Ann Kordas's "new south, new immigrants, new women, new zombies: the historical development of the zombie in american popular culture'"
1) in the first section of her essay (15-16), in order to ultimately set up her thesis, ann kordas tracks how haitian "vodou" is transformed into american "voodoo." Describe in detail how the figure of the zombie "infects" (or enters into) american consciousness. When does it ultimately appear in its contemporary form?
2) outline in detail kordas's thesis. Once you've done this, explain how the structure of her essay supports this thesis. In order to accomplish this task, you might perform a "reverse outline": summarize the main idea of each paragraph in order to understand how the essay is built around its claim.
3) in her section "the original american zombi" (16-18) the author discusses the different manifestations of the haitian "zombie" in contradistinction to the american "zombi." How does the haitian version appear in the mid-to-late 1800s, and where does it ultimately land in america in the 1930s?
4) of these different zombies, kordas claims that only one captures the imagination of the american public in popular culture; which version was embraced by americans, in particular, and how does this particular zombie support the major thrust of kordas's thesis?
5) what aspects of the slave most terrified southerners, according to the section "new south, new zombie" (18-21), and how did the american zombie offer them a figure to pacify or assuage their guilt?
6) kordas seems to argue that the "zombie master" is in some ways more terrifying or monstrous than the zombie itself. What is kordas' argument, do you agree or disagree with her and why?