The Walking Dead is an allegory for the real world. It presents audiences, the controversies of the conventional postmodern society amidst a post-apocalyptic drama. The series portrayal of dissolving humanity in unfeigned bleakness both reflects and inflames our societal perceptions and fears. Through an inhuman fallacy, (the zombie) The Walking Dead humanises the hopeless actualization of our corrupted world in all its postmodern traits. Therefore, the ambition for The Walking Dead is to exhibit a world pursuing a favourable equilibrium of peace and liberty but never achieving it as it is entirely a Sisyphean. In this essay, I will argue how cinema and humankind has fed into corruption within postmodernism. The rise of the zombie genre has …show more content…
George A. Romero, the director of Night of the Living Dead accidently created the zombie genre that we are familiar with today. Night of the Living Dead reshaped the entire genre with its bitter realism. Romero established verisimilitude unintentionally by focusing on how people react to crisis. The first zombie movies relied on semi-terrifying dress codes (of their time) and the conventional diegetic scream of a female. Whereas Romero’s film is an interpretation of humankind’s collapse. Romero drew inspiration from the infamous Vietnam War spiralling at the time and the American civil war. The verisimilitude lies within the human condition in dire times, like war. Therefore, in the Night of the Living Dead the zombie/ghoul stands as a symbol for the enemy contriving those dire times. This consequently makes the genre actually terrifying because representations have altered. Zombies are no longer an otherworldly or scientific monster e.g. White Zombie but a …show more content…
A series allows for broader representations, therefore a lot more criticism on the postmodern world. The Walking Dead’s ‘walkers’ as the character refer to them on the show, are fictional terrorists - people killing people, except their aims do not go past this, similar to a lot of terrorists in 2017. The media did not hesitate to call Salman Abedi a terrorist. Abedi was killed in the Manchester massacre, hence his intentions were never revealed. To compare, Stephen Paddock who is responsible for the Las Vegas shooting could not be labelled as a terrorist because “We still do not have a clear motive or reason why.” The definition of terrorist does not apply only to ‘Muslims’ howbeit to anyone. It is merely a stereotype that is rapidly corrupting the world. This is the same reason we enjoy zombie movies without contradiction. Terrorism is the second greatest fear in America while zombies are the least according to a Chapman University extensive survey. Zombies are fictional, as one grows up they can separate the real from the fake. Although we are still scared of them, meaning there has to be some truth. Yes, they are brain-eating monsters but they also embody a real life ordeal that we are facing greatly in reality. In The Walking Dead, an audience sees rotting facial features and thinks inhumane, dead. What we fail to notice is the dress codes. They wear everyday clothing.
As said in the previous discussion regarding the second chapter of Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-Human, zombies and their culture are examined and broken down in order to understand their motives for the progression of zombies globally. Through different perspectives from individuals based around the world, the discussion of the zombie culture debates over the idea that zombies have not just evolved within the narratives that have brought them to life, but they have evolved in such a way that ultimately transforms the narrative itself. However, in this specific chapter, “They are not men.they are dead bodies!” : From Cannibal to Zombie and Back Again, Chera Kee breaks down the introduction of zombies into mainstream consciousness, and eventually cinema.
Throughout the series, the characters encounter an abundance of obstacles to conquer. Not only do they have to protect themselves from zombies, but they are also dealing with the internal struggle due to their circumstances. In a world where the dead roam, one may begin to lose their sense of humanity and purpose. Characters such as Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Carl, and Maggie are
George Romero's reinvention of the zombie in night of the Living Dead (1968) is clearly a critique of elements of the American society, and the film as a whole is easily twisted into a warped view on the 'American Dream'. Themes throughout Romero’s film, dealing with controversial topics during the time that the film was made, are still, to this day debated by critics and film historians. Themes of racism and war are defined within the movie, hidden underneath the idea of carnal, cannibalistic zombies and over the top heroes who, eventually, succumb to the reanimated; despite their every effort. These themes are colored over and painted to hide beneath subtle references to the typical American Dream during this time, and Romero does quite the good job at it too. This dream, whilst continuously changing in the everyday lives of modern Americans, can be loosely defined as a national ethos of the United States, or a set of ideals dealing with freedom and the opportunity for success - an upward social status that can be achieved through hard work and effort.
How many times have you been scared awake by zombies after watching shows or reading comics? Zombies, a particular group of survival horror, are basically dead people who come back to us in an evil way. From novels to Hollywood films, we look like cowards who are repeatedly scared by zombies. How can we still get shocks in this age of scientific society? The answer is that zombies come back with cultural messages in stories, which express our extraordinary fears. Such a horrible story was created by Kirkman, in The Walking Dead he depicted zombies as a horrible metaphor for xenophobia by combining fear of otherness with infectious disease; as a result, fear of contagion fuses with our fear of outsiders, increasing the unequal treatment of immigrants in contemporary society.
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+).
The walkers themselves reflect option one, they represent an altered state with no attempts at redemption therefore it becomes easily justifiable to kill them. During season two the disagreement of walkers and killing them is a major theme to the show because the survivors are early into the transition of the new world. The acceptance of walkers no longer being considered people is the justification survivors must make in order to kill them without suffering the moral consciousness. Later into the show during seasons four and five a new group ambergris names Terminus, that represent the second approach to cannibalism where conscious people make the choice to practice in eating other humans. The involvement on Terminus test the moral values of other survivors because now they must come to terms with ending human life because they pose a threat to
In Night of the Living Dead, the zombies were eventually eliminated. Or were they? Theorists argue that the monster’s elusiveness is due to its physical, psychological and social characteristics that cross the lines of classification. Human’s innate fear of the unknown is due to their inability to make a distinction or draw a clear conclusion. This is explained further in Jeffrey Cohen’s second thesis in “Monster Theory” that claims that; “the monster never escapes” (Cohen, 14). The zombie as a monster can never be destroyed completely and if it is, it leaves a remnant the make people feel uncertain of its destruction. Base on Cohen’s theory, the zombie’s different interpretation allows it to emerge in other forms (a faster, smarter zombie?)
Shakespeare’s work has been adapted throughout the ages, these adaptations can be found in almost every popular show and movie. One recent and quite popular television show that has Shakespearian elements is Breaking Bad. This show is a dark drama of Walter White a man who has lung cancer that becomes a drug kingpin to provide for his family after he dies, along the way he picks up a high school drop out as a sidekick, Jesse Pinkman. Walter and Jesse become the Iago and Othello in this variation, Walter’s deceitful and manipulative ways prove to indeed constantly manipulate Jesse to do his bidding. Shockingly similar to the way Iago manipulates Othello; these parallels between Breaking Bad and Othello become more and more clear with explanation and analysis.
"Fighting Two Wars: George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead as a Critique of 1960s American Society." Sequart Organization. Web. 19 Sept. 2017.
Today in America, people can’t get enough of zombies, zombies are everywhere ranging from movies, books and tv shows. The entertainment business uses the zombie apocalypse theme in order to present a post apocalyptic situation that no other form of genre can really create. In American zombie apocalyptic entertainment, humans must face the horrors of survival and change, while fighting off the zombies, thus also challenging their morals. Pessimistic viewers may see the situation as depressing, prejudice and an means of expressing xenophobia. However optimistic viewers see the situation as an opportunity for better change, individually and as a collective community. A controversial example of this topic would be Robert Kirkman’s popular graphic novel, called The Walking Dead, filled with violence, betrayal and challenges. The Walking Dead can be read as a pessimistic text but the most appropriate way to read is
We are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Every time we hit “retweet,” a bullet is shot through a zombie’s head. Each email we delete is another zombie down. Finishing last night’s haul of homework is surviving a whole mob of zombies. This is the picture that Chuck Klosterman paints in his article published in The New York Times, “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead.” Having published many books and essays concerning pop culture, Klosterman attempts to uncover the reason why zombies are so popular right now. He concludes that their popularity is a result of the current zombie-like state of our society. Killing zombies is repetitive, and it is no different from the monotonous tasks we engage in every day. Although Klosterman’s claim that zombies are popular because they are relatable is an interesting view, he does not bother to consider a more optimistic perspective: that zombies are popular because they are unrelatable.
In the article, “A Zombie Manifesto: The Nonhuman Condition in the Era of Advanced Capitalism” by Sarah Juliet Lauro and Karen Embry, the authors’ evaluate the idea of the zombie and its connection to capitalism and post-humanism. According to the authors, the zombie represents much more than just a fear, it represents a loss of oneself to many different things, primarily to a capitalist society. The authors have come to the conclusion that humans have a fear of what they cannot control, and that is why the zombie is so big in entertainment. We see zombies everywhere, in movies, books, tv shows, fundraisers, marathons, and so much more. They have been around for decades, but recently they have become very popular. The authors believe this is
Vera Nazarian, a well-known American writer, once said, “Friends are a strange, volatile, contradictory, yet sticky phenomenon. They are made, crafted, shaped, molded, created by focused effort and intent. And yet, true friendship, once recognized, in its essence is effortless.” In my own life, I have met new people who became my friends. They often have their own distinct personalities and abilities that I admire. Similarly, people cherish various characters who are featured in different TV shows and films, often because of the same reasons why we treasure our peers. My favourite character is Glenn from The Walking Dead. I personally relate to Glenn and share a lot of traits with Glenn, I admire Glenn because of several reasons,
The idea of a zombie is made up and it comes from nzambi, the Kongo word for the spirit of a dead person. In states such as Louisiana, or the Creole culture they believe zombies represent a person who has dies and brought back to life with no speech. Kings psychological argument on how we have an urge to watch horror movies because it helps to re-establish our feelings and feel natural again. Klusterman’s sociological essay helped us see the comparison of zombies and humans in real life. In conclusion zombies are not real, they are make believe but help bring a sense of normality to
Although “Thriller” is beloved as a classic 80’s pop music video, it manages a successful dive into the social and political issues that make zombie flicks so great. Pulling from a history of work on zombies, Michael Jackson packs so much history into such a concise package. Through using the texts of Amy Devitt and Kerry Dirk we are able to uncover Jackson’s experience and social commentary in “Thriller”. He simultaneously writes a hit song, revolutionizes music videos, and still remarks on the societal problems of the early 1980’s. However, the story goes much further than that of a number one hit. “Thriller” owes its success to an important cultural figure that looms as large as