The Black Death

The film The Black Death that we watched in class was a little more gory than I had anticipated. I had no idea how devastating the black plague truly was, especially in terms of how it was so widespread. It was interesting how the film brought other aspects to the forefront as well, as opposed to just the facts about the plague and how many lives it took. For example, it discussed changes in art throughout the years of the plague. Before, art depicted mostly people who were alive. After, people began to add skeletons to their paintings, showing that death is always looming over us. To me this is an interesting concept of death. Because death became so prominent and inevitable, people started to think about it more and even added it to their everyday life. So if that was their view on death so long ago, is our position the same today? I believe our society today has somewhat the same position as those who lived during the plague. We don't want to be thinking about death everyday because it is inevitable. If we do think about it, it will just bring us down, and most people want to be able to live their life to the fullest. However, I do believe that when there is some sort of tragedy or epidemic, such as the black death, death becomes a much more prominent part of life. When people around you are dying you can't help but wonder when the same will happen to you. In this sense, I believe our society today has a similar position on death as those who lived during the black death.