Minority Trope Representation in AMC’s The Walking Dead Essay

Movies and entertainment outlets speak volumes about the current state of a nation’s culture. Cinematic creations in the United States allow small voices to be heard and controversial issues to be addressed. However, a repetitive and monumental issue continues to be addressed, yet continues to persist in our 21st century culture, racial inequalities. Since the inception of the United States, black men and women alike have been disenfranchised at the hands of the “white man” in America. Instead of continuing the conversation today, the issue is continually silenced referencing the successes and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. Nonetheless, an unfortunate reality looms upon this great land; racially based systems and structures continue to exist in 2015 the in United States. This paper synthesizes three films focused on racial inequalities in different time periods. Separate but Equal (1991), Selma (2015), and Crash (2005) illustrate how influential the Civil War amendments are, while serving as an uncanny reminder of how the racial prejudices during the 20th century continue to exist in our great nation today. Needless to say our nation has made great strides, but still has a long way to go.

The concept art imitates life is crucial to film directors who express their views on political and social issues in film. In regard to film studies, race is a topic rare in many films. Like America, many films simply refuse to address this topic for various reasons. However, more recently, Jordan Peele’s 2017 box office hit Get Out explicates contemporary race relations in America. In the form of an unconventional comedy horror, Get Out is intricate in its depiction of white liberal attitudes towards African Americans. In short, Get Out suggests a form of covert racism existing in a post- Jim Crow era. Similarly, Eduardo Bonilla- Silva’s book Racism Without Racists acknowledges the contemporary system of racism or “new racism,” a system

These stereotypes depicted “drug dealers, prostitutes, single mothers, and complacent drag queens” (Harris, 51). In the 1980s, African American filmmakers began to make a name for themselves. These films are “social commentaries, indictments of racism and depictions of ‘everyday’ American lives” (Harris, 51). Compared to the traditional representations of blacks and blackness, New Black cinema takes on this cultural intervention and the recoding of blackness. Harris describes this as “revising the visual codes surrounding black skin on the screen and in the public

Using the language of the moving image, which includes cinematography, editing, sound, music and mise-en-scene, this essay will investigate the ideology of Racism in film. OxfordDictionaries.com describes racism as “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.” When we, the audience think of racism in film, we traditionally think of movies for adults and often overlook the sinister aspect of racism in children’s films. I have chosen to contrast a recent R-rated film with a G-rated Disney movie from the 1990s. Disney films, even up until the 1990s have persistently reinforced the image of blacks or latino and asian races as being below whites. The

The Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series, which is based on the comic book series of the same name. It tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The plot focuses on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to maintain their humanity during the daily challenges of surviving in a hostile world. Which includes battling

A valuable lesson you hope to pass on to the next late night pedestrian you and your new friends come across; Underestimating the potential for a zombie outbreak is a highly dangerous (and foolish) activity. Preparedness is something one can never have too much of when considering an epidemic of the walking dead. Some of the basics are: Assessing the potential for a zombie outbreak at any given time, knowing the four types of zombies and how to respond to each (an absolute must), and most importantly, you need to have a plan.

The Walking Dead is a televised American drama series about a group of people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse developed by Frank Darabont. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma after the world yields to a zombie plague (Griffiths, 2011). Dazed and confused from months in the hospital he wanders out to figure out why he cannot find anyone alive. He makes his way home only to find his wife and son missing. He sets out to locate his family and finds many other survivors on his journey (Tucker, 2010). The Walking Dead coordinates with many social themes such as

According to Tukachinsky, Mastro, and Yarchi, prior to 1930, the role of Blacks on screen were seen involving mostly in criminality and idleness (540). That role still persists until the present, with Blacks usually have to withstand to “longstanding and unfavorable media stereotypes including sexually provocative females and aggressive male thugs” (Tukachinsky 540). 1970’s movies such as The Mack, Black Caesar and Coffy have reinforced this stereotypic image of the black community. The

actually address the historical legacy of slavery, Lin Manuel Miranda’s casting brought light to the misrepresentation of non-whites in media and history. Throughout history, minority races, specifically African-Americans and Hispanics, are often whitewashed into stereotypical themes; thug life, segregation, or the “bad guy”.

Children between the ages 7 to 12 are exposed to many television shows. These television shows, play an important role in children this age by opening their eyes to new ideas, cultures and to new places. As a 5th grade teacher, I was surprised to hear how many of my students were excited about the return of The Walking Dead on February 14, 2016. Before today, I had never seen this show, but I knew it was not appropriate for 10 and 11-year-olds to watch.

The TV series "The Walking Dead" first showed on October 31 , 2010, the main character is Rick Grimes who is was a sheriff in his home town. Rick Grimes was shot before the out break and his good friend Shane locked him in his hospital room and hoped for the best. Through out the TV series Rick is faced with many struggles, he ends up shooting his best friend Shane and his wife ends up dying while giving birth to his daughter. Rick also has a son named Carl who starts out as a young boy who can't fight for himself, he eventually turns out to be a strong member of there group. Now the villain is many people in this show, the first human threat turns out to be the Governor who ends up going crazy about killing Rick. This act cause many of Ricks group to die as well as killing the governor. The real threat happens when the group finally encounters a group that calls themselves the Saviors, Rick makes an agreement to another group called the

[1] Before I start this essay, I feel the need to remind the reader that I find slavery in all its forms to be an oppressive and terrible institution, and I firmly believe that for centuries (including this one) bigotry is one of the most terrible stains on our civilization. The views I intend to express in the following essay are in no way meant to condone the practices of slavery or racism; they are meant only to evaluate and interpret the construction of slavery in film.

Quentin Tarantino’s film Jackie Brown, released in 1997, challenges the pervasive stereotyping of not only blacks but specifically black women. Nowhere is the cinematic devaluation of African Americans more evident than in images of black women which, in the history of cinematography, the white ideal for female beauty has overlooked. The portrayal of black women as the racial Extra has been fabricated through many semblances in the history of American film. Film scholars and feminists alike have long been plagued with lament for the negativity and stereotyping that sticks with black women in American cinema. In this paper, I will argue that Jackie Brown highlights and stresses the racial variance of the female African American protagonist,

"Disoriented", the one word Rick Grimes uses to describe the moments he has been through before reuniting with his family. In a world driven into a apocalypse, filled with the undead and anarchy, everyone's will and faith are tested. One will either be changed for worst or for the better. This essay will analyze the actions of Rick Grimes, present my ideas if I were in Ricks position, and to answer for the actions of one more character.

The book “Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman’s Zombie Epic on Page and Screen” gives a better understanding of the walking dead, along with giving an interesting twist to the characters and the famous story line. The book manages to grasp many aspects of the grand design of the television show, with having such large selection of essays and comic storylines. Lowder and Blumberg mention the history of zombie comics, and how they condemn but later on risen up once again. Steiger discusses gender/ race politics in the series while Vizzini established an article named “Rick and Rand: The Objectivist Hero”.