Disease, and epidemics have shaped human societies throughout history. As disease comes and goes, society tends to behave in similar ways to these biological attacks. Due to this trend, the study of previous epidemics can be a great resource for the prediction of the impact that diseases can have in the present and future. In the same manner, the influenza outbreak of 1918 and the bubonic plague are good resources for the study and comparison of the outbreak of AIDS and HIV in Africa during present times. The study of epidemics allows for the analysis of unintended consequences that such events have on the population’s lives. When comparing the 1918 influenza epidemic, and the reoccurrence of the bubonic plague through history, we are able draw conclusions based on the similarities and differences to today 's AIDS and HIV pandemic. …show more content…
These similarities or differences are based on the social effects experienced by the people which through analysis can help prevent or reduce the effects of pandemics in the future or to stop further spread of HIV and AIDS with
”(Botelho 7). Figuratively speaking this shows how the virus can dramatically increase in one year. As one can see, they are connected because they both show that change doesn’t happen gradually but at one dramatic moment because they were just suspected, but just in different
The use of the paradox in The Great Influenza by John M. Barry reveals seemingly contradictory statements true. In the second paragraph Barry believes that one must "embrace – uncertainty" (Barry). He uses this literacy device to highlight uncertainty as a welcomed sensation to be accepted, rather than denied. Along with presenting truthful statements, Barry makes every word, phrase, and sentence that he writes ultimately more powerful and read at different understanding levels by raising the bar and introducing contradicting information. Barry characterizes scientific research as contradicting.
The primary source I chose for my analysis is “A Most Terrible Plague: Giovanni Boccaccio”. This document focuses on the account of how individuals acted when a plague broke out and hundreds of people were dying every day. This source is written by Giovanni Boccaccio as it is a story told by him and friends as they passed the time. Boccaccio discusses how “the plague had broken out some years before in the Levant, and after passing from place to place, and making incredible havoc along the way, had now reached the west.” Readers of this source can assume there wasn’t much cures and medicinal technology weren’t used much during this time as even their physicians stayed away from the sick because once they got close they would also get sick.
Tuchman’s targeted audience was young adults and older; students or those who want to learn. The author’s purpose of writing this book was to try to find out the effects and consequences of one of the worst and deadliest catastrophes ever recorded, the Black Death “The genesis of this book was a desire to find out what were the effects on society of the most lethal disaster of recorded history” (Tuchman Foreword).
The passage from John M. Barry’s The Great Influenza explores the significance of certainty and uncertainty to scientific experimentation and research. The author’s employment of metaphor, repetition, and semantic inversion helps to reinforce the claim that, “to be a scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage”. Barry opens the passage with two back-to-back examples of anaphora; these examples of repetition lay a direct emphasis on the strengths that certainty creates, along with the weaknesses that uncertainty creates. According to the author, “certainty gives one something upon which to lean” and “uncertainty makes one tentative if not fearful, and tentative steps, even when in the right direction, may not overcome significant obstacles”.
All plagues strike by uprooting individual lives and society as a whole. Nevertheless, the particular circumstances regarding the government, and religious and cultural beliefs in the affected lands influence the specific results of the tragedy, as witnessed through the Black Death and smallpox. Although both diseases led to drastic economic changes, they caused different overturns of religious beliefs, and only the Black Death resulted in the creation of public health services and the marginalization of groups of people. A lack of labor precipitated alterations to the economy--the end of feudalism in the case of the Black Death and the creation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the case of smallpox.
The Bubonic Plague, a Turning Point in World History During the 14th century CE, in Medieval Europe, the Bubonic Plague started in Mongolia (China) spreading west through trade routes bringing illness and death. The Bubonic Plague is an epidemic disease that resulted in big swellings in the armpits and couldn’t be cured with medicine. Based on an evaluation of the Bubonic plague, it can be considered a turning point in world history because it was a major factor in the decline of population, economy, and affected religion.
Often as a result of overpopulation, pandemics—like swine flu and ebola, for instance—have affected life on Earth for centuries; one of the most well-known, and possibly the most unforgiving epidemics was the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death . Although the first symptoms of the Plague trace back to the Mongol Empire in 1331, the disease first struck Europe in Venice and Genoa during the winter of 1348. In the following years, the Bubonic Plague spread rapidly throughout Europe, killing roughly a third of its population. It is suggested that the rapid spread and extreme severity of the Black Death was partially due to the weakened immune system of the Europeans, which had been caused by the Great Famine, a period of food scarcity that affected Europe from 1315 to 1322. Additionally, the lack of knowledge about the spread of
Describe a problem you 've solved or a problem you 'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. In The Great Influenza, Barry states that one must “accept uncertainty”.
The Plague or “Black Death” came about in the 1300’s and killed an estimated 75to 200 million people in Europe. The plague went on for a whopping seven years before it finally subsided. It wasn’t discovered until 2010 that the bacteria behind that caused the “Black Death” was the Yersinia Pestis bacterium. Today this event that occurred a very long time ago is seen as a very horrible happening and a true horrifying disease outbreak.
Economic and Social Consequences of the Black Death The Black Death was no modest disease it swept all over Europe during the dark ages , had immense and annihilating effects and is in fact one of the most disastrous and destructive pandemics in human history. It rapidly spread through Medieval Europe during 1347-1351 killing more than one third of the population. In the midst of Italy’s overpopulated cities 50 to 60 percent of the population died while villages were completely swept of their people in England and Germany (Spielvogel World History and Geography 248-249). The Black did not only bring the tragedy of killing millions but it also came with many consequences such as economic inflation and extreme social distinction ("Social and Economic Effects of the Plague").After the intense shock of the Black Death, Europe’s economically declined, its internal affair were instable and its social systems
2008 AP english lang question 2 In the passage titled The great Influenza written by John Barry he talks about how scientists conduct scientific research and what it takes to be a scientist. He uses rhetorical strategies such as repetition, allusions and rhetorical questions. In the first paragraph Barry uses repetition numerous times with the words such as “certainty and uncertainty”.
A modern day event that can be compared to the plague is Ebola. The Bubonic Plague led to an advancement in medicine and other health related practices. The outbreak of the plague caused sewer systems
Impact of the Plague on Egypt and England The fear of death drives our society’s fixation of safety, and it is reflected in our daily lives. Our world now revolves around this principle, and as our understanding of our surroundings has developed, the emphasis has only grown. Protection is a subtle undertone to many things that we do in our daily lives, such as washing our hands, putting on seat belts, and changing our clothes. We see physicians, vaccinate ourselves, and watch for subtle changes in our body to ensure the longevity of our lives.
During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. As a response to the plague that took place