As we begin reading the novel Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, one of the essential questions we will look at is: Does a person become a “monster” by choice or are they forced into becoming a “monster”? What do you think? Explain.
There are many possible answers to this philosophical question about real life monsters. But, I think nobody really considers themselves evil or a monster. People have a way to justify their actions, it may be twisted and wrong but it seems right to them. In short, I don’t think that anyone chooses to be a monster, they are forced into it or become one through the influence of their surroundings. A dysfunctional home can make all of the difference in a person’s life. If they are treated badly as a child they will consider that normal and acceptable and they will treat others the same way in turn. Real life monsters could also be mentally instable or have a disease that causes them to act a certain way. If people choose to be a monster it is only because they themselves don’t believe that they are.
There are many ways to answer this question but I think a person can become a monster both ways. There are many influences in life that can change a person's mind to become what we all know as a monster. For example if someone's entire childhood was formed around arguing and fighting all the time, then that person is more likely to do wrong in their lives. This can be a good example of someone who is forced into becoming a monster. Someone who chooses to become a monster by themselves either have mental issues or they rather go down that path, and they look up to the previous people who have done the same thing.
I agree with the fact that people who grew up constantly arguing and fighting, may go on the path to making bad choices because they don't know what's right or what's wrong. They may not even care what they do at all.
When we are born, we are blank slates, ready to learn and be influenced by our environments. In some unfortunate cases, people with difficult upbringings from dysfunctional families are often guided towards being a “monster” with the built up anger from the past. However, I believe that every decision you make is yours, which leads me to think that people not necessarily choose, but ultimately decide overtime to become monsters through their actions. There are very few genuinely evil humans who simply decide out front to be a monster, and the root cause of most people becoming monsters is from a broken childhood. The choice to become a monster is then heavily influenced by the past, but no one can live your life for you so while one may be pressured into becoming a monster, they have control over their actions and cannot be forced into something.
I really like the points that you brought up in this blog. Especially the one about how we are blank slates when we're born and we absorb what we can from our environment.
I think that you bring up a really good point. I agree that your childhood influences you to become or not to become a monster but in the end, it is your choice.
I believe people can become monsters themselves and they can also be forced into becoming monsters. Some people go crazy and murder people, kidnap people or even rape people. I don't always understand how their crazy minds work, because who in the right mind would be okay ending someones life. These people who turn into monsters could have mental issues or could have bad backgrounds. They could also just be psychopaths. Another thing that could people monsters is being turned into a monster by someone else. People being brain washed by their parents is something that would turn them into a monster. Some peoples religions are very bizarre and include killing people for no good reason. Those thoughts can brain wash people and those people often think it's okay to murder. I don't understand how and why people become monsters but all I know is they're crazy and sick. Grace Makinson
In my opinion, I think that one chooses to be a monster. I definitely believe that due to your situation you may be pushed to or be more prone to becoming a monster yet I think that ultimately it is your choice. For example, Brian Walls (from The Glass Castle) occasionally stole food from his neighbor. He was a good kid but his situation pushed him to do something bad. Thankfully, he decided to overcome the bad and become a police officer. Brian is an example that when times get hard, desperate measures must be taken but in the end, it is your choice to be good or bad. This is why I believe that it is your final decision to become a monster. Your life and situation are definitely big factors but I think that if you wanted, you could overcome the bad just and be god, as Brian did.
I believe that people can become monsters either by choice or they’re forced into it. Some people can just make horrible decisions and can just be a bad person in general. Some people are forced into it. Maybe by peer pressure, or forced by their family, maybe even something that the thoughts and voices in their heard are telling them to do. People who become monsters, make bad decisions. They are horrible people with no good intentions at all. People maybe just want to have “fun” and by doing bad things, they enjoy what they’re doing. That is something they choose to do, they just enjoy doing what they’re doing to make people call them monsters. People who are forced into it by peer pressure, are most of the people who may not have a backbone. They cannot stand up for themselves, unless their life is put in danger by whoever is forcing them to do those bad things.
This question can go both ways because becoming a monster can be forced and also by choice. If someone grew up in a bad environment with abuse or family problems, that can affect their future and how they think and eventually become a "monster". But there are some people who choose that way because they give people a reason to call them a monster. They might think that its alright to do whatever their doing while in the meantime affects other people.
I believe both statements are true, because a person does not choose which life they are put into, they are forced into it. If they have terrible parents or are a witness to horrible events in their lifetime, there is much more of a chance that they will become a monstrous human being without choosing to become one. However, there are some people that chose to be monstrous for attention or because they just enjoy being powerful and intimidating others. For example, Hitler is considered a monster for believing in awful things, starting the 2nd world war and murdering tons of innocent people. He might not have had such a great life and was therefore messed up, but he chose to publish his thoughts in a book, to start a war and to kill all the jews, making him an even bigger monster to his public audience. Some say psychopaths are born as psychopaths and choose to be evil and morbid because they are mentally "damaged" and are only monsters because they are not normal. I believe if a psychopath visits a therapist and changes their way of thinking they could end up choosing not to be a monster and to be a normal person. They might still be damaged, but at least they won't be considered a monster.
In my opinion I think that people have a choice to become monsters. Everyone always says that people can be put in hard situations or were born in a family that made them get influenced into becoming a monster. But you can't blame something or someone for the decisions you make. Even if someone forces you to do a bad thing, you still did them. But sometimes people have mental disorders that make them just born with a strange way of looking at things or not have any sympathy for anyone. It isn't really their faults for making those bad decisions but they still did it, which means they are technically still monsters.
I don’t believe there is a specific valid answer for this question. To become a monster, you don’t necessarily have to choose that path for yourself; it could be chosen with no choice because of your mental state. Some monsters decide what they want to do. For example, killing someone could be your choice or it could be an example of something that has happened in your past that if affecting you mentally.
i don't think anyone is born thinking they want to be a monster, the events and decisions you make in your life can really influence your actions in the future. Some monsters didn't have a good life or childhood and those experiences shaped them poorly. It's no reason to think they can get away with it, but its hard to say they wanted a life like it to begin with. i know it is possible to not have a terrible life or hard life and still want to do monstrous things. I think doing the act is a choice but having other acts happen to you was never your choice.
I think people can become monsters from a poor upbringing. An abusive childhood is not setting a child up for success. Everyone is born with a blank slate. They have potential for good or bad. There experiences as a child in my opinion will shape who they become in life. There choices later on will decide there fate. I think if you have been poorly raised then you are in some way forced into becoming a monster but not by choice.
I think people become monsters on their own. I don't think new born babies are considered monsters. I think it usually happens because of the family they were brought up in, however. In every crime, or with every criminal, there is always something "shady" and suspicious about their past. It could also mean influencing from friends, or other family members. No one wants to become a monster, it comes upon you.
I believe that when someone says they're a monster, is not because of others saying that they are one but it's because they are accepting that they are a monster. I believe that people become monsters by choice. It's by choice because they are telling their selves and accepting that they are a monster. They also could make others call them monsters because they think they are and they do horrible things that would make others call them a monster.
I do not think that anyone is born as a 'monster'. No one is born knowing that they are going to make bad decisions or be a bad person. Lots of things in your life can affect what you act on. Depending on your life circumstances, you could have had a really crappy childhood which made you mad and you acted in a strong way. Or something could just click one day and you could suddenly have the urge to do something bad. But I don't think that someone is born as one because you can't know how you're going to be in your life.
I think that people are forced into becoming monsters. I think that nobody is born a monster, and that nobody living a lucky life chooses to be a monster. However sometimes peoples pasts, family problems, or other issues come into play and they are forced into becoming monsters. I don't think that anybody wants to be a monster, they get turned into one later in life when they feel like there is no other choice.
I think that some people are forced into being a monster and some people choose to be a monster. If someone is born into a family where there are drugs or crime, they will think that that is how they have to live, they don't know any other reality. Some people can block out their past, but some aren't as strong and might be affected by what has happened when they were children.
I believe that no one chooses to be a "monster" even if they think they did. People are forced into being a monster for various reasons. They could have come from dysfunctional families, suffered from lose or even have a mental illness; but it is never by choice. People tend to become "monsters" in result of a traumatic experience or coming from a difficult early life. The early stages in your life are what define you as a person and if you lived through something painful, you can be forced into becoming a "monster" depending on the severity of that word.
I agree with you on your points, many factors have a say in what type of person you will be such as mental illness which you brought up and I liked that you brought it up.
There are many possible answers to the question. People are a mix of genes and environment, this allows for things to happen in a person's childhood which can make them what we would consider a monster. For some of the people, what they are doing is right to them, they will justify their actions which is why they do not think they are doing anything wrong and would not consider themselves monsters. I do not think anyone chooses to be a monster, but they can choose to do monstrous things.
I don't believe either statements are true. Someone who is considered a monster doesn't necessarily realize that their actions are perceiving them as a monster. A person is labeled a monster. But it does not define them; it is not what they are. A monster is a label that is given to someone whether they kill kittens or are the mass murderer of almost entire population. Someone whose mind is so vastly different that morally acceptable may be labeled a monster by social standards. Yet their are always those other people who are falsely accused of being a monster by someone who is prejudging them and that don't know the facts.
Both, "becoming a monster" is a mental issue. The person thinks they are making their own issues but in reality it is their mental issue influencing their decisions. This question is is like asking whether the dress is blue and black or white and gold. It is technically both depending on the background. Clearly, the answer to this question depends on the individual. Most people who we know as monsters are usually in the gray between the two because they have mental issues influencing their decisions.
I don't think people can choose to be a "monster". I think that no one has the choice to become a monster. It's a mind set where they want to kill someone and they follow through. They never really think of: oh i want to be a monster and kill people, I think they just do it, and get a rush and get addicted to killing people or other things and they become a monster by doing bad things. So I don't think one can choose to be a "monster" and it happens from the actions they do.
I think that it can be both ways and that some people choose to become monsters but others are born into it. There are people that choose to become bad because of their own reasons. It is possible that people are born in a loving and average family but something happens to trigger them into becoming monstrous. There are others that are born in an environment filled with monsters and they think that it is natural to be that way and that it is normal. I think that everyone can change and go from being a monster to not being one anymore if they try but they might not know it themselves.
I feel as though those words are too strong. Why would you choose to be a monster? Why would you choose to have people fear you? How could you be forced to be a monster? Who would force someone into being a monster? Those are questions that came to my mind when I read this blog. I believe that becoming a monster doesn't happen over night. It depends on your experiences. Bad experiences could lead to helping others facing the same problems as you in the future. Or it could lead to a bad future for yourself. Everyone has good and bad in them. What shows your true self is which side you choose to act upon. Another important question I would like to bring up is, if someone is being commanded to kill, is the commander the monster or is the killer?
There are many possible answers to this philosophical question about real life monsters. But, I think nobody really considers themselves evil or a monster. People have a way to justify their actions, it may be twisted and wrong but it seems right to them. In short, I don’t think that anyone chooses to be a monster, they are forced into it or become one through the influence of their surroundings. A dysfunctional home can make all of the difference in a person’s life. If they are treated badly as a child they will consider that normal and acceptable and they will treat others the same way in turn. Real life monsters could also be mentally instable or have a disease that causes them to act a certain way. If people choose to be a monster it is only because they themselves don’t believe that they are.
ReplyDeleteIncluding the mental illness factor into your argument was a great point to make.
DeleteI agree that a dysfunctional family can affect someone in a negative way.
DeleteGrace Makinson
There are many ways to answer this question but I think a person can become a monster both ways. There are many influences in life that can change a person's mind to become what we all know as a monster. For example if someone's entire childhood was formed around arguing and fighting all the time, then that person is more likely to do wrong in their lives. This can be a good example of someone who is forced into becoming a monster. Someone who chooses to become a monster by themselves either have mental issues or they rather go down that path, and they look up to the previous people who have done the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that people who grew up constantly arguing and fighting, may go on the path to making bad choices because they don't know what's right or what's wrong. They may not even care what they do at all.
DeleteWhen we are born, we are blank slates, ready to learn and be influenced by our environments. In some unfortunate cases, people with difficult upbringings from dysfunctional families are often guided towards being a “monster” with the built up anger from the past. However, I believe that every decision you make is yours, which leads me to think that people not necessarily choose, but ultimately decide overtime to become monsters through their actions. There are very few genuinely evil humans who simply decide out front to be a monster, and the root cause of most people becoming monsters is from a broken childhood. The choice to become a monster is then heavily influenced by the past, but no one can live your life for you so while one may be pressured into becoming a monster, they have control over their actions and cannot be forced into something.
ReplyDeleteI really like the points that you brought up in this blog. Especially the one about how we are blank slates when we're born and we absorb what we can from our environment.
DeleteI think that you bring up a really good point. I agree that your childhood influences you to become or not to become a monster but in the end, it is your choice.
DeleteI believe people can become monsters themselves and they can also be forced into becoming monsters. Some people go crazy and murder people, kidnap people or even rape people. I don't always understand how their crazy minds work, because who in the right mind would be okay ending someones life. These people who turn into monsters could have mental issues or could have bad backgrounds. They could also just be psychopaths. Another thing that could people monsters is being turned into a monster by someone else. People being brain washed by their parents is something that would turn them into a monster. Some peoples religions are very bizarre and include killing people for no good reason. Those thoughts can brain wash people and those people often think it's okay to murder. I don't understand how and why people become monsters but all I know is they're crazy and sick.
ReplyDeleteGrace Makinson
I agree with your point it isn't right to kill people for no good reason.
DeleteIn my opinion, I think that one chooses to be a monster. I definitely believe that due to your situation you may be pushed to or be more prone to becoming a monster yet I think that ultimately it is your choice. For example, Brian Walls (from The Glass Castle) occasionally stole food from his neighbor. He was a good kid but his situation pushed him to do something bad. Thankfully, he decided to overcome the bad and become a police officer. Brian is an example that when times get hard, desperate measures must be taken but in the end, it is your choice to be good or bad. This is why I believe that it is your final decision to become a monster. Your life and situation are definitely big factors but I think that if you wanted, you could overcome the bad just and be god, as Brian did.
ReplyDeleteI believe that people can become monsters either by choice or they’re forced into it. Some people can just make horrible decisions and can just be a bad person in general. Some people are forced into it. Maybe by peer pressure, or forced by their family, maybe even something that the thoughts and voices in their heard are telling them to do. People who become monsters, make bad decisions. They are horrible people with no good intentions at all. People maybe just want to have “fun” and by doing bad things, they enjoy what they’re doing. That is something they choose to do, they just enjoy doing what they’re doing to make people call them monsters. People who are forced into it by peer pressure, are most of the people who may not have a backbone. They cannot stand up for themselves, unless their life is put in danger by whoever is forcing them to do those bad things.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they are forced into doing the bad things without given a choice. But they still did the crime.
DeleteThis question can go both ways because becoming a monster can be forced and also by choice. If someone grew up in a bad environment with abuse or family problems, that can affect their future and how they think and eventually become a "monster". But there are some people who choose that way because they give people a reason to call them a monster. They might think that its alright to do whatever their doing while in the meantime affects other people.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely! It is not necessarily a person's fault they are monstrous if they don't know any better than to act how they were raised!!
Deletei agree with what you say, if they're from a bad past their future may be bad too.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe both statements are true, because a person does not choose which life they are put into, they are forced into it. If they have terrible parents or are a witness to horrible events in their lifetime, there is much more of a chance that they will become a monstrous human being without choosing to become one. However, there are some people that chose to be monstrous for attention or because they just enjoy being powerful and intimidating others. For example, Hitler is considered a monster for believing in awful things, starting the 2nd world war and murdering tons of innocent people. He might not have had such a great life and was therefore messed up, but he chose to publish his thoughts in a book, to start a war and to kill all the jews, making him an even bigger monster to his public audience. Some say psychopaths are born as psychopaths and choose to be evil and morbid because they are mentally "damaged" and are only monsters because they are not normal. I believe if a psychopath visits a therapist and changes their way of thinking they could end up choosing not to be a monster and to be a normal person. They might still be damaged, but at least they won't be considered a monster.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think that people have a choice to become monsters. Everyone always says that people can be put in hard situations or were born in a family that made them get influenced into becoming a monster. But you can't blame something or someone for the decisions you make. Even if someone forces you to do a bad thing, you still did them. But sometimes people have mental disorders that make them just born with a strange way of looking at things or not have any sympathy for anyone. It isn't really their faults for making those bad decisions but they still did it, which means they are technically still monsters.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe there is a specific valid answer for this question. To become a monster, you don’t necessarily have to choose that path for yourself; it could be chosen with no choice because of your mental state. Some monsters decide what they want to do. For example, killing someone could be your choice or it could be an example of something that has happened in your past that if affecting you mentally.
ReplyDeletei don't think anyone is born thinking they want to be a monster, the events and decisions you make in your life can really influence your actions in the future. Some monsters didn't have a good life or childhood and those experiences shaped them poorly. It's no reason to think they can get away with it, but its hard to say they wanted a life like it to begin with. i know it is possible to not have a terrible life or hard life and still want to do monstrous things. I think doing the act is a choice but having other acts happen to you was never your choice.
ReplyDeleteI think people can become monsters from a poor upbringing. An abusive childhood is not setting a child up for success. Everyone is born with a blank slate. They have potential for good or bad. There experiences as a child in my opinion will shape who they become in life. There choices later on will decide there fate. I think if you have been poorly raised then you are in some way forced into becoming a monster but not by choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree. An abusive childhood is not a great way to start of your life.
DeleteI think people become monsters on their own. I don't think new born babies are considered monsters. I think it usually happens because of the family they were brought up in, however. In every crime, or with every criminal, there is always something "shady" and suspicious about their past. It could also mean influencing from friends, or other family members. No one wants to become a monster, it comes upon you.
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say that babies are not born as monsters.
DeleteI believe that when someone says they're a monster, is not because of others saying that they are one but it's because they are accepting that they are a monster. I believe that people become monsters by choice. It's by choice because they are telling their selves and accepting that they are a monster. They also could make others call them monsters because they think they are and they do horrible things that would make others call them a monster.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that anyone is born as a 'monster'. No one is born knowing that they are going to make bad decisions or be a bad person. Lots of things in your life can affect what you act on. Depending on your life circumstances, you could have had a really crappy childhood which made you mad and you acted in a strong way. Or something could just click one day and you could suddenly have the urge to do something bad. But I don't think that someone is born as one because you can't know how you're going to be in your life.
ReplyDeleteI think that people are forced into becoming monsters. I think that nobody is born a monster, and that nobody living a lucky life chooses to be a monster. However sometimes peoples pasts, family problems, or other issues come into play and they are forced into becoming monsters. I don't think that anybody wants to be a monster, they get turned into one later in life when they feel like there is no other choice.
ReplyDeleteI think that some people are forced into being a monster and some people choose to be a monster. If someone is born into a family where there are drugs or crime, they will think that that is how they have to live, they don't know any other reality. Some people can block out their past, but some aren't as strong and might be affected by what has happened when they were children.
ReplyDeleteI believe that no one chooses to be a "monster" even if they think they did. People are forced into being a monster for various reasons. They could have come from dysfunctional families, suffered from lose or even have a mental illness; but it is never by choice. People tend to become "monsters" in result of a traumatic experience or coming from a difficult early life. The early stages in your life are what define you as a person and if you lived through something painful, you can be forced into becoming a "monster" depending on the severity of that word.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your points, many factors have a say in what type of person you will be such as mental illness which you brought up and I liked that you brought it up.
DeleteThere are many possible answers to the question. People are a mix of genes and environment, this allows for things to happen in a person's childhood which can make them what we would consider a monster. For some of the people, what they are doing is right to them, they will justify their actions which is why they do not think they are doing anything wrong and would not consider themselves monsters. I do not think anyone chooses to be a monster, but they can choose to do monstrous things.
ReplyDeleteExactly! This question is so contraversal that it has no correct answer.
DeleteI don't believe either statements are true. Someone who is considered a monster doesn't necessarily realize that their actions are perceiving them as a monster. A person is labeled a monster. But it does not define them; it is not what they are. A monster is a label that is given to someone whether they kill kittens or are the mass murderer of almost entire population. Someone whose mind is so vastly different that morally acceptable may be labeled a monster by social standards. Yet their are always those other people who are falsely accused of being a monster by someone who is prejudging them and that don't know the facts.
ReplyDeleteThats a good way to look at the question and I totally agree with you
DeleteBoth, "becoming a monster" is a mental issue. The person thinks they are making their own issues but in reality it is their mental issue influencing their decisions. This question is is like asking whether the dress is blue and black or white and gold. It is technically both depending on the background. Clearly, the answer to this question depends on the individual. Most people who we know as monsters are usually in the gray between the two because they have mental issues influencing their decisions.
ReplyDeleteI don't think people can choose to be a "monster". I think that no one has the choice to become a monster. It's a mind set where they want to kill someone and they follow through. They never really think of: oh i want to be a monster and kill people, I think they just do it, and get a rush and get addicted to killing people or other things and they become a monster by doing bad things. So I don't think one can choose to be a "monster" and it happens from the actions they do.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very interesting that you said that nobody has a choice of becoming a monster and that it is a mind set.
DeleteI think that it can be both ways and that some people choose to become monsters but others are born into it. There are people that choose to become bad because of their own reasons. It is possible that people are born in a loving and average family but something happens to trigger them into becoming monstrous. There are others that are born in an environment filled with monsters and they think that it is natural to be that way and that it is normal. I think that everyone can change and go from being a monster to not being one anymore if they try but they might not know it themselves.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though those words are too strong. Why would you choose to be a monster? Why would you choose to have people fear you? How could you be forced to be a monster? Who would force someone into being a monster? Those are questions that came to my mind when I read this blog. I believe that becoming a monster doesn't happen over night. It depends on your experiences. Bad experiences could lead to helping others facing the same problems as you in the future. Or it could lead to a bad future for yourself. Everyone has good and bad in them. What shows your true self is which side you choose to act upon. Another important question I would like to bring up is, if someone is being commanded to kill, is the commander the monster or is the killer?
ReplyDelete