Write a short essay about the pleasures of apocalypse.
Write a short essay about the pleasures of apocalypse. Why do so many people think an Apocalypse might be “fun”? Do any of these articles show why people might actually want an apocalypse to happen? 300 words
Then look through Sandra Gilbert’s article “Horror’s Twin: Mary Shelley’s Monstrous Eve.”
Then for your journals, talk about Gilbert’s argument. What is she saying about the Monster, exactly? 300 words
http://www.ricorso.net/tx/Courses/LEM2014/Critics/Gilbert_Gubar/Madwoman_ch-7.pdf
The first thing that everyone should write about in their journals is the social contract. Pick any of the texts I gave you here—Rousseau, or the summary of social contract theory, or the PowerPoint, or any combination of these. What is the social contract, according to Locke or Hobbes or Rousseau? Is Frankenstein about the social contract?
The Zombie Manifesto was written as a tribute to the Cyborg Manifesto, but takes it further. What are the benefits of being a zombie? Why hang on to individuality? What are the benefits of the zombie body? The zombie hive mind? Individuality hasn’t ended up being so great for women. Why not give zombie life a try?
What do you think? Compare these two manifestos in your Journal post.
What do they teach us about the nature of zombies? In other words, what does each text think about zombies? What are they like? Do you think zombies are popular again today for a reason or reasons similar to why they were popular in the 1930s?
Many critics consider I Am Legendto be the first modern zombie novel, even though it is populated with vampires. How is it a zombie novel? Are there echoes of Frankenstein? How are they the same or different? Why is it important that these echoes are there?
Talk about what contemporary issues and values you see being fought out in the movie. Why have references to Vietnam and Civil rights in a zombie movie? You can look at scenes in the farmhouse, outside the farmhouse, on the television they watch, in the yard, in the basement. Do any of the articles help you think about these larger political issues? Can you see symbolism in the film? Does this feel like a classic tragedy? What is Romero saying about America? Make an argument.
Here are some issues and themes to think about for your journals:
Zombie Survival—What are the rules of zombie survival in Dawn of the Dead? Are they similar to Brooks’s rules? Are there differences? Why does the mall and the consumption of goods figure so prominently in the plot? Go into detail and talk about some specific examples.
Consumption and Moral Choices–This film shows characters making moral choices about their relationship to “stuff.” Pick your favorite scene about material goods, belongings, luxury items, scoring cool stuff, or living the good life, and talk about the moral lesson of that scene. If people get bitten as a result of their attachment to material things, talk about it!
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