A Zombie By Any Other Name Still Smells As...Er...Dead?

When Cohen, Asma or Ingebretsen discuss monsters, they have a tendency to unify them under a category: a monster is a monster, their differences a matter of cultural expression. But in what ways do the different sub-categories of monstrosity--vampires, zombies, aliens, giant-ism, lycanthropy, etc.--bear their own, seemingly implicit, characters? Do certain monsters express certain cultural angst better? Or can you switch them out? Harper asks, of Night of the Living Dead, "Why zombies, as opposed to vampires or dragons or giant beetles?" Is he right that this decision is as important as the mere fact of representing fear?

The Walking Dead

What was your reaction to the first scene of The Walking Dead? How did this scene set the tone for the rest of the show? Discuss which moments in the show you found most intriguing and why. In addition, I would like you to consider how this take on zombies compares with the filmic treatments we have explored during class. Think about both similarities and differences, and frame at least one question that you could ask to draw connections between The Walking Dead and other works.

Make-Up Posts

This forum is for students in the U.C. class that were unable to complete the peer review because of partner absence.

Use *any* monster movie. Offer an interpretation of the major cultural critique you are interested in the film, and support your interpretation using examples.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Enjoyable beginning to a scary TV series. Horror revolves around not only the idea of death, but in exploring the very real human fear of it. Buffy is not only horror allegory but also comedy, romance and melodrama. However, there was not much change in my current understanding of the vampire lore. Into each generation a slayer is born. One girl in the entire world is the chosen one. She is born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires and to stop the spreading of evil. At the young age of 15, Buffy is chosen to hunt down and kill vampires, demons and other forces of darkness. Buffy Summers has been presented here as a messiah figure.

Vampires just want to Rape you

In Buffy the vampire slayer vampiricism is a malicious force that can take over anyone, corrupt them, and cause them to turn on their friends. Xander and Willow's best friend Jessie has this happen to him. The question is what does this monstrousness map to in the “real” world. One likely example is that vampiricicism is a metaphor for older men preying on younger girls. The major characters are mostly teenagers, and all of the villains are ancient vampires that the hero can identify due to out of date fashions. They're trying to fit in with high school students, going to dance clubs with High School sophomores (the main cast) while they (the vampires) are much to old to be socializing with that age group. They then try to lure the young girls outside the club to metaphorically rape them. The leader of the vampires is the oldest and the most vile looking creature who is seeking a chance to go out into the world and take what is his.

Giles is not a problem because he accepts his proper place with the “scoobies”, his role as guardian and father figure. He also has romantic interests with age appropriate women (Jenny Carpenter and briefly Buffy's mother).

Jessie is an interesting case because he was one of the gang until he turned. This clearly symbolizes his growing sexual experience and how after he lost his innocence he was no longer one of the group.

Buffy seems to clearly take the stance that it is wrong for teenagers to have sex before senior year of high school. In later episodes Buffy having sex in her junior year turns out badly. Xander doesn't have a meaningful sexual relationship until his senior year. And Willow and Oz wait till their senior year to make sure they are both ready.

Analytics and Blogging

At this point in the blog development, we are hoping that all of you will begin to interact on the level ideas across the course divides and begin arguing and debating interpretations and approaches of the texts we are all studying. One of the tactics integral to the analytic process across the board, whether it be essays, short responses, or blog interactions, is to work with language that leans towards claims that are supported with evidence, with either logos or ethos that establish the reasoned approach of your conclusions regarding the texts we are working with. The link below is a very sage explanation of what these rhetorical strategies are and why they are effective. Take a look.

http://barryeisler.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-argue.html#links

Start feeling comfortable making strong claims and seeking to establish them through evidence as this is the heart of what an essay body does.

Blog Post--District 9

District 9 focuses on some of the problems associated with racism, particularly critiquing various types of dehumanization. Consider the different ways that the alien characters are dehumanized, including stereotypes, the slum refugee camp, and also the problems associated with point-of-view in the film. Consider the ways in which the film attempts to allegorize racism and to call for empathy with the experiences of those we deem different from us, but also consider the ways in which this call to empathy might be problematic.

Try out the strong response model for your post--critique the rhetorical features of a particular part of the film, then move on to a more general critique of the ideas embedded in the film, and, if you are comfortable posting something personal in a public space, finish with a reflection.