The Walking Dead: A Semantic Analysis

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The hit TV show, The Walking Dead, is a survival horror show that typically airs on AMC during primetime (8-11PM). The show revolves around a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse. At this point in the show, there is a large group of diverse characters of many different backgrounds all banding together for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. The plot of the show revolves around the events which befall the group as they attempt to survive, ranging from the emotional scarring and battling zombies to competing with other survivor groups. Based on the violence and mature topics addressed in the show, it would seem that the show is aimed at a Young Adult/Adult audience (18+). So when analyzing the particular episode (Season 5, Episode …show more content…

The first was the beginning of the episode, which start without any dialog for a few minutes. In this time we as the viewers witness the kind of conditions that the group is struggling with. Some of the characters are breaking down and having to collect themselves for a few moments due to the death and violence they have been living through. Another part of this sequence shows one of the characters digging in the dirt for worms and other bugs to eat due to their lack of food. This scene in just a few moments sets up the episode perfectly without a single line of dialog. It shows the terrible conditions and the mental toll which they are imposing upon our protagonists and the struggle that they will face throughout the episode. The second scene which struck …show more content…

This theme is apparent in a scene where the group is seeking shelter from a storm, as they huddle around a fire the leader of the group. Rick, tells the group that they are the “Walking Dead” not the zombies, that they’re all already dead and do not get to truly live until they “do what they must do” to survive their current situation. It’s interesting that such a theme would come from a show which is as violent as this, but that perhaps is the intention of it. The show serves as an extreme example, while it doesn’t mean to go around caving peoples skulls in in order to be happy, it does mean working hard and never giving up in the face of opposition, just as the characters on the show do in the face of their rather extreme

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