Tracyone Qualls

Sociology 1
Professor Prior
12 April 2015
Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis
For this assignment, I will be analyzing the AMC networks television program
The Walking Dead. The walking dead is a television show about a post-apocalyptic
society trying to survive a zombie infestation. In this society, there are limited resources,
and the members must fight each day to have access to basic human needs, such as
food, water, and shelter. There are no real agency of law enforcement, so most of the
society is in complete anarchy, with the exception of some communities, such as the
one I will be further discussing, Alexandria. Alexandria is a somewhat democratic
community where the citizens give their input, but the final decision is made by the sole
person of power, Deana. One of the things the community, Alexandria, prides itself on is
everyone being able to contribute to the society and they each have their own jobs.
There are sherifs, doctors, runners to find supplies, and a government counsel. Even
though the world around Alexandria is complete chaos, there is a little bit of function
inside the walls of the community, that is until Rick and his group come to the town.

Durkheim would interpret this society as being a part of the structural functionalist
paradigm. This society is based largely on the different roles that the members play. The
different parts of this society work together to maintain stability, for example, the runners
go out to find supplies, while the armory/kitchen workers ration and protect the supplies
they bring back. Deanas husband works as the towns engineer and seeks ways to
keep it protected from the walkers, and Rick and Michonne serve as constables, ready
to bring justice to those who deviate from the societys rules. Even though the society
functions somewhat smoothly, its not solely based on everyone playing a role, but also
on the citizens having belief in the communities social facts, the laws, morals, and
values that are held by the society.
Marx would interpret this society as being a part of the conflict paradigm. The
individuals who reside in this community are more advantaged than those who are still
out surviving. They have the ability to determine who comes into the community, and
who leaves out. In fact, Deana has the power to exile individuals, banning them from the
society as she sees fit. As a result of this power, Deana exerts more control over the
individuals in this society as she makes the decision whether or not they are allowed to
stay in a place of refuge, or be exiled outside of the community where they will be
struggling for food, and will more than likely die. This power makes the individuals more
inclined to do everything Deana asks, and not question her decisions out of fear of

being exiled. Also, if you were to be apart of the society, you were required to perform
the job that was assigned to you, if not, you were at risk for being exiled as well. This is
somewhat similar to the Lord and Serf class struggles discussed by Marx.
Comte would attempt to identify the social statics of this society. He would
recognize that the members of the society follow a natural order of obeying and
believing in the laws both spoken and unspoken. Comte would also consider and
analyze the social dynamics of the society. Rick and his group coming into the society
and bringing their own experiences and wanting to change the dynamics would also be
something Comte would be interested in studying.
All in all, I believe that the paradigm that is most represented by The Walking
Dead, is the Structural Functionalist. In the world that the shows characters live in, the
roles and contributions of the citizens is extremely important, as is respect for the
communities social facts. Since resources are so scarce, and life so precious, every life
in the society is important, and one part of the society cannot function without the other.