Bram Stoker s Dracula And Richard Matheson s I Am Legend

A key element of the fantasy / horror / gothic genres is to fascinate and intrigue readers through stories that pose the â€Å"what if† questions, thereby teaching us something new about the society we live in. Sometimes these stories are helpful in explaining difficult concepts of good and evil, science and religion. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, the mythical horror creatures, the vampires, have many differences in their mythical abilities, functionality and origin; however, they both serve to underline themes that remind the reader of what makes us human and what defines us as ultimately good or evil. Stoker’s Count Dracula is the product of a religious strike against the antagonist whereas the vampires in I Am†¦show more content†¦By presenting Count Dracula as an evil, demonic being, the story is therefore laid out as a fight between good and evil. Contrastively, the vampires in I Am Legend are not physically des cribed in as much detail, but rather the details and attention are focused on their behaviour and their origin. The horror aspects of these vampires are pushed to the side and the readers are made to focus solely on their threatening presence as they prowl around at night and hunt for Neville while he, in turn, tries to discover what the specific virus that infected the world and caused the vampire epidemic. These differences are key in setting up how the readers respond to the novels’ plot and themes. Neville understands that these vampires are obsessive about their basic needs as the narrator states, â€Å"their need was their only motivation† (Matheson 11). In this regard, Neville is similar to his adversaries as he, too, is obsessed with his needs as a human, specifically for companionship and intimacy. This idea is demonstrated in the beginning of the novel as he is about to slay a sleeping vampire and the author observes, â€Å"†¦but for some affliction he didn’t understand, these people were the same as he† (Matheson 28). Much like Count Dracula, these vampires are driven mad by their thirst and need for blood; however, in Neville’s case, this need can also be characterized by his desire for companionship. In thisShow MoreRelatedBram Stoker s Dracula And Richard Matheson s I Am Legend Differ From One Another And?3022 Words   |  13 Pagesthe development of the myth. The depiction of vampirism in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend differ from one another and while these depictions stray from the folkloric accounts of vampires both find their roots in legend. The folkloric vampire has taken many different forms and has held a variety of traits, skills and weaknesses; each mirroring the customs, beliefs, and fears of different cultures (Bartlett 1). I can be difficult to find one all encompassing descriptionRead MoreThe Opposition Of Dracula And Its Influences On Vampire Literature1467 Words   |  6 PagesThe opposition of Dracula and its influences on vampire literature Have you ever thought to yourself, what has influenced vampire literature today? Well, neither have I, but it wouldn’t hurt to touch on the subject. Dracula introduces the idea of lust and death within vampirism. Also, there are many connections that I make throughout this essay between Dracula and I am Legend, proving that Dracula was an influence on the book. The opposition of Dracula has had great influences on vampire literatureRead MoreThe Vampire Is An Embodiment Of Society s Deepest Fears1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe vampire is an embodiment of society s deepest fears. Throughout literary history, the vampire has always been characterised as a vile figure of pure evil. However the depiction of the vampire is affected by the social, historical and political context of the time. As context shifts, so does the collective fear of society, with the portrayal of the vampire following suit. Dracula, I Am Legend and Twilight, three extremely popular books of vampire fiction cr eated during vastly different periodsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Dracula 1452 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Dracula Although Dracula was not the first vampire novel, the effect that Bram Stoker’s creation had on the vampire genre is undisputable. At the time, it was written intellectual revelations during the 19th century had begun to change what people fear. Archaic legends like vampire stories no longer inspired terror in industrializing areas like Britain. What made Dracula widely successful was the incorporation of modern themes and anxieties with the renowned archetype of the vampireRead MoreLiterature And Society s Influence On Society1764 Words   |  8 PagesWhen looking at a specific period of time, it s hard to get a scope of the social zeitgeist without examining the role of women. Women in history and society are extremely important because their roles give us powerful insight into the feelings and thoughts of the time. Throughout humanity s time on Earth, we have reflected societal feelings and norms through art, and literature. Changes in society can also be seen through the arts, and the roles of women are not exceptions to this insight. Horror

The Great Depression The Fall Of A Nation - 1701 Words

Collin Brunton Ms. Biondi English II 3 March 2015 The Great Depression: The Fall of a Nation The Great Depression was a hard time for America. The name fits like a glove because it was, in fact a depression. The Great Depression was crucial to American history because it changed every aspect of American life, revealed how big a power America was, and it established multiple government agencies around the world to make sure something like it never happens again. The economy was at a highpoint in 1929. It was easier for people to buy stock (â€Å"Stock Market Crash of 1929†). People didn’t have to pay full price for stock they only had to buy a margin of the stock. People also saw buying stock as a quick way to get rich, so everybody wanted a part of it. By September of 1929 confidence that the market would keep rising dropped. And stock prices turned lower also (â€Å"Stock Market Crash of 1929†). Inexperienced investors that were there to make a quick buck sold their stock at the same time. Chaos flooded the sto ck exchange, and prices only began to drop more. Within two weeks stocks dropped to 37% of what they were worth. And even as bad as things got, most people didn’t think that the stock market crash would have an effect on the American economy, but we were in for a wakeup call, and we were soon aware of the full effect it had. The Great Depression started in 1929, and the devastating effect lasted until the late 1930s. Almost all countries saw the prices of their goods drop,Show MoreRelatedThe Treaty Of Versailles And The Great Depression1068 Words   |  5 PagesAfter the First World War, Europe was left in turmoil; tensions between nations were high and desperation for peace was growing. On January 10, 1920, the League of Nations was officially created as the Treaty of Versailles was generated. It was created with essentially two main goals: to keep peace via collective security, and to encourage international co-operation. It was produced with the idea that if one nation was attacked by another, the members of the League would act together to stop theRead MoreAmerican Foreign Policy After The Great Depression1390 Words   |  6 Pages Between 1920 and 1941 the paradigm of American foreign policy completely shifted from the Isolationism to Interventionism for valid reasons. First the economic and socially challenging home front crisis of the Great Depression kept American citizens and politicians busy with domestic policy. Additionally the disillusionment of people with WWI caused America to avoid war at all costs. However, the rising threat of fascism in Europe forced America to defend democracy and help its allies. The firstRead MoreThe Economics Of The Great Depression1684 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Great Depression The Great Depression, often acknowledged with the Stock Market Crash of 1929, but something that is so much more than that, was a decade of economic turmoil. The Great Depression lasted from 1929-1939 consuming a long grueling decade, and as defined by The History Channel, it â€Å"was the deepest and longest lasting economic downturn in the history of the western industrialized world† kicked into fast forward by the Stock Market Crash in the fall of 1929. During the fall of 1929Read MoreThe Great Depression Of The 1920s1346 Words   |  6 Pagesmarket crashed in October 1929 and this triggered the beginning of a Depression for many nations of the developed world. The crash sent the city of New York into economic chaos and although the Great Depression began as an American problem, it was soon felt throughout most of the developed nations during the 1930s by crippling their economies (Schedvin, 1970). The Great Depression was the harshest and longest lasting economic down fall in history and as a result there were huge declines in industrialRead MoreEssay on APUSH DBQ- Hoover vs. Roosevelt774 Words   |  4 Pagesfor the United States in the 20th Century. While leading his country out of The Great Depression, he also led the nation through World War II. Herbert Hoover, the thirty-first President, led the country during the Great Depression and his policies enforced at that time eventually led to his downfall because of their inability to end the downward economic spiral. Both of these Presidents greatly contributed to the nation by using different policies and tactics that classified them as either liberalRead MoreEssay And What I Say552 Words   |  3 Pages The Great Depression lasted from October 24, 1929 until the economic recovery of the 1940s. On October 29, Black Thursday, the stock market crashed heavily, and continued to fall sharply throughout the coming weeks. As a r esult, the United States and the world were thrown into a decade of poverty and unemployment. The depression affected all sectors of the economy. Farm owners and agricultural workers suffered from falling crop prices. Businesses failed from a lack of investment support and a declineRead More The Great Depression Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Depression The great depression hit the nation quite hard with an un-comparable feeling of instability and weakness. The United States and other nations including Europe and Great Britain were quickly affected. The depression, caused by the fall of the stock market in 1929, caused many individuals to panic and the depression was everywhere by 1932. Many people were affected by the depression. Investors, the ordinary work force and consumers sank rapidlyRead MorePresident Roosevelt s New Deal971 Words   |  4 Pagesout of the Depression that It plunged into during the Herbert Hoover administration. The Great Depression happened through a myriad of events that ranged from bank failures to the stock market crashing multiple times in a short amount of time. The nation s economy was in turmoil and unemployment and poverty were at an all-time high and something had to be done to stop this economic free-fall. FDR and his political cabinet called the â€Å"Brain Trust† decided to take th e Great Depression head on withRead MoreThe Great Depression Was A Dark Period859 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Depression was a dark period in the history of the United States, which affected all the economic sectors of the Americans’ lifestyle and greatly suppressed the economic status of the United States, despite so closely following an era that appeared to offer much economic prosperity. There are many contributing factors and causes for this time of poverty and despair, however, some events may have contributed more to the Great Depression than others. These would include events such as theRead MoreDbq Essay969 Words   |  4 Pagesprint more money to fit the demands of the victors. This constant flow of new money, caused the nation to fall into hyperinflation. The German mark was rendered useless and purchasing goods was nearly impossible. Keynes’ fear had come true and Germany fell into a fascist government under the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Duri ng this time, the German currency was again rendered useless and the nation was war-torn again. After the second World War, Russia occupied East Germany while the United

Summary French Revolution and Modern World Free Essays

THE UNTOUCHABLES ROUGH DRAFT SUMMARY In the reading â€Å"The Untouchables† written by Friedman, the issue of getting a job and keeping it in the modern world is discussed. The Friedman explains that in order for a person to get a job in the modern world and be able to keep it, one has to have the right mindset. The author supports this by describing the qualities that a person should have, and the work that needs to be put into getting a job and keeping it. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary: French Revolution and Modern World or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thomas Friedman explains that there will be a lot of jobs, but people have to work hard to get them. He further states that people should take personal responsibility for getting their jobs done, and they have to do jobs that they are passionate about regardless of the paycheck. According to Friedman, in this new modern world, if one does not do his/her job with passion, love, hard work, and devotion, there will always be someone else willing to take over. He asserts that if American’s do not work hard for their jobs, there are people from all over the world who are qualified and are willing to work for a cheaper pay. Friedman explains that an â€Å"untouchable† is someone in the idle class whose occupation cannot be threaten nor taken over because he/she put so much effort and hard work into his/her job. He explains that the â€Å"New middles† cannot ever be outsourced nor over thrown from their jobs, for they have the right set of mind and determination. He states that people should convert themselves to become â€Å"untouchables† so as to adapt to the new modern world, and be able to do better in the work industry. Works Cited Friedman, Thomas L. â€Å"The Untouchables. † Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 11th ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. 238-242. Print. How to cite Summary: French Revolution and Modern World, Papers