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In the middle of the fourteenth century, a plague spread across Europe. Many millions of people died from the epidemic, up until the eighteenth century. Throughout those four or so centuries, regular Europeans tried and failed to find a cause for the plague, leading to some interesting scapegoats. Europeans had varying responses to this new epidemic; many were fearful of the future, but some decided to use the chaos to their advantage. Many people were fearful of this new plague that was spreading. Much of this fear was spurned by the fact that no one truly knew the cause of the plague. Many had their theories, however, and many blamed the Jews for the panic that ensued from the epidemic. Because of this, many European rulers from expelling the Jews from their countries. In England, it was the filth of the streets and of the dogs that caused such a widespread and deadly disease. (Document 2) The rich of France were so terrified and economically endowed that they were able to flee the country, leaving the poor to the mercy of the plague. (Document 3) …show more content…
Trade in England stopped, for fear that the plague would come in from foreign traders. Trade in full stopped soon after. (Document 14) There was another instance in England, but it had less of an effect on Europe as a whole. Wigs were an important accessory in the 17th century, and during this time period, wigs were made from the hair of dead people. However, most dead people died from the plague. It was suspected that people could get sick from using the wigs, and that was not a chance English noblemen were willing to take. (Document
An important fact to remember is that in those times, opinions and actions were either based on or blamed on religion and superstition. For example, people started marching across the country, punishing themselves on the basis that the plague was the result of all of man’s sin, whilst trying to persuade people of their cause. Also, charms were used by some cultures, such as the “Abra Kadabra” charm, which was either carved, or worn as protective jewellery to ward off the evil spirits causing the plague. It looked similar to the image below.
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.
No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions
All of Camus' writings may be viewed as a quest for meaningful values in a world of spiritual aridity and emptiness. He begins with man's despair, estrangement, fear, suffering and hopelessness in a world where is neither God nor the promise that He will come- the fundamental absurdity of existence- but ultimately affirms the power of man to achieve spiritual regeneration and the measure of salvation possible in an absurd universe. This radical repudiation of despair and nihilism is closely bound up with his concept of an artist. Camus conceives of art as a way of embracing a consciousness of the absurdity of man's existential plight. But art becomes a means of negating that absurdity because the artist reconstructs the reality, endowing it with unity, endurance and perfection. By taking elements from reality that confirms the absurd existence, an artist attempts to correct the world by words and redistribution. Thus the artist never provides a radical transformation of reality but a fundamental reinterpretation of what already exists. He provides a new angle of vision of perceiving reality. That is why, for Camus, an artist is a recreator of myth. He teaches humanity that contemporary man must abandon the old myths that have become otiose, though once defined his existence. The artist liberates man to live in his world by redefining both man and the condition in which he exists. In this regard, it is important to point out that, for Camus, the traditional opposition between art and philosophy is arbitrary. It is because they together become most effective to create the redefinition: the philosophy awakens the consciousness and the art, propelled by such a radical discovery, ...
The Plague (French, La Peste) is a novel written by Albert Camus that is about an epidemic of bubonic plague. The Plague is set in a small Mediterranean town in North Africa called Oran. Dr. Bernard Rieux, one of the main characters, describes it as an ugly town. Oran’s inhabitants are boring people who appear to live, for the most part, habitual lives. The main focus of the town is money. “…everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. Their chief interest is in commerce, and their chief aim in life is, as they call it, 'doing business’” (Camus 4). The citizens’ unawareness of life’s riches and pleasures show their susceptibility to the oncoming plague. They don’t bother themselves with matters not involving money. It is very easy for the reader to realize that they are too naive to combat the forthcoming calamity. The theme of not knowing life is more than work and habits will narrow the people’s chances of survival. Rieux explains that the town had a view of death as something that happens every day. He then explains that the town really doesn’t face towards the Mediterranean Sea. Actually it is almost impossible to see the sea from town. Oran is a town which seems to turn its back on life and freedom. The Plague was first published in 1948 in France. “Early readers were quick to note that it was in part an allegory of the German occupation of France from 1940 to 1944, which cut France off from the outside world; just as in the novel the town of Oran must close its gates to isolate the plague” (“The Plague” 202). When the plague first arrives, the residents are slow to realize the extreme danger they are in. Once they finally become aware of it...
The Bubonic Plague, or more commonly known as ‘The Black Death’ or ‘The Black Plague,’ was one of the most devastating and deadliest pandemics that humans have ever witnessed in the history of mankind. The disease spanned two continents in just a few years, marking every country between Western Europe all the way to China. During the reign of the plague, which is estimated to be the years between 1347-1352, it is estimated that “20 million people in Europe–almost one-third of the continent’s population” was killed off due to the plague. The Black Plague would change the course of European history since the plague knew no boundaries and inflicted its wrath upon the rich and the poor alike. As a result, not only did the plague have a devastating demographic impact which encountered a massive social disruption, but also, an economic and religious impact as well.
Plague originated in China in the 1330s. At first rats and fleas carried out the plague. In 1347 the plague hits the Europe after the Eurpoean merchants returns from the Black Sea. Hunderds and thousands people died within couple days, in four years Europe’s population almost wiped out by third. Jews and people were blamed for the plague. Europeans believe Jews put the poision on the wells caused the disease.
Throughout the 14th - 18th century, plagues ravaged Europe due to the living conditions of the lower classes. The Black Death, being one of the most destructive plagues in history had social, religious, and economic consequences. Many people began to fear for their lives and turned to religion while others would rely on the more modern practice of medicine, and others panicked meanwhile disgracing the lives of the deceased.
In “The Years of Plague” F. F. Cartwright provides an overview of conditions existing in Britain at the beginning of the 14th century and examines the impact of plague on subsequent changes to social, political, and economic systems that took place during the following centuries. He also provides a detailed discussion of the causes, occurrence, and disappearance of plague, effectively debunking the myth that the Great Fire of London in 1666 led to its disappearance in Britain. He concludes on a sobering note, observing that eight centuries lay between the Justinian plague and the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe, yet it is only three centuries since the disappearance of plague in Europe. Thus, he reminds us that, though plague seems a long distant disease, it may yet be lurking in some unknown corner of the earth, ready once again to burst onto the world stage.
Document 5 states “Whatever house the pestilence visited was immediately nailed up, … throughout all the country, all the roads and highways were guarded so that a person could not pass from one place to another.” Proving how much fear was running rampant throughout all of Europe. No one wanted anyone near them for fear that others had been infected or that they had been around others who were and could be spreading the disease. They nailed up people’s houses while they were still living inside in order to make sure that they were not affected by the disease. They closed off towns that had been infected in order to insure others safety, while also closing off towns and not letting anyone in for the purpose of keeping it out that town, because no one there had been infected yet and they did not want that to change. This was all done out of fear, the fear of death, or worse, knowing that you are dying, and having to deal with that. “For nobody will dare to buy any wig, for the fear of infection that the hair had been cut off the heads of people dead of the plague.” ( Document 13) People were afraid of other people being dishonest with them, to the point where they even assumed that merchants had taken hair off of dead plague victims. Which does not really make sense, because they could have been infected just being around people that had the plague, causing the merchant to die, and not be able to
The Bubonic Plague or the Black Death is till known today as one of the worst disasters to ever happen not just in Europe, but in the entire world. At the time before the plague, Europe’s population was about four hundred million people. After the four years of the Black Death, Europe was down to about three hundred and fifty million people. This plague was absolutely devastating to all of Europe. It was especially bad in Mediterranean Europe, Spain, Italy, and the South of France. It was said to have killed about 75% to 80% of the population. It had its least dramatic effects in Germany and England only killing off 20% of their population, which is still an incredible number.
During the course of the Plague common beliefs and/or concerns underwent a dramatic change. During the early years of the Plague outbreak the prevalent belief was of fear of the Plague and its uncertainty of the cause. Most people during this time were concerned that the Plague would affect their economy and their own work/business. People were also concerned of their lives and their family's well being. Then as time went on beliefs changed from this to fear to a religious superstition.
At this time however, cold weather and rains wiped out many crops creating a shortage of food for humans. Rats also went through this shortage in food. This made them “crowd in cities, providing an optimal environment for disease”(Karin Lehnardt in 41 Catastrophic Facts about the Black Death). Before the black death spread through Europe, sanitation wasn’t very good. Living conditions were bad so when the black death came to Europe, it spread more rapidly because people were not clean and healthy. Another reason the plague spread so fast was because the dead “bodies were piled up inside and outside city walls where they lay until mass graves could be dug”(Karin Lehnardt in 41 Catastrophic Facts about the Black Death). This made the air very polluted and contributed the spread of the epidemic. In total, the black death killed about thirty million people. This was about one-third the population of Europe. Some towns were completely wiped out. Because of this, medieval people thought everyone would eventually die, although we now know that some populations did survive. Also, because people were not being saved by the church, their beliefs were questioned. Less people dedicated their lives to the church because of this. Both the poor and the rich died but more than one-half the people dead were poor. This was also a result of poor sanitation and living conditions. The Black Death initiated in China in the early 1340’s
The Black Plague, perhaps one of the worst epidemics in history, swept its evil across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing an estimated 20 million people. This major population shift, along with other disasters occurring at the time, such as famine and an already existing economic recession, plunged Europe into a dark period of complete turmoil. Anarchy, psychological breakdowns, and the dissipation of church power were some of the results. As time passed, however, society managed to find new ground and began its long path of recovery. The plague, as catastrophic as it was to medieval Europe, had just as many positive effects that came with this recovery as it did negative effects prior. An end to feudalism, increased wages and innovation, the idea of separation of church and state, and an attention to hygiene and medicine are only some of the positive things that came after the plague. It could also be argued that the plague had a significant impact on the start of the Renaissance.
The Bubonic Plague, otherwise known as the Black Death was a raging disease. Most people thought of it as the physical Grim Reaper of their town or community. The disease lasted about six years, 1347 to 1352. The Bubonic Plague was a travesty that has traveled throughout Europe and has raged and decimated both large and small towns, putting Europe through a lot.