Chris Korhonian  Korhonian 1 

Professor Jon Beadle  

English 115 

10/19/20 

Project Text  

When we think of the word monstrous​, ​one might think about ​ghouls, goblins or scary 

creatures lurking in the darkness. ​However the only monstrous thing most folks find is often 

within themselves,​ whether it be voices in your head or the demons you face. ​The demons 

and monsters inside each of us can be very real and relatable, making them even more 

frightening. ​The short stories, ​“The Mirror” and “The Silence,” both had monstrous aspects 

to them, either externally in society or within oneself. When reading these stories, I found the 

concept of an internal monster concept more intense compared to one that lives out in the 

external world. ​We all have demons; some demons are harder to conquer than others and the 

world we live in will always have monstrous aspects to it. That's why many argue that if you 

have demons in you that you need to face, it can make the world seem more monstrous than 

it actually is.  

In the article “Adolescent Suicide Rates Between 1990 and 2009,” Kairi Kolves and 

Diego De Leo, both Ph.D’s, speak about the global adolescent suicide rates and argue that 

although there is a decrease of overall suicide rates in western countries from 1990 to 2009, 

there actually was an overall increase in suicide rates from south american countries.​ The 
results and just the nature of his study of suicide is monstrous, a perfect example of the 

monster inside of you taking over. J.P Mersky, the author of the article “Impacts of adverse 

childhood experiences on health, mental health, and substance use in early adulthood: A 

cohort study of an urban, minority sample in the U.S.” argues that smoking and other 

substance use in early child adulthood leads to negative impacts in mental health later on. 

Substance abuse is one of the main things people think about when they hear the word 

demons. When a person is hooked and faced with any sort of addiction it truly is a 

monstrous situation. All in all, when a person is faced with their own demons it can make the 

world seem more monstrous than it actually is, that's why the demons inside of us can be so 

much more monstrous at times. 

Suicide, an act that is monstrous by nature, has seen a rise in teenage victims and has 

become more and more common as the years go by. The authors Kairi Kolves and Diego De 

leo speak on the studies of ​suicide rates based on geographic ​location and why the numbers 

are the way they are. The author supports his claim when speaking about the overall ​decrease 

in suicides in western countries​ by bringing up factual evidence ​via ​analytics, charts and 

data, but then provides us with his statement: “reasons behind the decrease in Western 

countries could potentially be related to the overall improvements in global health.” He sets 

up his personal statement by first providing concrete evidence to support his personal claim. 

The author makes another claim that the overall suicide rate in south american counties has 

actually increased. He supports this claim by proving it with analytical data and makes a  

Korhonian 3 
  

statement saying that the increase in suicide rates can be because of the economical recession 

and poor conditions. The author uses this strategy often, giving the reader the evidence and 

letting them tie​ the story​ together themselves. Although where you live, the economy, ​and 

accessibility of medical services​ do matter when speaking about suicide rates.  

Early aged substance abuse and childhood traumas can cause serious, permanent 

damage,​ especially when a developing mind is in a bad environment. J.P Mersky, the author 

of the article “Impacts of adverse childhood experiences on health, mental health, and 

substance use in early adulthood: A cohort study of an urban, minority sample in the U.S.'' 

speaks about the studies of early substance abuse, childhood experiences and how they affect 

mental health. The author begins the article ​by​ making his argument and claiming that 

smoking and substance ​abuse​ leads to poor health risks later on in life, especially mental 

health. After he makes this claim, he then provides us with factual evidence, charts and 

analytical data to support his claim. It is necessary to provide detailed evidence and facts in 

order to win the trust of the reader. Substance abuse is one of the main things people think 

about when they hear the word demons. The reason for this is because the demons we face 

are monstrous by nature and the act of being hooked to something is a demon in control. 

These urges and temptations mess with your mind and can cause you to  

Korhonian 4 

 
spiral out of control or just not be yourself. When a person is hooked and not acting 

themselves, it is a monstrous sight to see and any person who is faced with any sort of  

addiction understands what it feels like to never be in control. People close to you turn from 

you because some people don't understand withdrawals and addiction.  

Monster is a very big word in the sense that it can mean a lot of things in different 

contexts.​ Although the first thing many think about is the physical form of a monster, 

sometimes the monster is inside ​of us. Our demon​s that make the world harder then they 

have to be and make the world seem more monstrous than it actually is. People have always 

tried to answer these aching questions about themselves ​but oftentimes fall short. Some 

might have demons and they don't even know. Demons that live inside us make the world so 

much more difficult.​ Many people that struggle with battling their own demons know that 

these demons inside of us are almost unavoidable at times, you can't run away because they 

follow you where you go, making it more intense then the societal demons and monsters we 

face. Although we all have our own demons to face, the world and our society will always 

have its own fair share of monsters to throw you off. The monstrous part of ourselves is not 

something to fear, but rather something to understand and conquer. The demons inside of us 

are much more  

Korhonian 5 

 
important to conquer because they can hinder our perception of the world making things 

seem monstrous when you are in fact the monster. 

Korhonian 6 

 
Kõlves, Kairi, and Diego De Leo. ​Adolescent Suicide Rates Between 1990 and 2009: 

Analysis of Age Group 15–19 Years Worldwide​, Australian Institute for Suicide Research 

and Prevention, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, 4 Feb. 2015.  

Mersky, J.P. “Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Health, Mental Health, and 

Substance Use in Early Adulthood: A Cohort Study of an Urban, Minority Sample in the 

U.S.” 29 Apr. 2013.