Outline

1. How was the Twilight Zone able impact Americans during the 1950s?
1. Rod Serling was able to highlight the fear of his audiences through certain characteristics of
postmodernism, forcing them to consider social issues during the 1950s.
a. The world has just experienced a war that was different than all the rest, leaving American citizens
to be deeply affected.
i. The Vietnam War was the first war to be broadcast, and it left Americans with a new
viewpoint on war. In the episode The Purple Testament , the main character is forced to view
war in a different way when he can predict which men are going to die. This challenges
viewers to view war more personally, and not as a normal occurrence.

Title:
Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone"
Source:
Stefano, Emily Bahr-de. "Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within 'The Twilight Zone'."
Post Modern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone",
www.academia.edu/10315027/Post_Modern_Cinematic_Structure_Within_The_Twilig
ht_Zone_.
Direct Quote:
"As a genre series, The Twilight Zone was able to question aspects of American
ideology, a feat which had not before been achieved in the network television format"
(1).
"The use of ordinary human characters in strange situations only enhanced the appeal
of the show to American audiences. 1950s TV was typically characterized by an
'obsession with normality,' but The Twilight Zone took the concept of 'normal' and
used it to explore a new frontier of content, by confusing the boundaries between
normal and abnormal. The Twilight Zone 'departed from the comfort of the normal and
focused on existential fears and insecurities' " (2).
"This kind of postmodernist sensibility, which was used to address fundamental ideas
about being and existence, also represented the current culture and ideology in a
subversive manner that still managed to be relatable" (3).

Paraphrase:
This article talks deeply on how The Twilight Zone shifted the appearance of modern
television, and how it it managed to catch the attention of viewers at home. It also
includes Rod Sterling's, the creator of The Twilight Zone, input on how his main goal
was to subtly address the social issues in American society, to cause the viewer to
think in a different light. The text also covers how the TV program attracted the
attention of audiences, with the popularity of postmodern characteristics have a big
role on the show's success at the time.
My Ideas:
This article helps support my statement that The Twilight Zone used many postmodern
characteristics to attract audiences and get them thinking about social issues.
The show caused many people to be affected because instead of frightening the
audience with just science fiction, they made it more personal by focusing on the
desires of the human mind, and setting many plots in everyday settings.
History:
Created: 05/15/2017 11:33 AM

Title:
The Purple Testament
Source:
"The Purple Testament." The Twilight Zone, directed by Richard L. Bare, written by
Rod Serling, season 1, episode 19, CBS, 12 Feb. 1960. Netflix, Netflix, www.netflix.com.
Accessed 17 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
Anything special about the four men? These four men were all under 21 does it have
to be anymore special than that? (Serling).
You might put tape over my eyes or poke them out. Do something so I wont be able to
see. So I wont have to look at anymore faces" (Serling).

Paraphrase:
This episode is during the Philippine War. The main character is a soldier, and he is
cursed by seeing who is going to die next. The tries and warns the other soldiers at
first, but then refuses to say anything out of guilt. The story comes to a shocking end
when the man sees the glowing light on his own face when he looks in the mirror.
However, he is so affected by his "gift" that he would rather it be over than him live.
My Ideas:
Characteristics: dramatic, magical realism, nightmare, paranoia, different viewpoint.
-A time where americans viewed war differently, and more deadly.
-Forces the soldier and the audience to take war more personally.
History:
Created: 05/18/2017 08:17 AM

Title:
The Five Themes of The Twilight Zone
Source:
Schumer, Arlen. "The Five Themes of The Twilight Zone." The Art & Writing of Arlen
Schumer, Arlen Schumer,
www.arlenschumer.com/twilight-zone/the-five-themes-of-the-twilight-zone.
Accessed 5 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
"The shows span encompassed the birth of the Space Race, the flowering of the Civil
Rights Movement, and the life and death of the New Frontier...as the aspirin-ad angst
music, op art patterns and beatnik bongos of the series celebrated credit sequence
suggest, this historical twilight zone was a time of affluence and anxiety, of suave
 hysteria with a continual backbeat of crisis" (Schumer).
"In 'Third From the Sun' and 'The Shelter,' Serling zeroed in on the greatest postwar
fear, the threat of nuclear war..." (Schumer).
"In addition to giving young actors like Redford mainstream exposure, Serling also
featured a startling number of independent women like Stevens in dramatic starring
roles on The Twilight Zone, unheard of at a time when most women pictured on
American television were either housewives or comediennes (or, in the case of Lucille
Ball, both)" (Schumer).

Paraphrase:
This website goes over the five main characteristics The Twilight Zone portrays. It
goes over many episodes that reflect these characteristics, and explains why they are
significant during the time period.
My Ideas:
Characteristics: questioning identity, paranoia, questioning human morals.
This website will help me support my thesis that the show uses these postmodernism
characteristics to impact the audience.
I used this website as a guide of which episodes to watch for this project.

History:
Created: 05/18/2017 08:43 AM
b. During this time, America was in the middle of a missile race between Russia. Nuclear weapons were
being made non-stop, and american citizens were determined to win. However, The Twilight Zone
forces viewers to witness the consequences of a nuclear war in many episodes, and feeds into their
paranoia.
i. In an episode Third From The Sun, a town is on edge while waiting for the outcomes of a
nuclear attack. In the episode, the family reflects the americans who were paranoid during
the Cold war, and the boss reflected those who were blinded by the need for their country to
be dominant. Without directly criticising the missile race, Rod Serling used American's
paranoia to his advantage and showed them a possible, devastating outcome.
ii. When the characters reveal that they are heading to Earth for a better life, the audience is
forced to question if our society is any better than theirs.

Title:
How The Twilight Zone Reflected American Society in the 1950s
Source:
Brenner, Meredith. "How The Twilight Zone Reflected American Society in the 1950s."
Thirty Minute Reality Check, Meredith Brenner, 2004,
www.plosin.com/beatbegins/projects/brenner.html. Accessed 5 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
"In a time when situation comedies and game shows dominated the airwaves, Rod
Serling's science fiction anthology program stood out as an example not only of the
artistic potential of television in terms of writing and special effects, but also of the
power television had as social commentary and a thought-provoking medium. Seeing
television's potential not just as a circus for the masses, but as an opportunity to
challenge the conscious, penetrate the subconscious, and make people think without
realizing it, Serling used this new window on America to showcase the prominent
issues of the time, as well as to reflect Americans' fears of the consequences of some of
our actions" (Brenner 1).
"In a time of Communist witch-hunts and finger-pointing, it was difficult to present
objectively the flaws in American culture without putting oneself at risk. So, Serling
disguised his social commentary as science fiction; he hid the shocking facts behind
even more shocking fantasy. Radical in its own time and still admired and emulated
today, The Twilight Zone set the standard for thoughtful television and inspired a
generation to think differently about the changes it was witnessing" (Brenner 1).
"One of the most common themes tackled in The Twilight Zone is the fear of nuclear
weapons. In the late fifties and early sixties, when the show got its start, America was
in the midst of the Cold War with Russia.[...]Serling's take on the bomb -- both the fear
of it and the consequences of its use -- found its way into several notable episodes
of The Twilight Zone, particularly during the show's first season" (Brenner 2).
********"Third From the Sun" also points out the socially-distorting evil of our reaction
to the dangers of the bomb. The families in this episode feel so threatened by the
impending war that they are willing to steal and, when it comes down to it, harm
others in order to get away. If we were threatened in a similar way, what would we be
willing to do to ensure our own safety? (Brenner 3).
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout.
There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices -- to be found in the
minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a
thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own -- for the
children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be
confined to The Twilight Zone" (Serling).

"The Twilight Zone was a great deal more than a simple science fiction television show.
It was a spotlight on American society in the middle of the century, showcasing our
fears and criticizing our flaws, tricking us into examining our lives, selves, and society"
(Brenner 4).

Paraphrase:
This article examines the way Rod Serling managed to showcase major issues in
society through his television show, The Twilight Zone. In the article, you can see that
Serling created episodes that caused viewers to question human morals, and played on
their fear of nuclear warfare. At the time, Americans were paranoid, and scared of
what was to come. Technology had advanced quickly, causing many to not step back
and think of the big picture, and question whether war and creating bombs were the
right answer. By using these postmodern characteristics, Rod Serling was able to grasp
the attention of his audiences through The Twilight Zone.
My Ideas:
I can use the information from this article to prove my point that by using
postmodernism characteristics, you can access the audience's fear.
History:
Created: 05/15/2017 01:20 PM

Title:
Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone"
Source:
Stefano, Emily Bahr-de. "Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within 'The Twilight Zone'."
Post Modern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone",
www.academia.edu/10315027/Post_Modern_Cinematic_Structure_Within_The_Twilig
ht_Zone_.
Direct Quote:
"As a genre series, The Twilight Zone was able to question aspects of American
ideology, a feat which had not before been achieved in the network television format"
(1).
"The use of ordinary human characters in strange situations only enhanced the appeal
of the show to American audiences. 1950s TV was typically characterized by an
'obsession with normality,' but The Twilight Zone took the concept of 'normal' and
used it to explore a new frontier of content, by confusing the boundaries between
normal and abnormal. The Twilight Zone 'departed from the comfort of the normal and
focused on existential fears and insecurities' " (2).
"This kind of postmodernist sensibility, which was used to address fundamental ideas
about being and existence, also represented the current culture and ideology in a
subversive manner that still managed to be relatable" (3).

Paraphrase:
This article talks deeply on how The Twilight Zone shifted the appearance of modern
television, and how it it managed to catch the attention of viewers at home. It also
includes Rod Sterling's, the creator of The Twilight Zone, input on how his main goal
was to subtly address the social issues in American society, to cause the viewer to
think in a different light. The text also covers how the TV program attracted the
attention of audiences, with the popularity of postmodern characteristics have a big
role on the show's success at the time.
My Ideas:
This article helps support my statement that The Twilight Zone used many postmodern
characteristics to attract audiences and get them thinking about social issues.
The show caused many people to be affected because instead of frightening the
audience with just science fiction, they made it more personal by focusing on the
desires of the human mind, and setting many plots in everyday settings.
History:
Created: 05/15/2017 11:33 AM

Title:
Third from the Sun
Source:
"Third From The Sun." Directed by Richard L. Bare. The Twilight Zone, directed by
Richard L. Bare, written by Rod Serling and Richard Matheson, season 1, episode 14,
CBS, 8 Jan. 1960. Netflix, www.netflix.com. Accessed 17 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
Thats dangerous thinking. You better mind what you say. And what you think"
 (Serling).
Paraphrase:
A society is addressed specific jobs to work on weapons. A big authority figure is
confident in dropping the bomb first on the opposing side, but the main character is
certain that hell will break loose. There are plans to leave the planet, and it is very
tense when the big authority figure finds out. Everyone is suspicious of one another,
causing tension. In the end, the family had to kill the authority figure, and succeeded in
escaping. In the end, they state that they are going to a more peaceful society; Earth.
My Ideas:
The one quote that I have can also reflect to how dangerous it was to have a political
view that was different than democracy in America. People were very suspicious.
Characteristics: paranoia, magical realism, dramatic, questioning human morals, war.
This is probably a critical response to the Arms Race between the US and Russia.
When the audience finds out that they are heading to Earth to live in a better society,
they are forced to compare and question if our society is any better than the doomed
one the family left.
History:
Created: 05/18/2017 08:32 AM
c. Rod Serling forces the audience to view major events from a different perspective, mostly focusing
on war.
i. In the episode Judgment Night, a german commander is forced to constantly relive the fate of
his victims. In the beginning, the commander views the killing of the passengers as a victory
for his country, and does not take it personally. However, when he is forced to experience
their fate, he views the passengers as innocent people, who should not have been killed. Rod
Serling is forcing the audience to realize the bias of human intentions. This is also question
human morals.
ii. The episode also reflects the characteristic of paranoia, when the passengers on the ship are
waiting to be attacked by a U Boat. The surprise of the german's attack questioned human
morals.

Title:
Judgment Night
Source:
"Judgement Night." Directed by John Brahm, written by Rod Serling. The Twilight Zone,
written by Rod Serling, season 1, episode 10, CBS, 4 Dec. 1959. Netflix,
www.netflix.com. Accessed 17 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
I feel as in Im in a nightmare I feel as if theres disaster out there, doom. Were
being stalked. I know were being stalked. Theres a sub out there, a U-Boat. I know its
there. I know it (Serling).

And theyre out there. God knows theyre out there. Waiting like vultures" (Serling).
There were people on that ship. Women to. We gave them no warning[...]I just found
it difficult to reconcile the killing of men and women without any warning. Makes me
wonder if were not damned now...In the eyes of God (Serling).
Paraphrase:
During WWII, a man on a british ship heading for American suffers from memory loss.
He can't recall why he is on the ship, or what he does, but remembers his name. He
later remembers he is a german commander, and knows there is a U Boat coming. He
is forced to experience the paranoia of the other passengers, and the painful death of
his victims that he killed.
My Ideas:
Characteristics: different point of view, questioning human morals, reflects on war,
questions the rules of time, unrealistic plot, loss of identity.
The german commander is experiencing a different side of war, and this forces the
audience to notice the bias of war, and how it can blind men and make them forget
about human morals.
History:
Created: 05/18/2017 08:24 AM

Title:
The Five Themes of The Twilight Zone
Source:
Schumer, Arlen. "The Five Themes of The Twilight Zone." The Art & Writing of Arlen
Schumer, Arlen Schumer,
www.arlenschumer.com/twilight-zone/the-five-themes-of-the-twilight-zone.
Accessed 5 May 2017.
Direct Quote:
"The shows span encompassed the birth of the Space Race, the flowering of the Civil
Rights Movement, and the life and death of the New Frontier...as the aspirin-ad angst
music, op art patterns and beatnik bongos of the series celebrated credit sequence
suggest, this historical twilight zone was a time of affluence and anxiety, of suave
hysteria with a continual backbeat of crisis" (Schumer).
"In 'Third From the Sun' and 'The Shelter,' Serling zeroed in on the greatest postwar
fear, the threat of nuclear war..." (Schumer).
"In addition to giving young actors like Redford mainstream exposure, Serling also
featured a startling number of independent women like Stevens in dramatic starring
roles on The Twilight Zone, unheard of at a time when most women pictured on
American television were either housewives or comediennes (or, in the case of Lucille
Ball, both)" (Schumer).

Paraphrase:
This website goes over the five main characteristics The Twilight Zone portrays. It
goes over many episodes that reflect these characteristics, and explains why they are
significant during the time period.
My Ideas:
Characteristics: questioning identity, paranoia, questioning human morals.
This website will help me support my thesis that the show uses these postmodernism
characteristics to impact the audience.
 I used this website as a guide of which episodes to watch for this project.

History:
Created: 05/18/2017 08:43 AM
d. Rod Serling was forced to use these characteristics subtly, to persuade the audience to focus on the
moral of the story, and not worry about taking political sides. Also, during the time, many shows
were being censored to avoid serious topics. However, Rod Serling proved how important and
influential TV can be to society.

Title:
Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone"
Source:
Stefano, Emily Bahr-de. "Postmodern Cinematic Structure Within 'The Twilight Zone'." Post
Modern Cinematic Structure Within "The Twilight Zone",
www.academia.edu/10315027/Post_Modern_Cinematic_Structure_Within_The_Twilight_Zon
e_.
Direct Quote:
"As a genre series, The Twilight Zone was able to question aspects of American ideology, a
feat which had not before been achieved in the network television format" (1).
"The use of ordinary human characters in strange situations only enhanced the appeal of the
show to American audiences. 1950s TV was typically characterized by an 'obsession with
normality,' but The Twilight Zone took the concept of 'normal' and used it to explore a new
frontier of content, by confusing the boundaries between normal and abnormal. The Twilight
Zone 'departed from the comfort of the normal and focused on existential fears and
insecurities' " (2).
"This kind of postmodernist sensibility, which was used to address fundamental ideas about
being and existence, also represented the current culture and ideology in a subversive
manner that still managed to be relatable" (3).

Paraphrase:
This article talks deeply on how The Twilight Zone shifted the appearance of modern
television, and how it it managed to catch the attention of viewers at home. It also
includes Rod Sterling's, the creator of The Twilight Zone, input on how his main goal was to
subtly address the social issues in American society, to cause the viewer to think in a different
light. The text also covers how the TV program attracted the attention of audiences, with the
popularity of postmodern characteristics have a big role on the show's success at the time.
My Ideas:
This article helps support my statement that The Twilight Zone used many postmodern
characteristics to attract audiences and get them thinking about social issues.
The show caused many people to be affected because instead of frightening the audience with
just science fiction, they made it more personal by focusing on the desires of the human mind,
and setting many plots in everyday settings.
History:
 Created: 05/15/2017 11:33 AM
e. Conclusion
i. Summarize the effects of the postmodernism characteristics on the audience. Conclude with a
statement on how The Twilight Zone caused a whole generation to question their actions in
society.