Classwork, 4.28.11

Sample introduction:

In recent years, the popularity of undead creatures like zombies and vampires has skyrocketed in the United States. Some pop culture analysts attribute this trend to books like those in the Twilight series and to the type of communication facilitated by the Internet, which allows people with relatively niche tastes to congregate and interact easily. A closer analysis of cultural and economic factors in contemporary American society, though, suggests that the mania for the undead might be Americans’ way of claiming immortality as their culture—and nation—begins to fall from its position as the number one global superpower.