AI [Artificial Intellegence]

Web site: the Human Idea vs. the Hollywood Ideal

Cyborg Technology

Web site: Contemporary Applications of Cybernetics

Vampirism

Web site

GR8ER99@aol.com
GR8ER99@yahoo.com

Cyborg Youth

Web site

Hybridity and the Cyborg

Web site

Cyborg Relations

Web site

Technophobia/philia

Web site

Short Essays--link to page for printing

Kernels of the short essays

Dora Morse

Artificial Intelligence in Film

An examination of films made after the start of serious work for artificial intelligence seems to reflect a consciousness regarding machines rebelling against their human creators have filled the celluloid landscape whenever artificial intelligence played a key role in the texts. Important films which serve as markers in a time line of the public's attitude towards artificial intelligence are: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Alien (1979), Bladerunner (1982), and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). These films were selected because they all come from different decades after serious work on artificial intelligence had begun.

By examining film, we can track the mainstream attitude of the public towards artificial intelligence based on the fact that films require large amounts of money to produce; film producers, not wanting to risk their investment, are not going to put out a product that does not reflect the concerns of their targeted consumers. By studying the narratives and the symbolism in the four mentioned films, it is quite possible to track the mainstream opinion of the public in relation to artificial intelligence. In all of these films there are elements which indicate how we expect artificial intelligence to appear and this expectation indirectly expresses how artificial intelligence is viewed by people in relation to themselves. The most affective quality of artificial intelligence that will be noticed by humans is appearance. One of the requirements for artificial intelligence is that it must have some likeness to humans. This physical resemblance to a human will have an impact on the attitudes of those who must interface with it. The more human it looks, the more likely it will be treated as such. This observation is evident in the films by examining the actual appearance of the characters who are artificially intelligent.

In Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey it is the character of the HAL-9000 computer that is artificially intelligent. HAL is a stereotypical early computer- bulky, immobile, and filling up a large room. The only thing that is reminiscent of anything human is the camera with which HAL sees as it is similar to an eye; yet this is counteracted by its red color giving it an uncomfortable, inhuman feel. HAL is able to verbally interact with the crew, yet his cold and monotonous voice is unnerving. This lack of human presence in the machine leads those crew members who are awake to treat it for what it is: a machine. Any attempt at conversation is seen as a manipulation on the part of the machine as evidenced when HAL asks Dave what he thinks of the mission; Dave sees through the conversation and realizes that HAL is working up his psychological evaluations of the crew. In what might be just a conversation between two humans just passing the time, the conversations between HAL and the two crew members are always viewed by other crew members as having an ulterior purpose. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the inhuman physical appearance of HAL creates an atmosphere of tension and suspicion.

The artificial intelligence in Ridley Scott's Alien takes two forms as the crew of the space ship Nostromo encounters a never before seen alien life form. The two artificial intelligence's are contained in the science officer of the vessel, Ash, and in a computer which is referred to as Mother. Mother has all the same attributes as HAL with the exception of voice and the camera-eye. In order for the crew to interact with Mother, they must type queries using a keyboard. The more central figure containing artificial intelligence is Ash. Ash is perfectly human on the exterior; although the crew may distrust him, they have no clue of his true nature. The difference is only noticeable when Ash finally reveals himself for what he truly is as he experiences a malfunction and starts to 'bleed' a milky, white substance. Ripley, the lead character, experience a nose bleed at the same time for no apparent reason. The idea of the machine having blood would instill a sense of mortality in the machine (which is evident in the film because once, Ash starts 'bleeding' he soon "expires"). By having Ripley and Ash bleed at the same time, the difference between human and machine is reinforced. This contrast is also made into a three way relationship when one considers the acidic blood of the alien. While Ash resembles a human on the outside enough to be accepted by the crew, he lacks social acceptance and this could be due to his internal differences.

In the film Bladerunner, artificial intelligence is represented by replicants, android servants. Within the film, artificial intelligence reaches its fullest potential as it is indistinguishable from a human with the exception of the eyes. In fact, the motto of the Tyrell Corporation, the company that manufactures the replicants, is "more human than human". It is important to reference the old saying that "eyes are the windows to the soul" when considering why their eyes give the replicants away. As is the case when it is difficult to distinguish artificial intelligence from human intelligence, people tend to refer to spirituality. The director plays with this idea by not only having the replicants being detected in such a way but by also having an eye motif throughout the film. The director offers a provocative argument in the final scene of the film as the replicant named Roy saves Dekkard, the Bladerunner. As Roy dies, he releases a dove which ascends into a perfectly blue sky, which is incongruous with the rest of the scene because it is raining. This is symbolic of Roy's soul leaving his body and going to heaven; this marks a radical departure from the two previous examples.

Released in 1991, Terminator 2: Judgement Day presents another progression in the appearance of artificial intelligence. The forms that worked either partly, as in the case of Ash in Alien, or all too well, as in the case of the replicants in Bladerunner, are embodied in the good T-800 model terminator. The T-800 model perfectly resembles a human, using real flesh and blood on the outside, while on the inside it is a mechanical endo-skeleton. Traces of the form that worked least effective (HAL in 2001) can be found in the evil T-1000 model terminator. This proto-type terminator is composed of "liquid metal" which can assume any shape that it touches. Much like HAL, this artificial intelligence's original shape is rather abstract and inhuman. The same ideas that were in the previous films are combined and contrasted against each other in the conflict between the T-800 and the T-1000.

Understanding people's expectations of the appearance of artificial intelligence is important when considering how people view artificial intelligence in relation to themselves. In the films being studied, there are separate and progressive contrasting views of how artificial intelligence is perceived and how it relates back to people. Artificial intelligence is a tool for humans to use that can be turned off at the slightest indication of it not functioning properly with very little thought to how it feels about it. There is a great distrust of HAL by the crew members once the artificial intelligence begins exhibiting errors in judgement and the only solution they see fit is to turn the machine off. This distrust of technology can be found in the basis of the culture of the time. The film was released during the 1960s, when the fear of a nuclear holocaust due to the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviets was looming over the nations thoughts. Due to serious work towards artificial intelligence coinciding with the beginning of the Cold War, the idea of technology destroying, not only the world, but also human uniqueness can somewhat explain this distrust. This idea is further explored with more graphic imagery in Alien. When viewing Alien, and considering how people view artificial intelligence in relation to themselves, it is extremely helpful to see the alien life form as a metaphor for technology. The alien life form symbolizes the greatest fears of technology which culminates in artificial intelligence.

The alien is similar to technology in that it takes people by surprise; for example, in the past, people would have been able to get along without electricity, yet if it was to disappear tomorrow a way of life on earth would end as we know it. Just as technology does this, so does the alien when the carrier jumps out of the egg-sac and attaches itself to Kane's face. The metaphor continues as the alien makes Kane's life dependent on it and it cannot be removed, much in the same way as people have become dependent on technology and refuse to part with it. The metaphor goes further and it explains why people are fearful of artificial intelligence. As technology makes people dependent on it and 'inseminates' them, it will eventually lead to a new life form, such as artificial intelligence. And just as the alien did by exploding from Kane's chest, there is a fear that artificial intelligence will gain its independence from us in a violent manner. This metaphor can also apply to Ash. He has infiltrated the human crew without their knowledge of his existence. When he does expose his true nature, it culminates in a violent episode just as the alien's introduction was violent.

All of the mentioned films reflected what form people thought artificial intelligence would take. The form that artificial intelligence takes also had an affect on how people perceived. The more human its form, the more likely that artificial intelligence would be treated as such. This physical appearance also presented how people viewed artificial intelligence in relation to themselves. It is still questionable if people will ever live to see the artificially intelligent characters presented in the films in the real world; and if they do, it is still even more questionable if people's attitudes will be consistent with the attitudes of their films.

Works Cited
"Not Born Like You or I": The Representation of Artificial Intelligence in Film (this was a loose article I found that I could not find references for, ie author, date, from what paper…)

McCorduck, P. (1979). Machines who think. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company.

Porush, D. (1988, April). Cybernetic fiction, nerves, and metaphors: postmodern views of artificial intelligence. Kingston: Queen's University.

Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen. (pp. 102-148). New York: Touchstone.

2001: A Space Odyssey. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Performers: Keir Dullea and Garry Lockwood. MGM, 1968.

Alien. Dir. Ridley Scott. Performers: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, and Ian Holm. 20th Century Fox, 1979.

Bladerunner: The Director's Cut. Dir. Ridley Scott. Performers: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. Warner Brothers, 1982.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Special Edition). Dir. James Cameron. Performers: Arnold Schwarzennegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong. Carloco Pictures, 1991.

           Many still view the idea of the cybernetic being, or cyborg as it has become to be known, as a concept of the future; an unrealized amalgam of nuts and bolts with flesh and blood.  Movies and books have depicted this thing sometimes as a machine with flawlessly life-like qualities and sometimes as a machine with inherently human qualities.  Regardless of the cyborg’s form, it seems to have been envisioned as something inhuman striving to be human.  However, in today’s present technological era the cyborg has emerged as something entirely different.  In “A Cyborg Manifesto”, Donna Haraway defines the cyborg as being “a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction” (149).  Today, this definition is not too far off, as the human’s union with technology is becoming increasingly apparent.  The cyborg is, in practice, “a hybrid of machine and organism,” with the two working together in medicine, industry, and science.  However, in contrast to past conceptual descriptions of the cyborg as machine attempting to become human, the cybernetic being of today more closely resembles man attempting to be more like a machine. 

            The realization of the cyborg in science, medicine, and industry is orientated toward an enhancement partnership between man and machine.  Technology in these progressive fields is being employed to perfect and enhance the human’s productivity, efficiency, and capacity.  Robotic surgical devices perfect, and in specific examples, replace the surgeon’s adroit hands.  Remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) replace or assist scuba divers in exploring the inhospitable depths of the ocean.  Even the technology of the Internet in assisting researchers in amassing, sorting, and networking information can be viewed as cyborg technology, as human and cyberspace come together.  It is the assistance and enhancement based relationships between man and machine that make these specific technologies cyborg.  Neither the man nor the machine alone can be said to be cyborg.  It is the synthesis of the two or the union of inhuman with human, that is the very definition of the modern cyborg. 

            With this in mind, a clear break from the traditional science fiction definition of the cyborg is observable, as the technology is being created not to make more human machines, but to make more mechanical humans.  As indicated before, the concept of the cyborg is no longer a concept of science fiction or a new technology in development.  The cyborg is already here.  Haraway, in 1991 indicated that “the relation between organism and machine has been a border war” (150).  In the year 2000, it is apparent that these borders have been crossed and the intermingling of man and technology has produced a generation of cyborgs.  Present examples of this fusion of organism with instrument include virtual reality, pace makers, Internet users, and even automobile drivers.  It is the product of the human’s continuing attempt at perfection.  These enhancement or assistance based technological advancements have been around for some time and the question is no longer: what is a cyborg? But, who is a cyborg?

            Thus, with the realization that the cyborg is here, one must interpret it’s presence effect on society.  Is it something to be feared or embraced?  Supported or opposed?  Is it to be viewed as more human or machine?  With these questions, come certain observations.  Firstly, the cyborg’s subtle introduction into society derives itself from the cyborg’s similarity to human.  Hence, the cyborg’s proximity to human is such that it fails to raise alarm.  This is especially notable in a human society so infamous for persecuting difference.  Secondly, due to the definition of the cyborg, the harm it poses to society is nearly equivalent to the harm man poses to one another.  The only difference lying in that fact that cyborg technology makes man more efficient at being harmful toward one another.  Lastly, it is observable that cyborgs should be neither supported nor opposed, as one can only hope to observe the effect of this technology within human society.  This arises from the difficulty of separating the cybernetic organism from society.  It is inherently too difficult to detach the cyborg from human society and continue to preserve the integrity of the society because of the closeness of man and machine within a cybernetic relationship.  Consequently, one is faced with a cybernetic society where it is difficult to discern where man ends and mechanism begins.  Cyborg is not an intangible apparition on the horizons of technological advance to be feared, shunned, or opposed.  Cyborg is present and accounted for.  We go to sleep with it at night and wake up to it in the morning.  In short, it is our friends, relatives, acquaintances, and we who are cyborgs and it has been this way for some time.     

Erika Lyons

Prosthetics
Using the focus of prosthetics, the line between human and machine becomes fuzzy. The Random House Webster's Dictionary says that a machine is "an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work." Furthermore, the definition of a human was described as "having the characteristics of a person", so I looked up person and it simply said, "a human being". To me this definition is very open which could lead to various interpretations. I'm not trying to state that humans which need prosthetics could be considered a machine, but take on machine-like characteristics or have an mechanical extension of the human body. Some of the up-to-date technology in prosthetics shows how the machine can prove to be beneficial in a world full of blemishes.

An example of advanced medical technology from Man Machine Systems and Control (MMSC) is advanced prosthetics. They have made a central operated wrist for people with an unilateral arm defect. With the help of a central pushrod the hand or hook can grasp or lift small objects. When unlocked the hand/hook opens automatically and once the object is grabbed or the position desired is achieved the wrist locks automatically. These limbs are used to allow people to have a more comfortable life. Technology is used as an extension of the human body to do things that a typical human could do. This world is made for the average human body and mechanics are used in this case as a replacement of absent or deformed body parts.

These are mechanical parts inside a human body working with the human body to function as one. Does this make the human, not completely human anymore? Just thinking of this on a larger scale, for instance, if a human was exactly half human and half prosthetic or mechanical, I would not think of it as human or machine. So where is the line drawn between the two? Referring to the definitions of human and machine, these two could be understood interchangeably when accepting prosthetics.

We are constantly trying to re-create the human being to be perfect, as a type of replacement for the non-perfect human. Although this type of prosthetics proves to be very beneficial to those humans with disfigurement, how far will technology go in the replacement of the human being? Another key part of our project entails a type of biomechanical engineering where surgeons are being replaced by mechanical hands which perform more intricate operations. This excludes a lot of human error and proves to be more accurate. There is also research about a computer chip which, if implanted in the brain, will restore blindness to a certain degree. There is endless technology out there which is constantly confusing the definitions of who we are and what we are creating.

I'm sure in the future there will be a replacement for everything, although I'm hoping that something like the Matrix does not happen, unless it already has! However, I'm one of those people that would rather not know (I'd take the blue pill). Ideas of artificial intelligence go a step further in not just recreating the human body, but the human mind as well. Once this is completed who knows what is in our future.

THE PHYSICIAN HYBRID:
The question of artificial vs. human intelligence

            Donna Haraway states in her “A Manifesto for Cyborgs” that “modern medicine is also full of cyborgs, or couplings between organism and machine, each conceived as coded devices…(150)”  Nothing may represent this symbiotic coupling as well as the physician completely intertwined with the robot, as they are using a full surgical platform for surgery.  It is clear that robots aiding in surgery make the surgery more precise, more efficient, and reduce cost and recovery time.  But robots are taking on a greater deal of the work load, and humans are responsible for much less.  The capabilities of computers are becoming greater, so the question should be posed where we find ourselves as humans, and where we draw the line with these amazing informational devices that we are becoming increasingly dependent upon.

            First there must be some distinctions between what humans are capable of versus what computers (or computerized robotics) are capable of.  The word “intelligence” is not suggestive enough to separate humans from computers.  We now have the separation of “artificial” versus natural intelligence.  Consciousness is one aspect of natural intelligence that cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence.   Conscious means that we are capable of thought, will or perception.  These are not applicable to robots.  So they are not conscious beings, but they do possess intelligence.  Humans are aware of the world around them, and therefore are naturally intelligent, however, there are limits to the amount of information that can be stored or processed by a human.  The robots that are linked to humans in surgery are far more accurate – they are far more stable than a human hand.  The instruments are smaller and therefore it is much easier to manipulate them especially with small veins and arteries.  They are virtually failsafe as well – the software tests itself 400 times per second.  Combining natural and artificial intelligence is therefore the most efficient way to operate.  Because there is not a large incision or bones broken or bruised, the patient is spared suffering and post-operative costs are also reduced. 

Questions now remain as to what the new merging of computerized robotics and the human physician means to the future of surgery – for both the physician hybrid, and the patient.  With the computer having the potential of becoming exponentially more powerful than it is currently it is an interesting area to explore.

Upon watching a movie such as Bladerunner, one may ask themselves,  How realistic is the > possibility of a fully functioning human replicant? The frightening truth is that it is very possible. As we learn more about ourselves and what makes us human, technololgy moves forward at an exponential rate. It is only a  brief matter of time before humanity and technology are joined and the ability to replicate human beings is possible.  In many cases technology and humanity have already been joined.
T ake the case of the Kismet robot, which  is an M.I.T. project.  The kismet is an autonomous robot that is designed for human social interaction.  It has a facial features such as eyes, ears, a mouth and eyebrows.  The robot acts much like an infant who learns from the behavior of its human caretaker. The machine responds with expressions of surprise, interest, unhappiness, serenity, anger among a group of other different emotions. A motorolla 68332 microcontroller receives pre-processed perceptual information and compares new information with that previously stored in its RAM memory.  This new information triggers a response and a corresponding facial expression in the robot.  The Kismet thus learns and builds upon its prior knowledge. The Kismetis not the only example of a machine that can learn though.
Another experiment concerning a robot is used for robotic conditional learning. This is Similar to psychological, positive and negative re-enforcment. An Operate Conditioning Network enables a robot to learn patterns in sensory and predict collisions into walls in its given environment, eventually the old movement patterns can be used to prevent movents that would cause future collisions.  The robot is "rewarded" with a light beam(the machines positive reinforcment)  Human interaction with robots is not limited to labs however.
Sony is introducing the AIBO robot to the U.S. European and Japan market within the next year or so. The AIBO is an autonomous robot which "has its own emotions and instincts"(www.world.sony.com).  It can change its own behavior by interacting with people. Thus he AIBO "matures".  The AIBO comes epuipped with a 180,000 pixel ccd color camera as its eyes. The machine walks around on all four of its legs(simulates the dog or cat) and has "instincts".  This sounds disturbingly similar to a science fiction movie however AIBO is here now. Artificial intellegence is by the day becoming more fact then science fiction. With the insertion of machines that have human like traits, psychologists are finding out some  disturbing things about what makes humans respond to the environment, essentially what makes humans human.
     In looking at a field such as developmental psychology it is quite unsettling to have psychologists tell us that all of our emotions are triggered from survival responses and chemical reactions in our brains.  Happiness and sadness, nothing but chemicals which can be manipulated and altered with drugs.  Ritilin for example stimulates the frontal lobe  of individuals mind to keep them focused.  Drugs such as prozac monitor human response to the outside environment by conrolling levels of dopamine.  It is quite frightening to face the idea that all of the emotions that humans feel make them human are nothing more then chemical reactions.  For this obvious reason developmental psychology is a very controversial field especially with many religious groups.  If our emotions can be controlled with drugs how are we any different than a programmed robot?  One might argue the soul makes us human but developmental psychologists would argue differently saying that things that are important to us are somehow related back to our basic needs for survival and individuality is simply due to slight chemical difference in the brain.  There is current research that may conclude that our sexual behavior may be monitored by the vomeronasal apparatus.  If our sexual behavior can be identified than surely scientists will eventually be able to alter human sexual tendencies.  It seems that humans are becoming more like machines while machines are becoming more like humans. Our bodies are a vehicle, a machine and for thousands of years humans did not understand how the body worked or responded to the environment.  we know so much about the human body now that almost any problem we have with our body can be recognized.
If a bodily system shuts down humans have used their own ingeniuty to replicate the damaged systems. Take for example the  Laryngectomee(trademarked), which "simulates a precise human tone" (www.ultravoice.com) the device can be used in place of the damaged tissue. If a person can no longer talk due to larynx damage this new machine can fix that.  There is also, now,the possibility of the insertion of a micro chip near the brain which will enable the once blind to see.
What will be next? The more humans learn about their environment the more they can manipulate it.  This can be a good and bad thing, regardless fully functioning Artificial intelligence is right around the corner waiting for us.  Lets hope that we're ready and responsible enough to use it to our benefit rather than let it be the cause of our undoing.
Sources

1. http://neurobiotics.bu.edu
2. www.ai.mit.edu
3. http://embryos.st-andrews.ac.uk
4. www.world.Sony.com
5. www.ultra voice.com

Dracula
Although Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula was not the first vampire tale, the immensely popular book did introduce vampirism to many people in the Victorian age.  When the novel was first published in 1897, it sold over a million copies, far outselling previous vampire stories such as Carmilla and Varney the Vampire (Stoker 3).   Count Dracula’s tale struck a chord in the Victorian audience—they were simultaneously horrified and intrigued by journal accounts full of blood-thirsty vampires. After the rationality of the Enlightenment, the unrepressed sexuality of vampirism in Gothic novels like Dracula appealed to an audience who was struggling between giving into their natural desires and abiding by social constraints.

            The Enlightenment, which occurred between the Renaissance and Romantic period, focused on rational thought and high moral values (Punter 3).  The goal of the period was to turn away from the perceived savagery of feudalism and the Middle Ages by using new insights to create an orderly civilization.  However, the Gothic tradition rebelled against this rationale by glorifying “the medieval and supernatural past” that the Enlightenment had rejected (Punter 3).  Typical elements of Gothic novels included exotic locales (usually with dilapidated castles or abbeys), supernatural events, impending violence, and strange customs and times (Punter 9).  The Gothic emerged as a rejection of Enlightenment rationality, and Gothic texts brought the audience back to earlier times when the emphasis was more on passion than on thought.

            Vampirism became the ultimate rejection of the sensible traditions of the Enlightenment because it allowed perverse passions to surface.  Although the actions of vampires are usually described in sexual terms, vampirism is not merely representative of “normal” heterosexual intercourse.  Stephen King describes the vampire’s feasting act in this graphic way: “I will rape you with my mouth and you will love it; instead of contributing potent fluid to your body, I will remove it” (Dresser 152).  Although the vampire’s advances are usually unwanted, the bite is often described as a “kiss,” romanticizing the pain the vampire’s actions bring.  In addition to feasting on resisting victims, the vampire can also indiscriminately devour family members or people of the same sex.  In his sexualized quest for blood, the vampire can ignore cultural taboos concerning rape, incest and homosexuality.  The vampire is technically in human form, but since he is not actually part of society, he is completely free of constraints and can give into desires that mere mortals have to repress (Punter 145). Societal constraints restricted people after the Enlightenment from unabashedly giving into their sexual desires, but supernatural vampire villains could live out their fantasies in ways Victorian people could not.

            Bram Stoker’s novel presents villains who give into their desires uninhibitedly, but the book also explicitly illustrates the struggle a Victorian character has between society’s restrictions and her inner desires.  One of the main characters, Lucy Westenra, expresses a secret wish to be able to marry three men in a letter to a friend.  She immediately tries to repress this desire as “heresy” which she shouldn’t express (Stoker 76).  Outwardly, Lucy appears to be a nice, sweet Victorian woman, but she has desires for men sexually (although not her future husband).  Lucy is frustrated because she has to deny these longings, but she realizes she needs to conform to remain a respected woman.  However, Lucy’s repressed feelings are so strong, they refuse to remain hidden; they manifest themselves through her nocturnal forays into the darkness (Senf 66).  Lucy leaves the safety of her bedroom and goes to be with Dracula in the garden, where she can give into her most wanton impulses.  Joining Dracula’s living army of the undead changes Lucy from morally pure girl into a unabashedly lustful vampire, and her repression and subsequent transformation appealed to an audience who was dealing with their own sexual issues.

            However, even though the audience reading about Lucy’s plight might sympathize with her, their reaction does not change the end of the story: Lucy still dies a horrible death because she gave into her passions.  What did that tell the Victorian audience (especially the women)?  Keep your libidos in check, or you will get beheaded! Reading novels like Dracula where people wantonly gave into their desires was all the release Victorian people could have in their constrained times.  The audience could live vicariously through the characters, but in real life, there still remained severe consequences for promiscuous behavior.

Works Cited

Dresser, Norine. American Vampires: Fans, Victims, and Practitioners. New York:  W.W. Norton and Company, 1989. 
Punter, David, ed. A Companion to the Gothic.  Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.
Senf, Carol A. The Vampire in Nineteenth-Century English Literature.  Bowling Green:  Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1988.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. London:  Penguin Books, 1979.

[The] Myth [of the Vampire]

            "Vampirism was one of the most demonic outbreaks of mass hysteria ever to sweep the world.  Its origins are rooted at the beginning of time and almost all of them are founded on superstition."  -  Anthony Masters 

The term vampire evokes many different theories and discussions, mainly because different cultures, legends and beliefs have their own ideas on the term vampire.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a vampire is a "ghost (usually of wizard heretic, criminal, etc.) that leaves his grave every night and sucks the blood of sleeping persons." Vampirism dates back as early as 600 BC with stories from ancient Greece.  These stories were passed on from generation to generation.  With time, the legends of vampirism became more numerous as instances with vampiric elements occurred.  A time line of some famous vampires follows:

1428               Vlad the Impaler is born:  people believed his bloodlust kept him alive even after he was dead.

1560               Elizabeth Bathery is born:  Sacrificed young maidens; thought their blood made her beautiful.

1725        Peter Plogowitz dies: 10 weeks later he reappears and is supposedly responsible for deaths of others.

1730               Arnod Paole: died and during death was thought to be responsible for 4 deaths.  After 40 days in grave his body was in a passable state.

1879               Fritz Haarmann: known because of cannibalism and biting his victims throat.

            The most typical picture associated with the word vampire is blood.  This picture of blood can be traced back to worship, sacrifice, battle, and illness.  After creating a visualization of each word one can see their relation to the vampire myth.  The term worship illustrates the consumption of Jesus blood.  Sacrifice illustrates blood as food.  Illness depicts an appearance of blood on ones lips.  Finally, the term battle exhibits warriors who drank the blood of their enemies to gain strength. These customs of worship, sacrifice, battle, and illness have aided in the creation of the modern characteristics of what a vampire entails.

            The following is a list of common characteristics associated with the term vampire:

Appearance:              tall, thin, pale, pointed teeth, black clothing(cape)
Bite Marks:                leaves on victims throat
Churches:                   can not enter
Coffin:                         sleep in during daylight
Crucifix:                      must stay away, will burn skin
Flying:                         by turning into a bat
Garlic:                         wards off vampires
Holy water:                 see crucifix
Invite:                          can not enter house unless invited
Mirrors:                       no reflection
Strength:                     greater than human
Sunlight:                     weakened by, sometimes fatal
Transformation:         bat, wolves, mist

Juan Villa

Vampire Intrigue

Vampires have been around since the beginning of recorded human history. Although we tend to believe that vampirism originated in Transylvania during the Dark Ages when a myth circulated about the count who inflicted terrible tortures to people, myth and folklore about a creature that absorbs the life of another into itself through the blood were well around before that. The earliest recorded evidence comes from Persia and Babylon, but the myth is found in all corners of the world, from the Aztecs in Mexico to the Inuit in Alaska (Marigny 14).

In today's time, science and reason has prevailed that no such creature actually exists, but still we continue to be intrigued by the vampire. The story of the vampire originated in early and scientifically primitive times, and so it was used in mostly oral folklore to try and explain what was then unexplained phenomena in many cultures.

Although we are now a society whose means have provided many answers to what was then unexplicable, what is it about the vampire myth that makes it so universal to human experience, and why, in this technically advanced age, does it still hold true? Although by reason we have outgrown the vampire myth as truth, we still tend to hold on to it for various reasons. One of them is because of the most fundamental questions of humanity that it brings forth. Many parallels can be drawn between the vampire and the vampire as a metaphor for everything from AIDS to addictive behavior (Melton 100). The vampire is therefore used as a symbollism for these questions. What happens to us after we die? What is the nature of good and evil? Is there an overlap between both? The vampire as a creature is like the Byronic hero.

Although he is narcissistic and diabolical, he is trapped in an immortal corpse with the emotions and desires of a human soul. He is plagued by an indefinable guilt for some crime that it cannot remember having committed. This is where the boundary between good and evil becomes blurred. It is through this agonizing destiny that we sympathize with the vampire. However, with its supernatural abilities and its ability to produce the same fate to others, the vampire becomes an unapproachable creature whose torment we can only mourn for from afar because of those very same abilities that we fear.

Another reason for the fascination we have with vampires is in its erotic and sexual bravado that it elicits. Although the vampire is not sexual in a literal sense, the eroticism associated with the vampire is manifested in two acts: "the kill" and the making of another vampire. Though non-genital in nature, these acts are unmistakably and quite overwhelmingly sexual ones (Browne 109). In contemporary times, the male vampire is shown to be a tall, dark, seductive creature capable of luring any female he desires to succumb to him and surrender her body and her soul to whatever fate he wishes to inflict upon her. On the other hand, the female vampire is, in most cases, shown to be a heavenly looking creature, but who in truth, can inflict eternal pain on any man. She embodies an aggressive sexuality not common in most women that can dissipate sexual gender distinctions (Hughes 62). The female, as well as the male, with her drop-dead-gorgeous looks easily seduces men and transfixes them on her overt sexuality, easily making them surrender their minds and bodies over to them. While this is atypical in society where a man usually acts as the dominant figure, the female vampire breaks this sexual taboo, increasing the fascination we have with them.

    Images of vitality, youth and aging infiltrate our lives everyday. These messages at times are received unconsciously as well as consciously. Every time we turn on our television sets, open a magazine, drive our cars and enter a department store we are besieged with messages of halting and reversing the aging process. We buy into these messages by responding to them. We become fixed with the notions of recapturing what aging has robbed us of. We become transformed into mental cyborgs.

    In Harraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto she states that human beings become cyborgs by their use of technology. I believe we also become cyborgs by responding to these messages regarding aging. Our minds become fixed with these ideas. We act upon these ideas which we then believe to be our truths. As we age, we become obsessed with the aging process. We began to fight the aging process with any kind of ammunition that we can purchase. We spend billions of dollars on plastic surgeries, cosmetics to stop and reverse the aging process, exercise equipment and nutrition products to name a few.

    As an example, I was channel surfing last night on my television set; I came across an informmercial selling The Bow Flex. This apparatus, no matter what age you were, would get in the best shape of your life. The man demonstrating this piece of equipment, stated he was forty-four years old and in the best shape of his life in a physical and mental state, due to the "Bow Flex." His look transpired the vitality and youth that you could only acquire through the "Bow Flex. " This age defying aparatus's price tag ranged between four and five hundred dollars. Basically what the informmercial relayed, was that price is no option, in regards to halting and reversing the aging process.

    Everyday messages such as these infiltrate our lives, transforming us into mental cyborgs on the loose, searching to reverse or halt the aging process. With this frame of mind, we can briefly venture into any upscale department store and be captivated by any of the many displays duplicating flawless, ageless faces selling the latest anti-aging serums. However, if money is no option, which ironically it isn’t, even if you don’t have it, plastic surgery then becomes an option for anyone.

    In search for the fountain youth, rich or not, millions have found temporary solutions by altering their bodies. Face-lifts, eye lifts, breast augmentations done in order recapture what aging has robbed them of. Harraway in her readings talks about the technologies