Alexander Vaz

Professor Karen Redding

Composition 2
28 September 2015
Composition 2: Monsters Ah, Monsters. Why so Evil?
Today, the term monstrosity has a myriad of definitions that have been created and
developed through the evolution of the world. What some people do not know, is that these
distinctions are not the true meaning of a monster. The explication of a monster in modern day
times can be from the monster under the bed, to the noise heard as soon as the lights are
turned off. The fictional creatures are portrayed on television as the scariest, most vicious
creatures; these are not what monstrosity is. In the novel, On Monsters, On Monsters, Asmas
most valid interpretation of a monster is a creature that purposefully performs harmful actions in
society.
People who are considered to be psychopathological commit acts of murder and rape.
Murderers and rapists are evil creatures, that are devoid of all human characteristics; their very
nature is immoral. In the novel book, On Monsters, Asma argues, monstrous crime such as
rape and murder can be seen as the unfortunate byproduct of failed socialization.(Asma
210). Not filled with hate and anger, Asma believes that consistent monstrous acts strip the
world of the beauty that is offered. Asma writes this with emphasis because it shows how
beautiful the world could be if it were not filled with a prodigious amount of hate and anger.
Society separates people with beautiful, calm thoughts in comparison to the aggressive ones
who are not born with the ability to learn social structure. Society is affected by continuous evil
acts, thus creating a pretentious and underdeveloped world.
Asma states, given our aggressive nature its a miracle we do not have more violent crime and
even extreme serial-killer pathology (Asma 210). Playing a massive role in society, aggression
is the primary characteristic needed for dangerous and vicious acts. In accordance with Asma,

given our aggressive nature its a miracle we do not have more violent crime and even extreme
serial-killer pathology, it is surprising that vicious acts are not prevalent throughout society
(Asma 210). Saying this, aggression is something that the mind must overcome to create a
more safer, productive community. Since aggression plays a huge part in society, it is
surprising that more crime is not committed. The way the human mind works, there honestly
should be more harmful acts, which is a scary thought. The term monstrosity was and will
continue to be based off certain people who cannot control their aggression and rage. The
people that consistently commit these horrible acts of violence are the real reason why the term
monster exists. Another reason why these acts occur is rage; Rrage lives in the brain and does
not seem to get out unless by performing actions of violence. Going hand in hand with
aggression, rage overpowers the normal conscious, creating an evil and vicious being that is
simply mindless. Asma states, rage is a powerful force that, along with other socially
deleterious impulses, lives like a frustrated virus in the dark cellars of the Id(Asma 210). `Rage
and aggression plays this role in a vicious human beings mind. Believing that rage and
aggression can create mass chaos, Asma also states rage is a powerful force that, along with
other socially deleterious impulses, lives like a frustrated virus in the dark cellars of the Id
(Asma 210). Society should not primarily be scared of vicious or cruel acts, but rage and
aggression have caused mayhem, essentially giving society their fear of savage human beings.
The actions that have taken place in the past, and even today by race, develop a true
sense of monstrosity. Leading to atrocious actions and events, racism is extremely common.
Racism brings out the worst in people, leading to atrocious acts of violence. Being a racist in
this era has been almost eliminated; people still seek ways to be prejudiced and unfair to
another human being just by their skin color or religion. Furthermore, racism has been a
popularized topic, solely negatively. Racism being extremely detrimental to not just a certain
society but to the world globally, creates an enormous amount of hate and derives from years
dating back to the start of civilization. Understandably, soldiers of each country have to have

some type of hate when they are faced upon their opposite race, because that is how they have
to be when fighting is in the equation. Being born with such hate is and will continue to be
detrimental to society. In agreement, Asma says obviously race has played a large role in this
sociopolitical dynamic (Asma 234). Essentially, poisoning ones mind with hate, racism is
created and developed through ideas of hatred, therefore building a conscious of bigotry.
Racism brings out the true hate that lays in ones evil mind. Some people do control their
thoughts about why they hate another race, but some perpetrate vicious acts on another race,
and that is a monster itself. The Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and terrorists are all prime examples of
what keeps people up at night, knowing how frightening their acts can be, hurting innocent
people. When Asma states, after Darwin, race became a scientific issue, but this only meant
that some prejudices took on a new nomenclature (Asma 235), not just being labeled as a
monster, but racist people who conduct such acts are the ones destroying this world by creating
social problems. Stating after Darwin, race became a scientific issue, but this only meant that
some prejudices took on a new nomenclature, generates a subject matter that still does need
to be dealt it, and it is racism.
Monsters are not born monsters. Beings are born, but what really develops the inhumane
thoughts and actions comes from the parenthood. Asma writes, if a woman in coitus is exposed
to frightening or disturbing or simply strong imagery; through either the senses of memory, the
offending image may be impressed on her offspring (Asma 147). Asma writes this because he
does think that the outcome of an offsprings saneness is dependant on the mother who birthed
the being.
Monstrosity is not handed down or given to a certain person, but rather this flawed
attribute is expanded on. Thinking that a childs saneness is dependant on the parenting, Asma
writes if a woman in coitus is exposed to frightening or disturbing or simply strong imagery;
through either the senses of memory, the offending image may be impressed on her offspring
(Asma 147). An extreme example that Asma also refers to is the story of Medea and states,

Before she sinks to this monstrous echelon of infanticide Medea wrestles with the virtual devil
and angel on her shoulders, briefly contemplating an exile for her two sons rather than death
(Asma 55). This is a rare, but prime, example of how evil has started by the parenting of the
mother. Readers look at Medea as one of the most horrific characters of all the time and her
actions, as a mother, have made her a remembered devil. Madea being the gruesome mother
she was, labels her as a devil. The reason people are the way they are come from their roots,
not what their nationality is or what their religion is, rather than what that certain human being
saw growing up and what he or she was taught. Regarding ones nationality or religion, if
considered a monster, is based on the parenthood on that being. One child might be raised in a
place where all they see is violence and that is all that child knows. They were not raised
anywhere else, so knowing what they were taught, is considered right to them. In some cases,
what these children were taught was to be violent, was to hate, and was to make their thoughts
into actions, and completely disturb what could be a beautiful world. By acknowledging this, not
even birth parents, but the ones that were there and raised this immature being, are the true
monsters in this universe. When somebody is born into such an unfortunate life, they seem to
have no chance to bring upon only negative actions and nothing else. But it is those, who are
brought into this world with such hardship, that overcome and go from monsterosity to peaceful.
This is the only way that all of the hate in this world will start to decrease; if these true monsters
stop parenting in such a way that it is almost implausible to overcome.
People will continue to create theories and will still be opinionated about what
monstrosity is. Rapists, murderers, racists and wrong parenthood all have something in
common. These people could never be admired by one single person who are not apart of their
undiscovered cult that make their presence in this world, monstrous. Creatures like this should
not be called human. Rapists, murderers, and racists have left a mark on the world, thus
collaboratively fabricating monstrous acts. Being racist and hateful will cause someones mind
to believe that the acts of rape and murder are right, which is absolutely frightening. The reason

why the topic of monstrosity is so debated, is because people are simply scared. People should
retain this type of information, and honestly just give it thought and really ask themselves what a
true monster is in this world.

Works Cited
Asma Stephen T. On Monster An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. New York: Oxford
University Press. 2009. Print.

Works Cited
Asma Stephen T. On Monster An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. New York: Oxford
University Press. 2009. Print.