Post-Apocalyptic settings used in fictional works have become increasingly popular over the years. The entire bases around post-apocalyptic is how the world as we know it has great changes, therefore altering the lifestyle of all things living. Whether the reasoning be environmental or an epidemic, the already build society is abruptly changed forcing major alterations in how life continues. The ethical code of morals in which we live by is replaced by the instinct to survive when adapting to life in an altered world. Using examples from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, George R. Stewarts Earth Abides, and AMC series The Walking Dead, will demonstrate the transitions made as survival takes precedent over moral practices and how rebuilding civilizations …show more content…
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 …show more content…
Issac Berk focuses on how human react to a world without established law, social assistance and communities in The Walking Dead as a critique of American Democracy. In many ways, The Walking Dead’s setting, while hyperbolic, embodies a logic that is central to neoliberal capitalism: privatization of social services and basic human needs is enabled through the withdrawal of public state support, and individuals are left to fend for themselves in a hostile world with only their ambitions and families on which to draw (Berk 318). When establish justice systems are eliminated it becomes everyone for themselves and as communities form new systems are put in place. Leaders are chosen and hierarchy is established. Ish is established as the group leading in Earth Abides and as the colony grown and the younger generation emerges they accept him as leader and look to him for guidance. The same concept is applied to Rick among the survivors in The Walking Dead where he takes on the roll of leader and is accepted by all members of the group as
In conclusion, the topics of societal breakdown, relationships, and society are the central pillars that make up the central narrative of Station Eleven. In post-apocalyptic literature, whether consciously or unconsciously, these make up the bulk of what the reader sees, hears, and experiences within the narrative itself. Specifically within the post-apocalyptic narrative of Station Eleven, one sees plainly these themes, but not in the form one would expect. Firstly, the fact that theme of societal breakdown has been written into the overall story arch is no coincidence. From the occurrence of the Georgia Flu and its sweep across the world to more fictitious forms of annihilation such as the zombie apocalypse, this alludes to one of the
Although the theme of societal breakdown runs throughout the entire series, Episode 5 (entitled “Wildfire ”) provides several strong examples of the fragility of modern societal structures. The opening of the episode reveals that the camp was set upon by a small group of zombies, with fatal consequences for several of the survivors. Prior to Rick’s arrival, the camp had been looking to Shane as their leader.
Season 1 of The Walking Dead, has a divers group of characters. The evolution of personality and moral responsibility will shift within a person or group in accordance to the “survive or die” scenario during a zombie apocalypse. Culminating a group of diverse abilities is essential to surviving. The main theme in the show is one of survival, the dead are walking all around them, but they are not necessarily the main problem. The battle over adversity is much more prevalent than just fear of dying. The characters are forced to realign a civilization around a new obstacle, yet essentially it is not much different than everyday life. The main issue is finding a group that can survive on skill alone instead of money or material things. They must also keep in mind that the dead are not the only threat in their existence.
How would you respond to an apocalyptic situation where the structure and order of society has ceased to exist? In the novel The Day of the Triffids, Bill Masen, a patient at St Merryn’s Hospital in London, lacking the necessity of vision from a facial ‘Triffid’ sting, awakens to a world absent of normality. The majority of humanity has been permanently blinded by celestial comet debris and the Triffids have been liberated from their tethers, ambushing the vulnerable blind. A Triffid is a genetically modified plant with carnivorous eating habits and the ability to move. This novel was written by John Wyndham, which depicts a theme of conflict between necessity and morality which is important to the story in numerous ways. Necessity versus morality is the conflict that motivates the action, with events in the plot and the steadily increasing sense of narrative tension throughout the book all being defined by the tension between the striving to maintain a degree of human morality and the necessity to cast aside that morality in order to survive.
Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel The Road displays different concepts of nuclear and non-nuclear families throughout the novel. In The Road the reader is introduced to different types of individuals and non-nuclear families and how they succeed in a post-apocalyptic world. Nuclear families are what many consider to be a traditional family, consisting of a mother, father, and children while non-nuclear families are families that are considered untraditional. However, when a traditional family is introduced the reader sees the failures of nuclear families rather than their success while non-nuclear families appear to be more likely to succeed in the sense of survival. Incidents
Stephen King’s Cell and John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids are both post-apocalyptical novels that describe an apocalyptic event and how humanity tries to rebuild itself afterwards. The first recognised work of modern apocalyptic fiction is said to be Mary Shelley’s The Last Man which details the account of the last man living in a world in which humanity has been wiped out by a plague. Whilst it received harsh criticisms and reviews at the time, The Last Man has led the way for novels like H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds to become successful. The two novels are both set in the time of their writing: The Day of the Triffids being set in the 1950s and Cell being set in the 21st Century. Therefore the apocalyptic events described by Wyndham and King are relevant to their times: Cell is about a virus that infests humanity via their mobile phones and The Day of the Triffids is about the population being attacked by alien plants after the majority of the human race is blinded. If a reader were to perceive these apocalyptic events as being ‘unrealistic’ then this would only be because that they feel they are anachronistic and therefore the reader does not fully engage with the novels. The reader’s interpretation, the novels’ contexts of reception, as well as their contexts of production are vitally important when judging whether or not the events described by Wyndham and King are ‘unrealistic’.
The walking dead does in fact exist. However, it is not the flesh eating zombie that many think about when hearing the term ‘walking dead.’ Instead, it is a rare and serious mental disorder also known as Cotard’s Syndrome. “In 1880, Jules Cotard (1840-1889) described the syndrome that bears his name as a constellation of false nihilistic beliefs, often in the form of self-negation.” (Ramirez-Bermudez, Aguilar-Venegas, Crail-Melendez, Espinola-Nadurille, Nente & Mendez, 2010) Throughout time there has been many controversies regarding what causes this disease. Cotard’s Syndrome was finally divided into three groups in 1995 as psychotic depression, Cotard’s Syndrome Type I, and Cotard’s Syndrome Type II.
Typical Western thought directs people to examine the practices of cannibalism as savage and primitive. More often than not, this type of association exists because the people viewing the action are frightened and confused by that which they do not understand. In fact, some would even claim that, “cannibalism is merely a product of European imagination” (Barker, 2), thereby completely denying its existence. The belief that cannibalism goes against “human instinct”, as seen in many literary works including Tarzan, reduces those who practice it to being inhuman. (Barker, 1) However, scientific findings demonstrate that those who practice cannibalism are still human despite their difference in beliefs; therefore, not only can rationalization be extrapolated from those who practice the act of cannibalism, but also denying the fact of the participant’s very humanity has been undermined through scientific findings.
The Walking Dead, a television show about surviving in the zombie world, is based on the comic book with the same name created by Robert Kirkman. In this show Rick Grimes, a sheriff's deputy, awakes from his coma and finds himself in a hospital. He soon discovers that while he was in a coma the world had become infected, turning humans into flesh-eating zombies later called Walkers by the characters. As Rick sets out to find his family he encounters many other survivors such as Glenn, Daryl, Carl, Maggie, Carol, Sasha, Hershel, Beth, and Michonne, among many others who have died along the way. Rick and the survivors have been through a lot throughout the show, such as having to move from place to place to avoid being eating by walkers. After walking a longs way, they finally find shelter in an old prison where they now live. Although The Walking Dead shows a lot violence, it sends many positive messages to the viewers that teach them about survival, religion and betray and how each of these can be beneficial in the real world
Throughout six seasons of AMC’s ongoing hit show The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes, the main protagonist, has grown from: a tough guy police officer with a soft heart for helping others (almost always coming with a great personal risk) to the ultimate leader and survivor. Rick’s character arc during the first five seasons of the show, were about the ongoing growth/development of Rick, along with little benchmarks along the way in the form of gruesome but necessary murder. During Rick’s character arc, he goes through three major phases that reflect his morals and view of the world. These changes are then highlighted by the various brutal gory kills Rick has achieved. We as viewers get an in depth look at this gradual evolution as he fights to survive
The best dystopias invoke audiences to reflect upon their own societies and instigate a further awareness of the concept of humanity, providing a picture that can be utilized as a warning against the trends of the contemporary society. Dystopian fictions explore the impact of the societal control within a teeming civilization on the values and qualities of the human condition. Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian fiction Never Let Me Go captures protagonist Kathy’s reflections on price of ethical values in her society, the parallel dystopian universe of 20th century Britain. Heavily influenced by period of increasing biotechnological advancements in the public agenda, Ishiguro allegorically portrays the inevitable oppression that exists within a teeming civilization and its deterioration of essential human facets. Ishiguro reflects the anxieties of the contemporary society through his question of the lack of moral values in a dystopian society and the need to preserve the essence of humanity.
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.
This short story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. It is unclear to the readers how the world got to be this way. This story takes place four years after all this chaos began. The narrator does an excellent job setting the scene throughout the story using lots of details. It is revealed throughout the story that it takes place during
"Cannibalism, or institutionalized anthropophagi, has been part of human culture from the earliest times. Human teeth marks in ancient human bones offer clues cannibalism was commonplace. When Christopher Columbus explored the Americas, the term cannibal was coined after the Caniba, “a ferocious group of man-eaters who lived in the Caribbean islands” (Salisbury, 2001, Brief history . . .). The idea of cannibalism in the New World evoked paranoia in Europe. Any such practice was considered demonic and sacrilegious. Cannibalism was a topic of ancient horror stories. In Greek mythology, “after Thyestes unwittingly ate the flesh of his own children, the Sun was so appalled that he turned back on his course and plunged the world into darkness” (Hodgkinson, 2001). Cannibalism has been detested throughout Western history and was declared a sin by Pope Innocent IV in the sixteenth century. Spain’s Queen Isabella “decreed that Spanish colonists could only legally enslave natives who were cannibals, giving the colonists an economic interest in making such allegations” (Salisbury). Many natives were falsely accused of cannibalism and were made inferior as a result. Although they criminalized and enslaved West Indians for cannibalism, Europeans imported mummified body parts from Egypt and consumed medicine made from them to cure various diseases. Such treatment was commonly prescribed by seventeenth century doctors (Salisbury). Cannibalism is a significant part of Western history and it has sparked much controversy.
“The Walking Dead”, is a show about survival during a zombie apocalypse. The main character Rick Grimes, was a former sheriff who awoke from a months-long coma to find his world completely shattered. After reuniting with his family he becomes the leader of their small group, in which they strive