(Almost) Wiped OUT!
- Keven Gao
- Jan 8, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 15, 2019
What makes dystopian universes like the Walking Dead and Station Eleven so exciting? It’s because they’re both great works of fiction that deals with an epidemic. A life that we have never seen before, almost like a time travelling without a machine. Both require you to survive in a post-epidemic world. The only difference is that Station Eleven is about the Georgia Flu that wipes away 99% of the population, while the Walking Dead is about walkers (a.k.a zombies) taking over the world. The problems that the two stories faces are pretty similar as well. Rick, from the Walking Dead, leads his group from town to town to find an answer to the walker problem, on their adventure they are attacked numerous cults - like the Saviours and the infamous scene of Glenn’s death that even people outside of the Walking Dead fan base also knows about. Similarly, the story in Station Eleven also deals with cults attacking groups and the constant seeking of answers to the events leading towards the epidemic breakout. The only difference between the two stories is that the Walking Dead is more action, while Station Eleven is more drama than action. Both of these universes are dystopias where life is really hard and death may even be the better option. Without modern technology, the people in each story are to survive for as long as they can. I believe that dystopian universes that deal with a wipeout of a population are very interesting because of two things:
We don’t know what life will be like if it does happen.
Our imagination runs wild on what we would at that moment.
For as long as humans have been around, we have never been close to being wiped out. It is an unknown experience that we can only fantasize and think about, hoping that day will never come, but excited for the freedom it creates. The freedom in these new worlds is that there are no more rules, society has just been destroyed. In a way when reading or watching these dystopian universes we aren’t actually reading to see what the character will do, but what we might do if we were in that position. Both of these plots are very exciting as it makes you wonder what the characters will do next. Would recommend both of these plots for anyone who is interested in an epidemic plagued world.
This is a great comparison of The Walking Dead and Station Eleven! The Walking Dead is one of my favourite TV shows because it is about, as you mentioned, “a life that we have never seen before.” With this in mind, there is a vast potential for exciting story lines, and The Walking Dead definitely makes use of this potential. I thought it was interesting when you mentioned that the common element between Station Eleven and The Walking Dead that makes these dystopian stories so intriguing is the fact that we don’t know what life would be like if we were to live during the apocalypse. There are so many creative plots that authors come up with to make these…
As a The Walking Dead fan, I see myself doing the same thing that you said dystopia readers and watchers would- think about what we would do if we were in the character's position. I also think about how our world would change if we went through something similar to Station Eleven and other dystopias. After reading or watching this type of genre, it definitely makes us feel more grateful and appreciative of what we have, especially in Canada, since we have more freedom and access to necessities than other countries.
I think if you added pictures to your blog post, it would make it that much better. Breaking up large pieces with pictures will enhance your blog. Overall, great…
Great connection with the Walking Dead and Station Eleven. You state that they both require you to survive in a post-epidemic world and are dystopias. This is very true and connects to our modern world where we are still dealing with similar situations such as crisis regarding prejudice and discrimination. However, these dystopias mainly contrast the freedom we have in established countries such as Canada. These stories make us appreciate our current world how it is and makes us think how we will cope with these situations when it happens. The post-apocalyptic world is something we rarely think about, but still in the back of our minds. If this type of world would’ve came to reality, I believe the world…
I absolutely loved your comparison of the modern day wipe outs along with what readers find exciting. I think the same case would apply to the series, Mazerunner by James Dashner and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The two series are both centered on the collapse of the human race and how the government/people implement policies in order to keep the peace or break it. Humans were made to be curious creatures that search for answers to life's most impossible questions. We search to find the good in our world and if it means that others suffer, then that may be the cost. Humanity is centered on discovering the unknown and when everything is unknown just like the Earth…
The fear of the unknown is something that I feel is a major fear that I personally have, and I think many other people alslo have this fear. Anything that we are uncertain of, can be interesting, if the world was to end and most of humanity was to be wiped out, I feel that it would not be as interesting as any post-apocalpytic story. Although it would seem like we would gain a new sense of freedom, the novelty would wear off extremely quickly, and slowly lead to depression, and this depression would lead to madness. If the world was to end, I feel that there would still be rules, just not as strict, if we wouldn't have rules,…