Wade Davis’ second work on zombification in Haiti, ‘Passage of Darkness,’ though just as criticized as his first work for providing weak arguments and misrepresented information, does provide some points to think about. The chapters read connect to Seabrook’s ‘The Magic Island’ and provide a sort of context to view the text from.
Chapter 2 of ‘Passage of Darkness’ presents the zombie as it is in Haitian and western popular culture. It is understandable why the zombie is a figure of fixation in every form of story from legends to film. The zombie holds an interesting position, straddling the worlds of that which is known, life, and that which cannot be known, death. This dual nature is of importance to the Vodoun practices from which the zombie legends stem. The stories of the zombie are used to get across a moral or other social lesson. While they may not be Pinocchio, they get the job done.
But unlike the wooden puppet, the zombie stories may have ground in truth. Davis observes the rituals used to make several different poisons in several parts of the country. He also breaks down the recipe and goes into more specific detail each ingredient, plant, fish, reptile, and human remains may have on the mixture. Beyond this, he also calls into question the accuracy that is truly present in the methods used to proclaim an individual as dead. Methods such as checking for heart beat or breathing may not be universal, particularly if there are poisons and neurotoxins interfering with the normal body processes.
While Davis spends his third and fourth chapters explaining the ways in which the creation of a true zombie could be possible, perhaps the most influential force in the creation of a zombie is seen in his second chapter: the belief of the Haitian people in the zombie.
Put aside for a moment all the neurotoxins and poisons present in the puffer fish and the bufo toad and focus solely on the belief necessary to keep the legends and stories as alive and recurring as they have proven to be. If there was not such a strong belief that zombification was possible, there would not have been nearly the amount of reports for Davis to draw from in his essay. People would believe it a trick of the mind when they saw a relative long dead, not report the sighting (and be backed up by multiple others.) And when these sightings were reported, if the belief was not as widespread as it is, a single report would not cause widespread hysteria. Even if Davis does provide an argument that the possibility is there for a zombie reminiscent of the folk lore to be made through the combination of inadequate and non-universal proclamations of death and a mix of flora, fauna, cadavers, and sometimes glass, the most important ingredient to the zombie will continue to be the belief of the people. The zombie is part of the social folk lore and religious structure of Haiti, perhaps creating a figure so strong, we up in Wisconsin can’t even shake a Hodag at it.
28 February 2010
28 Days Later
28 Days Later, by definition, does not appear to be a zombie movie when compared to other films within the same genre. Normally, zombies are “undead” creatures where the host body must actually die before it can be reanimated into its zombie state. However, as with I am Legend... although a creature may not fit the specific qualities of a zombie that seem to have been predetermined in a very Romero-favorite sense, can we not assimilate zombie-like creatures into the zombie genre if similar themes apply? The “Infected” of 28 Days Later do not actually die, they only contract the Rage virus which, of course, causes them to exhibit zombie-like qualities such as the perpetual need to consume and little to no self-awareness.
The concept of an “Infected” population seems to become more and more common, exemplified by the popular video game Left 4 Dead. While the player is not entirely sure what the cause of the endless swarms of enemies' physical state is, they are called Infected so we can assume their predicament was caused by something similar to 28 Days Later. Decades ago, zombies were commonly the result of voodoo “magic”, experimentation on dead bodies gone awry, but there very rarely was a case of something like the Rage virus which is the more popular zombie existence theory in fiction.
Why is there less magic and more “science”? Put simply, it's the direction fiction as a whole has migrated toward. Less wizards, more robots (dumbed down in the harshest way possible). We don't necessarily need a detailed explanation of how the zombie outbreak happened, all we really want to know is it's plausible or not. This sense of plausibility is most evident in the newly popular superhero genres, such as Christopher Nolan's revamped Batman movies. Exactly how long will this trend continue? It's hard to say, but what's important to draw from this is that zombie movies appear to be products of their time. Whether offering social commentary or not, they present a view from the opposing side of the mainstream norms. This, I believe, is a trend that won't stop anytime soon.
The concept of an “Infected” population seems to become more and more common, exemplified by the popular video game Left 4 Dead. While the player is not entirely sure what the cause of the endless swarms of enemies' physical state is, they are called Infected so we can assume their predicament was caused by something similar to 28 Days Later. Decades ago, zombies were commonly the result of voodoo “magic”, experimentation on dead bodies gone awry, but there very rarely was a case of something like the Rage virus which is the more popular zombie existence theory in fiction.
Why is there less magic and more “science”? Put simply, it's the direction fiction as a whole has migrated toward. Less wizards, more robots (dumbed down in the harshest way possible). We don't necessarily need a detailed explanation of how the zombie outbreak happened, all we really want to know is it's plausible or not. This sense of plausibility is most evident in the newly popular superhero genres, such as Christopher Nolan's revamped Batman movies. Exactly how long will this trend continue? It's hard to say, but what's important to draw from this is that zombie movies appear to be products of their time. Whether offering social commentary or not, they present a view from the opposing side of the mainstream norms. This, I believe, is a trend that won't stop anytime soon.
The Infected of 28 Days Later
(Am I stupid, or can you not effectively copy/paste a word document to this text box? It wouldn't let me paste it here. Anywho.)
In my mind, and with others who I know, I’ve counted 28 Days Later as one of the best zombie films of recent years. But it’s only now that I realize that it shouldn’t be called a zombie film. In class we discussed what is and isn’t a zombie, although mostly in the context of between vampires and them.
The “creatures” in the film are referred to as “infected”. They have been infected with “Rage” which turns them into super-aggressive, contagious, bodies of filth. Now, we know of zombies that come to be from viral means, but the big difference between viral zombies and Rage victims are the fact that the infected in the film do not die before flipping the crazy switch. In the two main cases where this is evident are at the beginning where the activist gets bitten, and when Frank gets the blood in his eye. This shows the near instantaneous rate of infection of the virus. Correct me if I’m wrong, but not once in the film does it show an already dead body coming back infected.
On that note, I believe that the infected are strictly still human. Granted, their reasoning functions along with their emotions are shot to hell, but their bodies do not rot like zombies. They are simply human beings who have been infected with a virus. In fact, at the end of the film you see some infected starved to death, and I don’t know about you, but I never heard of zombies starving.
Since we mentioned that even zombies used to be someone, like your neighbor or sibling or what have you, they are no longer that person once zombified. But with Rage, the person you have to kill could have, not one minute ago, just been your friend. The example I keep coming back to is when Frank turns about two thirds into the film. Frank gets a drop of infected blood in his eye, and he knows exactly what will happen any second, trying to keep his daughter away from him (no matter how often I see this movie, I still choke up a little at that scene). And Jim is clearly hesitant to bash in the head of the happy man who was his friend just seconds ago, as I’m more than sure would be the case for anyone forced into the same position.
Despite his apparent indifference to the situation, I believe that Major Henry West hit the nail on the head when he said “This is what I've seen in the four weeks since infection: people killing people. Which is much what I saw in the four weeks before infection, and the four weeks before that, and before that, as far back as I care to remember- people killing people”. With all I’ve seen and discussed, how can you bring yourself to kill someone? Not even just a zombie, but another person. Rage makes an already hard decision much more difficult.
28 Days Later
The film 28 Days Later is a personal favorite of mine. The directing style of Danny Boyle is quite particular and allows the viewer to vividly see everything around the characters. While not technically an “undead zombie” movie, Days still deals with the basic concept of loss of humanity and destruction of civilization. Yet while being initially depressing there is still a sense of hope because the infection has thus far been contained to the British Isles. The three survivors at the end of the film have also been able to create a new “family” and have maintained hope that there is either a cure or someway out of their present situation.
I really liked how the virus was first spread to humans. It gives a message that despite people’s best efforts they should not mess with things they don’t understand the basics of. While the animal rights activists wished to save the Chimpanzees they also disregard the scientist’s word that something is wrong. They choose to be ignorant and believe only what they think is right. After this initial tainting of the scientific world they are redeemed when we are introduced to Jim, who has been in a coma and was locked inside his hospital room by the staff with hopes that he would survive both his current state and the catastrophe outside.
Once Jim leaves the relative safety of the hospital he is introduced to his new world, a completely empty London, inhabited by those now infected with the rage virus. He stumbles upon some people and eventually has a group of four to travel north to a military base with. They are being very optimistic that those on the base will either have a cure or be able to help them but that is all they have to go by, their small human emotion of hope in the world. However, once on the base they are disappointed to find that the soldiers are only there to sustain themselves and their own well-being. One of the four dies en route and the soldiers take the two girls, Selena and Hannah, captive in a vicious attempt to rape them. Jim is taken to be killed but manages to escape. He then returns to the base and his own instincts take over as he destroys the soldiers and saves Hannah and Selena. Jim is vaguely aware that there is still a world and civilization outside of England when he sees a jet flying overhead. This small symbol allows the survivors to restore their own humanity and work towards a future.
Hope and loss of humanity play large roles in the film. The Rage virus destroys all human nature and the person infected is reduced to their animalistic roots. Yet, while the inability to control this side of a person turns them into the raging lunatic seen chasing the survivors, these basic human instincts are what allow Jim to save himself and for Selena and Hannah to outsmart the soldiers for what little time they have to before terror ensues. And while the world is being destroyed around them, the three survivors believe that there is a way out and they will continue living.
To me 28 Days Later is one of the more realistic “zombie” movies out there. It is not a story of the dead coming back to life, it is a story of a virus that gets out of control, something very real in today’s world where we don’t have cures for many thing such as Ebola and HIV. Also each character maintains their hope and humanity while their world is spiraling out of control. The movie ends on an upbeat note as Jim, Selena, and Hannah have made a home for themselves in the countryside and are trying to be seen by the military jets that frequently fly overhead.
I really liked how the virus was first spread to humans. It gives a message that despite people’s best efforts they should not mess with things they don’t understand the basics of. While the animal rights activists wished to save the Chimpanzees they also disregard the scientist’s word that something is wrong. They choose to be ignorant and believe only what they think is right. After this initial tainting of the scientific world they are redeemed when we are introduced to Jim, who has been in a coma and was locked inside his hospital room by the staff with hopes that he would survive both his current state and the catastrophe outside.
Once Jim leaves the relative safety of the hospital he is introduced to his new world, a completely empty London, inhabited by those now infected with the rage virus. He stumbles upon some people and eventually has a group of four to travel north to a military base with. They are being very optimistic that those on the base will either have a cure or be able to help them but that is all they have to go by, their small human emotion of hope in the world. However, once on the base they are disappointed to find that the soldiers are only there to sustain themselves and their own well-being. One of the four dies en route and the soldiers take the two girls, Selena and Hannah, captive in a vicious attempt to rape them. Jim is taken to be killed but manages to escape. He then returns to the base and his own instincts take over as he destroys the soldiers and saves Hannah and Selena. Jim is vaguely aware that there is still a world and civilization outside of England when he sees a jet flying overhead. This small symbol allows the survivors to restore their own humanity and work towards a future.
Hope and loss of humanity play large roles in the film. The Rage virus destroys all human nature and the person infected is reduced to their animalistic roots. Yet, while the inability to control this side of a person turns them into the raging lunatic seen chasing the survivors, these basic human instincts are what allow Jim to save himself and for Selena and Hannah to outsmart the soldiers for what little time they have to before terror ensues. And while the world is being destroyed around them, the three survivors believe that there is a way out and they will continue living.
To me 28 Days Later is one of the more realistic “zombie” movies out there. It is not a story of the dead coming back to life, it is a story of a virus that gets out of control, something very real in today’s world where we don’t have cures for many thing such as Ebola and HIV. Also each character maintains their hope and humanity while their world is spiraling out of control. The movie ends on an upbeat note as Jim, Selena, and Hannah have made a home for themselves in the countryside and are trying to be seen by the military jets that frequently fly overhead.
24 February 2010
Of Bokur and Zombies
Considering the rich folklore, dark mysticism and brooding illustrations ensconced within the pages, “The Magic Island” is not the title I would have chosen for this collection of tales written by W.B Seabrook. Seabrook himself had a dark, brooding, almost sordid air about him, and a thing for dark magics, though not much is known about him otherwise. After spending a year or so as a soldier in the French army during World War One, he became a reporter for The New York Times and went to travel the world, ferreting out its secrets as only a journalist can.
During his travels, he dabbled in cannibalism, dark magics and vodun, (voodoo to you) even consorting with Alastair Crawley on occasion, the famed English occultist and hedonist and ceremonial magician, and one of the most controversial human beings of all time, even called “the wickedest man of all time,” by the press of the day. Seabrook himself lived quite a similar life to Crawley, exploring the world and taking in tales of dark mysticism, from Arabia to Guere to Haiti and the like, collecting the stories and writing on them, taking care never to embellish anything he was told. He finally died of a drug overdose in 1949.
Considering that the author himself was careful to state that his books were neither “fiction nor embroidery,” one might conclude that he is either lying or insane when it comes to the stories in “The Magic Island.” As previously stated, “The Magic Island” takes place in turn of the century Haiti, and takes the reader deep into Seabrook’s quest for knowledge, bringing to light a side of the island that outsiders scarcely got to see.
The selection that was read for class was, obviously, involving zombies, which as Seabrook notes is a being only heard of in Haiti. More specifically, it involved the tale of Joseph, a bokur that is a Vodun sorcerer, one that “serves the loa with both hands,” or practices both black and benevolent magic as an opposed to a priest or priestess of the faith, a houngan or mamba. This bokur raised people from their eternal slumber to serve as fieldhands so that he can make a profit off of their labor, without doing much work himself, one supposes.
His wife, pitying them for their endless, mindless, work decides to take them to the Fête Dieu festival while her husband is away, to liven up their afterlives so to speak. The Fête Dieu is the French name for Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament that takes place sixty days before Easter, and is a festival that commemorates the sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread or wafers that become the body of Jesus during communion. Quite fitting for a zombie tale.
As “everyone knows” zombies should never be allowed to eat neither salt nor meat, for the adverse effects it would have on them. Knowing this, the wife, Croyance, still wants to treat them to something, and buys a type of candy, thinking that because it is sweet, it will not affect them. Unbeknownst to her, the nuts in the candy were salted, and as soon as the salt hits their dead tongues, the zombies’ mental faculties returned and they knew that they were dead. What else would the dead do but return to their resting places?
Outraged that their loved ones would be so abused after death, the family members of the zombies restore their graves, then summon another bokur to create an ouanga, which is a talisman that houses the spirits of the dead. They kill Joseph while he sleeps, so that his own magic will not weaken the spell and stop his soul from being housed in the needle ouanga, a fitting punishment for one who would use the dead for his own ends.
During his travels, he dabbled in cannibalism, dark magics and vodun, (voodoo to you) even consorting with Alastair Crawley on occasion, the famed English occultist and hedonist and ceremonial magician, and one of the most controversial human beings of all time, even called “the wickedest man of all time,” by the press of the day. Seabrook himself lived quite a similar life to Crawley, exploring the world and taking in tales of dark mysticism, from Arabia to Guere to Haiti and the like, collecting the stories and writing on them, taking care never to embellish anything he was told. He finally died of a drug overdose in 1949.
Considering that the author himself was careful to state that his books were neither “fiction nor embroidery,” one might conclude that he is either lying or insane when it comes to the stories in “The Magic Island.” As previously stated, “The Magic Island” takes place in turn of the century Haiti, and takes the reader deep into Seabrook’s quest for knowledge, bringing to light a side of the island that outsiders scarcely got to see.
The selection that was read for class was, obviously, involving zombies, which as Seabrook notes is a being only heard of in Haiti. More specifically, it involved the tale of Joseph, a bokur that is a Vodun sorcerer, one that “serves the loa with both hands,” or practices both black and benevolent magic as an opposed to a priest or priestess of the faith, a houngan or mamba. This bokur raised people from their eternal slumber to serve as fieldhands so that he can make a profit off of their labor, without doing much work himself, one supposes.
His wife, pitying them for their endless, mindless, work decides to take them to the Fête Dieu festival while her husband is away, to liven up their afterlives so to speak. The Fête Dieu is the French name for Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament that takes place sixty days before Easter, and is a festival that commemorates the sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread or wafers that become the body of Jesus during communion. Quite fitting for a zombie tale.
As “everyone knows” zombies should never be allowed to eat neither salt nor meat, for the adverse effects it would have on them. Knowing this, the wife, Croyance, still wants to treat them to something, and buys a type of candy, thinking that because it is sweet, it will not affect them. Unbeknownst to her, the nuts in the candy were salted, and as soon as the salt hits their dead tongues, the zombies’ mental faculties returned and they knew that they were dead. What else would the dead do but return to their resting places?
Outraged that their loved ones would be so abused after death, the family members of the zombies restore their graves, then summon another bokur to create an ouanga, which is a talisman that houses the spirits of the dead. They kill Joseph while he sleeps, so that his own magic will not weaken the spell and stop his soul from being housed in the needle ouanga, a fitting punishment for one who would use the dead for his own ends.
23 February 2010
The Magic Island - W.B. Seabrook
W.B. Seabrook's The Magic Island was far from the whimsical connotation of its given title. Written in 1929, the excerpt read (pages 92-103) is a cultural tale of zombies within the novel. In the beginning we see this author use Haiti as the place of origin for these zombies as he uses the Magic Island to compare to the island of Haiti. As the narrator in the opening scene listens to the man Polynice talk, he also realizes that zombies "[sound] exclusively local" to Haitian culture (93).
Before going further into analyzing the story and its content in regards to the class, I cannot bypass the style that Seabrook's used throughout and his intentions for doing so. The word zombie definitely caught my eye, not just because of this class but fact that in every presence of the word it is italicized. Could Seabrook's reasoning to apply this manner to the word be to separate the zombie more distinctly from the living people of Haiti? Or could it be to give the reader an eerie sensation? Seabrook's zombies are much more relatable than other in previous movies, Omega Man, or books, I am Legend. By this, I mean that in The Magic Island the zombies are able to integrate themselves into an actual lifestyle, although they are "forced to toil in the fields" (102). In Haiti, people truly believe that these zombies exist as clueless figures. So going back to the italicized zombie, by reading the word every time in a different manner than the rest of the words, the zombie is depicted as a feared figure in Haitian culture. I believe the style was done intentionally to help emphasize certain aspects in the chapter.
One of the main points that can be used for the benefit of our class is to look at the zombie in The Magic Island as a voodoo or spiritual type rather than a contagion zombie. Our topic for the current readings in our class say that these types of zombies can signify punishment. The people of Haiti "[pity] them" "from the bottom of [their] heart[s] (96,100). Zombies in this chapter are not ones to go and terrorize the living for they are "without souls or mind" (97). They just were part of a voodoo, or religious, tradition and were unburied in order to work for Joseph in the cane field. Only when the zombies realized that they were dead, from recognizing family members, did they actually do something and began digging at their graves to be put to rest. As punishment was destined for Joseph, who dug up the dead in order to be laboring zombies for him (and unlike other traditional zombie stories) it was the living people who sought revenge. The family members of the zombies ordered Joseph to be killed and it happened through voodoo... Although that all took a little while to explain it was important to see how the events occurred, which as said before, are very different from the zombie stories that we hear of today. In the Haitian culture, zombies can show the punishment that will occur to people who try to disturb the dead through unnatural means.
22 February 2010
I Am Legend- Film
This film stars Will Smith, and is personally one of my favorites. Although it does not follow close with the book very well, it still has the same principles. The idea of the last man on earth, these vampires, or zombies that are coming to get him. The largest difference that i noticed between the book and the movie is that the movie was much easier. I mean the fact that Neville was a Doctor, had a companion, didn't have to worry about anything coming to his house at night. All he had to really worry about was finding a cure. Then he is trying to kill himself, and is magically saved. It is really hollywood's magic that made this movie much easier. None the less though, Neville still did have a lot of struggles to go through, and to find. You can still almost feel his anger yourself, much so in the way the book transmitted those feelings as well.
The idea of the girl being introduced was rather bizzare to me. She came out of nowhere, had a kid, and knew relatively nothing. It was just strange that she was really even in the story, Neville could have really boarded himself up in the little bomb shelter, and made a run for the north just as easily.
I feel the idea of him finding a cure makes the movie a lot better though. Upon talking with some of my friends about it, they hated the idea of a cure, and how the female survived, but then again they couldn't think of a better way to really end it as well. The fact that the female made it to another civilization i believe gives us hope. It is that movie message that is portrayed. Well that and symbolism, with the butterfly, but transmitting that to real life i find rather difficult.
All in all, even though the movie was rather different that the book, what i think it did best was to bring the books premise into the 20th century. It made it modern, and kept the books idea's going through a new era, so that one of the best zombie books, can be continued, it will in essence, never die.
The idea of the girl being introduced was rather bizzare to me. She came out of nowhere, had a kid, and knew relatively nothing. It was just strange that she was really even in the story, Neville could have really boarded himself up in the little bomb shelter, and made a run for the north just as easily.
I feel the idea of him finding a cure makes the movie a lot better though. Upon talking with some of my friends about it, they hated the idea of a cure, and how the female survived, but then again they couldn't think of a better way to really end it as well. The fact that the female made it to another civilization i believe gives us hope. It is that movie message that is portrayed. Well that and symbolism, with the butterfly, but transmitting that to real life i find rather difficult.
All in all, even though the movie was rather different that the book, what i think it did best was to bring the books premise into the 20th century. It made it modern, and kept the books idea's going through a new era, so that one of the best zombie books, can be continued, it will in essence, never die.
Alein Nation
Well Patrick isn't the only one making a late response, I apologize as well for my late responses
Upon reading Alein nation, the first statement alone i thought was confusing. Then I got the ball rolling, and it was indeed an intruiging article. It was interesting to see how the Camaroff's related zombies to immigrants, and capitalism. It was interesting that within the first page really, there wasn't much of a mention of zombies at all. I was also surprised about the professionalism really of the article, seeing as it talking about zombies, and most of the time, they are not taken from such a scholarly view.
The article discusses in the beginning of the 18th through the 19th century, that capitalism was really what was in the 18th century, because everyone could buy their own land, and make a profit for one's self. To the 19th century, where everything became about the factory worker. The machine shops, etc. The article argues that this was due to gambling; the lottery namely.
"Now it is routinized in a widespread infatuation with, and popular participation in, financial 'investments' that take the form of cast, high-risk dealings in stocks and bonds and funds whose rise and fall appear to be governed purely by chance. It also expresses itself in a fascination with 'futures' and with their downmarket counterpart, the lottery; banal, if symbolically saturated fatasies these of a winning number at the behest of unseen forces."
This quote simply shows that because of the lottery, it pretty much did away with the thought of capitalism.
In the next part of the article, it discusses how capitalism fell due to the immigrants. If everyone can get someone else that worked for them, to do their work, then they can get a lot more done. The immigrants being moderately mindless, similar to the zombie.
The article also discusses how the idea of the zombie came from africa, my interpretation of this is because of african voodoo. Thus creating the zombie, or bringing the dead back to life, through means of voodoo.
Upon reading Alein nation, the first statement alone i thought was confusing. Then I got the ball rolling, and it was indeed an intruiging article. It was interesting to see how the Camaroff's related zombies to immigrants, and capitalism. It was interesting that within the first page really, there wasn't much of a mention of zombies at all. I was also surprised about the professionalism really of the article, seeing as it talking about zombies, and most of the time, they are not taken from such a scholarly view.
The article discusses in the beginning of the 18th through the 19th century, that capitalism was really what was in the 18th century, because everyone could buy their own land, and make a profit for one's self. To the 19th century, where everything became about the factory worker. The machine shops, etc. The article argues that this was due to gambling; the lottery namely.
"Now it is routinized in a widespread infatuation with, and popular participation in, financial 'investments' that take the form of cast, high-risk dealings in stocks and bonds and funds whose rise and fall appear to be governed purely by chance. It also expresses itself in a fascination with 'futures' and with their downmarket counterpart, the lottery; banal, if symbolically saturated fatasies these of a winning number at the behest of unseen forces."
This quote simply shows that because of the lottery, it pretty much did away with the thought of capitalism.
In the next part of the article, it discusses how capitalism fell due to the immigrants. If everyone can get someone else that worked for them, to do their work, then they can get a lot more done. The immigrants being moderately mindless, similar to the zombie.
The article also discusses how the idea of the zombie came from africa, my interpretation of this is because of african voodoo. Thus creating the zombie, or bringing the dead back to life, through means of voodoo.
Alien-Nation
Note: I apologize for the late response and doubt anyone will read this before class, but here it goes:
The Comaroff's interpretation in Alien-Nation of how exactly zombism originated in South Africa presents an argument unfamiliar in zombie lore; the notion that Western influences on African culture are the primary culprit of the myth surrounding zombie tales and legends. As the Comaroffs state, conditions of an “Unprecedented mix of hope and hopelessness, promise and impossibility, [and] the new and the continuing” all led to general resentment to the colonials of the region who directly assaulted the local sense of morality and tradition. This attack led to an obvious confrontation and from this stemmed the theme of zombies in their society, which are quite literally direct representations of all the above conditions as a result of immigration to Africa.
However, what does this have to do with anything we've discussed in class? One might ask. I think it's important we remember to explore all facets of zombie lore as we would any other topic, really. For example, there appears to be a running theme of “the people” vs some larger force such as a the colonials in South Africa or some large corporation or government-funded experiments gone awry, both resulting in the appearance of zombies (albeit in Africa it was purely fictional, as in the modern-day film and literature). Perhaps the emotionless zombie focused purely on consuming everything it can is a play on the way our society operates... perhaps not.
It seems that zombie lore manifests not so much out of fear... but of disparity or of a loss of the ways of the past. The zombie world is one vastly different to our own in which we no longer control the world operates, in a sense, and are the minority against an overwhelming enemy. However, this really only takes place in the more recent zombie fictions of the past 60 years or so, whereas the zombies of old in South Africa are more linked to specific societal struggles the Africans faced by the onset of large-scale immigration. Ultimately, Alien-Nation sheds a new light on what zombies signify in deeper sense than just some cool dead-but-not-dead entity who's only real line of thought is “EAT”. By using the lessons learned from the Comaroffs, as a class we can more carefully attempt to understand what the zombie really represents, if anything at all.
The Comaroff's interpretation in Alien-Nation of how exactly zombism originated in South Africa presents an argument unfamiliar in zombie lore; the notion that Western influences on African culture are the primary culprit of the myth surrounding zombie tales and legends. As the Comaroffs state, conditions of an “Unprecedented mix of hope and hopelessness, promise and impossibility, [and] the new and the continuing” all led to general resentment to the colonials of the region who directly assaulted the local sense of morality and tradition. This attack led to an obvious confrontation and from this stemmed the theme of zombies in their society, which are quite literally direct representations of all the above conditions as a result of immigration to Africa.
However, what does this have to do with anything we've discussed in class? One might ask. I think it's important we remember to explore all facets of zombie lore as we would any other topic, really. For example, there appears to be a running theme of “the people” vs some larger force such as a the colonials in South Africa or some large corporation or government-funded experiments gone awry, both resulting in the appearance of zombies (albeit in Africa it was purely fictional, as in the modern-day film and literature). Perhaps the emotionless zombie focused purely on consuming everything it can is a play on the way our society operates... perhaps not.
It seems that zombie lore manifests not so much out of fear... but of disparity or of a loss of the ways of the past. The zombie world is one vastly different to our own in which we no longer control the world operates, in a sense, and are the minority against an overwhelming enemy. However, this really only takes place in the more recent zombie fictions of the past 60 years or so, whereas the zombies of old in South Africa are more linked to specific societal struggles the Africans faced by the onset of large-scale immigration. Ultimately, Alien-Nation sheds a new light on what zombies signify in deeper sense than just some cool dead-but-not-dead entity who's only real line of thought is “EAT”. By using the lessons learned from the Comaroffs, as a class we can more carefully attempt to understand what the zombie really represents, if anything at all.
21 February 2010
Alien-Nation: Zombies, Immigrants, and Millennial Capitalism
Think that zombies, immigrants, and capitalism have little to do with each other? Well, Jean and John Comaroff will most definitely argue that the three are clearly related.
First things first, What is millennial capitalism? It is just an academic way to say that the Comaroffs are focusing on capitalism since the 1980s. With that out of the way, let me summarize the hard to follow 27 pages assigned.
The Comaroffs begin by highlighting the economic shift to consumerism in the last century. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, consumption was literally a disease- now pulmonary tuberculosis. But in the twentieth century, consumption was hailed as a mark of modernity; "a person is a subject made by means of objects." However, this focus on consuming lead to a loss of significance of production. People became far removed from the production of goods as factories were sent to other places where labor was cheap. Put it in our perspective, when you put on a t-shirt do you think about all the work that went into making it? The farm where the cotton was grown? The effort to make raw cotton into fabric? Cutting that fabric into a pattern? Sewing the pieces together? The artist who created the design on the from? If you think of all of those things when you put on a t-shirt, I think it's fairly safe to say you are an exception to the norm. Anyways, in a world of consumers, most people are disconnected from the effort it takes to make each good because most don't work actually producing a good by hand. That brings me to the Comaroffs next point about capitalism. In Neo-capitalism, investments are like gambling. People hope to earn money by what seems to be chance. Profit with little production cost.
How does this relate to zombies and immigrants? Well, South Africa is experiencing an economic change from a strictly regulated economy under apartheid rule to laissez faire capitalism. This causes a disparity in class. There are a few whom have profited, while the rest suffer in poverty. "Almost instantaneous riches to those who control its technologies, and, simultaneously, to threaten the vert livelihood of those who do not," as the Comaroffs put it.
The South Africans vehemently believe in zombies. Zombies are people who have been cursed to serve a master, to work for them by night and be an unthinking object by day. These are the mystical zombies like the ones told in tales in Haiti. Like we discussed in class, the zombie is clearly a projection of our fear of becoming slaves to capitalism. In South Africa, the zombie-makers are profiting off of the work of others without doing much work themselves, basically the essential way to make money in a capitalist economy: investment. The zombie-makers themselves even represent the fear of being of being consumed by capitalism. The zombie-makers cannot reproduce and they can prevent others from reproducing. This is a personification of the South Africans' fear that they cannot get jobs (because zombies are working them) and will not be able to support a family, stagnating the community.
This same fear extends to immigrants. The Comaroffs explain it, "Like zombies, they are nightmare citizens, their rootlessness threatening to siphon off the remaining, rapidly diminishing prosperity of the indigenous population."
Because of the fear of being left out of the capitalist race, and having nothing the South Africans caricatured their fears and projected them onto zombies. Immigrants were the real life version of the zombie- figures from outside the community come to take the South Africans' livelihood. This differs from what we had discussed in class because, we the consumers are separated from the producing side that the African's are familiar with. They fear not that their materialism shall make from mindless consuming drones, but that in the fast paced capitalist economy- that profits only some- will leave them without.
I Am Legend
In the 2007 adaptation of I Am Legend the story followed suit with a lot of the basic plots we have seen in the movies in this class. The world is over run with a zombie epidemic and the main character must try to survive in this apocalyptic new world. What causes the zombie like characters is an interesting topic in itself in this adaptation because it is explained that the cause is a mutated strain of a cure for cancer. What is interesting about this is that in the world we live in today lots of drugs are being put out on the market without being thoroughly tested. It is scary to think that with the prevalence of cancer in our world and the profits a cure for cancer would produce, pharmaceutical companies would rush a cure on the market without knowing the long term ramifications.
The actual zombies are quite different than the ones we have seen in the previous two movies. They are different than the clumsy slow moving zombies we saw in Night of the Living Dead and also different than the albino vampire like zombies we saw in Omega Man. In my opinion the zombies in I Am Legend look much more like monsters than the previous movies and that contributes to how scary they are. Another interesting thing I noticed was it seemed the zombies in this movie were stronger and faster than zombies we are used to seeing. When the zombies were trying to break into Dr. Neville's Plexiglas safe room the lead zombie seemed to be a big strong monster fueled by rage and almost super human strength and endurance. I think the discussion of the almost super human abilities the zombies seemed to gain after they had turned from human would be an interesting one in this class. The last thing I thought was interesting in this movie was at a point in the movie Robert Neville actually did give up unlike any of the other characters we have seen thus far. He went out after dark knowing that the zombies would eventually kill him, after they turned his dog forcing him to kill his only companion. Had it not been for Anna showing up and saving him he would tried to take out as many zombies as he could as well as himself. What I think would be interesting is the discussion of how far a humans instinct for survival would last when put in the situation Robert Neville was in. I wonder if a humans survival instinct would eventually break if all hope was gone of having another companion.
The actual zombies are quite different than the ones we have seen in the previous two movies. They are different than the clumsy slow moving zombies we saw in Night of the Living Dead and also different than the albino vampire like zombies we saw in Omega Man. In my opinion the zombies in I Am Legend look much more like monsters than the previous movies and that contributes to how scary they are. Another interesting thing I noticed was it seemed the zombies in this movie were stronger and faster than zombies we are used to seeing. When the zombies were trying to break into Dr. Neville's Plexiglas safe room the lead zombie seemed to be a big strong monster fueled by rage and almost super human strength and endurance. I think the discussion of the almost super human abilities the zombies seemed to gain after they had turned from human would be an interesting one in this class. The last thing I thought was interesting in this movie was at a point in the movie Robert Neville actually did give up unlike any of the other characters we have seen thus far. He went out after dark knowing that the zombies would eventually kill him, after they turned his dog forcing him to kill his only companion. Had it not been for Anna showing up and saving him he would tried to take out as many zombies as he could as well as himself. What I think would be interesting is the discussion of how far a humans instinct for survival would last when put in the situation Robert Neville was in. I wonder if a humans survival instinct would eventually break if all hope was gone of having another companion.
20 February 2010
I Am Legend-film
In the 2007 film “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith, we see a lot of raw human emotions and of course a lot of action. However, what I found disappointing about the film is its obvious differences from the novel. I had never seen the movie before this weekend, so I had the opportunity to read the book before viewing the movie. I think that the pure isolation and hopelessness portrayed in the novel was conveyed on screen at times, but it wasn’t quite as dark of a concept as it is in the book. In the book, the feeling of bleak desolation and being absolutely the last human on earth is always present and gives the novel such an eerie feel. In the movie the main character has his dog for company and eventually Anna and Ethan come around to help him find others who are still alive, whereas in the book he is the only one on the earth for the entire novel.
Another huge disappointment was the ending. The end of the movie was full of hope and the realization that sometimes we must make sacrifices, but in the end it will all be for a greater good. Anna and Ethan successfully deliver an antidote for the infection to the colony of surviving humans and that is where the movie ends. On the contrary, in the novel Robert ends up being killed because he is so feared by the infected and is never successful in inventing an antidote. I feel that the movie and the book generated completely different emotional feelings for me. I do think the movie did a good job of taking inspiration from the book, but there are so many clear differences that make it hard to compare the two. Overall, it was a well done movie with an interesting plot, but it did not follow the story line and main points that were written within the novel.
Another huge disappointment was the ending. The end of the movie was full of hope and the realization that sometimes we must make sacrifices, but in the end it will all be for a greater good. Anna and Ethan successfully deliver an antidote for the infection to the colony of surviving humans and that is where the movie ends. On the contrary, in the novel Robert ends up being killed because he is so feared by the infected and is never successful in inventing an antidote. I feel that the movie and the book generated completely different emotional feelings for me. I do think the movie did a good job of taking inspiration from the book, but there are so many clear differences that make it hard to compare the two. Overall, it was a well done movie with an interesting plot, but it did not follow the story line and main points that were written within the novel.
some tees from threadless. zombies infiltrating fashion.
http://www.threadless.com/product/2060/Use_Your_Brain
http://www.threadless.com/product/1404/Braaains#zoom
http://www.threadless.com/product/324/Of_The_Dead
http://www.threadless.com/product/632/In_Case_of_Zombies
http://www.threadless.com/product/1588/Eating_Brains_Throwing_Shapes
http://www.threadless.com/product/1404/Braaains#zoom
http://www.threadless.com/product/324/Of_The_Dead
http://www.threadless.com/product/632/In_Case_of_Zombies
http://www.threadless.com/product/1588/Eating_Brains_Throwing_Shapes
17 February 2010
New Zombie Survival type book
http://zombiecombatclub.com/
Thought this would interest some people from class, looks pretty awesome
Thought this would interest some people from class, looks pretty awesome
16 February 2010
"Herbert West -- Reanimator" by H.P. Lovecraft
"Herbert West -- Reanimator" is a short story written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1921 in serial format for a literary magazine. Though he has stated that he isn't too fond of this piece of work, it has undoubtedly been known as an essential piece or horror literature. The story is told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator, whom was the assistant of the title character, Herbert West. When the story begins both the narrator and West are medical students at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts. West is obsessed with the notion of reviving the dead through a reagent he has created. West, during his tenure at the University, experimented on many a different animal, but came up with nothing conclusive. He decides the time is right to venture into new territory: human trials.
The narrator goes on to tell the horrifying tale of West's adventures in grave robbing and his inhuman experiments done in the shadows of abandoned houses and barns. West begins to lose focus on why he's doing what he is and becomes mad with the notion of reanimation of a corpse. His first trial turns out badly. The subject did in fact reanimate, but every shred of human life is gone. He's ravenous and evil. West and his assistant flee, burning down their secret lab in the process, but no body is found. The creature lives. West continue these experiments and they just continue to become worse and worse, but he continues, hoping that if it works, his fame and admiration will make up for any and all ill feelings he may receive from naysayers.
This story is often credited as being one of the earliest incarnations of the zombie as we know it today. The story takes many themes from the work of Mary Shelley and uses them in a way that relates more to zombies as we now know them. What I feel really makes this story amazing is that West feels what he's doing is right, and beneficial to mankind in one way or another, so his actions will ultimately be forgiven. It creates a reason for the creatures that plague this small town, and gives a face to the evil. Like every true villain, no matter how bad it is or how wrong he may be, West believes his work is good and his word is truth. Though, even though he feels his work is justified, he fears what he's created, but he doesn't stop. He's a man possessed and at the end of the story, he willingly let's the "hideous tomb-legions" rip him apart because he knows he must own up for his mistake. He knew his time was up, and living for 17 years, constantly looking over his shoulder in fear, is no way to live. He's the ultimate mad scientist. He didn't want to rule the world, in his own weird way he wanted to help it, but he couldn't stop when he should have. Brilliant.
To end this, my favorite quote from this story which I like to use as often as possible.
"They imply that I am either a madman or a murderer -- probably I am mad. But I might not be mad if those accursed tomb-legions had not been so silent."
The narrator goes on to tell the horrifying tale of West's adventures in grave robbing and his inhuman experiments done in the shadows of abandoned houses and barns. West begins to lose focus on why he's doing what he is and becomes mad with the notion of reanimation of a corpse. His first trial turns out badly. The subject did in fact reanimate, but every shred of human life is gone. He's ravenous and evil. West and his assistant flee, burning down their secret lab in the process, but no body is found. The creature lives. West continue these experiments and they just continue to become worse and worse, but he continues, hoping that if it works, his fame and admiration will make up for any and all ill feelings he may receive from naysayers.
This story is often credited as being one of the earliest incarnations of the zombie as we know it today. The story takes many themes from the work of Mary Shelley and uses them in a way that relates more to zombies as we now know them. What I feel really makes this story amazing is that West feels what he's doing is right, and beneficial to mankind in one way or another, so his actions will ultimately be forgiven. It creates a reason for the creatures that plague this small town, and gives a face to the evil. Like every true villain, no matter how bad it is or how wrong he may be, West believes his work is good and his word is truth. Though, even though he feels his work is justified, he fears what he's created, but he doesn't stop. He's a man possessed and at the end of the story, he willingly let's the "hideous tomb-legions" rip him apart because he knows he must own up for his mistake. He knew his time was up, and living for 17 years, constantly looking over his shoulder in fear, is no way to live. He's the ultimate mad scientist. He didn't want to rule the world, in his own weird way he wanted to help it, but he couldn't stop when he should have. Brilliant.
To end this, my favorite quote from this story which I like to use as often as possible.
"They imply that I am either a madman or a murderer -- probably I am mad. But I might not be mad if those accursed tomb-legions had not been so silent."
Herbert West-Reanimator
H. P. Lovecraft’s story “Herbert West-Reanimator” was written as a serial story in the early 1920s. The story is done if first person following the narrator who is an assistant of Herbert West. Herbert West is a rather strange individual who is fascinated with the idea of bringing the dead back to life. In the first chapter the characters are still in med school. They set up a lab in an abandoned farmhouse by a cemetery. One night they rob a grave and bring the body back to the farmhouse where they inject it with a solution he invented to kick start the body which he believes is just a machine. When nothing happens they go to make another solution. They hear a scream that couldn’t have been made by a man and flee accidently setting the house ablaze in the process. In the second chapter they are unable to experiment due to the loss of their lab and the fact that the dean, Dr. Allan Halsey, won’t let them experiment on the cadavers. Eventually Dean Halsey dies and the West and the narrator steal his body and bring him back to life. He reacts violently and escapes killing many people before he is caught by police. The next two chapters include similar stories of the narrator and West receiving dead bodies or in one case West killing a man and the bodies being reanimated with the corpses reacting violently. In chapter five they join the army to become medics in World War 1 so they can acquire more bodies easily. While in the war West becomes friends with Major Sir Eric Moreland Clapham-Lee, D.S.O. because he is also interested in reanimation. When Clapham-Lee gets nearly decapitated in a crash West decides to see if the body will react without the head. The results happen exactly as he would hope but they are bombed right after. In the final chapter they find out that Clapham-Lee has been going around finding all the bodies that West wasn’t quick enough in killing and they attack West.
This story seems to be one of the earliest places that we have come across a zombie that is like those of the traditional horror movie zombie. The zombies seem to all react violently and in cases of the boxer and the dean cannibalistic. The zombies seem to be a lot like those in Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” where they just look like regular people but don’t talk and seem to move on instincts with the exception of Clapham-Lee. The story also differs from others by having a fairly unique way of the zombies coming to be, with an approach that is most closely related to that of Frankenstein’s monster.
15 February 2010
"Contagious Allegories"
In his essay "Contagious Allegories," Steven Shaviro analyzes the role of the zombie in George Romero's movies Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. Shaviro makes some interesting connections between Romero's zombie movies and our culture. According to Shaviro zombies represent a rebellion against capitalism by the incapability to provide a positive contribution to the economy. Shaviro writes: "They figure a social process that no longer serves rationalized ends, but has taken on a strange and sinister life of its own" (84). The zombies represent a removal from anything rational which is why the can be so frightening.
Shaviro also discusses the roles white males and minorities play in Romero's movies. Shaviro believes that Romero is using minority characters to critique the white men and makes the typical Hollywood hero appear to be stupid and dysfunctional. In contrast with most movies, Romero has minorities and women in roles that are strong and play important roles in all three of his movies. While most men are depicted negatively and when they die it is because of their own character flaws. Women and minorities however are “thoughtful, resourceful, and tenacious” which helps them survive in each of the movies (88). Shaviro also believes Romero is critiquing other issues in our culture such as middle class consumerism and consumption.
Shaviro also discusses the roles white males and minorities play in Romero's movies. Shaviro believes that Romero is using minority characters to critique the white men and makes the typical Hollywood hero appear to be stupid and dysfunctional. In contrast with most movies, Romero has minorities and women in roles that are strong and play important roles in all three of his movies. While most men are depicted negatively and when they die it is because of their own character flaws. Women and minorities however are “thoughtful, resourceful, and tenacious” which helps them survive in each of the movies (88). Shaviro also believes Romero is critiquing other issues in our culture such as middle class consumerism and consumption.
In each of Romero's movies the zombies come to symbolize something different. In Night of the Living Dead the zombies represent “a repressed by-product of dominant American culture” (96). In Dawn of the Dead zombies represent a double standard held in American culture. Lastly in Day of the Dead zombies become a revolutionary force.
Throughout Shaviro's essay he makes big claims about the allegorical use of Zombies in each of Romero's films but I wonder how much of this was intentionally placed into the movies and how much is just over-analyzing.
14 February 2010
Omega Man is a near-B movie circa 1971 with little to no resemblance to Richard Matheson’s I am Legend. The only similarity to the book is the name of the protagonist Robert Neville, and the female character’s betrayal of Neville (they didn’t even keep her name from the book). And why did the “family” save Neville if the same people who saved him were going to kill him later? Plus did you see the car in the background of the opening scene driving down the same road? So much for Neville being the last man alive. Enough of the criticisms. I mean, it was 1971, and what should I expect?
There were a few moments that can be examined from the movie that were not in the book. The “vampires” could talk, even the more dead ones. I’m not sure how to interpret that, but it’s my opinion that the writers thought the story needed more dialogue. Another new plot line in the movie not in the book was the existence of a vaccine, and Neville took it before the entire human race was wiped out. He was a doctor before the crash working on the vaccine, and without him explicitly saying, maybe he was the cause of the virus as well.
Another difference still is that Neville meets the family of near humans and tries to save one. He succeeds in saving the boy, but in the process is killed. Two things worth mentioning happen while the capture and kill him. First, his possessions in his apartment, the paintings, sculptures, records, alcohol, and televisions, are destroyed by the vampires. Those possessions could be a symbol for the last of human’s presence on earth and their advancements, such as art and technology. The vampires take every piece of his art and music collection and destroy it. Neville makes his last stand against the vampires and in the process figures out he was betrayed. In the last scene and the credits, he is floating in the fountain. His arms are straight out, in what looks like a crucifixion. Separate from the fact he may have caused the virus, he was trying to save a boy and the “family.” Misunderstood and outnumbered individuals were killed in the past for their “misdeeds.” To them, he is evil and was punished. To him, he was trying to save them.
13 February 2010
Omega Man: The Last Man on Earth
The movie “The Omega Man,” is based on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend,though Matheson himself thought the movie was far removed from the book. They do have quite a few differences; while Matheson’s vampires were more or less animalistic until the bacterium evolved, the ones in “Omega Man” were all sentient. Though, the Family in the “Omega Man” isn’t vampiric at all. They don’t drink blood, they aren’t afraid of crosses. In fact, the only thing the plague ridden members of the Family have in common with Matheson’s vampires is the aversion to light, though it’s more because their eyes are unable to deal with it then the fact that sunlight kills them.
Since they aren’t vampires, the Family in “Omega Man” is after Neville for a completely different reason. Because he is still thought to be the last ‘man’ on the planet, the Family consider him to be part of the evils that destroyed the human race to begin with. And technically, Neville is. He was one of the doctors who created the antidote, if not the virus itself. The Family are complete Luddites, terrified of and out to destroy any remaining technology or knowledge from the old world, ransacking museums and burning books. They have an almost religious zealotry about them as they “cleanse” the world of the past, thinking themselves chosen “to bury what was dead,” or to finish off the old age and usher in a new one. Neville, as the last remaining human, is a symbol of what they hate, and as such they have demonized him, calling him everything from “The Thing” to the “Angel of Death, to the “Lord of the Infernal Engines.” In “Omega Man,” Neville is already legend before the movie even really begins.
One thing both the movie and the book have in common is Neville’s loneliness. In the movie, Neville has been alone for two years already, his only companion the bust of Julius Caesar in his living room and his extensive collection of alcohol. The only way he keeps himself going, just like in the book, is to hunt Them down during the day, searching for the Family’s nest. He talks to himself, using dark humor to keep himself amused, and it he’s to the point where even seeing pin-up poster in a car dealership is unbearable to him.
No wonder that he more or less freaks out at the possibility that other people might have survived the plague, that he might not be the last human being on the face of this planet. He chases down the woman he finds, not sure if she’s real or a mirage. Later, he is absolutely ecstatic to find that there is a group of survivors, still human, hiding in the hills like refugees. It gives him a reason to keep going; to find that cure for the plague and more or less save the world. It gives him a reason to live a little longer, and later, a reason to die.
Since they aren’t vampires, the Family in “Omega Man” is after Neville for a completely different reason. Because he is still thought to be the last ‘man’ on the planet, the Family consider him to be part of the evils that destroyed the human race to begin with. And technically, Neville is. He was one of the doctors who created the antidote, if not the virus itself. The Family are complete Luddites, terrified of and out to destroy any remaining technology or knowledge from the old world, ransacking museums and burning books. They have an almost religious zealotry about them as they “cleanse” the world of the past, thinking themselves chosen “to bury what was dead,” or to finish off the old age and usher in a new one. Neville, as the last remaining human, is a symbol of what they hate, and as such they have demonized him, calling him everything from “The Thing” to the “Angel of Death, to the “Lord of the Infernal Engines.” In “Omega Man,” Neville is already legend before the movie even really begins.
One thing both the movie and the book have in common is Neville’s loneliness. In the movie, Neville has been alone for two years already, his only companion the bust of Julius Caesar in his living room and his extensive collection of alcohol. The only way he keeps himself going, just like in the book, is to hunt Them down during the day, searching for the Family’s nest. He talks to himself, using dark humor to keep himself amused, and it he’s to the point where even seeing pin-up poster in a car dealership is unbearable to him.
No wonder that he more or less freaks out at the possibility that other people might have survived the plague, that he might not be the last human being on the face of this planet. He chases down the woman he finds, not sure if she’s real or a mirage. Later, he is absolutely ecstatic to find that there is a group of survivors, still human, hiding in the hills like refugees. It gives him a reason to keep going; to find that cure for the plague and more or less save the world. It gives him a reason to live a little longer, and later, a reason to die.
10 February 2010
Human Decay
In “Life after Death,” Mary Roach describes her trip to the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research facility. The facility studies how human bodies decay after death. The studies are used for forensic purposes. If scientists know how a human body decays, they can more accurately determine the time of death. Roach is deliberately descriptive about the sights and smells she encounters. The smell is sweet like rotting fruit, but putrid like rotting meat, she says. Roach has some humors quips during her tour of the Anthropological Research Facility and a morticians’ school. The doctor at Tennessee says the skin with maggots growing underneath look like “expensive Japanese rice paper. You tell yourself these things.” Morticians use the term decedent instead of corpse, stiff, cadaver. Roach says, “It’s as though the man weren’t dead, but merely involved in some protracted legal dispute.”
Why is this article significant to zombies in literature and film? The figure of the zombie is very different to different authors and directors. In “Night of the Living Dead,” Romero uses very little make up and shows no decomposition. Matheson uses an opposite approach in “I am Legend.” He describes in detail the decomposition of the zombies. They are significantly more decomposed and there is more description of how the zombie dies. Roach describes the process of a decomposing body in great detail, like an author’s guide to decomposition. The decomposing flesh of a zombie is part of what makes the zombie frightening. How the author describes the zombie determines how the characters react to the zombies, how they fight the zombies, and how they try to escape the zombies.
Mary Roach also says a lot about how people react to death, without confronting the subject head-on. The scientist at Tennessee sees dead bodies every day, and has a dry sense of humor about the sights and smells. Visiting the mortician, Roach describes the different euphemisms used in mortician’s school. Humans’ facing their own death is part of the human condition, but no one faces it more than morticians and the scientists at Tennessee. The humor and euphemisms are part of their coping mechanism. Humans facing zombies in literature and film also must face their own mortality. They may also face killing their loved ones, friends, and neighbors in order to survive. Matheson uses the psychology of the human condition to its fullest to develop Robert Neville’s character.
Roach uses her experience in Tennessee and morticians’ school to describe the details of decomposition. She also mentions some of the people working around dead bodies, and how they live with death and decay every day. An author could learn more about decay from this article, but also a little about how people cope with death when faced with it daily.
09 February 2010
Death Goes On: The Body at Rest?
Mary Roach's chapter, "Life After Death," from her book Stiff, addresses what happens to a human body after a person has died. It isn't pretty.
We can all look forward to the following:
So what does this have to do with zombies?
Well, two facets of zombie narratives relate directly to this topic.
1. Zombies are dead bodies, so, depending on how long they were dead before becoming zombies, they may show signs of decomposition (sagging skin, maggots in the eye sockets, etc.). This forces the audience to directly face their own mortality.
2. Zombies do not seem to decompose further once they have been zombified, at least according to most narratives. They are trapped in the middle of this final process of decomposition.
This leads to several questions that may not have concrete answers:
I have no definitive answers to these questions, but will try to think on them a bit.
We can all look forward to the following:
- Skin loosening, and possibly falling off of the body,
- Bloating, due to bacteria eating organs,
- Larvae eating fat from the body,
- Putrefaction, or liquefying of body tissue, due to bacteria.
So what does this have to do with zombies?
Well, two facets of zombie narratives relate directly to this topic.
1. Zombies are dead bodies, so, depending on how long they were dead before becoming zombies, they may show signs of decomposition (sagging skin, maggots in the eye sockets, etc.). This forces the audience to directly face their own mortality.
2. Zombies do not seem to decompose further once they have been zombified, at least according to most narratives. They are trapped in the middle of this final process of decomposition.
This leads to several questions that may not have concrete answers:
- Is the sight of a decomposed zombie more or less sympathetic than a "fresh" zombie?
- Do zombies decompose, and, if so, is it at a slower rate than a normal dead body?
- Does the need to destroy zombies imply a quest for immortality?
- Does the fact that most modern societies avoid seeing "real" death give the zombie a more dramatic impact than would otherwise be the case?
I have no definitive answers to these questions, but will try to think on them a bit.
08 February 2010
Disensitized By Zombies: Dawn of the Dead
In Dawn of the Dead humans become extremely desensitized in the strive for survival against zombies. As in other media of this genre, zombies eradicate normal human behavior and social mores through ramped destruction of societies. The zombie attack in Dawn of the Dead was not different. The zombies attack as people are going about their day to day activities and the individuals who do not react are the ones who do not survive. The people who immediately asses the inescapable situation and remove themselves from what was once socially acceptable do what ever is necessary to survive. They draw a distinct difference between what is human and what is zombie. They kill zombies with disregard in any way that they can. Again, social mores are eradicated. New social structures are quickly built among survivors who are willing to do what ever it takes to sustain themselves. Brutal tactics to kill zombies become acceptable and encouraged in a way that would never be possible among other humans. It becomes as basic of an instinct and necessity as acquiring food to suffice one's hunger. These instinctual survival skills are awoken from the depths of human instincts as quickly as the dead have risen. The ones who except and harness these instincts begin to ban together. The strength in numbers improves their chance for survival.
Among the group of survivors, new social structures are created. Being back animals by nature, humans quickly establish a social hierarchy among themselves. There is a need for leaders, followers, providers and brute force. As in any newly established order, authority is challenged. The gun in Dawn of the Dead becomes the symbol and power of the leader and it is fought for among the group. This infighting is created by the constant stress of the inescapable fear of the zombie attack. People begin to grow weary over entrusting there life in just one individual who calls the shots. This infighting is usually the doom of the survival group in a zombie attack. Instead of utilizing each individuals resources and focusing on killing the zombies, they become preoccupied with the politics of the group.
When the group becomes preoccupied by social conflict among themselves, the lines of what has newly become socially acceptable are blurred. The hatred and fear of the zombies manifests itself within the group conflict. The zombies keep multiplying and will not stop. Once the infighting has risen to a breaking point, the mores of the small survival group begin to erode. The individuals become paranoid that a weaker member might doom the group, or that some one's quest for survival may become so strong that they would not tell the group if they were infected. Now the zombies have truly won.
This is quit similar to what happens at the end of Dawn of the Dead. The group becomes paranoid that Ben may be a zombie. All of the brutal killing of the zombies, which shortly before were friends, family, coworkers, human, completely desensitized individuals to killing and the dead. The dead no longer hold a position of something that should be morned, dealt with care, and honored. They are just in the way of survival. The brutality and bodies pile higher and higher until it becomes normal. Nothing will stand in the way of survival. This is why Ben's murder at the end of Dawn of the Dead is not shocking. The social structure that the group created and acknowledged as acceptable behavior becomes blurred by conflict and paranoia. Even just the potential threat that Ben may jeopardize that by turning into a zombie was enough for him to be shot without remorse and for his body to be dealt with like a rapid dog, tossed upon a heap of corpses to be burned.
Zombie attacks are inescapably dooming. Human beings establish a social hierarchy in a quest for some sort of normalcy and functionality. Still, humans are inherently greedy, and power hungry. Social structures will break down in the absence of a voice of reason and mediation. The zombies will win one way or the other. One can not help but wonder who in the group became worried that they might be next to be shot on suspicion, and the destruction of social structure by the zombie attack continues down to the last survivor.
Among the group of survivors, new social structures are created. Being back animals by nature, humans quickly establish a social hierarchy among themselves. There is a need for leaders, followers, providers and brute force. As in any newly established order, authority is challenged. The gun in Dawn of the Dead becomes the symbol and power of the leader and it is fought for among the group. This infighting is created by the constant stress of the inescapable fear of the zombie attack. People begin to grow weary over entrusting there life in just one individual who calls the shots. This infighting is usually the doom of the survival group in a zombie attack. Instead of utilizing each individuals resources and focusing on killing the zombies, they become preoccupied with the politics of the group.
When the group becomes preoccupied by social conflict among themselves, the lines of what has newly become socially acceptable are blurred. The hatred and fear of the zombies manifests itself within the group conflict. The zombies keep multiplying and will not stop. Once the infighting has risen to a breaking point, the mores of the small survival group begin to erode. The individuals become paranoid that a weaker member might doom the group, or that some one's quest for survival may become so strong that they would not tell the group if they were infected. Now the zombies have truly won.
This is quit similar to what happens at the end of Dawn of the Dead. The group becomes paranoid that Ben may be a zombie. All of the brutal killing of the zombies, which shortly before were friends, family, coworkers, human, completely desensitized individuals to killing and the dead. The dead no longer hold a position of something that should be morned, dealt with care, and honored. They are just in the way of survival. The brutality and bodies pile higher and higher until it becomes normal. Nothing will stand in the way of survival. This is why Ben's murder at the end of Dawn of the Dead is not shocking. The social structure that the group created and acknowledged as acceptable behavior becomes blurred by conflict and paranoia. Even just the potential threat that Ben may jeopardize that by turning into a zombie was enough for him to be shot without remorse and for his body to be dealt with like a rapid dog, tossed upon a heap of corpses to be burned.
Zombie attacks are inescapably dooming. Human beings establish a social hierarchy in a quest for some sort of normalcy and functionality. Still, humans are inherently greedy, and power hungry. Social structures will break down in the absence of a voice of reason and mediation. The zombies will win one way or the other. One can not help but wonder who in the group became worried that they might be next to be shot on suspicion, and the destruction of social structure by the zombie attack continues down to the last survivor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)