The Unknown of the Sea

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“The Horror at Martin’s Beach” poses a story of a monstrous sea creature that entrances and engulfs a great deal of people in a plot of revenge. In all of its extensive portrayal, my skepticism resides in its legitimacy. The author, H.P. Lovecraft, states from the very first sentence, “I have never heard an even approximately adequate explanation of the horror at Martin’s Beach”(Lovecraft 2010). How is one supposed to believe this occurrence if the author seems to be simply piecing this version together based on some estranged witnesses? There is no solid evidence for this event other than the fact it was spread by mouth. This tale was also formulated around the time when stories were used as a source of entertainment. So really how much can you believe this to be true?

People are fascinated with the great unknown that lies within the darkest depths of the seas. Children grow up getting told legends of the “great, green monster that resides below”. “The Horror at Martin’s Beach” is just another one of these stories. The ambiguity of the waters give rise to unrealistic prophecies. They spread at rapid rates, inducing fear as they go. Uncertainty scares people and to counteract this they will formulate stories for simple entertainment. I believe there is no truth to this tale and all others it follows. This story needs concrete evidence in order to be proven accurate and reliable. Without that, ” The Horror at Martin’s Beach” is just another myth to be read and pondered upon.

Dive into the Discussion!

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Welcome to our class blog!

Over the course of the term, you will be asked to compose four posts and write eight comments (two at a time) in response to the posts of your peers. You will be assigned to a blog group on the first day of class (Group 1 or 2) and can consult our reading and assignment schedule to see when your group is responsible for posting or commenting. The goal here is to give you the opportunity to practice posing questions, articulating and supporting claims, and responding to counterarguments

Posts: Each post (one per round) should be 1-2 paragraphs long (about 200-400 words) and include the following:

  • an engaging title
  • an explicit, controversial question about one of the texts, images, or movies assigned since your last post
  • a plausible answer to your question
  • at least one piece of evidence (e.g. a quotation) to support your answer
  • a “tag” (see Blog instructions) with the appropriate assignment name so I can find it and give you credit

Comments: You will be assigned TWO peers from the other blog group and asked to comment on their posts (you will be assigned different peers each time). Each of your two comments should be 1-2 paragraphs long (about 200-400 words) and do the following:

  • EITHER: agree with the post’s claim (i.e. the way it answers its question) and then push the argument further by adding nuance and at least one more piece of supporting evidence.
  • OR: politely disagree with the post’s claim and offer an alternative answer to the post’s question. Please support your new answer with at least one piece of evidence.