Covid-19 Grievance

: the COVID Grievance Paper

Read the description of the plague in Athens by Thucydides (p. 55), which describes how this contagious disease disrupted longstanding “social and religious customs” such as burial rites. THEN give a detailed description, in your own words, of the various “customs” that have been disrupted since the advent of COVID-19. This can include traditions, milestones in life, social events, family events, civic activities, religious practices, weddings, travel, etc. Write about your own life as much as possible but also ask your parents and grandparents (and others) about which of their customs have been disrupted and include their observations. Feel free to vent!

THEN go to page 184 of our textbook and read about what happened DURING and AFTER the “Black Death” that killed 1/3 of Europe in the 1300s.  READ about the “Decameron” by Boccaccio– where some people isolated themselves/formed a bubble in, um, Polk County, Italy and told stories to each other to distract themselves–and describe how YOU have done that, too. THEN READ the purple box segment which shows that after the plague, workers (because there were fewer of them yet the same amount of work) demanded higher pay or else they would refuse to do it, forcing some monarchs to crack down and enforce a fixed (maximum? minimum?) wage. Do you think this will happen as a result of Covid, too? Make a post-Covid prediction, but be careful–your grandchildren may be reading it, because…

FINALLY in your conclusion, write as if you are leaving a testimonial or time capsule to your children or grandchildren, from the year 2021