Blog Post--Night of the Living Dead

What was your first reaction to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead? What was significant about the setting and the cast of characters? What is significant about an African-American man being cast as the hero, particularly when the bulk of the cast is white? Supposedly, the choice was simply based on his acting ability, but in the climate of the late 1960s, this was controversial. What argument might this be making about race and/or racism? How might zombies factor into this? Zombies are generally used to critique American's "mindless" consumerism, but have also been used to critique their violence towards one another, as well as our inability to recognize other people as "completely human". How do these various factors contribute to your interpretation of the film?

Make sure to consider both the rhetoric (particularly choice of actors, choice of set, script, etc.) as well as the ideas.

Buffy and Politics

Now that you have read the remaining material, please broaden your response to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How did "A Very Special Buffy" change your understanding of the episodes you encountered? What seems rhetorically significant about the article? It gives you insight into how the series develops--what does that change about your understanding of the show from the first two episodes? How do you interpret the events differently? What adolescent social problems might be lurking under the supernatural plot?

In "Vampire Culture," Frank Grady argues that critiques of economic systems play a significant role in vampires. Can you see this reflected in Buffy and Nosferatu? How? How do race and gender tie into this? How can we understand Buffy in light of Grady's discussion of Akasha? How are they different?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer blog

Having watched the show as a kid, I got my initial understanding of vampires from this show. I found this much more enjoyable then Nosferatu. These are actors who actuallly have modern day abilities and equiptment. Overall, Buffy the Vampire Slayer delves into many types of monsters and not just into vampires. From watching it for so long, they bring in a varity of demons, medival mythes, and I am pretty sure I've seen Egyptian myths in the show at one point in time. This show is and was a great way to recieve knowledge on folklore.

Monsters, Discourse, and Culture: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Blog Prompt

Monsters, Discourse, and Culture: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Blog Prompt: "What were your initial reactions to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer? What did it add to your current understanding of..."
Having never seen this show, my initial reaction to this episode brought different views upon vampires that I had never previously experienced. Overall, it was much better and easier to view than Nosferatu. My understanding of the vampire lore did not change by watching this episode, however it was interesting to see the initial entrance of the vampire coming up from the ground. I did not expect the creature that appeared, it was more fearful and ugly than anything I have seen in any film. Some rhetorical elements that I came across was the power of women in the time period, and the theme of good and evil. This show was much more appealing to my own senses and to the viewers of the time. With the use of more popular actors and strong humor, themes involved with monsters are alot easier to see. Like twilight, this show appeals to a different audience to show the rhetorical strategies and themes of vampires and monsters.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Blog Prompt

What were your initial reactions to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer? What did it add to your current understanding of vampire lore? What explicit rhetorical elements could you discern? Think about the ways in which the show attempted to appeal to you through reason, credibility, and emotions. In addition, consider the ways various rhetorical strategies were used.

What elements of culture were being critiqued in the episodes? How does this change your understanding of how monsters function in terms of social problems?

What elements of the show were confusing? How so?

Prompt for Blog Post #1

What were your initial reactions to the film Nosferatu? What did it add to your current understanding of vampire lore? What might the sexual ambiguity of Count Orlock have meant in the context of 1920s Germany? How might anti-Semitism have figured in? What elements of Count Orlock seem to be making a critique of the social conditions at the time? How does this change your understanding of how American vampires are depicted in modern movies? How are they similar and how are they different?