Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Study Guide
Fall 2004

In answering these questions use information and examples from the movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and the accompanying essay by Stuart Samuels. Be prepared to write for 20-25 minutes in class on one of these questions. I will pick one of them at random.

1) What is the historical context of Invasion of the Body Snatchers? What things were Americans worried about? How did this historical context affect movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

2) What is the definition of conformism in 1950s American society? How is the concept of conformity/conformism used in the plot and ideology of the movie?

3) What is the definition of paranoia/conspiracy in 1950s American society? How is the concept of paranoia/conspiracy used in the plot and ideology of the movie?

4) What is the definition of alienation in 1950s American society? How is the concept of alienation used in the plot and ideology of the move?

5) What is the nature of podism? What makes the pod people different from normal people?

PLANET CLIO is ruled by Dr. Ronald Fritze,
Professor of History at the University of Central Arkansas.
An independent entity in the CornDancer consortium of planets,
Planet Clio is dedicated to the study and exploration of history.

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