ipl-logo

How Did Black Death Change American Culture

905 Words4 Pages

The Black Plague struck Europe in the 14th century and spread rapidly, destroying families and towns (“Black Death”). To become infected, it only took some contaminated bodily fluid and the infected would die within a few short days. In today’s world, the Plague is easily treatable with common antibiotics. However, that was not the case back then and this changed people’s lives and outlooks on society. Different groups of people within a culture responded to death in different ways, that culture’s writing reflects this. During this time, folk ballads were sung and instead of dwelling upon the ubiquitous death, they were meant to portray death in a disconnected way. This was a very different approach than other writers. Throughout medieval literature, …show more content…

In the story, the husband defends his wife when she is about to get kissed by a robber. The wife exclaims, “Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word; Get up and bar the door” (“Get Up and Bar the Door”). The wife does not care that her husband defended her, only that he lost the contest and has to bar the door. The wife is detached in this situation because they have death come right through their door, the robbers. They could die any second from the threat of the robbers, but this does not faze the wife. Death does not scare them and they do not connect with the reality of matter. During the time this was sung and later written down, the Plague was everywhere. Similarly to “Twa Corbies,” death is just an action to which people are used to it. The Black Plague changed the lives of so many people not through just physical ailments, but also through mental ailments. The society at the time was mentally distraught and one of the ways they coped was to isolate themselves from their situation and death. This is demonstrated through folk ballads that are comedic and present a disconnected presentation through the elimination of concern for death. The Black Plague hindered the true expression of feelings in Medieval literature and society while resorting to detachment at their only way to

Show More
Related
1845 Words | 8 Pages

The book, “The Great Mortality” by John Kelly, explores how the Black Death spread across Europe and Asia from 1347 to 1351 and left a trail of terrors in its path. Kelly describes the history of the plague from witnesses of the disaster. It describes how the black rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis spread the infection throughout this region, killing over half of the population. Kelly describes the measures taken by the town, the church and health organizations to prevent the Plague from spreading. Although there are many important issues brought to light by Kelly, some offer more discussion and though than others.

Read More
1712 Words | 7 Pages

The plague allows for us, the readers, to see the moral corruption of society hidden in the purpose and words of the oration. The glorification of death in war in contrast with the carnage of disease shows us moral corruption because Perikles hides expediency of the death in war with valor and courage. Perikles gives this huge speech about how men should be honored with a deed and not word, but when followed by the narrative of people dying of the plague, the oration should be then read as a fabrication of what death looks like, and the plague representing the truth of dying. Death is one action and its one that is horrific whether it is the plague, old age, or war. The plague accurately depicts the truth about the action of dying and the atrocities that follow with death at such a large-scale because it is not dressed up, but graphic and realistic.

Read More
219 Words | 1 Pages

Discussing this all-destroying plague in detail shows it left many long term effects. Close to half of the population in Europe being eliminated over a short time period left considerable damage and altered families, the economy, church life and the lives of artists and patrons, which is also represented in the three works of art described. It’s difficult to conclude this essay without mentioning what has always come to mind when thinking of the bubonic plague and that is a folksong associated with the Black Death, “Ring around the Rosey.” Ring-a-ring-a-roses, A pocket full of posies; Ashes! Ashes!

Read More
527 Words | 3 Pages

The narrator’s changing understanding of the inevitability of death across the two sections of the poem illustrates the dynamic and contrasting nature of the human

Read More
355 Words | 2 Pages

The Black Death The Black Death was tragically devastating to the European Society, it affected many people. The Black Death is exactly what it sounds like. The Bubonic Plague (The Black Death) spread in Italy in the spring of 1348. The Black Death is a disease carried by bacteria, which is carried by fleas, on to rats, who pass it on to humans.

Read More
1130 Words | 5 Pages

The reason the bubonic plague was so devastating to the European society is because no one was prepared for so many people to die so quickly. This event that reached Italy in the spring of 1348 was one of the most deeply stressing moments of humanity that faced most of Europe. No only did 50% of Europe’s population die it affected every single part of the European society. The culture, education, economy, religion, and the simplicity of life was turned upside down from this epidemic. Not only was were the symptoms of the plague bad, while you had the symptoms you suffered with the misery effects of the plague that there was no cure for.

Read More
601 Words | 3 Pages

The epidemic affected Europe culturally, as the citizens developed an excessive reliance on religion as an answer for their tragedy. Additionally, the Black Death shifted the people’s social perspectives; they lost compassion for the sick and indulged in selfish desires. Finally, the pestilence altered the Europeans’ mental state, as their appreciation of life itself diminished, since the rapid spread of the plague caused torrential death rates across Europe. In response to the Black Death, the people of Europe became passionately pious, for they viewed their misfortune as a punishment from God and, thus, believed the only way to bring about continental happiness was through religion.

Read More
794 Words | 4 Pages

Black Death Informative Essay by Stefano Colombo 3/06/18 “How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ship’s hold and covered with a little earth.

Read More
1484 Words | 6 Pages

The Black Death was a disease which spread across Europe in the fourteen century, killing a great part of its population, and making the illness the worst natural disaster on the European continent. The Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, was caused by a bacteria which spread through infected fleas living on rats (Mulch). After the rat died from the bacteria, the fleas would turn to people infecting them instead since the rats lived in the villages and towns especially on the ships (Fiero). After three days of incubation the illness spread to the lymph nodes, swelling into blisters commonly in the armpit, neck, and groin area (Mulch). People infected died five days after incubation of the illness.

Read More
1662 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction The Black Death, swept across Europe in the late 1340, was one of the most fatal epidemics in the history. It should be noted that the name ‘Black Death’ was created in later ages. Contemporaries didn’t have specific name for it but called it ‘plague’ or ‘epidemic’. The Black Death arrived in the ports of Europe first in 1347, and soon spread in all directions in the next three years, and brought immediate death to victims.

Read More
1353 Words | 6 Pages

Being enslaved was not an easy job for African Americans. African Americans survived slavery through their connection with their culture. They then went on to contribute to the economic and social development of the South and America. African Americans survived the institution of slavery and Africanized the American South. They helped free themselves by sticking together as a family, resisting, as well as wanting slavery to change.

Read More
1644 Words | 7 Pages

I agree that both “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe can be described as short stories that value symbol over plot. Poe uses various symbols to disclose information or details to the reader, while also leaving components of the story open to interpretation. This symbolism tells its own story within the overall plot, rather than it being explained clearly by the author, cleverly adding to the interest of the read. This effective allegory allows the reader to question their literal understanding of the story, once faced with the deeper philosophical ideas. This means that in the case of these two short stories, symbols are valued over plot.

Read More
1160 Words | 5 Pages

The black death was one of the most devastating pandemics in European history, resulting in millions of death between the years 1347-51. It had significant impact at the time, sparking widespread fear and leading to the breakdown of social order and family bonds. The black death also arguably led to long-term changes to the structure of European society. It is historically significant not just because of its impact but also because it reveals some dominant ideas and religious beliefs of the time. Arguably it is also significant because it is still relevant today, highlighting how communities react during times of crisis.

Read More
821 Words | 4 Pages

Explanation Outcome 3 The third outcome required of students in this course was to examine the theme of mortality from a critical perspective. To demonstrate this outcome, the critical theory of formalism was applied in the paper “The Theme of Mortality in ‘The Plague’”. To better demonstrate an understanding of this theory, the author utilized an examination of the imagery and formative language used in “The Plague” to bring out the menacing nature of the rats as they were portrayed in the story, and thus the universal and pervasive nature of human mortality. Outcome 3, Paper 2: "Imagery and Death in 'Death of a Toad. '"

Read More
1152 Words | 5 Pages

However, for Poe, death is poetical. And not just any death, but rather the death of a beautiful woman— by beautiful we will assume he refers to the women he admires, the women he found beautiful on the inside, because death is also the end of all external appearances. In any case, if one is familiar with Poe’s style, we will know that the death motif was nothing new in his stories, neither was the death of his female characters. Nevertheless, to understand why he had the audacity of presenting the death of a woman as something poetical, it is necessary to know more about his personal life.

Read More

More about How Did Black Death Change American Culture

Related Topics

Open Document