When I was looking through the course catalog last semester I was aiming to find fun classes that would make my last semester of college interesting. I didn't want anything that would bore me or put me to sleep. I found a couple of other courses that looked like they were interesting, then I ran across this course. I couldn't help but sign up!
I'm going to be honest, I've never really been into zombies. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I got sucked into the whole Twilight craze. Once I read all of the Twilight books I moved on to other series that involved vampires that may or may not sparkle. After I read about three or four vampire series, I got tired of that fictional love. This is when one of my friends introduced me to The Walking Dead. We would try to coordinate schedules and watch the show together, but it was just too difficult to not continue with the seasons on my own. I was addicted. I finished up the second season this summer and somehow forgot about zombies and how much I enjoyed the show. Then, when I saw this course, it came back to me. I can't explain how excited I was when we started talking about the show in class.
So far, my interest in this topic has immensely deepened. I find myself reading about zombies for the course and thinking that it is reality. I then have to remind myself that we haven't had a zombie-apocalypse, well not yet anyways. The readings and videos that we have been watching do more than engage your imagination, they actually get you to wonder what you would do if you were in a situation with a zombie.
I chose to read Zombocalypse Now for tomorrow. When I first started, I found the book to be a bit weird and I couldn't really get into it, but the more I read it, the interested I got. I found myself trying out different scenarios. I tried to make the decisions as I would make them and, no surprise, I ended up dying. Then I tried to take a path of a morally right person, and once again I died. I then tried many different other paths and it seems that the ones I succeeded to live in were ones where I wasn't afraid of the zombies and didn't hold on to the highest moral standards. This reminded me of our discussion in class when we were talking about what it would be like if you were a human who survived the zombies. Would you be the same person? It seems that morality and the idea of what is right and what is wrong changes. Today, I couldn't imagine helping the U.S. government create a military of undead soldiers, but if I was living during the apocalypse could I? I honestly don't know. I hope that my survival instincts would kick in and I would be able to make decisions that could potentially keep me alive, but I have no real idea.
I came across this same question of "What would I do" when we were watching Rick trying to get the little girls attention at the gas station. As I was watching it, I was thinking about everything that I would've done differently. First, I would've read the sign that says "No gas" before I got all the way down the hill. Secondly, I would've moved much faster as I was walking through the cars. Third, I wouldn't have bent down to look under the car to see what the noise was. Fourth, I like to think I would've been smart enough to realize that the little girl was not alive. Part of watching this show and other horror movies of this sort is analyzing everything the character does. It is like when I watch a scary movie, I find myself talking to the characters and telling them they are dumb for yelling "hello" when they walk into the house. I mean, it's not like the murderer is going to respond and tell you they are there.
The Spoiler Film added a different perspective to the view of zombies. I found this film very relate-able. The husband is concerned about his daughter while he is holding his zombie wife down. To me, this seems like a much more realistic view because it starts with a single case. We see one family suffering and doctors and policemen trying to figure out what is wrong. In TheWalking Dead, the apocalypse has already occurred. We see a little bit of the beginning, but there is no calm point. Everything just breaks out at once.
Not only have I found the assignments and class discussions fun and interesting, but it had me questioning my reaction in desperate situations. Not only if there was a zombie apocalypse, but if I was in a scary situation in some other regard. How would I react? So far, this course has made me realize that no one really knows how they are going to react until the time comes. Rick is a sheriff and I'm sure that he never thought he would shoot a little girl, but to save his life he has to shoot a little girl who is a zombie. His survival instincts kick in. I'm looking forward to understanding more about how not only I would handle these situations, but also how all of you would handle them.
Fantasy literature and media have always appealed to me. This fascination began with Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Treehouse series, continued on to Jacques' Redwall, then to Lewis' Narnia, Rowling's Harry Potter, and most recently Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Amidst all of this love for fantasy worlds and alternate realities, zombies have never appealed to me. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I really enjoyed the films Shaun of the Dead and I am Legend. Also, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I enjoyed The Colony, a reality show/ experiment that aired on The Discovery Channel for a few seasons about a post-apocalyptic world. Rather than me try to explain the show, just check out the video below:
I guess it's not that bad, is it? I do admit that much of the show seems to be staged, but the show does offer a pretty interesting scenario. Although there are no zombies in the show, looters and thugs threaten the colony following the world's viral breakout.
Anyways, back to what I was saying. Other than these few aforementioned forms of media, zombies have really never appealed to me. I guess I've just always been more interested in magical tree houses, talking warrior mice, and never-ending closets. I always thought of zombies as stumbling piles of flesh without any real significance or adventure behind them. That is, until Z is for Zombies began.
Ever since last Tuesday, I've had a hard time getting zombies off of my mind. Hell, I was midway through season 3 of Dexter before this class started, but now I can't take my eyes away from The Walking Dead. Sorry, Dexter, but as much as I admire your strategically planned murders of societal scum, Rick splitting a "geeks" head with a shovel is more visually appealing.
Today, I walked across campus during a pretty busy hour and couldn't stop imagining if the tall dude walking by me were a zombie or if the entire student body were just one big horde of zombies. Being the defense specialist in my community, Home On The Brainge, I immediately wondered what it must feel like to destroy a zombie's face with a shovel or baseball bat. I certainly would avoid using a loud firearm as best as I could. I thought about where I would go if all hell broke loose. The library? Davis Center? My mind has been going astray.
I still have so many questions about these undead humans. What is their purpose? Are they really just figments of our imagination? Can zombies communicate amongst each other? Do their eyes work as well as their sensitive ears? Are zombies real? Ok, I guess I know the answer to that last question. Of course they're real.
After tirelessly reading Zombocalypse Now, I've come to the conclusion that I may not do so well in a world overrun by zombies. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I died as a result of lackluster decision making. I knew I should have given my blind date a chance! Or should I have? Let's just say that I got a little too confident in my chainsaw abilities...
Your Zombie and You was an absolutely fantastic read regarding the philosophy of zombies, our fear of them, and the "flavors" of fear that we have towards them and how they relate to other more recognizable fears. As Wayne Davis says, "all fears are fears of being harmed"(p.13). So, are we afraid of being ripped apart by a zombie or are we afraid of literally becoming a zombie and hurting others (p.20)? The interpretations are endless and I'd love to hear some of my classmate's opinions on this matter.
I was originally going to discuss the theme of "agency" amongst our fellow zombies, but we ended up having a great conversation about this very topic today in class. We also discussed the notion of Uncle Rege, which was a piece of the reading that stuck with me more so than the rest. While reading this, I couldn't help but think of the scene from the very first episode of The Walking Dead, when Morgan struggles and ultimately fails to kill his undead wife. Morgan and Duane had to struggle as their wife/mother died and eventually became a geek. In two instances, Morgan fails to kill his deceased wife. Even though he knows that she is no longer the same woman that she used to be, killing her is inherently difficult because of the memories associated with her (hence the photo albums, etc). Morgan's wife does some interesting things though. Although she died and "ceased to have psychology" (p.18), she still showed signs of remembrance as she approached the Jones' door. Maybe her brain was still slightly in tact? How will we ever know and are all zombies this way in some shape or form?
Zombies have quickly taken over a large portion of my daily thinking and I look forward to more of this as the semester goes on! Let's just hope my imagination doesn't become reality. I really don't want to have to shelter myself in the library for any longer than I already do.
