It's not just Dracula Anymore
Ysatis Gonzalez & Gabriel Pizano
Gabriel's Articles
Okay, So What Can A Vampire Be?
Dracula transforms into many different animals, the most popular being the bat. It’s known that Dracula can morph into other things, not all of them having to be animals.
For example, when surrounding his prey, Dracula takes on the form of mist, or fog. This is probably a transformation that describes Dracula best since fog hides the visible truth. A main characteristic associated with Dracula is his ability to hide his true identity and his past life. Fog tends to catch people who walk into it by surprise since you can’t tell you are within fog until it is thick and therefore too late. This can be tied to the way Jonathan walked into Dracula’s home and realized too late that it is not a place he wants to reside in any longer than he has to.
Dracula takes the form of a bat, but it is also popular culture that a vampire may turn into a swarm of small bats. Although the difference between the two isn’t all that much, the danger of being followed and surrounded by any amount of bats is still present. Although not all bats are known to bite, the thought is still spooky.
Dracula also turns into a wolf/dog, as assumed from the chapter involving the ship. This explains why he has the power to control wolves, which can be seen towards the beginning of the book.
No matter what form Dracula will take, they all fit him perfectly since all of his forms are things that characterize the way he approaches and hunts his prey. All of the animals explain the strange feeling of omnipotence that all of the characters in the book seem to feel when around Dracula.
St. George's Day
In Dracula, St. George’s Day is the day “all the evil things in the world will have full sway.” However, it's actually a holiday.
Legend says there lived a dragon that terrorized a town. The people would send two lambs a day for the dragon to calmly stay in his cave. The lambs dwindled, and the people were forced to choose one person to accompany the lamb. Eventually, the people got upset that the royal family was exempt from this practice and, to please the people, the king sent his daughter. The princess found a knight named George who agreed to slay the dragon. The knight killed the dragon and from the blood of the dragon sprouted a red rose which George gave to the princess. The king offered George riches, which he distributed among the people.
Every 23rd of April, men are to give roses to as many women as they can.
Modern Vampires: Looking Through The Ages
Ysatis' Articles
Vlad the Impaler
Vlad the Impaler was known mostly for his history of excessive cruelty when it came to dealing with his enemies. He is revered by Romanians and Bulgarians because he managed to keep them protected on the north and south sides of the Danube. He raided the Ottomans, and was able to gain a significant amount of followers that recognized his leadership.
Bram Stoker based Count Dracula loosely on Vlad the Impaler. Stoker might have chosen this as an allusion to Vlad’s powerful yet barbaric actions. Dracula is the epitome of mystery and stealthiness. He is like Vlad the Impaler in the sense that he is devoid of emotion when it comes to a measly human's life. He gains what he pleases, without a single thought for the effects on humanity.
Vampires in the Media
Everyone’s been at the hands of those perfect, strong, and undeniably powerful beings. You see them everywhere-from Edward Cullen’s sparkly face to Klaus’ tight hold on the city of New Orleans. Whether you like it or not, you have to agree-vampires are taking over the media. The question is: Why?
It can’t just be that the female population is absolutely obsessed. It can’t even be that these TV shows and movies are wonderfully crafted pieces of work. There have been so many attempts at spin offs and shows focused solely on these supernatural beings that there must be a reason.
Maybe the public simply enjoys the thought that the possibility of beautiful supernatural beings who are allowed to live for eternities with the appearance of youth is fascinating. Maybe it’s the unexplainable pull of scandalous topics normally associated with vampirism.
The use of vampires has been in literature and films as far back as one can remember, and it seems they’re here to stay for years to come.