Bringing Back Civilization...

     In a zombie apocalypse basic survival takes over but at some point life must restart no matter how different that life may be. Rick and the group found the prison and began to settle down roots, even defending it against a rival town lead by the sociopath, "The Governor." (Darabont, 2010-2013) After the attack Rick brought back the remaining members of Woodbury and with the facilities provided by the prison plans to restart civilization. But what exactly does that entail? The group faces a lot of hardships as they create security, stable living conditions, purpose, supplies and food, medical care, schools, and a governing system. The prison is like a city within itself. It contains eating corridors, laundry facilities, medical facilities, security, and confinement for troublesome people. This facility offers a lot of possibilities for the group to restart their lives.

Prison

Zombiephile, T. (2012, March 20). The Walking Dead Season 3 Preview. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from The Zombiephiles: http://www.zombiephiles.com/zombies-ate-my-brains/the-walking-dead-season-3-preview

     I have often wondered why Rick choose to take the people of Woodbury to the prison instead of his group going to Woodbury. Woodbury has all the makings of a town, wouldn't that work better for recreating the world? But when I think about it the prison makes more sense. 1) They already know the layout and the governor does not know the layout of the prison 2) There is land 3) There is a large enough facility, at the prison, to cook, feed, have sleeping corridors, medical care, and living space for the group, and 4) There is a fence that surrounds the entire prison in several layers for protection from the walkers and invaders.

Purpose

     What gives a person purpose? Usually it is knowing that they are making a difference in the lives of their family and those who surround them. How can one achieve this? Some find it in working to provide for their family. How can this fit into the prison? There are many things that need to happen in order to bring back civilization such as growing and scavenging food and supplies, rebuilding the structures, organizing living corridors, developing a school, and law system, etc..

Security and stable living conditions

     The first step is to fortify everything. In order to secure the prison the group must organize to clear out the walkers, mend fences, fortify the wall or fence on the back side of the prison, clear out cells and create an area to contain problematic people or those who may turn (such as elderly who may pass during the night). Once the group has secured the grounds and building they can begin to rebuild their lives. This may take a while to accomplish, so the group must be prepared to scavenge enough food until they can grow their own. Inside the prison the group can clean up and create living corridors for each individual. The sense of home is important for people to feel comfortable enough rebuild their lives and not remain in survival mode.

Construction

     The importance of maintaining the prison's structural integrity from the buildings, fences, to the working machines within the facility will be a full time job. The group will need to assign some people to this job. This job is imperative to the safety and security of the group as they will prevent walkers from invading the premisses, however, this job is also very dangerous. As these workers will be out mending and repairing loud noises are typically made which can attract walkers. They will have to be able to work quickly, be creative, and always on their guard.

Scavengers  

     Until the group is self sustaining for food, they will continue to have to rely on someone to run to stores to provide for the group. Although there are some material objects that they will always have to scavenge for food and water are the primary source of concern. This job is very dangerous as they have to leave the safety and security of the prison fortress into the area where walkers lurk. However, without this group of workers the group would not survive.

Farming

    In order to maintain the amount of food they will need to sustain life the group will have to start growing their own food. Eventually, the food that they are scavenging will get slim and expire. Part of developing a new civilization is assigning people to do work and there is plenty to do in creating a farm. Whomever is assigned to this project will have to cultivate it, plant, create an irrigation system, weed the garden, and harvest when the time is right. A concern for the people may be how the zombie bodies, rather burned or buried, have tainted the ground. Beginning the farm will take time, not only for the plants to grow but in developing where the best location for the farm would be.

Food Preparation

     Once the food has been grown it will need to be preserved in order to last throughout the year. The group members assigned to Food Preparation must ration portions, preserve food, cook food, serve food, and clean up after meals. This job is extremely important as it will dictate how well the group will survive and prevent them from starvation.

Cleaning

     With so many people living in an area there is bound to be messes. This job is important to maintain the health of the group. If the bathrooms are not cleaned, the laundry not done, and other general cleaning the group would suffer from illnesses and other viruses/bacteria that can rapidly spread. It is important to maintain clean living conditions to ensure everyone is healthy.

Medical 

     There will always be a need for medical attention people get hurt and sick all the time. This group will be responsible for retrieving and dispensing medications, caring for ailments, and injuries. They would also be responsible for finding homeopathic solutions instead of medications since they will eventually run out of medication or it will expire. This job is essential to the health and survival of the group. Hershel is a veterinarian and has done a great job so far in aiding the people who have been injured or needed medical attention. It is my hope that with Woodbury came someone with more experience in this area. (Darabont, 2010-2013)

Child Care and Education

     Inevitably children will be born as people begin to restart their lives with each other. There will need to be a form of child care while parents are working and school for children of the right age. We must remember that the children are the future of the land and need to have knowledge to be able to run it. Rather schooling would be exactly as it currently is or not would be debatable but nonetheless a child needs to understand the basics in life in order to be an asset to the group. The people in charge of this will have a huge job ahead of them in deciding what and how to teach the children. Beth seems to be a natural in this position as we have watched her take care of Judith in Season 3. (Darabont, 2010-2013)

Government and laws

     People need rules and guidelines in order to direct their behavior in an appropriate manner. In order to maintain civility they will have to create laws to dictate what is right and wrong behavior. This may be the hardest job of all as they will have to decide what is important to enforce and how they will enforce it. They will have to determine consequences for the infractions and how to implement them. Luckily they have Rick who was a Sheriff. (Darabont, 2010-2013)

     This is not a complete list of all it would take to develop a new society but it is the hardships that the group is facing. But with the looming pressure of providing for and ensuring the safety of his now enlarged group Rick is going to have to make some hard decisions. They have a lot of hard work ahead of them but after the hard work is completed they will be able to live life somewhat "normal".

     The importance of bringing back civilization is extremely significant to the group in order to maintain their sense of morality and humanity. Rick found this to be of the utmost importance when he realized at the end of Season 3 that Carl's moral compass shifted in a direction that he didn't like. We will only know how he proceeds with this endeavor as we watch Season 4 on the AMC's "The Walking Dead". (Darabont, 2010-2013)

 

 

Works Cited 

Frank Darabont. (2010-2013). [The Walking Dead]. Gale Anne Hurd.  Atlanta, GA: Stargate Studios.