Identifying Cause and Effect Patterns, Essay Example

Essays that focus on demonstrating the relationship between a cause and effect typically aim to describe the reason for a particular event to the reader. This is an excellent method that authors can use to persuade the audience to share their opinion on an important topic. In the case of “Why Vampires Never Die” by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the authors aim to provide the “effect” that vampires never die by providing a series of “causes”, including the relevance of the vampire to mythology and popular culture. Although identifying the cause and effect used for discussion in the essay, del Toro and Hogan approach their explanation in a structured manner that is used to support their claims.

According to chapter 10, “cause and effect, like narration, links situations and events together in time, with causes preceding effects” (Kirszner & Mandell, 321). In the essay, the authors provide the reader with information concerning the effect prior to introducing the cause. In this manner, they cause the reader to think more critically about the events that led up to society’s current obsession over the idea of vampires. To support this stylistic choice, del Toro and Hogan engage the audience by speaking to them directly. Before providing them with information about the historical background of the vampire, theyprovoke thought by stating “Tonight, you or someone you love will likely be visited by a vampire – on cable television, or the big screen, or in the bookstore” (Kirszner & Mandell, 361).

The authors provide the reader with many reasons as to why their claim that the vampire is a popular culture phenomenon, and will always be, is true. This is done by explaining the history of this human creation and then using this information to explain the pattern of human fascination with it, which will perpetuate the creation of vampire stories into the future. According to the authors, modern horror stories were first recorded in 1816 when famous authors such as Mary Shelley and John William Polidori gathered to create the most horrific stories possible. Polidori was responsible for developing the character of vampires, which could take the form of either horrible monsters or cursed beings with more human emotions. From this point forward, these stories were adopted for new audiences, which helped keep the stories being told relevant to different generations. Therefore, one of the primary causes of this phenomenon is that the vampire story is very malleable and can therefore be rewritten to suit many different tales.

A second cause of the continued appreciation of the vampire, a human creation, is that “we are still ultimately vulnerable to our fates and nightmares” (Kirszner & Mandell 363). Vampires are frightening because we have created them to be this way. If we ever become bored of already existing vampire stories, they will be changed to align with our existing entertainment needs. Since humans created the idea of the vampire, they will continue to change the myth in a way that both fascinates and interests them. Ultimately, vampires are representative of the evil that exists in the human experience, and they will continue to fascinate and frighten us because of how closely they mirror our own evils.

Just as the authors of “Why Vampires Never Die” emphasize the importance of vampires in popular culture, the author of “Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer” explains why this is the case by using one vampire themed television show as a point for discussion (Wilcox 1). She uses the cause and effect relationship between the compelling construction of the show and its theme to explain to the audience why the show was so successful and why it is one of the greatest television series of all times. Although the author appears to be somewhat biased due to her clear preference of Buffy the Vampire Slayer over other vampire themed television shows and books, she presents many of the same ideas that were argued in “Why Vampires Will Never Die”.

In “Why Vampires Never Die”, del Toro and Hogan emphasize that vampires will live on in literature and television forever because their experiences mirror that of humans. While these authors primarily focused on relationship between the “dark side” of vampires and the potential for negativity in the human experience, Wilcox focuses on the more positive nature of vampires. However, she claims that these positive behaviors continue to be intrinsically human, which is a part of the reason that allowed the audience to connect closely with the characters on the show. In fact, chapter 7, “Love and loss, it’s not over”, revolves around this theme (Wilcox 156).

Both authors agree that the cause behind the effect that “vampires will never die” is due to both the fascination that humans currently have over these stories in addition to the ability that they have to change these tales. While the original concept of the vampire was as a scary monster that hurt people, it has evolved to become more human. This new understanding helped shift literature from concepts like those used in Dracula to a kinder and more loving picture of vampires, such as those used in the Twilight series. It is possible that the character of vampires will continue to develop in the future, and take hold of a different form that is unrecognizable to us today.

In conclusion, the authors of “Why Vampires Will Never Die” believe that “if there are demons in our midst, there surely must be angels lurking nearby as well” (Kirszner & Mandell 363). Vampires are representative of both the good and evil aspects of the human experiences. In “Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, the author explains why this is true in the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well. Both the human and vampire characters have good and evil sides, and this good and evil is compelling because it reflects the abilities that we are all capable of. Both authors agree that humans will continue to be interested in the idea of the vampire, which will continue to evolve over time. Therefore, the “effect” that vampires will live on as long as there are humans has many more “causes” than just those stated in both pieces of literature. If more sources were explored, more causes of this phenomenon would be determined, and from a brief literature review using the American River College database, it appears they very few individuals would disagree with this belief. It could therefore be concluded that the cause and effect relationship effect in “Why Vampires Will Never Die” is clear, and that the audience that reads this essay will typically agree with the authors on this basis.

Works Cited

Kirszner LG, Mandell SR. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.

Wilcox R. Why Buffy matters: the art of Buffy the vampire slayer. Palgrave Macmillian, 2005. “Vampires”. p.730. Essay in an Anthology.