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Community Corner

Student Writer: Jordyn-Marie Dudley

Are you a fan of the Vamp Fad? Learn about the new generation of vampires from Platt senior Jordyn-Marie.

This week’s featured writer: Jordyn-Marie Dudley

School: O.H. Platt High School

Age: 17

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Grade: 12

Teacher: Mrs. Kosky

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What have you learned in school that makes you a better writer? The importance of using background and examples to support your writing.

What is your favorite book? Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey.

What do you like to do outside of school? I enjoy reading poetry by E. E. Cummings. I also like to sketch and I dance at United Rhythms Studio.

An excerpt from Jordyn-Marie’s The Vamp Fad

“I vant to suck your blood;” the old saying goes.  We all know the story of the legendary Dracula, Bram Stoker’s genius creation.  With the physical strength of twenty men, superb speed, and complete immortality, the Count makes our mere human bodies seem fragile and frail.  He has the ability to defy gravity and climb walls as if he were Spiderman.  Of course, he can shape shift as well.  He has been spotted as a bat, a wolf, a rat, and oddly enough, as vapor.  Dracula’s hypnotic and telepathic powers often come in handy when capturing his prey.  He has also been known to have some control over the weather by using mist and storms to add to his spooky appearance.  Count Dracula’s most advantageous weapon is his immortality.  He simply cannot be killed.  That is, unless there is a wooden stake nearby.

Although there are many advantages and mysterious powers, there are a few important weaknesses such as the Count’s inability to walk in daylight.  Garlic, crucifixes, and holy water are also a few mentionable vulnerabilities.  So how do you become one of the undead?  I have heard that both being bitten by a vampire and drinking ones blood should do the trick.  Dracula is the original monster.  Some even refer to him as “the devil’s son.”  He’s been the basis of numerous horror novels and films since Bram Stoker first published his bloodthirsty book in 1897.

Now it is 2010 and we have the Cullen family; your average vampire family with a bit of a twist; they are vegetarians.  While Dracula is evil incarnated, the Cullen family is poised and elegant, charming and old-fashioned.  Instead of igniting in flame when exposed to the sun, the Cullens sparkle.  That is not spine-chilling or bloodcurdling, that is cute.  So, what makes today’s vampires so appealing and why are they the new obsession? What is it about Edward Cullen that has most girls wishing to be bitten?

To read the full 1,200-word essay, click on the PDF at right.

 

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