TOW #17 - "My Zombie, Myself" - Written

This is an essay that was featured in The Language of Composition. It was written by Chuck Klosterman, who has written for many newspapers and also essay collections. I found it really interesting, as it analyzed popular monsters as their relevance to different aspects of society, and relevant concerns about society in the past, and that continue until today. It explored why people today are interested in zombie stories, by suggesting it's because many aspects of zombies are similar to things in real life, the way life can seem to get monotonous and seemingly pointless, like killing zombies. He compares normal life to zombie killing, in a way that's interesting and understandable. He used comparison and contrast throughout the essay, first comparing other monsters to aspects of life, such as Frankenstein and fearing unrestrained science, and the things that humans might create if they were allowed to experiment as they chose, resulting in bioethics and other ethical problems that result when considering the future advancement of science. He compared zombies to answering voice mails or filling out paperwork, because the actions of fighting zombies (as well as normal work) is often tedious and relentless. Klosterman also uses examples of the monsters in popular culture, such as Twilight and Dracula, as well as popular TV shows today, including True Blood and The Walking Dead. By referencing popular entertainment, readers understand what the author is saying, and see the relationship between these popular shows/books and how the monsters are not just for entertainment but also provide a message about society, which the author argues is why these monsters appeal to us. I think it was effective, because the reader understands the author and his claims about monsters, as well as relating to what the author says about working, with the repetitive nature of most peoples's work. I also like how in the end of the essay, the author says that we don't have to live like zombies. We may live in the world of zombies, but we make our own choices and can choose to make our lives more interesting.