.
“Composite Monsters: Island of Lost Souls and The Fly” (99-103); Konstantinos. “Birthright” (105-
107); Elizabeth A. Lawrence. “Werewolves in Psyche and Cinema” (108-125); Ted Genoways. “Here
Be Monsters” (130-133); Daniel Cohen. “The Birth of Monsters” (134-139); David D. Gilmore. “An
Ancient Crypto-Bestiary” (140-149); Anonymous. From Beowulf” (151-154); Stephen T Asma.
“Alexander Fights Monsters in India” (156-162); Matt Kaplan. “Cursed buy a Bite” (164-175); and W.
Scott Poole. “Monstrous Beginnings” (89-87).
Source requirement from the Library – minimum FOUR (4).
In addition to the minimum TWO (2) sources from Monsters, all papers must also include an
additional FOUR (4) sources found through original library research using the library catalog and/or
one of Mercer’s academic databases. Note: No from the Internet (i.e., Google or other Internet
search engines). The following MCCC library resources must be used to find sources for Paper 1:
o Library Catalog (for print books and other materials held in the MCCC or County libraries)
o Ebooks (MCCC database that holds over 100,000 digital books)
o Academic Search Premier AND/OR ProQuest Central (a general databases to search for and find
o magazine, newspaper and scholarly journal articles).
o The Oxford English Dictionary (useful for researching not only a word’s definition but also its
entomology and use as evidenced in different historical and cultural contexts)
Research Source Restrictions:
o Internet sources (e.g., Google.com) may ONLY be used once the minimum SIX (6) total Monsters
AND Library Research source requirements have been met.
o Texts from other classes are not Library sources: to fulfill the library Research source
requirement, new texts must be gathered from the LIBRARY. The book you read in high school
or assigned from your HIS101 class does not count as a library research text. Of course, such
sources can be used – but, like the internet restriction above, can be used only after the 3 library
sources have been found.
Due date: 11:59 PM in the paper 1 drop-box, per specific due date noted in Blackboard Paper 2 dropbox. Papers handed in after the 11:59 PM deadline will be marked late, and the project’s grade will be
reduced by one third a grade point. With every additional 24 hours project is overdue, the final grade
will be further reduced by one third a grade. Should the project be seven (7) or more days late, it will be
devalued to zero points towards the final course grade; nevertheless, even excessively late projects
worth zero points must be submitted to qualify for any passing grade at the end of the course.