The Monster, By Henry Johnson - 1323 Words

People with non-normative bodies are treated differently in â€Å"The Monster† and in â€Å"The Story of My Life†. Henry Johnson loses his humanity while Helen Keller gains her humanity. Both texts show the challenges of being different. Physical appearance contributes to how others treat people and their quality of life. In â€Å"The Monster† it describes how the person’s mental capacity is equivalent to their outward appearance, while in â€Å"The Story of My Life† it describes how a person can change and overcome their disabilities and treated like abled body people. Henry Johnson in â€Å"The Monster† was feared and treated poorly by the people around him. â€Å"She was not coherent even to her mother. Was it a man? She didn’t know. It was simply a thing, a†¦show more content†¦Through writing, Keller portrays her physical disabilities as a challenge she must overcome; Keller writes at a high academic level which proves to her audience that her external appearance does not reflect her mental ability. Race is a part of a person’s physical appearance and both texts viewed white ethnicity as superior to the African American ethnicity, which impacts how people treated others with non-normative bodies. Johnson was African American which impacted how people viewed him before he was burned and after. â€Å"In regard to almost everything in life they seemed to have minds precisely alike† (Stephen, 91 course reader). Before Johnson was hurt, he was viewed as mentally equivalent to a child’s. Being compared to a child’s mental ability as an adult, is mentally insulting to Johnson because it indicates to the audience that Johnson must be unintelligent. Viewing Johnson as an unintelligent person before his injury, foreshadows how the others treated him once he became disfigured. African American’s were also portrayed as animals which also foreshadows how Johnson is viewed when he gets hurt: â€Å"They bowed and smiled and ignored and imitated†¦. They could not have been more like three monkeys† (Stephen, 94). If people already viewed African Americans as unintelligent, then they will not have any hope of an African American with aShow MoreRelatedThe Monster By Stephen Crane967 Words   |  4 PagesThe short story, â€Å"The Monster,† written by Stephen Crane has several complex themes, as well as complex characters. This short story seems straightforward on the surface, but it actually has many underlying meanings. The variety of themes range from biblical references to the historical context surrounding the treatment of African Americans in the United States. The range of the roles of the characters is wide as well, from the shy school boy Jimmie, to the conniving Alex Williams. In this storyRead More The Monsters Essay710 Words   |  3 Pages INVISIBLE MONSTERS nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;To sacrifice oneself and save others is what weve known as human love, and we have also learned that we should respect those who could perform that in any situation, but in reality, the numbers of those people who dont care about what others do seems much greater than the number of those who do. In Stephen Cranes story, quot;The Monstersquot;, Henry Johnson who sacrifices himself into the fire in order to save a little boy gets treated likeRead MoreThe Naturalist Movement: The Monster, and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane3096 Words   |  13 Pagesinfluence in The Monster and The Red Badge of Courage created common philosophies in the novels. The Monster is believed to be based off several events that occurred during Crane’s life (Nagel). Stephen got the idea of a man without a face from Levi Hume. Levi suffered from cancer which ate away his face and left him a faceless man, much like Henry Johnson in The Monster. Another possible influence on the novel was the life of John Merrick (Nagel). John Merrick, much like Johnson and Levi, he didn’tRead MoreHuman Nature In The Monster By Stephen Crane1067 Words   |  5 PagesCentered on the deformation of Henry Johnson, an African-American stable boy who runs into a house fire to save the son of his employer, The Monster by Stephen Crane explores human nature, the dangers of groupthink, and the under-emphasized importance of empathy within society. Crane is a very deliberate author who utilizes every word in his project to help convey his message. His creativity for assisting his readers in their understanding of the work goes beyond the plot points, extending in to theRead MoreThe Dangerous Pursuit Of Knowledge1617 Words   |  7 PagesAllison Walden Carol Johnson English 2322 20 January 2017 The Dangerous Pursuit of Knowledge Many people would argue that knowledge is power, but can too much knowledge be dangerous? How much is too much? Throughout history, the human race has had struggles with â€Å"too much knowledge† or going to extreme lengths to gain such knowledge. Is the everlasting quest to know something really worth it? In today’s generation, there is constantly new inventions of technology and theories of science. ButRead MoreEssay on Belief In Pseudosciences1464 Words   |  6 Pagesscientifically valid, as well as the possibility of hoaxes. While there have been many claimed sightings of paranormal activity such as Bigfoot, Ghosts and the Loch Ness Monster, there has not been evidence to prove these claims as real. Almost everybody has heard their share of ghosts stories and the myths behind Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. These stories are universally shared, and recently, people have provided evidence claiming to have seen such mysterious phenomena. Humans are enthralled by certainRead MoreScarlet Fever1106 Words   |  5 Pagesthe fact that it was extremely contagious and no one wanted to be exposed to the disease. In Frankenstein, the scarlet fever plays a big role in the plot of the story and puts a lot of extra stress on Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster. One could argue that scarlet fever is kind of the start of a series of e events that lead to another event thats twice as bad as the last one. Its a chain reaction and the scarle fever starts it off. Victors family adopts Elizabeth, who then getsRead MoreThe Civil Rights Of The Harlem Renaissance2363 Words   |  10 Pageswriters, such as Georgia Douglas Johnson, emerged and finally had the power to exploit their years of pain in an attempt at reform. Georgia Douglas Johnson wrote about oppression in her poems â€Å"Common Dust,† â€Å"Black Woman,† and â€Å"The Heart of a Woman† to expose society’s unjust treatment of African American women and inspire change. Born on September 10, 1880 to parents George Camp and Laura Douglas, Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp, eventually known as Georgia Douglas Johnson, wrote about the difficultiesRead MoreJonathan Swift1088 Words   |  5 Pagesbecause by hiding his true identity he is able to convince the readers of the significance of Ireland’s problem and allow them to see truth and reality. The persona is an Irishman, intelligent, sound and serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. Irony Generally, irony makes visibleRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Maggie Johnson in Everyday Use by Alice Walker1498 Words   |  6 PagesEveryday Use. Maggie Johnson was the youngest of the two daughters, and her older sister Dee had gone to college and hadn t been home in over a decade. Maggie stayed at her mother s side, to make a life for herself that seemed suitable for her. In this story, Maggie is a fragile young woman, however a strong character that is opposite of her sister Dee, who underestimates Maggie for the person she is. The story takes place at mama s house, where Maggie and Mrs. Johnson were at their home waiting