Sunday Scribblings: Monsters



I like monsters. Too bad they all don’t look like Taz. But there’s something about the physical representation of monsters that is comforting for me. So in thinking about this week’s Sunday Scribblings, I decided it would be helpful to define what a monster is.

According to Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, a monster is:

Pronunciation: 'män(t)-st&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English monstre, from Anglo-French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from monEre to warn -- more at MIND

1 a : an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure:
I do like that as a culture, we try to make monsters less scary, almost friendly, for children.

b : one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character
I'm not condoning her, but I understand the Mommy Dearest archetype. Never made the kids sit at the table for 12 hours until they finished their meal, but I understand the impulse.

2 : a threatening force
Hurricane Katrina was a monster created by Mother Nature. Just goes to show that even the most endearing images in modern folklore have their dark sides.

3 a : an animal of strange or terrifying shape b : one unusually large for its kind

I have to look no further than myself first thing in the morning. Most days, I have a healthy self-image of myself. But every once in a while, usually when I’m trying to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothing, I feel like a slow, lumbering beast.

4 : something monstrous; especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty
Osama Bin Laden. Saddam Hussein. Insert favorite dictator/terrorist/evildoer here. Some could even make a case for our current leadership. But I’m not going to do that here.

5 : one that is highly successful
I happen to like Gordon Gekko and his signature line: “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” While he was a ruthless character, I think he was right. Yet, the movie Wall Street and that now infamous speech influenced a whole generation of MBA students out to make a buck. Nothing worse than monsters with money.

In most cases, a monster is an entity that can be seen or heard. What’s the expression, "... the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t." Fear of failure is my monster. And even though I know what it looks like, it still scares me to death.

Comments

paris parfait said…
Such a clever twist on the prompt - love it! Food for thought.
Kerstin said…
Great take on the prompt, very creative!
Jim Brock said…
My fav is Gossamer from the old Warner Brothers cartoons: the big red hairball in tennis shoes.
TMTW said…
Wonderful way of defining it... except for the "I have to look no further than myself first thing in the morning." Your smile lights up a room!
DJPare said…
Cool take on it!
Anonymous said…
I loved this post! Very, very creative...and I loved all of the visual aids. :)
Anonymous said…
Loved the definitions. Nice post
GoGo said…
I really enjoyed this...and when I came to Mommy Dearest, I just chuckled outloud. clever.

:O)
gma said…
Maybe Monster's are in the eye of the beholder.
:-)
Deb R said…
This was a fascinating look at the different faces of monsters!
mareymercy said…
Great take on the prompt!
claireylove said…
Mmm, monster as a warning. Interesting.

I love your take on this, January. I wasn't inspired enought to do anything with the prompt this week :-(

I'm just a bit tired, I guess(just another Sunday, then?!!!)

take care, oh innovative one, love bb x
Anonymous said…
Good thinking on the prompt! Enjoyed.
Kamsin said…
I love the way you broke this down into the definitions of different types of monster. Very clever!
Kay Cooke said…
I love this take on mOnsters - i agree with you that monsters aren't really all that scary
Never made the kids sit at the table for 12 hours until they finished their meal, but I understand the impulse. Love that!! So true ... :)
LB said…
Wonderful angle - and I love your point about how we make monsters less threatening for kids. I think that it must have something to do with showing that something that is different or abnormal (monsterous), doesn't mean that it has to be scary. It can be our friend too - like Elmo!
Roadchick said…
Wonderful take on the post - the 'chick has those mornings where she is definitely the monster...PMS week would also qualify. ;-)
Colorsonmymind said…
Hey I thought of mommy dearest too for this prompt. Fab post my dear-really fab.
Anonymous said…
Very clever! Well done!!!

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