Sierra Logan
November 13, 2011
Ms.Cline
Eng 102
Zombie Nation
“Zombies are humans who have lost track of their souls”[1]
The word “Zombie” has imprinted many definitions onto society due to the topic being a popularly used in tales throughout history. Zombies in the modern day have changed widely since the first talk of zombies centuries ago; the term “zombie” stems from the Haitian culture based in the country of Haiti. Zombies (or pronounced “zombie” to the Haitian culture) were created from a type of black magic spell, it was meant to be something that mortal beings feared. The transformation from being human to being a zombie was said to be fast and painful, the ritual that would take place would include spices, powders, and forms of poisonous fish and frog. The people who felt the side effects of the “curse” would remain in a vegetable like state, barely alive; however, sometimes these spells and practices would end up killing the person the Haitian voodoo was practiced on. Haitians culture practiced and preformed black magic with Voodoo; the Bokor Sorcery was a black magic term used to summon or request the desire to turn someone who is alive, or dead, into a zombie creature.
"He comes from the grave, his body a home of worms and filth. No life in his eyes, no warmth of his skin, no beating of his breast. His soul, as empty and dark as the night sky. He laughs at the blade, spits at the arrow, for they will not harm his flesh. For eternity, he will walk the earth, smelling the sweet blood of the living, feasting upon the bones of the damned. Beware, for he is the living dead” –Obscure Hindu Text, Circa 1000 B.C.E [2]
Zombies made their way to the big screens during the early years of 1932, when Garnett Weston released a movie about the Haitian zombie culture called “The White Zombie”.[1] This movie was the start of zombies on the big screen; people seemed to fear the idea of being zombified, but they were also curious and intrigued by the subject. Throughout the 1930’s and 40’ more movies were released with the zombie topic at hand. The term “zombie” had now moved its way into the fantasy horror genre and was being compared to creatures like, ghouls, vampires, witches and all around dark spirits. It wasn’t until the late 1960’s when George A. Romero (Godfather of zombies) released his movie “Night of the Living Dead” that the view of what a zombie was changed forever. George earned the nickname because of the vivid horrible image of what a human can become after being infected by a zombie. Versus viewing a zombie like a half dead, mindless, poisoned person who did something wrong to deserve the treatment, zombies had taken on a whole new meaning. Romero wanted zombies to reflect on society and the people who make up the world, he wanted to also instill fear that was hard to redirect, he then chose to make this fear hit closer to home. “Night of the Living dead” shows families being torn apart by a flesh eating virus that if, let into your blood stream, will turn you into an undead, brainless, human monster who just wants to kill whatever is near it. By using human grief and the power death possesses, Romero was able to create the perfect creature that had every way of being able to mentally and emotionally break down a society.
Zombies have come a long way since being a black spell cast down by generations of witches, and our modern day zombies play a bigger role in society than they ever have in the past. The modern zombie is split into two different types of categories; society treats it as a scare tactic or a lifestyle fad. Some of society is living in the fear of zombies and the possibility of an infection or virus causing something so horrible. Since day one zombies have been portrayed as fear full creatures of the afterlife that wake the bodies of recently dead; the emotional madness that a life altering disease causes will easily drive people crazy. The major terrifying things you go through besides having to watch every step you make, is having to answer implicit questions about your future and what you’re going to do if you find yourself alone in a world that is no longer safe. The infection is irreversible, death and disease surrounds you everywhere, without any ways to escape it; civilization is done. You over think everything, and questions start working their way into your mind, questions like; is anyone trying to help stop this? Is this really it; is this the end the human race, were going out at flesh eating monsters? Being alive and being completely filled with fear would be too much for people, and living would seem like the wrong option. The pain something this tragic does to the human mind can drive someone mad, every day from this point on is a fight for the next, to many these challenges may be too much to deal with. “Sometimes dead is better off” – Jud Crandell, Pet Semetary. [3] Since zombies are such a popular topic in society, movies and T.V shows are popping up everywhere with zombies being the base of the show. Apocalyptic setting go along with world tragedy like an infection being started and many shows and movies such The Walking Dead, 28 Weeks/Days Later, and Dawn of the Dead support the idea of a zombie apocalypse. The producers of the show want to capture human fear and this is fed off of human suffering and being surrounded by terrifying, unpredictable monsters. Modern shows keep the fear alive by keeping zombies as the most grotesque evil creatures you will find yourself hearing about. 28 Weeks Later does a great job at keeping people on their toes; the virus has spread all over the world and no civilization is safe. The zombies that are delay with are terrifying; they follow directions of sound, they are hungry for living human flesh, and when they need to they can charge down something they want. The zombies leave little room for mistakes, getting bit is all it takes to infect someone and zombies usually win 100% of the time when working in swarms.
[4]
Zombies haven’t only made their way onto almost everything in media, they have worked their way into lifestyle of many zombie enthusiasts. As zombies have gained popularity, people have been forming groups of other zombies loves to come together to bring a great cause; “The Zombie Walk”. Big cities all over the country, such as Chicago, New York City and San Diego, have been participating in a “zombie walk” which usually takes place in the heart of a city. These walk consists of thousands of spectators and walking dead fans who support the cause. People dress up like zombies and run from block to block as a sort of mob looking parade. This is a fun way to get the public involved in a community event and defiantly counts as being something I’m sure will be remembered forever if experienced. There is a public website called www.zombiewalk.com[3] that contains anything you could possibly want to know about traditional zombie behavior, local zombie walk events, and even how to do your own zombie makeup. This website holds walk as an assists in a charity event and usually bring a lot of attention to the cause and anyone viewing the fiasco.
The undead in society has been used as a comic relief in many situations due to the up rise in fear the topics seems to bring. Many people have started preparing for what is to be a “zombie apocalypse” which will leave society in ruins, most of society dead or at, half dead. Individuals, families, and groups of people have started storing up on food and supplies for when the “zombie apocalypse” hits our earth. Many are firm believers that someday we will need to protects ourselves from an undead nation and survive in a world that will never be the same for as long as we continue existing. Books, guides and T.V. shows are everywhere that are aimed to help someone survive an apocalypse. This information helps inform the community on steps to take to prepare in case something horrible happens. Most of society is not prepared to deal with a tragic even and zombies have inspired people to take action and prepare themselves. “The Zombie Survival Guide” written by Max Brooks was a New York Times best seller; this book includes helpful survival tips, ideal weapon choice for different scenarios, and horror stories of the past. The author gives an in-depth description of different types of zombies and how they react depending on the landscape and climate. The books most intriguing part of the whole book is the “Recorded Attacks” section. Stories of the living dead have dated back all the way until 60,000 B.C all the way up until 2002 A.D; stories of short outbreaks all over the world that lead to deviation. Plague has also has the same effects on society and acts the same in a lot of ways as well. Plague will wipe out a society but usually moves on or disappears, the zombie virus would act the same, but nobody knows a cure for the disease, or if the disease is even prevalent. The book believes the virus will not last forever and it will be earth’s way of resetting itself. Some people believe that if this were to occur it would be natures doing, a form of natural selection that was unpredictable.
In the world of fashion, the undead has made its way to the top of the food chain, the desire to look undead is taking over the runway and fashion all over the place. From tights to hair clips, zombie themed clothes and accessories are a part of the new trend. Punk Rock and Goth themes have adopted the new trends into their daily styles and this theme is not only used during October. It seems zombies have taken over our lives, even down to effecting how we dress every day.
Zombies have come a long way since being a mythical tale and will continue climbing to the top; zombies have set the totem for all other dark creatures. The rise in popularity with zombies since the early 1900’s has kept going all the way through our present day. The impact “zombie” have had on our culture is outstanding and is almost a mystery as to why we all are so fascinated with the idea of the living dead. As of the looks of things, society wants to keep the creature around, as far as for the future, society may become what we all desire in the end; just a matter of time until we know for sure.
Work Cited
2. Brooks, Max. The Zombie Survival Guide. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.
4. Tumblr.com.”Zombies Were People Too”25 Oct 2011. 13 Nov 2011
5. Zombiewalk. 14 Aug 2009. 11 Nov 2011
<http://zombiewalk.com/forum/blog.home>
