The Masque Of The Red Death And Coronavirus
As many may know, the Coronavirus outbreak was first recorded in China . Ever since then, the virus has spread all over the world and is now a pandemic. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses that can range from a common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) ( Madhi ). This virus has affected our lives in ways we would have never expected. It has caused us to self distance, close down schools and be on lockdown.
Just like the Coronavirus outbreak, in the short story The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe there has also been a disease outbreak called the Red Death. THE “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous ( Allen ).
This disease has spread all over the country and has killed half of the kingdom, therefore bringing fear. This has caused Prince Prospero and a thousand of his favorite knights and ladies to close themselves up in The Abbey castle in hope to escape from the disease.
In fear of getting infected by the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 people have started to distance themselves, similar to Poe’s short story. This consists of people staying home and not having visitors, working from home or cancelling big events. Such cancellations aim to prevent or minimize the spread of the disease allowing patients to be more readily cared for by the health care system over time. An example of social distancing is the cancelation of activities which are likely to attract crowds. Social distancing purposefully reduces the physical distance between individuals in order to prevent attracting disease. Staying at least six meters away from others also eliminates the chances of catching the Coronavirus.
In the short story, The Masque of the Red Death, Prince Prospero is selfish and does not care about his poor, dying subjects and thinks the external world could take care of itself (Allen). In the same way the Coronavirus has made people become selfish. People tend to only care for themselves in difficult times. During this pandemic many people have been buying food and everyday products excessively. For example, there has been a shortage of toilet paper, therefore there is now a limit on how many you can buy. People being greedy has caused stores to be completely empty of products that we need on an everyday basis.
