Essays on Black Death

Introduction

The Ebola virus has existed for centuries. Like all life forms and viruses, it has been changing and adapting since the beginning of time to survive. Despite this the disease did not make itself known until the twentieth century. However, once the virus revealed itself only three major outbreaks have occurred. There were two in 1976 and one which took started in 2014 (CDC, 2015). The latest outbreak has been the longest and worst, effecting numerous countries such as, Mali, Nigeria, Liberia and Senegal in West Africa (CDC, 2015). This paper will look at the scientific aspects of the ...

There is a wide accepted concept that after centuries of development, the Muslim world began to decline in the 15th century. Did it really decline? In this work I would like to illustrate the main trends of developments of the Muslim world in early 15 – early 20 century. We know that in part of the second millennium, and for five centuries later there were many Asian invasions in other regions of the world, wide expansion (Seljuk, Arab, Turkish). But then the stagnation began. Since the "golden age" of the Abbasid Empire, it has not changed territorially. And large areas ...

The Black Death was a plague that flowed over the continents of the world over a period of , but the major outbreak in Europe was a three year time span from 1347 to 13501; there were further resurgences of the epidemic with complete eradication not occurring until the 19th century. Had the initial devastation of demographics been isolated, Europe would probably have recovered fairly quickly. However, repeated surges of decimating epidemics continued to inflict damage for years. For example, England continued to suffer from large numbers of citizen deaths for approximately another 30 years. The population was depleted by ...

The 1348 emergence of Black Death in Europe marked significant changes in the social, economic, and even the psychological wellbeing of European nationals. Apparently, the plague was swift to spread. In Europe alone, there were cases in “Italy, France, Spain, and the Balkans” before the infection made its way into “Switzerland, Austria, England, and perhaps Denmark.” In other words, every nation by the end of the first half of the fourteenth century was aware of the same. Now, while the social and economic outcomes of the bubonic plague (another name for Black Death) are well explored, the circumstances under ...

The study of infectious diseases has always been crucial to mankind because of the devastating effects it has had on the human race. The influenza epidemic, for example, occurred repeatedly in the 20 th and 21st century, spreading across large regions and multiple continents. Influenza in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people world wide. This was higher than the amount of people that died in World War I. About 500,000 fatalities occurred in the US which was approximately 28% of the US population at that time. The number of deaths that took place in 1957 and 1968 ...

The problem seems to be that children do not have a say in the decisions that are made in regards to their healthcare. By this I mean, children under the age of 16 cannot make their own decisions, or final decision for that matter, about their health without their parents having the final say in whether or not they agree with such decisions. For example: If a child up, until the age of 16, has been suffering with symptoms that show they may have a psychiatric problem that needs immediate attention, the doctors and the child’s parents can ...

“The black death entered the port city of Messina on the island of Sicily in October 1347. It traveled aboard trade ships en route from the East, where it had decimated populations. Now it would spread throughout Europe” (qtd. in Peters 1). According to an article published by History channel in the internet 12 Genoese trading ships were awaited by the good people of Messina. The people gathered in the Sicilian port had no idea that most of the men on board are already dead. Before the authorities of Sicilian were able to draw the ships away from the ...

Renaissance Diseases

Several centuries before the development of antiseptics (i.e. soap), diseases were often a death sentence, resulting in huge populations being wiped out from a single pandemic. Despite the huge strides in science and culture, the Renaissance had a lot of downsides regarding health and wellness. This was in part due to religious practices and the refusal to allow various sorts of medicines and surgical treatments to be tolerated, despite having the potential to save the patient(s). Regardless, the “why’s” are not the matter of importance, here. What is relevant, however, are the diseases themselves, including how they ...

Public Health has resulted in longer and more fulfilling lives for many people all over the world. The profession has now developed at both the local and international level. Ancient societies were aware of public health issues and attempted to prevent disease through religious practice however historical phenomena such as Black Death caused the very early formation of modern public health in the 15th century. This has continued beyond the industrial revolution. Disease has been one of the most significant issues that has shaped the profession of public health. The profession has now grown into one that includes many ...

Introduction

The Byzantine Empire was one of the longest reigning empires that lasted for 12 centuries from 332 to 1453 AD. In their prime, Byzantine Empire was the envy of the western world and Eastern kingdoms due to their strong economy, architecture, politics and military. But over time, problems started to creep into the Byzantine Empire most of which was based on their weakening economy and military. The contraction of the Byzantine Empire was due to the continuous array of religious enemies and internal decay that destroyed the empire. Between the Fourth Crusade of 1204 and the last Ottoman Turkish ...

The Black Death: Europe's Most Notorious Plague

In the mid-14th century, Europe enjoyed robust trade with the Near East and the Far East. By the 1340s, sea trade routes had been established with faraway countries such as Syria, Egypt, Persia, China, and India (history.com, internet). Due to their trading interconnectedness, European port cities such as Messina (Sicily), Rome, Florence, Marseilles, and even the north African port of Tunis, were struck by what soon became known as "The Black Death" -- the plague (history.com, internet). Because of the confluence of factors that caused the rapid spread of The Black Death throughout an entire continent, and its high ...

Capital punishment has always been a controversial issue. In 1791, before the French Revolution. Maximillian Robespierre delivered a speech arguing against the death penalty. A few years later he led the Reign of Terror, and organized mass executions, which exemplifies the way capital punishment is often politicized and used for specific agendas, rather than as a form of rational punishment. Today, in the U.S., recent technological advancements, including DNA testing, has exonerated inmates on death row. There is a racial and socioeconomic element to the debate, because more inmates on Death Row are poor minorities. Some highly publicized cases ...

Focus on who Facilitated the Elements of Infrastructure

Technology and infrastructure are entities that go together; in all aspects. According to Shaffer and Burke, civil, social and institutional hierarchies should facilitate the transformation of these very pivotal elements. As it is, these institutions are more endowed as would be individuals. This should, therefore, make the process a lot swifter and faster.

What Actually Permits an Innovative Concept to become integrated into a Common Infrastructure?

Innovative concepts have been the focus of most groups; encouraging individuals to come up with inventions as much as is humanely possible. Before an innovative concept is assimilated into a system, there are a couple of steps that have to be made. First, it has to be proven beyond ...

The Bubonic Plague is a grim but at the same time impressive page in the European history. This event triggered serious changes in society and economy. Naturally art and culture could not have left it without noticing and references to the Black Death are to be found in literature, paintings and other art forms.

Today most of the scholars agree that the most probable way by which the Bubonic Plague came into Europe was through trading. As for the trading route which was the main channel of the spread of the disease, the book by Robert Gottfried says the following: ...

The worst plague in human history broke out in the fourteenth century. This terrible disease, which was called "the Great pestilence" or "Black death" in those days, devastated Europe, causing panic in the hearts of the people. There was no salvation from it. The pandemic has demonstrated a complete helplessness of medieval medicine and the impotence of the Church in the fight against the plague, which resulted in a wide range of phenomena from the revival of the pagan and satanic cults and superstitions, persecutions of potential "poisoners" and "distributors of poison of plague" to the rise of religious fanaticism. The ...

The Bubonic Plague was arguably one of the most historically tragic and monumental times in human history. It managed to change everything we understand about ourselves physically while changing the social and cultural landscape around it. An upheaval of power followed the plague, as did a religious revolt. Ironically, an issue today that is causing many social and cultural changes centers around something meant to keep the plague, and many other deadly diseases, from reemerging: vaccinations. In the wake of falsified research that left the world believing vaccinations caused autism, some parents still believe vaccinations are bad. This belief is ...

Hist 1303 Western Civilization to 1500

Spring 2014 T Th 9:25- 10;40 I certify that I am the author of this work and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged. I have cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, or words either quoted or paraphrased. I also certify that this work was prepared by me specifically for this course and has not been submitted to any other class."Signed_____________________ Date______________

The Black Death

In October 1347, there was a plaque pandemic that struck a good part of the earth’s surface (Exploring the Middle Ages 99). It was first referred to as ...

Essay for Lesson 6: The Holocaust

Introduction The mere mention of the Holocaust could already arouse eerily suspicious reactions from those who know about it. The idea of systematically slaughtering the Jewish people because of unfounded accusations against their racial inferiority has heaped condemnation against the Holocaust as perhaps one of the most heinous crimes ever committed in human history. Historians would even go as far as asserting that the Holocaust is the most terrible act ever committed against humans, its impact being unparalleled by any other recorded event in human history. While one could assert the foregoing statement as a subject of an intense ...

Many historians note that the fourteenth century was an era that saw many natural and man-made catastrophes. The Black Death and the Great Famine were two of the natural disasters that caused the deaths of millions of people and demonstrated the impact of the vulnerabilities in the Western part of the European society. At the start of the fourteenth century, the population in Europe grew to the extent that the land provided resources that could support the region under the most excellent conditions. In fact, there was no margin for the failure of crops or the shortfalls in the ...

Became Integrated

The Eurasian landmass has witnessed the spread of such major religions as Christianity and Islam. It is also where knowledge of philosophy, science and technology originated, shaping Western culture and thought. This cultural melting pot flourished because the peoples of the Eurasian landmass have been linked along cultural, religious and political lines for centuries; trade and war among other factors, stimulated the sharing of social experiences and improvements in technology and agriculture. The purpose of this essay is to explain how the integration of Eurasia came about between 1000 and 1600 CE up to eventual integration of the Americas ...

Among the many problems plaguing society today, one of the most prominent is hunger. Every day, all over the world, people are starving because there is not enough to eat. While one of the primary reasons for this is, they do not have enough money to afford food; the secondary issue is there simply is not enough food. Humans survive on livestock, natural, ad synthetic nourishment in order to survive. Those attempting to survive predominantly from crops experience the most hunger. Crops can suffer, and even die, for many reasons. Weather, pestilence, and even the pesticides designed to keep ...

The term “Black Death” finds its origins in 1823 whilst referring to a disease characterized by “the black blotches caused by subcutaneous hemorrhages that appeared on the skin of victims.” Otherwise known as the bubonic plague, historians believe the Black Death found its way into Europe from China through trade routes. However, it is not until 1348 that the first signs of the infection appear in England’s society and by 1350; England’s records show a rapid decline in the number of its population. Consequently, between 1348 and 1350, much of medieval Europe saw a division in the elites of its ...

History

The bubonic plague was one of the worst in the history of mankind. Reason for this was that it wiped out millions of people throughout the world. In Europe alone, it killed more than a third of the entire population. The bubonic plague, commonly referred to as the Black Death originated in China in the early 1330s. The main way that the plague spread from one way to the other was through rodents like rats but its effects were spread even faster since even smaller insects like fleas could carry the disease also (Bentley and Ziegler, 256). Aside from rodents ...

The Mongolian Empire was very vast and divided into four Khanates, ruled separately by an individual Khan, and also overruled by the Great Khan. The Ilhhanatre had ruled Persia as well as Middle East, the Kipchak Khanate had ruled Rushia, Great Khanate had controlled China and Mongolia, and Chagatai Khanate has ruled Western Asia. In the year 1260, Genghis Khan’s grandson, named Kublai Khan became the Great Khan. After four years, he moved his capital to Beijing from Mongolia in the Northern China for the purpose of ruling China. However, in the year 1271, Kublai Khan adopted the ...

In human history, few pandemics can be compared to the Back Death. This pandemic took place between the years of 1346 and 1353 in Europe, killing between 75 and 200 million people. To date, there is no theory about the causal agents of the pandemic. However, research indicates that Yersinia pestis bacterium was the responsible pathogen for such mass deaths, causing many forms of plague. The origin of the Black Death is believed to be Central Asia’s arid plains, travelling along the Silk Road to reach Crimea by 1343. It was then carried by oriental rat fleas ...

The Importance of an Emergency Management Plan: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery

It may not come as a surprise to say that, as humans reach out in search of food and shelter, it is the environment around them that is being abused. As man’s needs grow, so too does the pressure on the environment grow, as a result of which, an ecological imbalance is created unconsciously. And once an ecological imbalance occurs, a series of events are triggered that culminates in large scale loss of life and property. There is no doubt the importance the environment has on life on this planet, but man himself, pressed for space, finds no other option but ...

A review of the relationship between the church and state, especially during the medieval period, gives us an insight on the tug of war that existed between the two institutions and how both tried to win over the lives of people during that period in history. Furthermore, the relationship of these two institutions gives us an idea on how to understand Western traditional of government as a whole. From the 11th to the 14th century, Europe was in an uneasy state. These were centuries marked by conflict and warfare both within the kingdoms and outside the borders that a serious effect ...

Introduction

The Armenian genocide is the mass killing of minority of the Armenian population. The Armenian genocide occurred when the World War one was taking place and continued after the war was over. The government headed by Ottoman systematically exterminated minority of Armenian population from their rightful land. This genocide started by mass killing of strong male population. These men were forced hard to work while women and children were deported to Syrian Desert. The elderly were not left behind in the deportation to Syrian Desert. Some of the religious groups were also targeted (Dadrian, 2010).

Anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust

Anti-Semitism is the discrimination and ...

1. Location: Mandritsara (Madagascar) 2. Diseases listed: Malaria, Dengue, Plague 3. Details of the outbreak On 10 December 2013, BBC news/Africa reported a deadly outbreak of the bubonic plague in a village near Mandritsarad in Madagascar. The outbreak that occurred a week earlier, was revealed after the death of 20 people in the village. Tests conducted on the bodies by The Pasteur Institute in Madagascar, certified that the death was related to the bubonic plague. Since unhygienic conditions are the main causes for plague dissemination, a program was implemented to exterminate rats, fleas and cockroaches to avoid the spread and ...

ECON 30423

Economic Implication of the Black Plague Abstract Britain and Europe, during the early ages were economically strong. With the growth of industries, job opportunities rose and there were jobs for all people in that region. However, this was short-lived as the Black Plague caused considerable damage to lives and economy. The Black Plague almost wiped out the whole of civilization and this period was one of the darkest periods in Europe’s history. Keywords: Black Plague, Europe, labor, environment, upheaval, industry

ECONOMIC IMPLICATION OF THE BLACK PLAGUE

Abstract “The plague had large scale social and economic effects, many of which are ...

More than half a millennia after the Black Death first ravaged Europe and the Middle East, it is still studied and analyzed with morbid fascination. This disease epidemic is so memorable today because it was such a destructive and fearsome plague, spreading as quickly as it did between individuals, primarily from 1346 to 1350, and demonstrating a worst-case scenario when a disease is not understood well and conditions favor disease spread. The Black Death is primarily a disease of small mammals like rats, and is transmitted by fleas. The organism directly responsible for the disease is a bacterium (Yersinia pestis). Once rats, plentiful in ...

Introduction.

This paper seeks to give an overview of the Black Death menace and also expound on the various causes of its occurrence. The paper also seeks to explain the effects it had on the societies affected and how it eventually subsided. In the long histories of the world and human existence, Black Death was a historical landmark that was the deadliest and widespread pandemic that claimed a rough estimate of between 75-200 million people. The disease is said to have destroyed between 30%- 60% of the population in Europe. The impact of this menace was at its peak in ...

In Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman,” the author explores her childhood in a Chinese American community in Stockton, California. Through these recollections, Kingston reveals Chinese-American culture as one rooted deeply in tradition, but still struggling to find its place in the larger American canvas. Issues and questions of identity were still being found, which is part of the incredibly difficult and arduous history of the Chinese-American culture in America. Understanding the context of this culture helps one to appreciate “No Name Woman” all the more, as noting the struggles Chinese Americans had to go through allows us to ...

Asian immigrants were, for many years, the silent victims of American westward expansion. When Americans were expanding westward in pursuit of Manifest Destiny, they were not doing all the work themselves. Manifest Destiny was the widely-held belief by many Americans that America was destined to expand across the current-day United States. During the 1820s all the way through the 1860s, Americans from the east coast of the United States expanded across the United States, seeking a variety of different things-- some sought land, others new experiences or natural resources. Everyone who participated in the American westward expansion carried some kind ...

The terrible effects of the Black Death are vastly known to most Europeans. The effects of simple bacteria brought out the worst in Europeans and pushed medieval society to its breaking point. In this paper, I will examine the spread of the Black Death and explain the people’s reactions to the plague that hit Europe in the 1300s. In the mid 1300s, people’s movement were everywhere around Europe. During that time, the seaside towns of Italy were one of the busiest places in Europe. In the autumn of 1347, sailors who were returning from the black ...

CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGUE

Plague was the leading Couse of death in the Afro Eurasian world, in this essay I am going to discuss the long term effects of plague on the Afro-Eurasian world. In addition, I will discuss the ramifications on the social, political and economic sectors for the Western Europe, China, and Islamic Empire. Back then plague was referred to as the Black Death and myths came up that God had sent the plague. It is thought to have originated from Central Asia specifically china travelling along Silk Road until reaching Crimea in 1346. It is thought to have spread ...

Discuss the fourteenth century as a period of transition from the medieval to early modern culture (Renaissance). Include historical events, literature, and art.

Introduction:

The 14th century was an extremely important phase in the history of art and culture since it brought about major historical changes both in the way society changed but also in the way which art was perceived and how this was distributed amongst the population in general. Several events also affected the development of the general population but most notably one has to list The Black Death, the Hundred Years War as well as the decline of ...

Introduction to Microbiology

The history of microbiology dates its origin back to 1674 when a Dutch merchant, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was able to see, for the first time, microbial organisms. The invention of the microscope was, however, the most important step towards the development of microbiology. Microscopic observations made it possible to study and understand bacteria and other microscopic organisms. The discovery of the use of cowpox in the vaccination against smallpox, by Edward Jenner, was a major development in immunity. However, it represented only a small area in the field of microbiology. Therefore, the description of Jenner as the “greatest microbiologist of all time” ...

BIO 204 101 13S

Abstract For many years, human beings have continued to suffer from diseases, both the kind caused by their own bodies as their age degenerated and the kind caused by infectious pathogens. During this time, human beings have constantly developed new ways of eating and living, and actual genetic or physical changes have evolved with the aim of minimizing the impacts of these diseases. This paper seeks to examine the issues of societal/cultural changes, the origins of human diseases and bioterrorism. This includes examining historical societal/cultural changes for human evolution are responsible in transmission of diseases to human beings ...

Feudalism refers to the spread of political influence between noble figures. This political system reached the height of its power during Europe’s middle Ages. Europe’s feudal society incorporated the king, lords, and vassals as the predominate figure heads. By exploring concepts of feudalism throughout Europe one can gain a better understanding of political systems during the middle Ages.

The Rise of Feudalism

At the onset of the middle Ages, Europe was facing severe economic and population depletion. This was largely due to the threat of invasion and war with other world populations. In order to resolve this need for protection, Europe implemented a ...

The Middle Ages is an era in Western Europe when the continent is undergoing a change in its society’s central element. In comparison to the classical period, the Middle Ages encompass a great reform in religion. However, the highlight of this period time period in Western Europe can be observed in the later part of the Middle Ages from year 1300 to 1500. This is the time when the countries and key states in the European region are disturbed by economic depression, war and dynastic diffusion. Powerful Aristocratic factions used the collapse of their country’s central government to create ...

Both the Early and High Middle Ages ended with severe crises, such as the very destructive invasions of the Northmen (Vikings) in the 800s and 900s and the Black Death and peasant revolts of the 14th Century. Throughout the Middle Ages, kings and emperors struggled to establish order and stability in the face on constant clashes between various factions of robber barons, bandits, raiders and rival feudal overlords, such as the wars fought by King Louis the Fat for decades in the region around Paris. Feudalism was thus characterized by the lack of a centralized state and the political and ...

The bubonic plague that raged in Europe towards the end of the Middle Ages was termed graphically “the black death” to denote the terror it induced to victims and survivors. It started in 1347 and its major outbreak lasted until 1350 killing 30 percent of Europe’s population, while it continued to haunt future generations by reappearing for the rest 130 years (Holmes, 2001, 264-265). It was a period of uncertainty, disease and death which left the European societies in deep crisis and led to social unrest, at times of unbelievable brutality. The plague arrived in Europe most probably ...

In literature and visual arts, the term realism refers to attempts to portray subjects as they appear in reality. Basically, this is art imitating life. Before the 14th century, the main subject matter of art was religion. Most works of art intended to provoke a religious reaction, and show respect to God, as well as the Angels. Pictures were not realistic, and most works of art lacked perspective. Figures deemed pertinent had to be made significantly larger than the other figures. They also lacked landscapes. However, all this changed as artists incorporated realism into their work. Realism, with reference to ...

Book Review - Contagious Divides

Nayan Shah's 2001 book Contagious Divides: Epidemics and Race in San Francisco's Chinatown provides a unique portrait of the different representations of Chinese immigrants in the twentieth century, particularly in San Francisco, and how they have changed in the intervening years. The book itself takes a dramatically close look at public health issues surrounding Chinese immigration as well, as the portrayal of Chinese immigrants at first was extremely negative. The urban landscape of San Francisco was dramatically changed by the large influx of Chinese emigrating to the US, and the public health concerns that followed were dramatic and stifling to racial ...

The Black Death was one of the most devastating episodes of plague to ever hit Europe; in the late 1340s, the Black Death raged through towns and cities.1 How the plague began, the vectors of the plague, how it spread, who it affected, as well as the social, political, and economic ramifications of the plague are all important topics to explore in understanding the overall impact of The Black Death during that time to western society. Many researchers believe the Black Death began in somewhere in China in the late 1930s, where its natural hosts, “various species of ...

Bubonic plague is an infectious disease caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae (Cunningham 6). Fleas from one rodent to another spread the disease. Humans get the disease when infected fleas bite them. Consequently, patients develop swollen lymph nodes around the fleabite site known as buboes. When the bacterium reaches the lungs, infected persons develop pneumonic plague. This spreads from person to person through droplets released when coughing. At this stage, patients die within 24 hours. The deadly bubonic plague outbreak on medieval Eurasia first occurred in China around 1330s and spread to Western ...

The later Middle Ages (circa 1300-1500) featured a period of European climate change. In the 20 years 1350-1370, there was a cooling period coupled with wetter summers, often with storms and unpredictable rainfall, resulting in famine and mass starvation. Unfortunately, those wetter summers also exacerbated the already unhygienic conditions that most people of the time lived in, which encouraged a massive increase in rat populations. It was the fleas carried on the rats that transmitted bubonic plague (or the Black Death) to humans. As a result, once the disease had reached Europe (thought to have originated in China), there were massive outbreaks of ...

Analysis - Giovanni Boccaccio, "The Onset of the Black Death"

Boccaccio's Decameron is a masterpiece of early 14th century European literature; its bawdiness and its sheer wit are a wonderful, funny indicator of what life was like in 14th century Italy. However, the central framing device of the book itself - the Black Plague, which ravaged Europe around the time of the book's setting and publication - plays a somber but vital role in this important work. The importance of the plague to the story is no less evident than in the introduction, which demonstrates the awesome power of the sickness. Boccaccio's account of the plague during the time it hit Florence ...

The Great Mortality is a strange impressive explanation of the worst natural catastrophe that occurred in Europe. It is a drama of bravery, misery, weakness, and sacrifice that illustrates mankind’s worst days which led to the ending of an old world and the formation of a new world. The Great mortality had three different types plaques that caused massive deaths of human beings, cats, dogs and cattle (John, pp183). This plague moved from one nation to another and was simply termed as the Black Death. By the time the great mortality reached Italy, Europe was in the transition from the medieval ...

Plague was known to enter the Europe first in the year 1347 from the Sicilian City of Messina and paved its way throughout the continent in the following years. The facts about the epidemic that made it the most deadly diseases that had ever hit the continent were, the ignorance to cure it and the potential carriers of the disease, the speed at which it spread and its high mortality rate. Hence the period was often portrayed by death. Europe evidenced the constant jolts of altering strength of this disease every now and then for almost 380 years starting ...

The Black Death was one of the most incredibly disastrous events in human history, killing more than 100 million people, over half the population of Europe. In addition to that, the Black Death brought about significant economic and social changes throughout European society, mostly as a result of the devastating population loss for all classes and areas the Black Death demonstrated. One of the most terrifying and fascinating consequences of such a society-altering event was the relationships between parents and children as a result of such a quickly spreading, apocalyptic disease, something which is unfathomable in today's technological, medically advanced society.

The already ...

Cast of Characters:

FIRRAS, VCU graduate student and communications major R. JANKAUSKAS, Professor of Anatomy, Histiology and Anthropology at Vilnius University in Lithuania. JAMES THOMPSON, Professor at the University of Chicago SAMUEL PEPYS, English naval administrator and Member of Parliament SAMUEL K. COHN JR., Professor of Medieval History, University of Glasgow

ACT ONE LIGHTS UP on FIRRAS, a beleaguered college student, poring over papers at a small wooden desk, exhausted. He has been cramming for a test for ages; going nearly 24 hours without sleep or even a break, the man is clearly beset upon with stress. FIRRAS: (muttering to ...

The Metaphorical Significance of The Plague

Albert Camus’ The Plague was first published in France and was an immediate best-seller. Its success and profundity were probably deciding factors in his winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. Shortly after publication Roland Barthes, the French critic and philosopher, criticized Camus for what he described as “ignoring history (Maze, 53). Camus’ response is interesting for the way we interpret this novel. In an open letter responding to Barthes, Camus wrote that The Plague had “to be read on a number of levels.” (Maze, 54). This essay will explore these different levels and examine the plague in ...

The Black Death is the name used in reference to the plague which swept across much of Asia, Europe and the Middle East during the 1300s (Morillo et al, 2005, p385). In short, it was a devastating blow to mankind and the estimated number of deaths caused by the Black Death runs into the millions with educated estimates saying that it killed between 30-60% of Europe’s population alone (Alchon, 2003, p21) which meant the world’s population was reduced from around 450 million people to around 350 to 375 million. The Black Death was the second instance of plague – ...

The great plague that devastated England in the mid-14th century wiped out entire villages and filled the streets of London with cartloads of bloated corpses. The relevant statistics are difficult to gauge accurately, but estimates are that from a population of about 6 million people in 1300, as many as four million are thought to have died from the outbreak of bubonic plague that hit England in the 1340s (Borsch, 2005). All of Europe was similarly affected, with as much as 45 percent of the continent’s population dying from the Black Death in less than a decade (Borsch). There were ...

The Black Death

Introduction

The Black Death stands out as one of the most destructive pandemics to occur in human history that claimed many lives in Europe between 1348 and 1350. The underlying cause of the pandemic has been a controversial subject, characterized with different perspectives concerning the explanation for its cause. The first reports of the Black Death were in Europe during the summer of 1346 and this occurred in the town of Caffe in the Crimea. The city of Caffa was under siege by the Tartars who would launch corpses infected with the disease over the walls of the city with ...