The Black Death and Covid 19
Title
The Black Death and Covid 19
Description
A stop motion video comparing the Black Death to Covid-19 through a depiction of remote learning.
In this stop motion animation, I attempt to encapsulate my view of the connections
between the plague and COVID-19. In the beginning of the video, I show how the computer was my world during COVID because it felt like the world revolved around that one device. The computer proceeds to open and automatically go to zoom, as that was how everybody talked, and lived, and worked. Daily.
The first face to pop up on the zoom screen is a woman dressed in clothes from the 1300’s, but wearing a mask from COVID. The second face on the zoom is a man dressed in clothes from 2022, but wearing a mask from the Black Death era. I think these two characters are important because they showcase how masks unify the plague and COVID, and are a bridge connecting the two illnesses. They show how masks are a common challenge: it was very uncomfortable to wear them during COVID, and it must have also been very uncomfortable for doctors to wear those bird masks during the plague.
The third video screen to pop up is a person, half dressed in the clothes from the 1300’s
and half dressed in the clothes from 2022. This person represents the many people who refused
to believe that the Black death or COVID was going on and proceeded to live life normally. This
person depicts someone who is burying their head in the sand, refusing to see or hear about
anything that is happening in the world. The first two people are thinking about a doctor. Doctors were important figures in both the Black Death and COVID-19. They tried to help many people during the plague, and during COVID they served as an emblem of hope and security.
One big difference between the Black Death and COVID is that during COVID we had
medical knowledge and it took doctors and scientists a shorter amount of time to get an accurate
understanding of the COVID virus. Granted, it did take us some time to learn everything, and the
community of scientists initially told us not to wear masks. However, we eventually figured it
out. In contrast, during the plague there wasn't as much research or general knowledge on how to
treat or deal with such a serious and scary illness, and so it took a very long time to get a grip on
the plague.
In this stop motion animation, I attempt to encapsulate my view of the connections
between the plague and COVID-19. In the beginning of the video, I show how the computer was my world during COVID because it felt like the world revolved around that one device. The computer proceeds to open and automatically go to zoom, as that was how everybody talked, and lived, and worked. Daily.
The first face to pop up on the zoom screen is a woman dressed in clothes from the 1300’s, but wearing a mask from COVID. The second face on the zoom is a man dressed in clothes from 2022, but wearing a mask from the Black Death era. I think these two characters are important because they showcase how masks unify the plague and COVID, and are a bridge connecting the two illnesses. They show how masks are a common challenge: it was very uncomfortable to wear them during COVID, and it must have also been very uncomfortable for doctors to wear those bird masks during the plague.
The third video screen to pop up is a person, half dressed in the clothes from the 1300’s
and half dressed in the clothes from 2022. This person represents the many people who refused
to believe that the Black death or COVID was going on and proceeded to live life normally. This
person depicts someone who is burying their head in the sand, refusing to see or hear about
anything that is happening in the world. The first two people are thinking about a doctor. Doctors were important figures in both the Black Death and COVID-19. They tried to help many people during the plague, and during COVID they served as an emblem of hope and security.
One big difference between the Black Death and COVID is that during COVID we had
medical knowledge and it took doctors and scientists a shorter amount of time to get an accurate
understanding of the COVID virus. Granted, it did take us some time to learn everything, and the
community of scientists initially told us not to wear masks. However, we eventually figured it
out. In contrast, during the plague there wasn't as much research or general knowledge on how to
treat or deal with such a serious and scary illness, and so it took a very long time to get a grip on
the plague.
Creator
Sophie Hesser
Date
November 2022
Citation
Sophie Hesser, “The Black Death and Covid 19,” Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive, accessed May 18, 2024, https://www.ricovidarchive.org/items/show/8552.
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