Braden Bullock, Kristina Daily, Russell Briggs

English APEL 2

Mrs.Scharf

1 September 2016

Zombie Synthesis Essay

A zombie apocalypse is an event spoken of in stories and films throughout the ages,

such as the 1985 film Day of the Dead, or the more recent movie World War Z, or the

increasingly popular television series, The Walking Dead. Though these fictional outbreaks are

often spoken about, we seldom stop to contemplate what the most important matters to

consider are if such an event were actually to occur. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, the

key issues to consider are individualism vs. communitarianism, moral boundaries, and

communication barriers.

Though the United States may put emphasis on the idea of the individual and thrive on

being independent from others, when it comes to facing a grotesque, ruthless threat, these once

self-reliant people must work together with others to ensure their survival. Individualism places

the burden of taking care of oneself when faced with hundreds, possibly thousands of

unrelenting zombies single-handedly. America has had a long history with combating against the

oppressive religious restrictions placed upon them by England before America had become the

country we live in today. This implemented the ideals that people “can reach their full potential

unfettered by the over-reaching government or the constraints of traditional societal norms…”

( Source B ). By implying that a person can only reach their full potential through solely

depending on themselves, the importance of working together to support each other in dire

situations is diminished. The “every man for himself” mentality causes humans to become

narcissistic and apathetic to the needs of those around them. In contrast, communitarianism

allows individuals to band together to address the needs of the community in a time of fear. The

unknown is perhaps one of the most terrifying concepts to a person; It is critical for them to rely
on others to educate them about the threat ahead. Turning to “government officials, local

emergency and transportation representatives” who have acquired the most knowledge about

the zombie apocalypse and offer “access [to] food, shelter, clothing, and emotional support,”

could mean the difference between getting mercilessly assaulted by a zombie or embracing

others who have suffered through these bleak conditions while in a secure shelter. ( Source D ).

Another person you befriend is another person who will fend off a zombie to allow you to escape

its crushing jaws, merely inches away from sinking into flesh and converting another human into

its kind. America’s pride in its individualistic ideals coming together to form a diverse community

of people that can unite for the sake of humanity is something that should be carried over to

disastrous situations; It is necessary to promote not only the idea of individualism, but also the

unification of the nation over the selfish needs of the individual.

In zombie films we often see the protagonists slaying the undead without a second

thought, with no hint of thinking about who they were before. We see an example in the movie,

World War Z, when Brad Pitt shoots down the infected without a twinge of remorse. However, if

such a terrible event like this were to happen, would we be able to do the same? “Do we have

an obligation to terminate them out of a respect for their past identity?” (Source C). The undead

are supposedly ravenous killing machines, but they were also once normal people with real lives

and real emotions. The undead could also be people we know and love. Though one should

consider the moral boundaries in which it is right to kill a zombie, letting emotions get in the way

could limit your survival and the survival of those you hold dear. Perhaps there is a point in the

disease where it is acceptable to kill zombies. “When is it appropriate to say someone is as-

good-as-dead, which is an awful, difficult decision?” (Source A). Perhaps the right stage when it

is just to kill a zombie, is the stage when they are trying to kill you, therefore killing is an act of

self protection. In the event of required self defense, we should keep our emotional limitations in

check so as to keep us and our loved ones safe.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, communication or the lack thereof should definitely
be a concern that people should prepare for. Source A states that eventually the power and

phone lines would be cut and you would be out of power and landline phones. Without power,

you wouldn’t be able to turn on your TV to see the latest news about the outbreak or what

authorities want you to do. In addition to TVs, no power means that without a battery, radios,

computers, and other forms of communication will be difficult, or in some cases, impossible to

use. At the same time, if you don’t have a cell phone or “digital traffic is heavy.”(Source A). you

will not be able to communicate with your loved ones or other people that you may need to get

in touch with. Because the government would need to take care of the chaos that would emerse

from this type of event, they would need the ability to communicate with you one way or another.

The government's plan for the care of senior citizens during a disaster includes “communicating

the risk to older adults”(Source E). This sounds great on paper, but in reality, trying to

communicate with mass amounts of people while power and phone lines are cut would appear

to be pretty ineffective. If people are not prepared for the loss of power and the effect it has on

communication, they may not get the critical message from the government and could be

overrun by zombies in their home. You should be prepared by having backup power such as a

variety of batteries or even an electrical generator, as long as you can use the power to keep

necessary communication.

Stories of a zombie apocalypse have been told for generations, and have become

popular in the film industry, and everyday life. People dress up as zombies for halloween, we

have seen them on t-shirts, and they are often featured in video games and some TV shows are

based entirely around the idea of zombies. However, not many of us would actually stop to think

about what we would do, and what we would need to consider if such a terrible event were to

actually take place. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, the key issues to consider is whether

or not you should fend for yourself or survive as a group, your moral boundaries and limitations

when faced with difficult and life threatening decisions, and how you will communicate in a time

of disaster.