In the second half of Cell, Clay's ragtag group continue to bury and gain followers. First, the phone-crazies demonstrate their growing prowess b making Head commit a rather gruesome suicide. While traveling on the road they meet two sprinters, and recognizing them as the Gaiten bunch from their dreams refuse aid when offered. The sprinters catch up to them again, killing Alice. With Alice's death the phone-crazies let Clay and his followers that the sprinters would be dealt with. Thus, reinforcing the message that the Gaiten bunch are not to be touched.

Alice's death is one of the moments in Cell that I felt it departing from a zombie narrivite. The phone-crazies communicating with the Gaiten bunch, that the Gaiten bunch is not to be touched, and that the phone-crazies push the them to their goals seems to much outside the scope of a zombie narrative to go unnoticed.

While traveling towards Kashwak, the phone-crazies continue do demonstrate the power of their telepathy. Pushing more followers to join Clay's group, and again influence the group to catch up with Clay when he decides to go his own way. The phone-crazies take to following the group to ensure that the telepathic persuasion remains consistent, and eventually levitate along side the bus as it drives towards Kashwak. The group is then lead to the Expo center where they wait for the phone-crazies to continue their plans with them. The Gaiten bunch decide that they have to do something, go out on their terms. They concoct their plan, and have Jordan drive the bus, conveniently filled with dynamite by one of their previous followers out to the middle of the phone-crazies. Jordan runs to saftey and Clay detonates the explosives.

After their immediate threat is dealt with, the group informs Clay that they intend to continue on to TR-90. Clay stays behind to look for his son, eventually finding he has been exposed to a mutated version of the Pulse. The last scene is Clay holding up the Cell phone he used to detotane the explosives to his sons ear, hoping that the Pulse will cancell out what his son was already exposed to.

After finishing Stephen King's Cell, I felt that the novel had moved away from a strictly zombie narrative to a more survival/horror oriented focus. While many of the scenes in the book seem classic of a zombie narrative, using propane tanks to kill the phone-crazies, a lone group struggling for survival, the interaction between the crazies and the normalizes robbed it of that classic zombie feel.

The book shifted from the group encountering immediate unrestricted chaos, to battling a specific threat, somewhat personalized threat. The phone crazies were certainly less than human, but certainly more than a mindless undead zombie. The phone crazies had their own identity that distinguished apart from zombies.

Stephen Kings Cell

Stephen Kings Cell shares a common theme with many zombie narratives. Like others its set in a post apocalyptic world where the survivors are forced to survive by any means, and sometimes use the disaster to their advantage to loot or steal. Furthermore Cell has underlining messages like many other narratives of its type such as terrorism, and the war in Iraq, and over reliance on technology. King also showed his views on human nature and what humans are inherently capable of.

One main theme found in the Cell was terrorism and technological warfare. Throughout the book they mention or note that cell phones were some sort of terror attack that may have triggered the transformation of people into zombies. In one part of the book they even reference the attacks on the world trade. The way that the people govern themselves in the tale is reminiscent of the governmental structures in Iraq. The themes of terrorism and the Iraq war are utilized due to the timing of the events in proximity to the creation of the novel.

Technology and human nature were also prevalent themes. King wanted to show that the peoples over reliance on technology would be their downfall. Everyone who has a cell phone would be turned into a zombie because of the “pulse”, and because of the pulse the zombies would revert to “Kings” idea of brainless humans who want to hurt and kill others. Those who became a zombie could somehow be reset and turned back into a normal human. At the end he tries to reset his son, who had halfway turned into a zombie.

Like many zombie narratives Cell carries on the common themes, which make it a solid member of the genre. It has underlining themes such as terrorism, human nature, and reliance on technology. In addition, like many zombie narratives, Cell displays characteristics indicative of the current technological era. King’s blatant attempt to satirize these events was carried throughout Cell.

Segregation and Revolution in the Land of the Dead

It is hard to imagine George A. Romero writing the script for “Land of the Dead” without thoughts of revolution on his mind. In his other works, “Dawn of the Dead” in particular, viewers have observed Romero's zombies act out morality plays about the dangers of suburban life and consumer culture. “Land of the Dead” appears to be no different with its simple zombie narrative wrapped around a number of symbols of class struggle, segregation, and Marxist uprisings.

While “Land of the Dead” follows a number of characters through a series of events, the film's plot proves to be less important than its setting. Reilly's story of attempted escape before ultimately getting pulled in for one more job is far too familiar (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OneLastJob) and Cholo's quest for social advancement does little beyond underlining the film's theme.

“Land of the Dead” is a rare film that is defined by its geography. Perhaps the most telling and evocative aspect of the film is the clear social divisions that take place after the “zombie apocalypse.” Unsurprisingly, the rich remain protected in “Fiddler's Green,” the condo complex/fortress at the center of the city. The poor are also given some basic defenses, but live in a far harsher world, inhabiting slums and attending brutal events where zombies are made to fight over food (which is at the time of the film, a human woman).

In this scenario, the zombies take the place of the proletariat at the bottom rung of the social ladder. They live outside of the city walls and seem to be recovering some semblance of sentience. In the opening scene, a man remarks to Reilly that the zombies are trying to act human. “There is a big difference between us and them...its like they're pretending to be alive,” to which Reilly retorts that they really aren't that different. He suggests that the zombies are just “Learning how to be us again.”

The lines of class are clearly drawn and reinforced by walls and fences, with each group in their “proper place.” Reilly and Cholo both express a form of hostility to their society's structure. Cholo attempts to live out the “American Dream” after America has fallen by raising enough money to live in Fiddler's Green. He is told that “there is a long waiting list,” echoing the reasons given to lower class families attempting to move to suburban communities or exclusive condo complexes.

Unlike Cholo, Reilly decides to flee the city and its de facto segregation, hoping to live in the Northern section of Canada. When asked why he wishes to do this, he states, “We're all locked in...I'm looking for a world with no fences.”

The zombies are also looking to change the world, it turns out. As they regain their consciousness (as shown by “Big Daddy's” use of tools and his ability to blow up Dennis Hopper creatively), they begin to organize. Uniting behind Big Daddy's leadership, they travel in a pack (showing that zombies can be social animals if the writer/director wishes them to be) and attack Fiddler's Green. Unlike the uninfected poor, the zombies are not held in check by petty amusements and promises of the potential for social advancement.

The undead ultimately play the part of a revolutionary force better than any human social group in history, deposing the despotic aristocracy and walking away without taking power for themselves. Where Lenin's followers removed the Czar only to replace him with an equally repressive regime, the zombies are content to wander off, looking for their place in the world.

While “Land of the Dead” is not regarded as one of Romero's greatest works, it is clearly a film filled with ideas on issues ranging from segregation to social stratification. There is more to say (like how the zombie fights and the use of fireworks are symbols for the “circuses” that Marxists often claim that the upper classes use to distract the lower classes from their oppressed situation) but I believe that I've already said too much and that anyone who is still reading it probably wants me to stop, so with that I'll end this blog. Also, sorry for the pun at the start of this post. I couldn't help myself.

Stephen King's "Cell" (pgs. 1-204)

So I waited until later to post because I didn’t want to spoil anything part of the book for anyone. Which reminds me: SPOIL ALERT.

So after reading the first two pars of “Cell” by Stephen King I am left somewhat pleased. I am enjoying his rendition of the zombie figure in the technology filled world. His version of the zombie is most like the Romero zombie, I feel, at least in the Part 1. The “crazies” are the drown-like, mindless humans that don’t look any different than they did before, except for the vapid expression. Then as time goes on they get hurt and decay. The blank expression is from the cell phone “pulse” which rebooted their minds. It’s a cool idea that seems to be a commentary about how our lives today are so filled with the newest gadget and how it can simplify our lives, but in turn makes us completely rely on these unreliable tools. It is reminding me a lot of “I am Legend” though which is making the story line predictable, but I am hoping for a surprise twist. I’m still curious as to the significance for the 80s boombox, though, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an extension on the whole technology theme.

This zombie tale seems to be using the zombie to represent technology as what people of our generation seem to fear. With our minds acting like a hard drive and the cell phone being the detonation device, King makes it pretty clear as to what the true protagonist of this story is. I feel like King’s outlook on an-kind is a little bleak, though. Call me an optimist, but I don’t really agree that mankind’s most basic characteristic is anger, and murder. I always saw the human climb to the top of the food chain as a result of our ability to problem solve and experiment, not murder and greed. But again, that’s just me.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363547/

This is the remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film, Dawn of the Dead. The basic plot of both movies is very similar; however, the movie does deviate both with minor plots (characters, scenes, action, etc.) and the fate of the survivors. Both scripts use the setting of a mall to express a concern for consumerism, although Romero's version carries far more obvious symbols and scenes to demonstrate this (such as use of manikins; zombies returning to locations they spent time in while alive; etc.). In the original movie, we witness the two remaining survivors flee from the hordes of the undead in the nick of time (with the assistance of a helicopter), and with some variation we see the same with the survivors in the remake (except with a boat).

As far as remakes go, I found this film to be a knock out. Zack Snyder does a great job balancing the message of consumerism the original offered; while keeping it in the realm of a modern, witty zombie flick. I found that each character was well built up, and displayed very "real" sense of how a zombie apocalypse would play out. Like most zombie movies we're never bothered with the cause or reasoning behind why the dead are reanimating; and by doing so, becoming cannibalistic monsters.

The thing that stood out most to me with this film is Snyder's development of the characters in the story. Each character demonstrates the emotions riding them through the action; whether it be the fear for the police officer's brother, the daughter's loss of her father to the infection, the nurse's loss of her boyfriend, etc... they all have baggage that brings them to think or act differently.

The remake does add a bit of a twist ending if you watch the ending credits: you see the survivors locate a video camera and record the events that follow their escape on the yacht. Engine problems, spoiled food, zombified remains on board, and the like are all documented as the boat approaches what appears to be an uninhabitable island. When the survivors arrive they are met with a large horde of zombies, and we are left to assume that the survivors are no more.

Cell (pages 1-204)

In the novel "Cell" zombies take over the world. In the beginning of the book life is business as usual. The main character Clayton Riddell is visiting Boston to sell his drawings when all of a sudden the world changes. He sees people going insane, planes start crashing and car crashes are everywhere. He begins to realise that the world has been taken over by these zombie creatures. He concludes that the cause of the zombie problem is related to cell phones. Along the way he meets Tom and Alice and they become friends in this "adventure". Clay, Tom and Alice start walking and they start to begin to realise that the zombies aren't just blood thirsty savages but that there is an underlying intelligence in them.
This seems to me like a case of not understanding someone or something and trying to destroy it. People have been doing this for ages. Certain people start becoming too self aware so we lynch them. People have destroyed civilizations and chalked it up to the fact that the conquering people didn't believe the native people had any intelligence. I just think that this an interesting thing to ponder. Maybe the zombies are evil, maybe not. Maybe they are just being misinterpreted.

Cell Part 1

In the first part of Steven Kings Cell the story centers around 3 survivors of an apocalyptic catastrophe which has overtaken the world turning those who have used cell phones lately to lose their minds and revert to animal instincts. The 3 survivors are Clay, an aspiring illustrator who has finally caught his break selling his portfolio before the disaster strikes, Tom a small man with a mustache who it seems is completely against his nature to be violent in any way, and Alice a 16 year old girl who was forced to kill her mother when the disaster first struck. These 3 survivors work together to try and stay alive and must evade those affected by the cell phone catastrophe and those who are just caught up in all the craziness of no order.
The disaster first strikes in this book at 3:03 PM and is referred to as the pulse. What happened is everyone who has used their cell phone since that time immediately become a new type of zombie we have not seen yet in any of our readings or movies. The zombie in this book seems to be more instinctual than any other zombie we have covered, and unlike some of the zombies we have talked about, these zombies do not kill for food but rather just kill. They even have the base intelligence to use weapons such as knifes just to kill. These zombies also are different than other zombies we have talked about because not only do they attack the people unaffected by the pulse they attack each other as exemplified in the first couple chapters with the death of Power Suit woman. These zombies have nothing to do with the living dead but rather seem to be like rabid animals, killing whoever with total lack of regard for who or why.
Another interesting theme in this book is how the catastrophe pits uninfected people against uninfected people. An interesting scene in this book occurs early when Clay and Tom are hiding out in Clay's hotel with Mr. Ricardi and they first encounter Alice. Alice is on the outside of the hotel and is being chased by a lone infected man with a giant knife, and begs to enter the hotel. Mr. Ricardi feels that it isn't his responsibility to help her if she is outside and if it were up to him would have let Alice die. Finally he comes around and lets her in to the hotel but the fact that he was tentative was interesting to me. I thought it was almost more cruel for them not to help her when they had a chance to than the zombies actually killing her. Another interesting example of uninfected people vs uninfected people happens later when they encounter 2 men fighting over a keg of beer. Rather than people helping people survive this predicament the world is in these 2 men are fist fighting over who has the rights to a stolen keg of beer. I thought it to be very scary how selfishly people acted towards each other in this time of crisis. If the people were to pool all of their resources together, stick together, and help each other I think everyone would have a much better chance of surviving but instead you have people fighting each other. There is no one you can trust in this book and I think that's what makes this whole situation so much more scary.

Zombie Apocalypse Flowchart

Hey everyone, this was just a fun little flowchart from last month's Game Informer magazine that just got posted on their website; it serves as a few fun minutes of entertainment:

http://gameinformer.com/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.00.09/3683.Flowchart.jpg

"Society of the spectacle"

While reading “Society of the Spectacle” So I had a hard time with this text, but there were a few paragraphs that made me think. One in particular was paragraph 47. It ended by saysing: “it is the reality of this situation- the fact that, even in its most impoverished form (food, shelter), use value has no existence in the consumption of modern commodities. The real consumer thus becomes a consumer of illusion. The commodity is this illusion, which is in fact real, and the spectacle is its most general form.” I took this to mean that what we consume and live our lives in is in fact nothing. The stuff it is made up of is real, but the fact that we need it and survive on it is the illusion. The commodity has gone from something we want to enrich better our lives, to something we feel we need (which we don’t).

Debord also discussed that the commodity is something that society can no longer exist without. We could never get rid of it. The commodity is what keeps our society functioning, and our society is what keeps the commodity functioning. I found this interesting because it is something that we created, but cannot live without. We are a consuming society, and without the commodity what would we then consume?

This makes me this that we are a society of zombies. We mindlessly consume what is around us, buying and eating and taking over the land around us until eventually there will be no more left. We all live on fossil fuels like zombies do living flesh, and someday soon it will all be gone. The tricky thing is that we are so used to there just being things at fingertips that everything would just fall apart. This all seems like a pretty negative outlook on our society, but like Debord talks about, there is no way around the commodity. It is a part of our lives and has been for a long time. Where there is mass consumption there is the commodity. I think our society and used it and turned us into over consumers, which might be the problem. I think it’s more about being like the zombies from “I am legend” and living with what you are and hoping for the best.

Our 'Augmented Survival'

Guy Debord's 'The Society of the Spectacle' addresses our current culture of consumerism. Though never directly referencing zombies at any point, the parallels between his description of our current economic structure and the undead are quite clear. What I took from this reading was the growth of the 'commodity' has overtaken us slowly through time and it is now not just an aspect of our lives, but a driving force in our very existence.

Debord uses the term 'augmented survival' quite a bit in the reading, in essence stating that the commodity has become so commonplace, so integrated in our lives, that our survival is contingent on it. He best describes this in the opening sentence of paragraph 44: 'The spectacle is a permanent opium war waged to make it impossible to distinguish goods from commodities, or true satisfaction from a survival that increases according to its own logic.' In other words, like a drug addict cannot function without a fix, we cannot function without our commodities or luxuries, and while some may consider our consumerism a result of fulfilling satisfaction, it can also be interpreted as a necessity of our continued existence.

These comments should largely familiar to us after previous Marxist readings, as this is yet another reading depicting capitalism as the great evil tyrant that we all are slaves too. But as it pertains to this class, the commodity is quite similar to the zombie in that it once was rare, in the pre-industrial era, but spread like a virus that all of us have apparently caught. And on another note, aren't we all fascinated with some sort of product (be it music, video games, movies, books, etc.)? Just like everyone in this class is so fascinated with zombies? Look, it's another parallel!

All joking aside, in society today, we all do rely on goods and luxuries, who wouldn't with what's out there? But to say we couldn't survive without them seems foolish. Admittedly, in a recession, I have witnessed far too many clinging to their own luxuries get bogged down in debt and lose sight of the important things of life. But most, including my family, have learned to cut costs and do without the luxury of satellite TV and going out to the movies all the time. So while, yes, we love our 'commodities', it's entirely possible for us to exist without them. We just don't like it very much. To be honest, making a comparison between commodities and zombies doesn't really make me less enthused about commodities. Because zombies are awesome.

George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead

George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" portrays one group's survival to survive in an apocalyptic and chaotic environment, and these characters gradually show their ability to survive and manipulate to their new environment; the two characters that survive unharmed and still healthy are the blond vixen and an African-American cop, who is ultimately the strongest and most effective in this new world.

The fact that an African-American and female emerges as the two heroes and survivors of the film is not a new concept; in fact, this seems to become a common theme of several zombie themes. For example, a woman and black man are the strongest characters in "Night of the Living Dead". "Omega Man" relies heavily on the strength of Charleston Heston's black counterparts, and reflect a resistance to succumb to violence, unlike the two black characters in "Night of the Living Dead" and "Omega Man". In "28 Days Later," a black female rescues and helps the main character fight through London.

Clearly race seems to play an important part in numerous Zombie films. "Dawn of the Dead" begins with a drug raid, where a white police officer loses his mind and opens fire on the ethnic tenants of the building. In "Night of the Living Dead," the black hero of the film is openly defied by a weaker white character, and is killed by a group of "good ol' Southern boys." It is unclear if the men murder him because of his race or because they assume he is a zombie, but one can easily speculate that his race quickened their to decision to pull the trigger.

The Civil Rights movement and the surge of black nationalism of the sixties had a direct influence on "Dawn of the Dead." As blacks became more militant and adamant of their demand for civil rights, literature and film began to reflect this attitude. As a result, the sixties and seventies became the ideal opportunity for the creation of "blaxploitation" films began to emerge in the 1970's. These films centered around the adventures of a machismo driven, butt kicking, suave talking African American who tried to fix crime or kill the bad guys. These films were also known for their abundance of sexuality. If one looks at the African American character in "Dawn of the Dead," one can see the similarities between him and that of the African superman in "blaxploitation" films. The fact that he is both a police officer, but is able to maintain a timid afro reflects his ability to maintain his own personaility; it is also important to note that the afro emerged during the civil rights films. Also, he is incredibly cool under pressure, just like the heroes of most "blaxploitation" films; he is also good with a gun and does not let emotions affect him, which is just like the heroes in "blaxploitation" films.

Marx's Ideal Participant in his Society: The Zombie.

I figure better late then never. In Karl Marx's "The Fetishism of the Commodity," Marx describes how commodities and their value manipulate social relationships that ultimately destroy the peer to peer relationship, but rather a relationship between two people, and creates relationships between people and objects; one would assume that a relationship would be between, but Marx states an opposite opinion. The power of a commodity relies on its own exchange value, instead of its practical use. As a result, people will sell themselves for labor to achieve more wealth and increase one's surplus of commodities. When one sells themselves, they become a tool; a tool for the producer to use to create more products, which will inevitably become commodities. As this "dance" between consumer and producer progresses, Marx argues that their perception changes and they begin to see only commodities, not the people behind the commodity,
A brilliant example of this relationship can be found in "The Magic Island." The zombies represent how a human being becomes a tool for the producer to use. The property owners in the story no longer see the zombies as peoplel, but rather as a tool that they can use.
The figure of the zombie can symbolize a positive aspect of Marx's argument, but it can also represent a much more negativ and realistic side of Marx's argument. In most aspects, the zombie figure represents the ideal participant in a Marxist society. The zombie will not question or think, they do not place exchange value on any goods, an they sacrifice everything for a specific purpose. This is a key aspect of Marxism; the idea that everyone will work for what's best for the government and their society. However, this system of goverment seems to advocate the destruction of one's drive to better their situation and settle into the role of a 'slave'.
Once again by looking at "The Magic Island," one notices right away that this is a form of slavery because the zombies work with no opportunity to better themselves or their situation. This can also be true for a marxist society. Marx advocates that one throw away their obsession with material wealth and social advancement for what is best for the community. So in fact, a person will work and work for their society, but ultimately never better their social class.
I think it is also important to notice that in Marx's articl, Marx explains that people are no longer able to recognize each other as human begins, but more as tools. This transformation and complete lack of value on a person also reflects the transformation that occurs when a non-zombie sees a zombie.
In "Night of the Living Dead," after a person becomes a zombie, they are no longer seen as a humanbeing and become an entirely different entity. To the observer, a zombie provides no function or use; even though they were once human and had a function. This interaction mimics the Marx's description of how social relationships have changed in a capitalist society.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

This is a remake of Romero's classic zombie movie "Dawn of the Dead" from 1978. With an emhasis on extreme gore and hordes of zombies, this movie packs a punch.



The movie begins with a man and a woman in a house, and are both attacked by a zombie. The man is attacked first, becomes infected, and attacks his wife. The wife manages to escape. From here on, the entire city is flooded with zombies and complete chaos.



Eventually a small group of survivors come together and hold their ground in a mall, where the majority of the movie takes place.



As days go by, the survivors are faced with difficulties, and the main difficulty is hunger. The survivors are forced to leave the mall and find food/other survivors. Another challenge the survivors face is the ability to stay sane amongst all of the surrounding chaos. Heated arguments often develop, leading to casualties.





The movie boasts some frightening scenes, and if they aren't enough to scare you, they will certainly make you disgusted. One of the most horrific scenes involves the birth of a zombie baby. An adult woman is pregnant and is bitten by a zombie, therefore, she becomes infected and gives birth to an infected baby. The baby is then killed by someone else. Gruesome.



The horrifying images and bizzare plot in this movie make it a staple in the category of zombie movies. With plenty of action, explosions, and gunfire, this movie has raised the standard of how zombie movies should be made in the future.

George Romero's Dawn of the Dead

George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” came out in 1978. The movie follows four people who fly to a mall and reside within it during a zombie outbreak. While the people are at the mall they take whatever they want or need from the stores and seem to have unlimited resources. The people face some challenges such as getting around the mall with all the undead and a group of bikers that come and ransack the mall. By the end of the movie they are down to only two people and it ends on a slightly higher note than that of “Night of the Living Dead” with them escaping in the helicopter.
This film relates a lot to what we have been talking about in class lately. The story shows the conspicuous consumption with both the zombies and normal people. The normal people are continuously getting whatever they want or need. The bikers show this extremely well by just showing up and grabbing whatever they want. The zombies are also consistently trying to get the four people and when the bikers show up the zombies make sure to capitalize on their appearance. Matthew Walker showed a lot of good points in his article “When There’s No More Room in Hell, The Dead will Shop the Earth” which we talked about earlier. He discussed how the people used the mall not only to get good but also as a sanctuary. The line from the movie which was said by Fly Boy when asked why the zombies are showing up at the mall, “Some kind of instinct. Memory, of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.” shows a good example of how the people turn into automatons and the zombies just pick up where they left off.
The zombies in the film are also a lot like the zombies in Romero’s other films in which they are pretty much slow moving automatons. Tom Savini did the make up for this film in addition to doing stunts and starring as the second in command biker. He helped give the zombies and gore their now well known looks.

Zombies and Humans: Two Conspicuous Consumers

With the release of George Romero's “Dawn of the Dead” in 1978, the figure of the zombie became forever linked with consumer culture. As Matthew Walker's article “When There's No More Room in Hell, The Dead Will Shop the Earth” illustrated, the film is filled with references to the zombie-like nature of the average consumer who is compelled to purchase goods that he or she may not need.

Because of Romero's film, it isn't hard to draw connections between human behavior, zombies, and the concept of “Conspicuous Consumption” as put forward by sociologist, economist, and Wisconsin native Thorstein Veblen in “The Theory of the Leisure Class.” Veblen's work outlines the purchasing patterns of people in modern society who spend money primarily to demonstrate their level of income to their friends, family and neighbors. While Veblen cites examples of consumption from the aristocracy, you don't need to look far to find it in our daily lives. Though a Dodge Neon may work just as well as a means of transportation, an individual who makes a larger income will likely feel the need to purchase a Mercedes or BWM to demonstrate their position in society.

Though the concept of conspicuous consumption is addressed through works like “Dawn of the Dead,” the zombie itself has another relation to the concept of consumption. As Scott pointed out in the class discussion board for “28 Days Later,” the zombie consumes in a way that is hard to understand. “I cannot imagine that zombies are able to digest food, so what is the driving force that directs a zombie to eat human flesh (or brains)? Is it jealousy? Or a hunger that cannot be satisfied? Or something else?”

The zombie's hunger itself is an example of conspicuous consumption. As the zombie is no longer alive and likely lacks the biological processes to digest the “food” it ingests, it is consuming something that it does not in fact need. The reason for this in a literal sense is difficult to understand, but symbolically, it is rather a clear and useful illustration of Veblen's concept of conspicuous consumption.

She Was Not Alive... Nor Dead... Just a WHITE ZOMBIE!

White Zombie is a 1932 horror film starring Béla Lugosi and Madge Bellamy. The story is about a young woman, Madeline (Bellamy), who has just arrived in Haiti and is reunited with her fiancé Neil (John Harron) and they plan to get married quickly. The young couple goes to stay with Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer), a wealthy plantation owner, whom is in love with Madeline. Charles love for Madeline makes him decide to approach the mysterious voodoo master, 'Murder' Legendre (Béla Lugosi). Charles can't make Madeline love him, so he hopes Legendre has some mystical magic that can help. Legendre gives Charles a potion to give to Madeline that will make her into a zombie. Charles does so, and Madeline dies on her wedding day. Upon being buried, Neil goes into a panic and Legendre seems he can't be trusted. Slowly, Charles realizes that he now has Madeline, but she has lost her soul.

White Zombie is a perfect example of what movies made with improper knowledge can become. The story is over-the-top and is completely false in every way. It's a very narrow minded view of Haitian culture and their beliefs. I also do think it's rather funny that a Hungarian with a Fu Man Chu mustache is a voodoo master of any kind, but I digress. Part of me wants to hate this movie for it's inaccuracy and it's offensive in nature plot, but I can't. Maybe it's my love for B-grade horror films or my love for Bela Lugosi. I'm not sure what it is, but all I know, is this film was fun to re-watch.

When There's No More Room in Hell, The Dead will Shop the Earth.

Matthew Walker's text illustrating the simplest form of a human and zombie and the aspiration of "having the good life" enlightens a new concept of thinking. Walker compared Aristotle and Romero's view on zombies and culture. Why do Zombies return? What does life have to offer us? The term pleonexia means the disposition to have more, grasping for more. Aristotle goes on referring pleonexia as one's desire for sheer survival. I found this intriguing because pleonexia can relate to a couple different aspects of life. Two very important aspects: Shopping and Survival. Us, as humans consume items because either want them, or we think we need them to go on. Zombies on the other hand do not really need any articles; they are just grasping for air, for survival. It's sensational to compare humans to zombies and especially in terms of what makes us happy and gives us pleasure.

Walker's idea of depicting humans as mindless zombies while roaming a mall is quite humorous and accurate. I've seen countless people walking or hanging out in the mall staring at every shopping window for no apparent reason, it just gives them happiness. "Although the mall misleads us by identifying the good life with gadget oriented affluence, the mall at least offers temporary sanctuary for the films main heros, Peter and Fran," says Romero. Perhaps this is what a mall does to us.. creates humans into zombies that cannot think, but stare mindlessly. "Although zombies horrify us, they are sad creatures, lost souls condemned to wander the mall in search of an elusive satisfaction."

The Zombies of Capitalism According the Marx's "Fetishism and Commodity"

“The Fetishism of the Commodity and It’s Secret” is a section in Karl Marx’s “Capital: Volume 1” and discusses the different kinds of values placed on objects in relation to human use, labor and how they contribute to the capitalist system. To start off, it will be helpful to define a few key terms that are consistently used in this excerpt: (according to Marx and Merriam-webster.com)

· Fetish- an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion

·Commodity- an economic good, something useful or valued

·Use-Value- the degree to which an object satisfies human needs, property of the item itself

·Exchange Value- the value of an object relative to other objects or a specific system, directly assigned by humans

The term in the title, “Fetishism of the Commodity,” describes the significance of an object in a way that is completely separate from its use value. It is a fetish because although it may have no real use value, the commodity is still revered in a mystical sense because it is a product of human labor. Marx breaks this down by explaining the manner of labor both individually and socially and how certain objects can come to be commodities.

When it comes to exchanging commodity, “what initially concerns producers…is how much of some product they get for their own” (234). In essence this comes down analyzing how much capital value is placed on an object and demeaning the amount of labor put into any given commodity to a single price. This means eliminating labor as a human factor and simply valuing “relations between material objects” (236). In accordance with the theme of this course, we could perceive the dehumanized laborers in this practice, as “zombies.” Take for example the social labor of factory workers, that is a group of people working together to create one specific product. Are they “zombies” because they toil repetitively only to remain unrecognizable? How different are they from the Haitian zombies, who are revived only to fulfill the needs of the field owners?

Marx continues to explain how we as humans come to assign value to commodities and why labor is a determining factor in this process. He uses the example of “Robinson Crusoe,” the English novel by Daniel Defoe, and how Crusoe slowly turns items into commodity and conforms to the ideology of capitalism. After being stranded on the island, Crusoe makes use of what he has acquired, using labor to ensure his survival, but as he forms his new life, he realizes that certain tasks have greater importance because they require different amounts of labors. Crusoe essentially creates his own system of capitalism because he assigns exchange value to all the commodities he has created and starts to adhere to this as a cost.

Often times, we as consumers are hardly different than Robinson Crusoe because we assign commodity value according to a similar system. But once this system is known it seems to disappear from everyday transactions and appears only as a price tag, thus come the consumers who are bred to ignore the labor and adore the cost, or as Marx would call them the bourgeois. The system thrives on these people because they feed the market and demand exchange value over use value. But what comes to mind when we think of these mindless consumers, only waiting for the next best commodity to come their way? They are the “zombies” on the other end of capitalism, buying into fetishism, adoring the high value of commodity and forgetting that by paying the price, they are losing sight of the human element.

When one hears Zora Neale Hurston, generally the first thing that comes to mind is not zombies. But like most people who've visited Haiti, Hurston encountered the zombie while there. In her work "Tell my Horse," Hurston tries to make sense of voodoo and zombie mysticism. She begins by examining sexuality and voodoo. In Western christianity, sex is often almost completely ignored when it's not being touted as sinful. Voodoo seems to celebrate creation through sex. Although, admittedly in a somewhat ritualistic pagan way. I'm not entirely sure what that has to do with zombies, but I thought it was interesting so I thought I would ramble about that for a while.

The Haitian zombie, as we have noted in class, is much different from the pop culture zombie of the West. Haitian zombies are simplistic and less violent, which seem to make them scarier than our a bloody, flesh craving zombies. These zombies are not so much scary in the way that you fear to meet one, but rather to be one. These zombies don't get to run around seeking to fulfill their desire for brains, but rather have to toil like a "beast" as Hurston puts it. There is no rest for Haitian zombies and their work seems greater than searching for flesh.

To add to the terribleness of being a Haitian zombie, it seems that a Haitian zombie can be cured. However, for that to happen someone would have to recognize the zombie and feed it salt. But because the zombie is always toiling and the zombie master, Bocor, makes sure the keep the zombie hidden, there is little chance of the zombie being recognized. These zombies are to be pitied and no fears to become one.

It is interesting to think that the fear in pop culture zombies lies in being attacked by them, but so much becoming one. It seems that once someone becomes a pop culture zombie, it only feels the overwhelming need for brains, but the Haitian zombie feels the wear of it's toil; a toil that someone else benefits from.

Sorry for the late post. I had almost forgotten about it. Hopefully, someone will have time to read it before class.

The zombie in Haiti is very unlike the version of the zombie we see in most of the world. We, as Americans at least, normally see the zombie as something of horror stories, something that can be terrifying, but not very plausible. They are used in our modern culture as many things, such as social commentary, cheap thrills, or even a good laugh. In Haiti, the zombie is a different thing entirely according to Zora Neale Hurston.

The book Tell My Horse by Hurston, or at least the two chapters I read, gives a lot of first hand information about zombies in Haiti and the Voodoo religion in general. And though the book gets a lot of criticism for being more a travelogue than a legitimate scientific work, I think it still creates a pretty clear picture of the way Haitian’s view the world, and in my opinion their view of the zombie is more chilling than ours. For them, the fear lies not in the zombie apocalypse or being attacked by zombies. Like Hurston says, “the fear is real and deep” (189) Zombies are created by a bocor, or an evil voodoo priest, in contrast to the houngan, normally seen as the real or true voodoo priest. To put it simply, once a victim is chosen to be a zombie, they bocor visits the house and basically steals the victim’s soul, and soon after they die. After the burial ceremony, the bocor and his associates dig up the body and the bocor calls the victim and basically becomes his slave, or a zombie. From then on the zombie will no longer recognize family or friends. There was a feeling of helplessness I got when I read this, that all of your loved ones have no idea of what happened to you, and even if they did there would be no rescue. Because whether you believe that the zombies are real, there is still a lot of mental damage happening to you in this process, making you unable to be rescued or saved. You would basically be trapped in a body that you have no will over and only true death, or death of your bocor, would be your release.

I think Hurston does a great job of making the zombie and voodoo more real than I ever thought they were. She immerses herself in the culture, giving her a lot of rich stories full of details. It seemed to me that she got scared and I even got the feeling that she withheld some information for either her own safety or the safety of others.

Religion, Ritual, and Re-animation

The excerpts from Zora Neale Hurston's Tell My Horse and from Alan Lomax's Notebook both deal with the ritualistic side of voodoo (however you want to spell it).

Lomax's notes from his ethnic study of Haitian voodoo is, frankly, hard to read. The wording is awkward and does not translate well into the present. But, Lomax does give an authentic feel to some of the voodoo ceremonies, describing the intricacies of each rite. The rules that must be followed in this religion (?) are quite strict and specific (the lists of the gifts that must be given to the different loa, or gods, are astounding).
Zombies make a very brief appearance in this selection, so there is not much to say directly about them here. But the reading does give a more visceral understanding of the religion that "created" zombies.

Hurston's chapters give a further (and more clearly written) explanation of the religion. She gives the background of the most important gods in voodoo. Here's the breakdown:

• Damballah - the head cheese. If you were to ask another god for a favor, that god would have to ask Damballah if it's okay.
• Erzulie - the goddess of love. She is supposed to be the ideal woman, and must be loved and obeyed... even by married men.
• Papa Legba - the gatekeeper. Praying to this god first will make sure you get where you're going.

As with Lomax's notes, these chapters go into great detail about the ritual aspects of the religion: giving similar (and always specific) gifts to the gods, having to perform certain rites, and praying in a certain order.

Then she finally gets around to talking about zombies. Many of the stories she tells here are seen in other texts we have read. But she does focus more on the idea of sacrifice within the zombie myth. She mentions the "Ba Moun" ceremony, which is a Faustian deal a person can make with a loa. The person becomes wealthy and successful, but most periodically offer up souls to the loa, and, if unable to, must give their own.

The souls that are given must be considered a real sacrifice (i.e. a family member, wife, or friend), and will then become a zombie. Hurston tells two types of stories, each with its own moral. In one, a man sacrifices his entire family in order to stay alive and wealthy. In the other, the man realizes how selfish he is being and offers himself up as the sacrifice in order to save a loved one.

The idea of a zombie being a sacrifice is interesting from a socioeconomic standpoint. Since the sacrifice is being made in order to gain wealth and prosperity, I find it interesting that the people being sacrificed are made to do menial labor with no will of their own. Sounds a bit Marxist to me. Rise up, zombies!

Sorry to ramble on.

Passing through the Dark

Wade Davis’ scientific approach to the Haitian zombie is quite different from the religious and magic aspects in Seabrook’s “The Magic Island.” Davis uses his “Passage of Darkness,” to explore the many possible ways to turn one into a zombie, mostly poisons, whether they are plant or animal based, with effects that range from merely psychotropic to lethal.

Davis himself is an anthropologist and an ethnobotanist (studying plants in relation to people and culture) whose work focused on the indigenous cultures around the world, particularly involving the beliefs and uses of psychotropic plants in rituals and the like. So of course his eye would eventually fall on Haiti and their use of such plants and even animals to somehow drain a person of their will, their mind and ability to do anything but follow orders.

The idea of being buried alive or somehow rising from the grave after death is a thought that permeates most, if not all societies. Even ancient cultures had their legends of something animating the dead and bringing them back to the world of the living, and stories about someone being mistaken for dead and subsequently being buried or entombed alive. As Davis points out, even Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has such a drug, one that puts Juliet into a death-like trance so convincing it causes young Romeo to kill himself. Drugs that can cause one to stop, or appear to stop breathing, have no heartbeat, etc etc; even human beings can do this under the right circumstances and with enough training. So it makes sense that even in Victorian England, as Davis tells us, these beliefs and fears were prevalent, and people went to great lengths to ensure that they wouldn’t be buried alive, or come back once dead. In fact, we still have these fears today.

Davis concludes that a poison must be the key to the “zombie mystery,” as he puts it, but that if such a thing were possible that it would suggest “the existence of men and woman who actually created the poison and decided how, when and to whom it should be administered… undoubtedly involve[ing] explanations rooted at the very structure and beliefs of the Haitian peasant society.” In other words, he asserts that there must a type of secret society, beyond even the priesthood. Beyond that, he asserts that he has met with some of the leaders of said secret society, and that they have poisons and powders that can not only kill, both quick and slow, some that only give pain and some that “make you the master.” One can assume the last is the one that could create a zombie.

With such borderline outrageous claims, along with the few quite unethical practices he professes to in these pages, not the lease of them unburying the body of a small child and aiding in using it to create one of the many zombie powders he learned the ingredient lists too, it’s no wonder that he was criticized by his peers. But at the very least, his research can help us understand the context around the Haitian zombie, and make the concept even a little bit more believable.