Alive In Joburg

This is the original short which served as the inspiration for District 9. Think about what's similar and what changed over the course of the adaptation. The interviewees on this version were not actors. They were asked to consider or respond to the recent surge of Zimbabwean refugees fleeing from political turmoil related to Mugabe's transitions to autocracy. How should we read this? What point is Blomkamp making? How does his decision to ask black South Africans to weigh in complicate the allegorical relation in the face of South Africa's history of apartheid?

Blog Post--I Am Legend

Matheson's I Am Legend seems to combine features of both the vampire and the zombie mythology, and in this way it bridges the gap between the last two units, serving as a liminal exhibit to investigate what we expect from these horror memes. After reading the novelette, what strikes you as novel or suggestive in Matheson's apocalyptic vision? In what way does it mirror Dawn of the Dead or Walking Dead, and to what extent does it do something different? What fears are being writ large in Matheson's book and how do the monstrous incarnations of these fears reflect them?

Blog Post--Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead (1979) represents a significant shift from Romero's first foray into the zombie genre. In this post, identify scenes or features that seem to add new or extended approaches to cultural critiques made by the film. Harper and McGurl both identify the zombie as the "lumpenproletariat" of the monster world--what, in the contemporary American context, is the film using the zombies to refer to? Alternatively, what do you make of the introduction of parody and satire to the genre? What is added by featuring the zombie genre, already by 1979, as a site of comedy as well as horror?

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.

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?