Select one of Cohen’s “Monster Theses” with which we began this semester:
1. The monster’s body is a cultural body,
2. The monster dwells at the gates of difference.
3. The monster polices the borders of the possible.
4. The monster stands at the threshold of becoming.
Create an argument in which you analyze the thesis you have selected using one of the monsters that we have studied since the second exam:
1. The Wolf Man
2. The vampires in I Am Legend
3. The zombies in either Night of the Living Dead or The Reapers are the Angels, or the mutants in The Reapers are the Angels
Your analysis should draw upon specific literary elements that we have discussed this semester to demonstrate how the monster that you have selected proves the thesis that you have selected. Forgive the following redundancy in wording, but you will want to be selective in the literary elements that you choose as you will not have time to cover everything. It is better to create a more focused, in-depth argument about two or three elements than to try to cover a multitude.
In terms of organization, you will want to use more than one paragraph in your response.
The first paragraph should state the thesis you have selected, define the thesis, and place it in relation to the monster you have selected in terms of the argument you want to make, Subsequent paragraphs should focus on the analysis of specific literary elements as they prove the thesis in relation to the monster. For example, if you select setting and symbolism as your elements, then the response would be three paragraphs long.
Doesn’t have to be a full page. No citation is needed as long as you quote or use their last name.