ength and Format: The Cultural Analysis should be at least 900 words and
should not exceed 1200 words in length (which will roughly translate to a
length of between 3 and 4 pages) and should be formatted according to APA
guidelines with a full Reference page at the end and in-text citations within
the essay.
Assignment Overview: Much like in the Group Project, this essay will require
students to focus on global cultures by exploring and then identifying some of
the specific fears and issues facing societal groups within that culture, and
more specifically how those fears and issues are then represented in the
fictional monster figures that they have created.
In class, we claimed that throughout history societies have often used
symbolic monster figures to express the very specific fears, concerns,
problems, etc. faced by those groups of people.
• For example, it is often understood that Godzilla was created as a means
to express very real fears of super powered nations engaging in high
stakes warfare with each other, at the cost of the lives of ordinary
citizens. This makes sense, particularly in the aftermath of the atomic
bombs that were used in Japan at the end of World War II. Or as another
example, the monster from Frankenstein is traditionally understood as
the fear of unrestrained scientific experimentation that took place in
the mid-19th Century.
This essay then is going to focus on having students choose a specific
fictional monster character and then require students to both research the
specific culture and time period that created the monster as well as make an
argument about which specific fears and issues from that culture are
represented by the monster. To simplify the process, students should proceed
using the following steps:
• Step One: Students should choose a specific monster figure from a
specific culture: any monster figure should work though feel free to run
it by me first.
o Students should also feel free to use the monster figures that
they worked with in their Group Projects though they certainly
don’t have to.
o Students will not be allowed to choose either Godzilla or the
Wolf from the “Red Riding Hood” stories as both of these have
been/will be examples discussed in class.
• Step Two: Students should thoroughly research the culture (in the
correct time period) that created that particular version of the monster
figure: research here should focus on specific and major events,
obstacles, trials, etc. faced by that specific society. This is
important to do because if you do not know what specific issues the
society faced, then you will not be able to make an accurate argument as
to what fears the monster represents.
o As an example, if you try to analyze a monster figure like
Godzilla without knowing anything about Japanese culture and the
experiences they faced in the aftermath of the atomic bombs, then
your argument would likely be overly vague or have nothing to do
at all with nuclear warfare.
o When researching, remember to focus on major events in that
society during that time period: specifically pay attention to
things like war, famine, outbreaks of disease, major political
change or unrest, treatment of minority groups, major changes in
technology or industry, religions movements, etc. You will find
that oftentimes, monsters are a reflection of these types of
issues.
• Step Three: Once you have become familiar with the culture that created
the monster figure, specifically with the major events and issues faced
by that culture, break down the monster figure by identifying 8-12
characteristics of the monster: these characteristics should be
observable information about them.
o For example, if you were looking at the character of the Wolf
from “Little Red Riding Hood” you might list out things like:
the wolf is a predator, the wolf acts like a human even though it
is an animal, the wolf preys on women, the wolf is deceptive, the
wolf dresses up as the grandmother, etc.
o Why is this important to do? Because it is the characteristics of
the monster that will point to what it represents: for example,
in analyzing the Wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” we would
use the above characteristics to help us understand that this
particular monster represents abuse within the homes of the
victim. Each one of those characteristics can help us see that
argument more clearly.
• Step Four: Students should then match the 8-12 characteristics of the
monster with real life events that took place in that society as the
basis for your argument as to what the monster figure actually
represents.
o For example, you might take a detail like Godzilla’s atomic
breath and claim that it sounds like the atomic weapons that were
used in Japan around the time Godzilla was first created. You
might then take another detail like Godzilla’s fighting with
other super-powered creatures and make the claim that it looks
like atomic war between multiple super-powered countries.
o The more characteristics that you match to the societal fear or
issue that you have identified, the more critically deep your
argument will become.
• Step Five: Organize your findings into a well-crafted and well-written
essay in which you show how a specific fictional monster figure was used
to symbolically represent a major issue(s) in a specific society.
Sources & Additional Notes:
As this is a research-based essay, students should engage in researching
various sources to help in their unpacking of the story: students will be
required to include a minimum of 2 credible sources in their essay.
• Students will need to include quotes from the sources in the essay as
well as a Reference page at the end of their essay all of which should
be cited according to APA style.
The essay should avoid plagiarism or the use of AI generated material and
students should be aware that violation of these (typically through
Turnitin.com) will result in not only an automatic failing grade but likely a
0 on the assignment.
**Please be aware that we will have an in-class Peer Editing Scaffolding
Assignment over the finished essay in class on Tuesday (April 11) so students
should have a completed and printed out version of the assignment in class
with them that day in order to participate. Please also be aware that if you
want my feedback on the essay it should be before the date for the Peer
Editing exercise.
Grade: This assignment is worth 15% of the overall grade.
Grade Breakdown: Your essay will be graded based on the following criteria.
Critical Thinking (Out of 20 Points): Paper should demonstrate solid powers of
analysis and synthesis. The paper clearly introduces a specific cultural
topic, explores that topic and both its evolution and its impact on the
culture in which it exists.
Context (Out of 15): The essay should include relevant pieces of context from
correct culture and time period in which the monster was created, that will
help you demonstrate what that specific monster figure was created in response
to.
Symbolism (Out of 15): The essay should identify 8-10 observable
characteristics of the monster figure that you have identified from the story
and demonstrate how those characteristics match to the real-life fear or issue
present in the society.
Source Work (Out of 10 Points): Source material is well selected and
appropriately used. References to the sources are clear, accurate, and
adequately support the paper’s analysis without being cumbersome or
distracting. Paraphrases, quotes, and summaries are skillfully executed with
clear signal phrases and citations. Each source listed on the Works Cited page
should be present and cited in the essay itself.
Organization (Out of 10 Points): Argument proceeds along a clear and logical
path of development with lucid transitions and without unnecessary
digressions. Introductory and concluding paragraphs skillfully frame the
discussion. Paragraphs are well-developed, internally coherent, and build off
of each other in meaningful ways.
Style (Out of 10 Points): Clear, fluid prose with minimal errors in grammar
and mechanics. Word choice and tone are appropriate.
APA Format (Out of 20 Points): APA guidelines are followed with minimal error in document formatting and in-text citations. A correct cover page starts the
essay. A full and properly formatted References list page is numbered as the
final page and contains accurate bibliographical citations for each sourcentroduction (100-150 Words):
Students should begin the essay by introducing both the specific fictional monster figure as well as the
culture in which it was created.
• Remember to be specific in this paragraph as to both the culture that created the monster
figure as well as the time period in which it was created as this will indicate where you focus the
majority of your research and context paragraph later on.
o For example: Though there are many different versions and adaptations of Godzilla, he
was first created in Japan in 1954.
• After introducing the monster figure, provide a brief 2-3 summary of the monster figure that
gives the reader a general sense of what this monster is and what it is known for.
• Conclude this paragraph with a thesis sentence that briefly states what major issue or fear you
believe the monster represents.
o For example: Ultimately, the character of Godzilla appears to be a direct response to the
horrors of global war and more specifically, the fear of atomic weapons in the aftermath
of World War II.
Context Paragraph (300 – 350 Words):
Students will have just ended their Introduction by stating the specific societal fear or issue that the
monster was created in response to: now, students should focus on providing information about that
culture and time period that will help the reader understand what was going on there that made them
want to create that specific monster figure.
• Remember to focus here on the specific culture that created the monster figure as well as the
correct time period in which the monster figure was created.
o For example: If looking at Godzilla, you should discuss in this paragraph the major things
happening in Japanese culture in the years leading up to 1954.
▪ You wouldn’t focus on explaining American culture or Japanese culture in 2024
because these are not the culture(s) or time period(s) that the 1954 Godzilla
was written for.
• In this section, be sure that you introduce information and historical context that is relevant to
your argument.
o For example: If you are going to argue that Godzilla represents Japan’s fear of atomic
war in the aftermath of World War II, then you should focus in this paragraph on
introducing research and content that talks about Japan’s involvement in World War II,
the dropping of the atomic bombs, and what life was like for Japan in the aftermath of
these things.
▪ Don’t introduce information about Japan or it’s culture that has nothing to do
with your argument.
• In this section, be thorough in your look at the major issues that affected Japanese culture.
o Remember that this is your chance to lay the groundwork for your argument, so be
detailed and provide plenty of relevant information that will help the reader understand
the culture and the fears/concerns they were dealing with that would eventually lead to
their creation of the fictional monster figure.
▪ For example: If I were going to ultimately argue that Godzilla represented
Japan’s fear of global war and the use of atomic weapons, in this particular
section I would probably introduce information on the following things:
• World War II
• Japan’s Involvement with World War II
• The Other Major Super Powers (Countries) that Affected Japan in World
War II
• What Life was Like in Japan During World War II and After World War II
• The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs on Japan and the Cities on which
They Were Dropped
o This is a great section, maybe the best section, to include research/source material in
the form of quotes and in-text citations.
• In the next section, Symbolism, you will be showing how the specific characteristics of the
fictional monster match up with what was going on in the culture so be sure to include all major
things in this section that you will want to demonstrate later on.
Symbolism Paragraph (300-350 Words):
Now that you have provided a thorough understanding of what was going on in the culture (and time
period) in which the monster was created, in this paragraph you want to show how the monster actually
matches up with and represents some of those specific fears and things that were going on in the
previous paragraph.
• Students should choose 6-8 specific and observable characteristics of the monster figure that
they will discuss in this paragraph.
o For example, if looking at Godzilla I might list the following characteristics:
▪ Enormous in size (165 feet)
▪ Taller than Japan’s Largest Buildings in 1954
▪ Has Atomic Breath
▪ Battles Other Large Creatures
▪ Mass Casualties in these Battles
▪ Comes From the Sea
• Now that you have identified the specific characteristics of the monster figure, you want to
show how each of those characteristics matches to the specific context (from your earlier
paragraph) going on in Japanese culture in 1954 that deals with your overall argument.
o For example, you might demonstrate how the enormous size of Godzilla is a
representation of super powered nations (like Japan, America, Germany, Russia/Soviet
Union, etc.) and that the fighting between Godzilla and the other large creatures is a
direct mirror of World War II and the fighting between these large super-powered
nations.
▪ As another example, you may discuss how Godzilla’s main weapon, his atomic
or fire breath, represents the use of the atomic bombs that devastated portions
of Japan in the same way. You might also discuss how Godzilla’s arriving from
the sea mirrors the way that America (and the bombs) arrived from the sea as
well.
• This whole paragraph is essentially building the evidence or proof for how the monster figure
actually symbolizes or represents this real-life issue or fear exiting in the specific culture/society.
Final Argument Paragraph (150-250 Words):
Now that you have provided both a sense of what was going on in the culture (through the paragraph on
Context) as well as how the monster represents that issue (through the paragraph on Symbolism), you
want to summarize what the monster and the treatment of the monster reveals to us about what the
society is saying about this issue.
• For example: You might discuss in this paragraph how Godzilla is ultimately an argument for why
Japan believes it should remain neutral in global conflicts going forward because of the horrors
that its citizens may have to otherwise face. Or you may look at how Japan uses Godzilla to say
that even though one super powered nation (Godzilla) can be defeated that another super
powered nation (another Godzilla) will always arise to take its place, that war is inevitable and
Japan will have to face this threat again and again.
This is a good paragraph to get to any remaining important information about the topic and what it
reveals to us about the fears of the culture that you had not yet had time to go through.
Conclusion (50-100 Words):
Students should briefly re-state their thesis argument, and how the monster does in fact reveal the
specific fear identified in that particular culture.