Abigail Smith

English Composition 2

Professor Hellmers

2/13/2

Zombie

The 2009 original video "Zombie" by the Cranberries took a stand against war, violence,
and the government putting the children and community last. The 2018 cover of "Zombie" by the
Bad Wolves is re-emphasizing the original claim as a girl covered in gold, representing the lead
singer of the Cranberries who passed, watches the Bad Wolves perform in awe. Both videos
share the same claim, same audience, and use the same appeals. The original purpose of the 2009
song was to honor an innocent child that died during the violence caused by the conflict in
Northern Ireland.

The story being told in the 2009 original song “Zombie” by The Cranberries is mainly in
black and white. This choice of color represents the sadness that the message of the video holds.
The message and story being told in this video are that the government is putting its citizens last.
Children are scared and dirty, their community is beaten up and full of military men with large
guns. The lead singer is covered in gold to represent the faith that she still withholds. The 2018
version of “Zombie” by the Bad Wolves captures the sadness of the video as the band is dressed
in all black head to toe. This version was made as a tribute to the lead singer of the Cranberries,
Dolores O’Riordan after she passed away. Dolores is represented in this video by a woman
covered in gold, just like Dolores was in the original video, watching the band through a piece of
glass keeping her message alive.

As the two videos are different, they share the same message of the government hurting
them, their families and children, and the community. “It’s not me, it’s not my family in your
head” this line is a reason that is supporting that main claim. As Dolores sings that line in the
2009 version and the Bad Wolves sing it in their 2018 version, they are speaking on how the
government is not considering how they’re hurting families with all the violence they have
created. There is no evidence supporting the claims in the 2018 version, but there is evidence
supporting the claim in the original 2009 version. In the 209 version, the video presents clips and
images of children experiencing violence from the government as military men with large guns
walk around where the children are trying to play. The video also presents more first-hand
evidence as the children are covered in dirt and their community is beaten up. The toys that the
children are playing with are sticks and bats, showing the violence of the government is
influencing them.

Both videos use the appeal of pathos or emotion. Pathos is used in the 2009 video as
children are shown with dirty faces and clothing. This caused the audience to react with emotion.
The lead singer mentions in the song that “they are crying”, talking about the children. This also
appeals to pathos. The 2018 video appeals to pathos as well. During this video, a woman is
representing the deceased lead singer of The Cranberries. She is watching through a glass wall,
appealing to pathos because death is an emotional subject. The Bad Wolves’ emotions in 2018
also appeal to pathos. You can really tell their emotions towards Dolores’ death and her message
by the way they sing her song.

Both videos appeal to the audience of anyone in whatever country that is an adult or a
late teen. This is because the story being told and the graphics are dark and deep. Children, pre-
teens, and teens wouldn’t choose to listen to songs with such deep meaning most often. The 2018
version audience is the same as the 2009 version because it is the same song, honoring the lead
singer. That being said, the audience could consist of Dolores O’Riordan fans. Both versions’
audiences’ are gender-neutral, appeal to all religions, economic classes, and races.

The relationship between the two versions of “Zombie” is that the 2018 version by The
Bad Wolves is re-telling the story from the original 2009 version by the Cranberries as a tribute
to Dolores. That story that is being re-told 9 years later is that the government is hurting us, and
they don’t even realize it. That story and claim are the same in both videos. I think that the
original version by The Cranberries gets the message across more effectively. I think this
because of the visuals in the video. The visuals of the children and the community make it a lot
easier to realize all of the violence and how it has affected the community and the children. The
audiences are the same in both versions because it is the same song, same story, and the same
claim, just with different singers. The appeals are also the same in both videos as they appeal to
pathos. The purposes in the original video are mainly focused on the children and the community
that was affected. In the 2018 video, the purpose was mainly to tribute Dolores and keep her
message of the original “Zombie” alive after she passed.

Works Cited

Bad Wolves. “Zombie” Better Noise Music, February 22, 2018.

The Cranberries. “Zombie [Offical Video]” TheCranberriesTV, June 16, 2009.