Plague - Epidemic Literature

Corona's no-brainer has broken out all over the world. The whole world is in a state of lockdown against this corona epidemic. Cases of gradual transmission of corona are increasing day by day. Thousands of people are dying every day. The worst is currently in the United States. The United States has the largest number of coronas-positive cases. The United States has overtaken Italy, Spain, France and China in this regard. Corona's transition is growing faster in America. Currently, the only way to avoid any drug exposure to the Corona pandemic is through lockdown and social distancing. The research of which we all currently spend time at home. At that time, we are doing any work at home.

Most of us have never lived through a pandemic like a coronavirus before, but we have heard or learned about them, from the Spanish flu to, more notoriously, the plague, like the Black Death. And perhaps, as you’ve followed the news or talked to people about COVID-19, you have even heard the coronavirus called a “plague.”  the new coronavirus is not the plague. But actually learn about the difference between the coronavirus and the plague to be sure.  In January 1941, the twenty-eight-year-old French writer Albert Camus began work on a novel about a virus that spreads uncontrollably from animals to humans and ends up destroying half the population of a representative modern town. It was called La Peste/The Plague, eventually published in 1947 and frequently described as the greatest European novel of the postwar period. 

What does plague mean?

The terms the plague or just plague refers to an infectious disease caused by a bacterium spread from rats to humans by means of flea bites. This plague is what is meant by the Black Death, which was a form of bubonic plague that spread over Europe in the 1300s and killed about a quarter of the population. The bacterium, bubonic? Let’s drill down some more. There are three forms of plague. The most familiar to you is probably bubonic plague. One of the most noticeable symptoms of this form is the development of buboes in the armpits and groin. The other forms are pneumonic plague, which ravages the lungs, and septicemic plague, a particularly nasty kind that attacks the bloodstream. Other major symptoms of the plague include fever, chills, and prostration—basically like being completely taken out. The plague causes serious, and often fatal, infections. It is responsible for some of the deadliest epidemics in history, such as the Black Death noted above. Thanks to modern medicine, however, the plague is now extremely rare and not a great risk to many people anymore.

what do the coronavirus and the plague have in common?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in animals or humans.  In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19. They both are infectious diseases that spread to humans from certain animals (that’s called zoonotic). However, COVID-19 is caused by a virus—essentially a tiny bit of nucleic acid and protein that needs a living host—whereas the plague is caused by bacteria, which are single-celled organisms. Further, while antibiotics work on bacteria, they do not work on viruses.

The Plague is still very relatable in today's time of COVID-19 pandemic. There is no more important book to understand our times than Albert Camus's The Plague, a novel about a virus that spreads uncontrollably from animals to humans and ends up destroying half the population of a representative modern town. Camus speaks to us now not because he was a magical seer, but because he correctly sized up human nature. As he wrote: ‘Everyone has inside it himself this plague, because no one in the world, no one, can ever be immune.’ In January 1941, the twenty-eight-year-old French writer Albert Camus began work on a novel about a virus that spreads uncontrollably from animals to humans and ends up destroying half the population of a representative modern town. It was called La Peste/The Plague, eventually published in 1947 and frequently described as the greatest European novel of the postwar period.  more information click hare  



1. Humanity - human self-centered Ness vs human sacrifice


Self-centered and self-sacrificing. In the novel Plague, we find both types of human beings who want to help others and who have only thought about the self. He has given clear characters to justify his points. There is Dr. Bernard Reux who is doing his duty well. Not just as a doctor cutter. But also as a good citizen. He has sacrificed everything to fight this terrible menace. like this. Otho was also inspired by his sincerity towards the nation and did just that. He has also sacrificed his family to support Derricks. Casey has given a message of unity against absurdity. Both of these seem to be excellent examples of human sacrifice. There are others who live foolishly. Such people always have social unrest. Each person reacts differently according to different situations.

 One of the characters in this story has committed suicide, the easy way .. they are denying the real fact. They are very self-centered. So, in the end, everyone was self-sufficient except Cotard and Father. But the father changed his statement because he realized that the children had also died. What kind of sin did they commit? Father Penelox is also under self-centeredness because he is not doing anything by just teaching people about collective destiny and God’s punishment.

in a downturn and epidemic, we come across many people who are working selflessly to save others from the deadly coronavirus.
There are also others who help give food and daily necessities to those in need. there are doctors like Dr. Requiem who are working selflessly to save people from this.

2. Science vs Religion - the question of God and religion in times of epidemics and calamities.

COVID-19 pandemic

Science versus COVID19– Indiaʹs coronavirus challenge Obscurantism is making it harder to prevent Covid-19, not only in Southeast Asia. Though India's lockdown was poorly planned, we must hope it will prove effective.

The deadly Covid-19 has spawned a new word for a new category of people – covid19. Several leaders, political as well as religious, are fighting to enter its ranks, Kailash Vijayvargiya, the general secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), averred that Covid-19 could not harm a country that has “33 crores (3.3 million) gods and goddesses”. While organizing an All Pakistan Sunni conference in Lahore on 21 March, Muhammad Ashraf Asif Jalali, a Pakistan cleric, confidently asserted that “no one can get sick except as per the will of God” and should anyone get infected at the conference, Pakistan the government should “hang” him. Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne encouraged members of his Tampa, Florida-based mega-church congregation to shake hands (a few Sundays back), proclaiming that his church would remain open because the Lord would keep Christians safe there.

Indians, for the instance, have been under a communications assault insisting that the consumption of cow urine would provide a bulwark against the disease.  Many others represent the face of obscurantism that is hurting the global fight against the pandemic. Fundamentalist forces have a vice-like grip on the hearts and minds of large swathes of the global population.



References:

Avenue Appia. what is corona. 17 April 2020. 3 may 2020 <https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses>.

Barad, Dilip. The Plague - Albert Camus. Ed. Dilip barad. 3 may 2020. 3 may 2020 <https://dilipbarad.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-plague-albert-camus.html>.

Camus, Albert. "The Plague." The Plague. Albert Camus, n.d.

Ghatak, Roy Aditi. Science versus covidiots – Indiaʹs coronavirus challenge. Ed. Aditi Roy Ghatak. 1 may 2020. 3 may 2020 <https://en.qantara.de/content/covid-19-pandemic-science-versus-covidiots-indias-coronavirus-challenge>.

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