Assignment #6: Creating Fear

In "The Black Cat" we read about a man who descends into madness and becomes driven to do things no normal, well-adjusted human being would do. Poe uses unforgettable images to describe the narrator's dead wife who, when discovered by police, is "already greatly decayed and clotted with gore." In fact, Poe was writing about the "dark side" of humanity long before movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, novels by Stephen King, and haunts such as The Trail of Terror.

People love horror, and they love to be scared. And today your job is to think about what scares you and how fear is created. One of your options will be to write a ghost/scary/horror story, and today you will think about possible ways to do that.

Respond to the following questions completely. Explore your responses thoroughly. When you are finished you need to visit and leave a comment on the sites of your fellow group members' blogs. This weekend (Sunday) I will be checking both responses and COMMENTS!

Fear Questions:
1. Do you like to be scared? Why or why not? In what settings are you okay with being frightened?
2. What scares you? Are there things you fear? Are there things in our world you consider horrific? These do not have to be about ghosts or monsters. (One of Stephen King's bestselling horror novels was about a dog.) Perhaps you are afraid to ski or afraid of snakes. Maybe you hate being alone in your house at night. Maybe you are afraid of big cities. Where do your fears come from? Are you more scared by blood and guts terror or by subtle the possibility of something horrible happening?
3. What, in your opinion, is a good definition for madness? What would a person have to do to be considered "mad" by you?
4. Poe writes about a man driven to madness. What drives people to madness today in your opinion? How does someone go from seemingly normal to insane (at least temporarily)?

When you are finished, remember to visit your group members' blogs and leave a comment that is 3-4 sentences in length. Maybe you agree with them about something. Perhaps you disagree.