Comparing My Zombie, Myself

Creatures that lurk in the dark, possess immortality, and prey on fear or lust, have been popular within the writing, cinema, and play industries for quite some time. In both “Our Zombies, Ourselves” by James Parker, and “Vampires Never Die” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the popularity of both Vampires and Zombies is brought to light. As for which is most popular, that is left to the reader or moviegoer; some would say zombies, while others would root for the vampire. Regardless of popularity, both zombies and vampires remain embedded in pop culture as a way for people to escape reality, while allowing their imagination to ask the question, where and how each pandemic started. Both zombies and vampires started out as characters in the minds of storytellers, and have developed over time with the help of technology, science, and the human’s deep seated need to escape reality.

In the article “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead,” Chuck Klosterman explains how everyday life is like zombies and why they are so popular. Zombies are experiencing an up rise in popularity because they are being used in video games and television shows such as “The Walking Dead”. Zombies are becoming more interesting to watch because any kind of sound or smell of a living human draws their attention. For example, the sound of shooting one zombie attracts others zombies to the person doing the shooting. Zombies are becoming more popular because the audience are able to relate to them in numerous ways.

All in all the supermarket scene provides a decent amount of clarity as to who the strangers are and how far people are willing to go when an apocalypse breaks out. Evaluating the mise-en-scene of Tallahassee exhibiting an incredible amount of strength and bravery for a stranger in the movie Zombieland provides the audience with enough information to determine what Tallahassee is willing to do for Columbus during a highly intense scene. Being able to pick apart different aspects of a single shot helps the audience focus on what the filmmakers want them to learn from their film. From the dominant characters to the colors depicted in a certain scene, everything matters to the

Throughout the story Kurt Vonnegut portray his anti-war sentiment through symbols, tragic events and characters. He conveys his belief the most with the main character Billy Pilgrim. Billy Pilgrim has post traumatic stress disorder, that is caused by the war. Therefore, showing negative consequences that come from war. Kurt Vonnegut also uses the bombing of dresden as to strengthen his anti-war novel.

If he could change anything about the world, he would make everyone equally as hot or equally as ugly so it would really be about the person’s personality. Another thing Ryland would like to see change is world hunger. Ryland enjoys watching films. Some of his favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Palo Alto, the Dark Knight Trilogy, Kill Bill, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Ryland’s favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Often, poetry is used to portray the highlights of this life or maybe even some of the small bumps we encounter along the way, yet, none really compares to that of war poetry. World War I, much like any other war, was nothing shy of a horror story. Innumerable deaths, traumatizing situations, and the lives of returning soldiers changed forever were, and still are, products of war. From our side, we have our own idea of what war might be like, but Wilfred Owen and Isaac Rosenburg choose to give us a small glimpse of what “serving our country” is about. Both men chose to write about the harsh realities of war and while these poets have several differences, they share very common ground: educating many about reality of war.

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is the tale of a gawky World War II veteran/soldier, Billy Pilgrim. His wartime experiences and their effects lead him to the ultimate conclusion that war is unexplainable. To portray this effectively, Vonnegut presents the story in two dimensions: historical and science-fiction. The irrationality of war is emphasised in each dimension by contrast in its comic and tragic elements. The historical seriousness of the battle of the bulge and bombing of Dresden are contrasted by many ironies and dark humour; the fantastical, science-fiction-type place of Tralfamadore is, in truth, an outlet for Vonnegut to show his incredibly serious fatalistic views.

When you think of a zombie, what comes to mind? To most people a zombie is a cannibalistic creature that rises from the dead and is often linked with diseases. In the film Night of the Living Dead this is exactly what we get. The zombies are the main element of horror in this film and this is what holds our attention. Whereas in the film I Walked With a Zombie, the true terror is not being killed by zombies, but of becoming a zombie oneself.

War has- regrettably- been the answer to many conflicts in human history, ranging from the Sumerian’s conquests to the invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies. During its long history, war has been questioned and contemplated, especially through culture: music, poetry, literature, etc. Two prominent pieces of anti-war literature include Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Both novels express contemporary fears and questions on war: its impact, its conduct, and its purpose; as well as frustrations and dangers of a modernizing society, industry, and bureaucracy, however the former has a comedic tone, while the latter is serious. Tone is a very powerful and moving tool for both Heller and Hemingway in their novels.

In “Our Zombies, Ourselves” author James Parker speaks to moviegoers and monster fans about that slow-moving creature of horror known as the zombie. In the essay, he attempts to uncover the reason for the zombie’s sudden and extreme popularity. To do such a thing he unearths the history of the zombies in film, literature, video games, and other media, and he sheds some light on their real origins – which all lead him to the conclusion that zombies are popular because of their “ex-personhood” (345). Throughout the essay Parker uses analytic language peppered with metaphors, description, and colorful references to some of the latest and greatest depictions of zombies, which help to bring the essay and the monsters to life and keep the audience’s interest. Parker begins the essay with a crash-course on the zombie’s early popularity before moving onto more modern times, beginning with what he considers the start of the zombie’s fame: Romero’s 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead.