SkoopaTroopa Teaches "Zombies"

So, since my English Composition classes are still in the movie unit, we took some time to dive into Zombie movies. I had my classes read a short essay by Max Brooks, a well-known zombie author. The essay is called "The Movies That Rose From The Grave". It's short and gives enough information for even the most zombie-illiterate reader to be able to follow along (and it happens to be in our textbook, score).

From this, I had students write about how/why zombie films have regained popularity in our society. They've come up with some entertaining, though valid reasons. Why are zombie movies popular? They're a safe thrill. They force us to confront our humanity and/or lack thereof. They have us questioning our ability to survive against unforeseen enemies.

I also let students choose movies and then vote on one to watch in class. This class chose Zombieland which wound up working very well with our reading. So, in essence, we had a mini-unit on zombies because my students are awesome and sort of "get" me.

But since we have to learn while we're having fun, I had them write an analysis assignment that asked them to answer four questions. Feel free to answer them in the comment area. I'm always interested to see what other people have to say.

1. Who is the protagonist? What type of person is he? Why is he a successful element of the film?
2. How is the conflict resolved? What aspects of the protagonist's character led to this resolution? Support your idea.
3. Describe any outside forces that helped the protagonist to succeed.
4. What are three lessons from the film that viewers can apply to their own lives? Consider both the central conflict and the back story (plot and sub plot). Describe the lesson, and explain the real life implications it can have.

They're eventually writing what boils down to a rhetorical analysis of their favorite movie. So, all of the prep work will hopefully get them thinking about films they've seen in ways that they wouldn't usually. It's an exercise in critical thinking, and they're usually pretty grateful to have the opportunity to look at their favorite things from a different perspective. And, really, when we can tie movies to our real lives, it justifies our addictions (and who doesn't love to justify a Netflix addiction).