...someone who everyone would be familiar with, regardless of whether they are a fan or not. I choose to write about the very famous author, Stephen King. Stephen King has always fascinated me, not only as an author but as a person. This is a man who seems to have an imagination that is never ending, with a soul and mind so dark, is it beyond compare. How else could you write and publish over 60 horror books? All of which are unique, intense, and ultimately terrifying. My question is, who is this person and what is it that inspires this creativity and horror? As a child, I grew up in a household of readers. There was never a time I that I can recall my mother, father, brothers, or myself not having one or more books that each of us were reading. My mother’s favorite author was (and is) Stephen King. There was something that intrigued me about this, though I was not allowed to read most of his works for the longest time; of course my mother was concerned that they would be inappropriate for me to read. This only made the intrigue of the author that much more. Once I was old enough to begin discovering his works, I started to understand the attraction. He’s book were like mental train wrecks; there were times when all you wanted to do was put the book down, but couldn’t seem to do so. Even though I have known what a phenomenal author Stephen King is, I feel as though I have always had the burning question, what is it that inspires and drives him? He was the first thing to cross my...
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...Stephen King, a mastermind of the horror genre has taken the literature and film industry by storm from hit movies such as “The Shining” and successful novels such as “Carrie”. Stephen King has continuously illustrated that when it comes to horror there isn’t only one way to present a horrific story. In Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies” he presents several rational explanations about why we love horror movies, even though it puts a peculiar fear in viewers. King utilizes persuasive techniques such as pathos and logos, as well as comparisons to real life events to draw connections between horror and other areas of entertainment which in the end illustrates why movie enthusiasts crave horror. Stephen King, born in Portland, Maine, has had to deal with change throughout his lifetime. As a young child his father, Donald King, departed the family leaving young King, brother David, and his mother Nellie Ruth behind. Soon after the departure they moved to Connecticut only to return to Maine. A traumatic event, only claimed to be true by King’s family, occurred involving a gruesome death of his friend. King doesn’t recall the train accident but it can be seen that witnessing something this gruesome can bring out a living horror in an individual. This event could be what drives...
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...Tim Burton. We people have a tendency to live our life in suffer for the past because it’s terrifying to face the truth. Unaware that it affects our fellow human beings. Stephen King’s short story “The man who loved flowers” manages to blur the lines between normality and insanity while digging down in the fear of love. The story takes place on a sunny day in New York’ streets in the 1960’s. The protagonist is an unknown narrator who is an elegant young man with a grey suit on. In the beginning of the text is the atmosphere vibrant, idyllic and calm. Furthermore the protagonist approaches an old man who is selling flowers because he have to buy flowers to a girl called Norma. Besides the scenario describes the news on the radio about a serial killer who kills young ladies with a hammer. It creates a contrast to the idyllic atmosphere. In the story the afternoon turns to evening. Suddenly he sees Norma on the street and confronts her, but she tells him that she is not Norma. Furthermore he kills the innocent girl with a hammer, and get to know true identity of the young man. The story ends with an appropriate quote “His name was love, and he walked these dark streets because Norma was waiting for him.” The young man is living on a lie. He is pretending to be normal, perfect and efficient. I think King calls the protagonist “The young man” as a ambivalent comprising, because on the on hand he is a decent guy, but on the other hand he is a emotional mess. He's contently...
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...Stephen King: Two Books, One Story In 1974, the world was first introduced to Stephen King through the publication of Carrie. Since then, King has released over fifty-four novels, short stories and essays (King, Written Works). His themes are vast and touch such subjects as aliens, telekinesis, life in prison, trucks coming to life, and the end of the world. In 1999, a car accident almost ended Stephen King’s life. After his recovery, he published five novels that were received with poor sales and unkind reviews. When Under the Dome was released in 2009, it showed that Stephen King was returning to a formula that worked so well for him in a previous book called The Stand. To understand these two books, one must first understand their author. Stephen King was born September 21, 1947. His father abandoned his mother, older brother, and himself when he was two (King, Writing 3). His mother, Ruth took a succession of poorly paid menial jobs, leaving her sons in the care of various relatives. Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. He attended college at the University of Maine, and that is where he met his wife Tabitha, who was also a student. In 1970, he graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a B.A. in English, and his first child was born. Stephen worked as a high school English teacher for a few years in Maine while he started writing his first novel Carrie. Carrie was an instant hit and an overnight...
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...In like manner, Scary stories also truly play a huge part in humans not turning into a bunch of airheads, and witnessing terrifying events help release fears without having to be in danger. The catch? Many teens can’t handle as large amounts of daunting experiences as others. To begin with, almost every child is told a kind of eerie tale from the time they were born. So, think the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, whose traditional stories could give anyone the creeps. Even well-known authors like Stephen King and Ramsey Cambell are influenced by a select few children’s stories. For example, in the original story of “Cinderella,” the stepsisters cut off their feet so that they are able to fit into that enchanting glass slipper. Even so, that sounds awfully grotesque. "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christen Andersen...
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...Rick Hautala and “The Road Virus Heads North” by Stephen King are masterfully crafted horror stories that lead readers on a psychological rollercoaster. The authors are able to generate such a detailed and in-depth atmosphere that it causes readers to picture themselves in the terrifying situations that they have devised for those reading. Through the evolution of “monsters”, point-of-view and atmospheric conditions which help to create a mood that engulfs readers both King and Hautala are able to write brilliant horror stories. “Monsters” do not have to be literal to create an enjoyable piece of horror fiction. King and Hautala are both able to create thrilling stories by utilizing fear of the unknown and exploiting the reader’s own fear. In “Knocking” Martin Gordon has become overcome by his fear of the unknown and can’t leave his house. The “monster” created by Hautala exists only in Gordon’s head and it is the fear that something could possibly be out there waiting to get him. “His eyes felt like they were bugging from their sockets as he watched…and waited…wishing that the knocking would stop and the person would go away and leave him alone.” At this point I knew that the monster was psychological because without any proof that anyone is there Gordon becomes convinced that someone out to get him and won’t think logically about what else it could be. It seemed to me like Gordon wouldn’t allow it to be anything else. Fear the “monster” has crept into Gordon’s head which completely...
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...endless scenes of blood and gore, has eclipsed the reality of horror fiction. When you add to that a comprehension of how horror evolved as both a marketing category and a publishing niche during the late eighties -- horror's boom time -- it's easy to understand why answering the question of what today's horror fiction actually is has become so difficult. But let's give it a try, shall we? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. If we accept this definition, then horror can deal with the mundane or the supernatural, with the fantastic or the normal. It doesn't have to be full of ghosts, ghouls, and things to go bump in the night. Its only true requirement is that it elicit an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear or dread. Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones is therefore just as much a horror novel as Stephen King's Salem's Lot. Tim LaHay's Left Behind series is just as full of horror as Dan Simmons' A Winter Haunting. By this...
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...Stephen King has been known around the world for writing some of the most horrifying and disturbing books and movies of our time. Whether it comes from famous and scary movie like “The Shinning”, or, a child’s worst nightmare of a clown, “It”. Stephen King has always touched the boundaries of what people in society would call insane. The topic of Stephen Kings writing was the fact that everyone today has a little crazy in them. What I mean is that people enjoy seeing movies that portray violence that they possibly might have in their own minds, once in a while. King stated that many of us are insane, and that the only thing keeping us from an asylum is the power to keep those sickening thoughts to ourselves. Stephen Kings writing was to explain these natural and human thoughts to the public and critics. That sometimes going to a horror movie is to prove to yourself that you can endure the torture ahead. A horror movie can be best related to a roller coaster, says Stephen King. You wait in that line to go onto to something that will most surely scare you, but, you embrace the fear and prove you are tough enough to do it. In another since, everyone is testing their own limits as to what they can endure. This article is intended for all ages alike, from the very old to the very young. From an early age I can remember always wanting to see a horror movie. But, my parents would not let me see one until they thought I was old enough, which was when I turned twelve and saw the original...
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...The Boogeyman In the short story “The Boogeyman” by Stephen King, we are introduced to Lester Billings, a trouble man who has lost his three children. The short story has a third person narrator, which means that the narrator is external, outside the story. Somehow, we only hear Lester Billings, the main characters point of view. The way Lester Billings is presenting his story and his experiences to Dr. Harper sounds incredible as if it from a mentally ill person. “I can’t go to a priest because I’m not a Catholic. I can’t go to a lawyer because I haven’t don’t anything to consult a lawyer about. All I did was kill my kids. One at a time. Killed them all.” This is the first thing Billings says in the neighborhood of his problem to Dr. Harper. He feels responsible of their killings and he needs to release his guilt. In spite of the fact that he is about to confess the murders of his three children, this is a quite composed way of telling his experience. Billings is very arrogant and self-centered in way of behaving in relation to other people. He also feels superior to woman and talks quite openly about being a male chauvinist pig and a child abuser, for example he says “… I started to slap her, just like the old days,” “--- And a wife should follow her husband,” “She was always such a jellyfish … look how easy she went to be with me when we weren’t married” and “And if he didn’t stop crying I’d give him a wrack.” This examples show us that he wants to be in control but...
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...class September 22, 2014 Summary of Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” In Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, King attempts to convince the reader that humans are all somewhat mentally unstable by laying out specific situations where we enjoy being frightened, and witness others doing the same. Throughout the essay, King analyzes the reasons why we are so attracted to horrifying events, and states that we have to metaphorically “lift up a trap door in the civilized forebrain and throw a basket of raw meat to the hungry alligators swimming around in that subterranean river beneath” preventing the chance of those demons getting out. As the essay progresses, King explains how watching horror movies entertains the demons or feeds the “alligators” within us which causes us to believe that we aren’t awful, or at least as awful as the actual lynchers in the movies. Horror movies “provide psychic relief”, as King says, that allow our emotions to be expressed like the fear that we try to overcome by proving our normality as we are able to watch as many nauseating scenes as we desire. He says that there is a “potential lyncher” living within each and every one of us that has to be set free from time to time through more actions that seem normal like telling sick jokes. The universal popularity of horrific entertainment portrays how several people share the same curiosity, obsession, and interest in this phenomenon like King does. No one admits to this though, which...
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...Pig’s blood, killer clowns, children killing adults, are all elements that can be connected to one author and one author only; Stephen King, the king of horror. King combines science fiction, paranormal activity, and thrillers to convey various themes in his novels, he is one of today’s most best-selling authors. Born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine; when he was young his parents Donald and Nellie King had split up leading to King moving back and forth from Indiana to Connecticut and finally Maine. Where he had graduated from Lisbon Falls High School in 1966 and then later attended the University of Maine at Orono. Having graduated from the University of Maine, he began teaching while simultaneously establishing a name in the writing world using a pseudonym, Richard Bachman, the name in which he wrote his first successful novel Carrie (1974). More popular novels soon followed, Children of the corn (1984), The Shining(1977), and It.(1986); in many of his works it is clear that he uses many biblical and religious concepts. While each of these novels focuses on a...
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...Alyssa Bauman En1320 Lab3 “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Steven King presents an intriguing philosophy of watching horror movies. I believe that the purpose behind this article is to appeal to the reader’s unrealized dark side. King implies that are able to overcome their hysterical fear of things when they’re confronted with it and watching a horror movie is the easiest way to do that. He explains that in some way we all have this courage to overcome our deepest fears and one of the ways we show it is placing ourselves, in this case a movie theater, directly in front of what we know will scare us. The intended audience for this article is most likely the younger age demographic. Horror Movies are especially popular with ages 15-35. When you are younger you have this need to seek out new experience and thrills. Throughout the essay King directs a message to the young by making a comparison of horror movies to roller coasters describing the excitement that is felt throughout the ride. King is trying to persuade his reading audience to watch horror movies that bring his popularity up because he has books that have been made into movies. Although persuasive, King's article does not have factual evidence to solidify his argument that we all crave horror movies. The article uses many rhetorical strategies such as: compare and contrast, analysis and evaluation, cause and effect, absolutes, generalizations, and assumptions. King's ability to use these strategies demonstrates...
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...Horror has always been an interest with people. It awakens morbid interests within seemingly normal people. These interests are so common and odd that people, especially those who have those interests, make theories about it, regarding why some are so interested in things that should make people cringe or run away. Some of these theorists and horror-makers are Stephen King, Angela Carter, and Stanley J. Solomon. Their theories can be applied to why people like works of horror, such as stories, haunted houses, or horror movies. One of these movies in particular is the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2. This movie displays the ideas of these theorists in a variety of ways. Stephen King discusses the inner self in his essay Why We Crave...
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...The Boogeyman In Stephen King’s short story ‘The Boogeyman’ we are introduced to Lester Billings, a young man, who is visiting a psychiatrist for the simple reason of telling the story of how he killed his three kids. Lester Billings explains that he didn’t kill them himself, but that he was responsible. His story begins with the marriage between his wife Rita and himself. He describes their marriage as happy, but there is many examples indicating the contrary. The relationship between Lester and Rita is very unequal and Rita is being quite repressed by Lester. He doesn’t think she has a right to decide things, because she is a woman and he describes himself as ‘brighter’ than her. He also explains how he got ‘the last word’, whenever she fought for an opinion contrary to his own. Lester is a very old fashion, homophobic, patriotic American with a bit of hatred towards Vietnam, niggers and maybe, women. He sees himself as superior to his wife and he ought to be aggressive and violent if she provokes him in any way. This violent nature of his can also be seen in his upbringing of his children. For example he states that: “If he didn’t stop crying I’d give him a whack”. He also tells the psychiatrist how he sometimes felt like killing both his wife and his children, because they drove him crazy. Lester is a very obstinate man controlled by pride and honor. He wanted to protect the child by bringing him into their bedroom, but his honor forbade him to do it, because then he...
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...“Quitters Inc.” by Stephen King “Quitters Inc.” A Short Story by Stephen King from Night Shift, 1978 Mini-Reading Unit by Tracee Orman Practices reading comprehension, vocabulary, and figurative language. Quitters Inc. by Stephen King (published in Night Shift, 1978) Quitters Inc. Worksheet ©2008, T. Orman “Quitters Inc.” by Stephen King NOTE to TEACHER: This short story is appropriate for high school students (grades 10-12). It contains strong language that may not be appropriate for all students, so please use your own discretion. I use the movie “Cat’s Eye” as a companion to this story because the first story in the movie is based on “Quitters Inc.” Two differences: Dick Morrison’s son is a daughter in the movie (played by Drew Barrymore) and a cat is used for the “rabbit room.” We also read “The Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” by Jack Finney. If you choose to show the entire movie “Cat’s Eye,” the second story is called “The Ledge.” It is not similar in theme, but you could talk about the similarities as characters from both must go out on a ledge of a tall building. “The Ledge” story (from King’s Night Shift collection) does contain profanity/ language. This document includes: • Vocabulary crossword for Quitters Inc. • Additional vocabulary exercises (can be used before, after, or during reading) • Vocabulary definitions organizer • Pre-reading anticipatory questions • Content comprehension questions • Post-reading...
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