ENGL 1405 Week 3 Discussion
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ENGL 1405: World Literature
Week 3 Discussion
Buck, Timothy
Horror is an integral part of American culture, with horror movies and TV
shows being popular among the US population. Halloween, one of the major
festivals celebrated in America, further adds to the eerie fascination. In addition,
Americans are fascinated with incomprehensibility and uncharted enigmas that
captivate them. Spectral beings like phantasmagoric specters, infernal imps, and
monstrous aberrations are preeminent among these
(Yang & Zhang, 2021).
Another prevalent anxiety in American society is the apprehension of
seclusion and vulnerability. Horror films showcase personas ensnared or marooned
in hazardous predicaments, preying upon our phobia of being solitary and powerless
when confronted with perilous circumstances. Violence and mortality are rooted in
the American psyche, and horror films frequently depict graphic brutality and
carnage that prove unsettling for their audiences
(Fiveson, n.d.).
The experience of terror and dread is an all-encompassing, cross-cultural
occurrence. Different societies boast distinct myths surrounding horror that mirror
the apprehensions and worries inherent to their communal atmosphere. These tales
often function as admonitory accounts shedding light upon what fear embodies in
terms of cultural characterizations.
The Skunk Ape is a creature identified in Florida, occupying swamplands and
woodlands throughout the region, bearing some similarity to legendary beings such
as Sasquatch or Bigfoot. The tale of the Skunk Ape mirrors Floridians' apprehension
and concerns about the perils that lurk within their natural surroundings
(Stromberg, 2014
).
The Mothman is another creature that has taken root in America, with origins
traced back to sightings made over half a century ago in Point Pleasant, West
Virginia. The being takes on an appearance characterized by large wings and a
humanoid form with eyes aglow like embers burning blood-red luminescence
through the darkness's veil itself. The creature's mystical capabilities and enigmatic
character epitomize forces beyond human comprehension that struck fear into
American society at the time
(Klein, 2021).
In summation, horror legends exhibit distinctiveness intrinsic to each culture
and function as a lens through which we can discern apprehension within a cultural
identity. Themes of supernatural entities and the aloneness that induces anxiety
and suspiciousness toward officials are commonly embedded in American accounts
of horror legend. Instances like the mythic creatures, The Mothmen and Skunk Ape,
illustrate cultural anxieties during their time while simultaneously delineating what
defines fear culturally speaking. Studying these scary stories enhances
comprehension of how various cultures manifested dread throughout history.
References
Fiveson, H. (n.d.).
Horror and Society
. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from
https://spiral.lynn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1064&context=studentpubs
History Channel Editors (Ed.). (2023, March 28).
Halloween 2018
. History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
June 7, & Comments, 2021 | G. M. |. (2021, June 7).
An Ode to a Hometown
Creature: Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia
. Smithsonian Center for
Folklife and Cultural Heritage. https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/mothman-point-
pleasant-west-virginia
Klein, S. (2021, November 12).
The Legend of Mothman – Paranormal W.Va.
WBOY.com. https://www.wboy.com/only-on-wboy-com/paranormal-w-va/the-
legend-of-mothman-paranormal-w-va/
Matsos, M.F.A., C. (2010). “With Clotted Locks and Eyes Like Burning Stars”:
Corporeality and the Supernatural on the Gothic. In
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/
.
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?
accession=osu1274922246&disposition=inline
Stromberg, J. (2014, March 6).
On the Trail of Florida’s Bigfoot—the Skunk Ape
.
Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-
nature/trail-floridas-bigfoot-skunk-ape-180949981/
Yang, H., & Zhang, K. (2021, October 26).
The Psychology Behind Why We Love (or
Hate) Horror
. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/10/the-
psychology-behind-why-we-love-or-hate-horror#:~:text=One%20reason
%20we%20consume%20horror
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