“In trying to make sense of the darkest
extremes of human behavior, the public turns murderers into myths and monsters”
By: Julie Beckoct
Level of Difficulty: ***
BEFORE YOU READ
QUESTIONS
1.
The
story of the killer clown proves that………………………………………………………………………………
2.
The
reason of the far less prevalent cases of murders by serial killers are
remembered even years later is the fact that
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3.
Dr.
Scott Bon says people are endlessly fascinated by serial killers because
they…………………….
4.
Do
Marvel and Dave Corbone agree or disagree about the reason for the fascination
with serial killers?
5.
What
misguided opinion did the FBI disprove?
6.
The
reasons why white male serial killers like Bundy, the Zodiac killer, the Green
River killer and the like become famous are the facts
that…………………………………………………………………….
7.
There
is an element of racial bias in serial murder investigations
because…………………………..
8.
The
widely held erroneous belief about who exactly serial killers are is the fact
that they are…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
9.
The
link between the McDonald Triad and future violent behavior is non-existent / tenuous
/ valid / questionable.
10.
People
prefer to think that serial killers are ………………………..rather than……………………………….
11.
Most
serial killers are wrongly considered to be American because……………………………………….
12.
People’s
growing insensitivity to violent crime has sparked the interest
in…………………………….(Be specific and tweak the text)
13.
Why
does the public lump real serial killers and fictional ones together?
14.
The
reason for the emergence of the monster narrative is the fact that……………………………..
15.
When
dealing with serial killers, the emphasis is on ………………….rather than…………………………
This has lead to the line of fiction best described as ………………………………………………………………
16.
The
idea that all people who enjoy graphic crime drama are just as bad as the
villains is wrong because according to research,
…………………………………………………………………………………..
17.
David
Schmit believes people enjoy shows like Dexter because: mark true or false
·
The
killers are more self centered
·
They
want to go around murdering people
·
The
killers disregard social rules
·
The
killers do whatever they want
·
They
like the story line
18.
Now
that you have studied the text carefully, decide where you would place the
following subtitles:
·
A
Popular Misconception Is Born
·
The
Demise of the Serial Killer Cult
·
The
Birth of the Monster Narrative
·
Why
the Interest?
WRITING TASK
Use the text to write an essay
explaining the reasons for the birth and growing popularity of the monster
narrative.
THE GRISLY ALL AMERICAN APPEAL OF SERIAL KILLERS KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
This topical text analyzes a widely popular genre on television and on
screen and as such should appeal to students many of whom watch crime dramas.
It should be interesting to see how objective they can be when looking at the
issue.
1. When it comes to serial killers, the
myth is what matters
2. Tales of domestic violence zoom in
and out of news so frequently
3. Are drawn to understanding the dark
side and the dark side is part of the human condition
4. They agree; both feel it is about
the puzzle
5. Serial killers are all men, all
white, all evil geniuses or mentally ill
6. Female serial killers tend to kill
by less gory methods ; most serial killers tend to kill within their own race
and white victims, especially white female victims, usually get wider media
attention; serial killers who target minority victims are less likely to be
caught.
7. White neighborhoods are given
priority over poor, black or Latino neighborhoods.
8. Ordinary, white, male, middle class
9. Questionable
10. Deviant monsters; seemingly ordinary
people
11. The rates of violence in general and
serial killer violence specifically are so much higher in the US.
12. Serial killers with extreme methods
13. Because true crime shows often use
fictional techniques to dramatize what they are showing and fictional shows
draw upon real stories to give themselves authenticity.
14. The media tends to paint serial
killers as storybook villains.
15. Conquering evil( or eliminating
evil) ; understanding it; the monster hunt narrative
16. Thrill watchers have high levels of
adventure seeking but also high levels of empathy
17. The second one is false, the rest
are true
18. A Popular Misconception Is Born: In the public imagination, serial killers
tend to fit a certain stereotype
The Demise of the Serial Killer Cult: It’s been years since…
The Birth of the Monster Narrative: The serial killers who become
famous are extreme…
Why the Interest? The public fascination with serial
killers…
