StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Evil in Popular Media - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper “Evil in Popular Media” looks at the issue of why people are attracted to villains and antagonists; some people seem drawn to the macabre, the grotesque, or anything unusual. This probably explains the expression of why good guys finish last because the bad guys do not play by the rules…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.3% of users find it useful
Evil in Popular Media
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Evil in Popular Media"

It certainly defies logic why this is so but then again the human mind is really hard to fathom. The enduring attraction of Count Dracula attests to this unusual curiosity. Villains become the fodder of speculations and conjectures but more than that, there is the abiding yearning effort to know more just for the sake of knowing; it seems knowledge is its own reward. People go to great lengths to visit his old castle in Transylvania and spend plenty of dollars there. Psychologists and sociologists attribute this unhealthy and unwholesome fascination as sort of an unexpressed death wish.

Yes, people can sometimes really have this unusual and inexplicable wish which they are not even aware of. This is why black films or film Noire has made a comeback in Hollywood. This death wish is the exact opposite of the survival instinct but as to why people can have this trait, nobody knows exactly. Some posit the idea this is the form of sexual inversion, a pseudo-sexual attraction of the opposite (Ellis 288). There are many plausible reasons why we root for antagonists and villains despite how much we know about their bad or undesirable side.

This can be due to their being authentic. Antagonists, whether in literature, film, television and even in real life (such as Hitler) are the kinds of people who are true to themselves, no matter what the odds are against them. Society is against them and yet they still pursue their dreams, do what they want, or persist whatever it is that drives them even if public opinion is definitely against them. Perhaps there is a hidden sense of communal grief when people prefer the macabre over what is normal.

This is amply demonstrated by Henry James short story “The Altar of the Dead” which people do still read today, a nice story about mortality (Stuart 128). Should not people instead celebrate life?Or what about the classic novel of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” whose character Quasimodo never fails to surprise us? Quasimodo got elected as the ugliest person in Paris and yet readers are fascinated with this grotesque character who has a gentle side to him that the French people at that time did not notice or chose to ignore because he was just ugly.

The short stories of Edgar Allan Poe never fail to astonish their readers even in this generation. In his stories, Poe cleverly exploited this aspect of human psychology that defies explanation to keep readers in thrall to the very end. His classic “The Cask of Amontillado” proved to us that the macabre brings its distinct share of thrills. How could anyone do a cruel thing to another person as to bury him alive? By the way, the term is immurement (to the wall alive).Fascination is disguised admiration, just as imitation is a form of flattery.

Antagonists are admired because they seem to be unique for being abnormal, unusual, or simply weird. In the larger scheme of things, this is why magical realism literature by famous authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez (won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature) has gained traction. People want to suspend disbelief and all villains and antagonists represent the dark side of numinous beings that terrify people but simultaneously fascinate and enthrall them (Heit 83).

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Evil in Popular Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 769 words, n.d.)
Evil in Popular Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 769 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/media/1679529-why-we-root-for-some-antagonist-portrayed-in-film-literature-and-television
(Evil in Popular Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 769 Words)
Evil in Popular Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 769 Words. https://studentshare.org/media/1679529-why-we-root-for-some-antagonist-portrayed-in-film-literature-and-television.
“Evil in Popular Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 769 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/media/1679529-why-we-root-for-some-antagonist-portrayed-in-film-literature-and-television.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Evil in Popular Media

Technologically Advanced Modern World

Introduction In today's technologically advanced modern world, media plays a very powerful role in the lives of people.... Especially, the visual media has a strong grip on people's mind.... hellip; In fact, visual media has become so strong that it actually shapes the ‘thinking' of the people.... The influence of the media can be called positive only if it inculcates positive things in the society.... However, it has been observed that visual media has been responsible in misrepresenting many elements of the society....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

THE GRAPHIC ART

One of the popular ancient forms of artistry is street art.... … THE GRAPHIC ART Name: Institution: One of the popular ancient forms of artistry is street art.... This essay will succinctly verify or back up Riggle's description of street art using two popular and early drawing artists; England based graffiti artist, Banksy and South African artist, Robin Rhode....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The Clinton Impeachment Trial

In the paper “media Trial” the author looks at the three most common types of media trials, which utilize narratives taken directly from entertainment media: abuse of power, the sinfully rich, and evil strangers.... These themes provide the news media with powerful pre-established conceptual frameworks.... hellip; The author states that not surprisingly, media trails involve cases that contain the same elements popular in entertainment programming - human interest laced with mystery, sex, bizarre circumstances, and famous or powerful people....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Why Were Most Witches Female

The results of the contemporary studies have become a part of popular culture in late 19th Century as the number of the means of media increase.... Even most political daily newspapers, today, have popular culture pages and the results of Medical researches are being published almost every day.... Gender differences have been among the top issues of 'popular Medicine' for both men and women since they are, one way or the other, also related with the gay-lesbian personality/issues....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Crash Movie

Psychological construct in media is defined as the build up of idea basing on character and their description; this is usually in the attempt to understand certain traits in human beings.... This conclusion of ones characters are usually drawn from the observation of the… In this case sequential development is what I chose to describe a particular media which is very popular amongst many individuals in the world- Crash.... Sequential development is described as subsequent build up of ideas in the story in order to describe character and portray Psychological construct: Crash Movie Psychological construct in media is defined as the build up of idea basing on character and their description; this is usually in the attempt to understand certain traits in human beings....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Undead

This paper focuses on the comparison between portrayals of ghosts in popular media, versus the renderings or portrayals of ghosts in American culture.... The paranormal events The Undead Table of Contents Popular Media Portrayals of Ghosts versus American Cultural Ghost Renderings 3 References 6 Popular Media Portrayals of Ghosts versus American Cultural Ghost RenderingsThis paper focuses on the comparison between portrayals of ghosts in popular media, versus the renderings or portrayals of ghosts in American culture....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

The Clash of Monothetheisms

fter the US attack of September 11, the media was not left behind in spreading this mentality of the clash of monotheisms.... Ann Coulter who was a renowned popular columnist wrote articles of hate against the Muslim religion.... After the terrorist attack in USA in… Veteran and influential preachers like Pastor Franklin Graham said that Islam religion was evil and wicked.... Veteran and influential preachers like Pastor Franklin Graham said that Islam religion was evil and wicked....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Scientific Knowledge in the Media

The writer of the essay suggests that the role of the media in popularizing the scientific knowledge cannot be overemphasized.... Movies are a great source of entertainment in the media.... ost of the media contents present scientists in the forms of doctors, weather specialists, and engineers who master the art of developing and operating new scientific inventions.... Among the basic characteristics of scientists as presented in the media include the fact that they ingenious....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us