U1: Unit Wrap Blast

What's the worst phobia one of the characters in the "Suspence!" unit might develop?

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When Fear Becomes Phobia

Think about it. After their harrowing experience with Cujo, Donna Trenton, her son Tad, and even her grandchildren might develop a case of cynophobia, or the fear of dogs. After the speaker in Poe’s “Annabel Lee” loses his great love, he might never love again, developing philophobia, the fear of falling in love or being in love. After reading Poe’s haunting, gothic verse, some of your classmates might already have a budding case of metrophobia, a fear of poetry. A host of potential phobias awaits the Titanic survivors from “A Night to Remember”—including aquaphobia (fear of the water), bathophobia (fear of large depths), cryophobia (fear of the cold), frigophobia (fear of cold weather) and, last but not least, thalassophobia (fear of the sea).
These are just a few examples, and the names of these many fears have interesting etymologies. In this Blast, we want you to try to think of the worst phobia that a character or individual from the suspenseful texts you’ve read in this unit might develop. First, think of the character or individual and what it is that their story might leave them fearing to the point of phobia. Then, do some research to see if that phobia, like so many others, already has a name. If it doesn’t, then here’s your chance to name a new phobia!
Just so long as it isn’t homeworkaphobia .
Good luck, and here’s an example of one way to Blast this response:

• Cynophobia: fear of dogs. After Cujo, little Tad Trenton would definitely have this. Man’s best friend? More like worst nightmare!

You have been exploring the world of suspense, and you may have already noticed that one element of suspense is fear. All of us, at some point or another, become afraid of something. But why do our fears sometimes explode into full-blown phobias?

The word phobia comes from the Greek root phobos, meaning “fearing.” The word itself means “an exaggerated fear.” A fear becomes a phobia when a person experiences anxiety or panic over something, far beyond the actual danger it poses. According to the British-based National Phobics Society, stress, trauma, and physical factors like biochemical imbalances can all help trigger phobias. Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, have even found evidence that certain phobias can be passed down genetically from generation to generation. The team trained certain mice to fear the smell of cherry blossoms and discovered that their offspring would also associate the same scent with dread.

Background

Open Ended

What's the worst phobia one of the characters in the "Suspense!" unit might develop?

Poll

WHy would you read or watch a thrilling or terrifying story?

• I always try to avoid those types of stories

• Only to prove that I could handle it

• To experience the excitement of something dangerous -- safely

• I love the adrenaline rush

Multiple Choice

Guess what the number 13 means...

• The most terrifying number for anyone who has triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13

• The most amount of people that have the fear of large depths, bathophobia

• The fear of having 13 grandchildren, cynophobia