Plague is a song that was released in 2012 by the Canadian, electropunk, witch-house group known as Crystal Castles. The song’s lyrics make strong allusions to the infamous Bubonic Plague or Black Death. The Bubonic Plague was a horrible disease that was spread in the 1300s by the fleas of infected rats. In the 13th century a third of the people in Europe died of this illness (http://www.livescience.com/36060-people-catch-plague.html).This disease still exists today; however, since the Bubonic Plague is the result of a bacterial infection, it is easily treatable with antibiotics (http://www.livescience.com/36060-people-catch-plague.html). It is tragic that, in the past, they did not have the basic medical knowledge to combat a bacterial infection; …show more content…
Because they are easily influenced, they are taken advantage of. The second line in particular, “rewrite their history,” might be in reference to the way in which history was poorly documented and distorted in the dark ages, especially by the church. This “colony” is also being “harvested.” Some thought the Black Plague was ensued by the Christian God as a punishment for “unholy behavior” (http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/gcse/medicine/blackdeath.htm#.WLik-TvyuM8). Directly or indirectly, the church took advantage of this, promising that supplicants would extinguish the dreaded Plague. Through this exploitation, the church maintained loyalty while people remained ill-informed and …show more content…
“Virgin cells” are most likely a metaphor for innocence and lack of life experience; the cells are incapable of “permeat[ing]” meaning that they cannot get through something. The concept of ignorance is reinforced in the next line, “they can’t elucidate.” However, the last line of this verse is the one of particular interest. The author proclaims that she never considered herself “the enemy.” Subsequently after, during the chorus, the author refers to herself as the Plague. The Bubonic Plague, as an unconscious bacterial infection, has no way of exhibiting concern for human existence; therefore, it cannot hold feelings of animosity. In consideration of this, it is foolish to label the Black Plague as an enemy. It is no one’s fault that the Plague killed so many people. However, people have only themselves to blame for putting a large amount of faith in baseless conjecture and perpetuating misinformation so recklessly. In the final verse, the author states that “they’ve been asking for it.” This is most likely in recognition of the colony’s foolish
One of the largest epidemic events in history, the Bubonic Plague had a devastating effect on European society. It is believed to have begun in China, and it reached European soil in 1347, when it struck Constantinople (Document 1). It was carried by infected fleas that spread the disease between humans and rats. A symptom of the plague was the development of large, dark swellings called “buboes” on the victim’s lymph nodes. By the time the plague left, Europe’s population had been reduced by almost half. The devastation as a result of the plague may seem shocking, but there were several important factors that contributed to its deadliness.
The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague is perhaps the greatest and horrifying tragedies to have ever happened to humanity. The Plague was ferocious and had such a gruesome where people would die in such a morbid fashion that today we are obsessed with this subject.
The plague, caused by an infectious fever, has a gruesome and terrible story. This disease was the cause of the Black Death, which killed one third of Europe’s population in the 14th century, and killed around 75,000-100,000 citizens in London. Over 25 million citizens died during this time, leaving both an economic and political management in desperate times. The plague that affected European cities has been considered to be one of the worst epidemics in the Medieval Time.
In the article, “Opposing Viewpoints – Causes of the Black Death: Contemporary Viewpoints”, the third selection is a piece from Herman Gigas. This selection briefly describes how the Jews were persecuted for and sometimes confessed to causing the Black Death, often known as “The Plague”. In this selection, a couple of distinct phrases peaked my interest. The following quote was the first thing that caught my attention: “Some say that it was brought about by the corruption of the air; others that the Jews planned to wipe out all the Christians with poison and has poisoned wells and springs everywhere.” (Spielvogel). Prior to reading this article, I had no idea that one of the explanations for the Plague included the possibility of the Jewish causing it purposefully. I find it hard to believe that this was truly the case with my background in Biology. It seems more logical that it dealt with a new strain of a disease and low immunity in the population. Another
Around 1347-1348 the most well-known epidemic struck the European world. The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death or the Black Plague, rained sickness over millions; for most people, death was the only end to the sickness. The Black Death is known as one of the most depressing occurrences in history. It attacked the three most important aspects of a person’s well-being, their mental, emotional and physical health. While the plague impacted early society, authors, Jean de Venette and Giovanni Boccaccio, described the epidemic in their own words. Modern author, Charles L. Mee Jr., describes the plague with the scientific knowledge he has living in today’s society. These three authors wrote about the bubonic plague with their own voice’s and reasoning’s but many of the accounts they mention are similar to one another. Jean de Venette, Giovanni Boccaccio and Charles L. Mee Jr. explain the symptoms, the causes and the way people acted because of the black plague.
The Bubonic Plague was a deadly infection that affected all of Europe. People who were affected by the plague usually died within a few days in terrible agony, covered in buboes, or swellings. No one knew what caused the plague, but now it is thought that it might have been carried by infected fleas that lived on rats. The plague also traveled through the air and was
It has been called “the greatest catastrophe ever.” That statement was made in reference to the Black Death which was one of many bubonic plague epidemics. Throughout history, the bubonic plague proved itself to be an extremely lethal disease. Outbreaks of the bubonic plague were devastating because of the stunning number of deaths in each of the populations it reached. The Black Death was the worst epidemic and disaster of the bubonic plague in all of history. The Black Death refers to a period of several years in which affected populations were decimated. The bubonic plague is a disease started by bacteria. The disease has horrible symptoms, and most of the victims die after getting the plague. The bubonic plague spread easily between different areas of people. The Black Death was not the first epidemic of the bubonic plague; there was another outbreak several hundred years before. It is important to understand the history of the bubonic plague and reflect upon the Black Death because plague outbreaks can still occur today.
Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis. This infection was named after Alexandre Yersin, a bacteriologist and physician who first discovered that this bacterium was the cause of the bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is known by different names such as Black Death and Black Plague. Black Death and Black Plague seemed to have been the perfect names at the moment because black symbolizes pain, misery, and death. The appearance of a black dot in the underarm area also influenced the naming of this disease. Skin tissues would become damaged causing a black discoloration of the skin. This infection was also known as the Great Plague. In earlier times, it was also called “The Great Mortality” because numerous people succumbed
“A familiar nursery rhyme that children have recited as a harmless play song for generations ironically refers to one of Europe’s most devastating diseases. The bubonic plague, better known as “The Black Death” has existed for thousands of years ( David Perlin, Ph.D., and Ann Cohen, Epidemics of the Past, Bubonic Plague).” It was supposedly connected to the symptoms of the
Christians turned to the church to find someone to condemn, someone other than themselves. Christians challenged the authority of the church, they took up an act of rebellion and defiance, to a point where no king, law, or justice could stop them. Christians saw the Black Death as a reparation for their sins. Christians said the lord is enraged and that the plague was an act of penance so they
What is the Plague? The Plague is an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain other animals and humans. Its is caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria. How do you know that you have the plague? Fever and chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting, bleeding from your mouth, nose or rectum, or under your skin, shock, blackening and death of tissue (gangrene) in your extremities, most commonly your fingers, toes and nose.The Plague is a bacterial disease that is infamous for causing millions of deaths due to a pandemic (widespread epidemic) during the Middle Ages in Europe, peaking in the 14th century. Many historical references describe the illness, which has been referred to as the Black Death or a "pestilence in the air." The first
I turned around in fright, hearing his voice sent chills down my spine, “Where is she,” my body ached. In 1793 my life went downhill, more downhill then it already had been. My life is complicated I am 14, have no job, have a five year old brother to take care of, and no mother. My mother died from the yellow fever in the beginning of August, and with our father, he claimed that he loved us but he hurt us physically and he lied about caring about us. He was put in jail and we haven't seen him in 3 years. Although it is a tragedy having your only father turn wicked, It was more of a tragedy seeing our mother, the one that has always been there for us, the one that loved us, and the one that protected and kept me and mason save, pass like that. Me and my little brother, Mason moved to the other side of Philadelphia after her death hoping to get food, find a job, and spread the word on the fever. The fever was just starting but people weren't listening.
It was a bubonic plague that came from Asia and spread by black rats infested with fleas. The plague spread like a wildfire because people who lived in high populated areas were living very close to each other and had no idea what was the cause of the disease or how to cure it. The signs of the “inevitable death” where blood from the nose, fever, aching and swellings big as an “apple” in the groin or under the armpits. From there the disease spread through the body in different directions and soon after it changed into black spots that appeared on the arms and thighs. Due to the lack of medical knowledge, no doctors manage to find a remedy. Furthermore a large number of people without any kind of medical experience tried to help the sick but most of them failed “...there was now a multitude both of men and of women who practiced without having received the slightest tincture of medical science - and, being in ignorance of its source, failed to apply the proper remedies…” (Boccaccio). The plague was so deadly that it was enough for a person to get infected by only touching the close of the
Diseases are everywhere in this world, in humans, animals, and even plants. It's a part of life but it's up to us to develop new technology and new techniques to take care of diseases. We should all help each other to take care of ourselves and live a better life and avoid catastrophes.
Albert Camus’ The Plague is an influential existentialist novel that vividly depicts the impact of a plague have on a community. Set in the French Algerian city of Oran in the 1940s but based on the Black Plague that swept Europe in the Middle Ages, Camus draws on a large cast of character to portray and embody the historical impact that the plague on both the populace and society. Uniting the experiences of the various characters is Doctor Rieux, who play the role of a plague chronicler, and in the process demonstrates the impact of the plague on religion, social structures, and community morals.