Cars line up at a traffic signal while their drivers wait for the light to turn green. Already a member? Blindness … Want to Read. Firstly, in terms of government, their inability to maintain order and put an end to the epidemic, coupled with their patent lies, convinces people that any hope implanted upon the government is ill-placed. For all these reasons, Blindness by José Saramago should be the recipient of the 2017 United Nations Book Award because it accurately depicts the devastating consequences of not being prepared for a pandemic. In conclusion, Saramago’s Blindness would be the best candidate for the 2017 United Nations Book Award because it meticulously illustrates the gruesome follow up of an unprepared pandemic outbreak. The first blind man visits him for treatment before anyone knows it’s an epidemic. Since the pandemic in the novel is Blindness, the first problem with caring for loved ones is logistically not being able to find them. A predominate example of this can be seen when analysing the economic impact of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza outbreak. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. As evidenced by this quotation, if the government deteriorates, then dictators or oppressors will rise to power. This paper explores divine power as well as divine retribution in the book Blindness by Jose Saramago arguing that divinity intervention follows in instituting justice. $22 In the novel Blindness, which inspired a recently released movie by the same name, Nobel laureate Jose Saramago uses blindness as a metaphor for moral depravity, filth, and social collapse. The ultimate “outcome of this precipitous run on the banks was that within twenty-four hours some of the main banks were facing ruin”. Moreover, not only does a pandemic deteriorate a nation’s government but it also makes people’s actions completely inhumane, as depicted in Blindness. Blindness was first published in 1995 and translated into English in 1998. Jose Saramago tells the grim tale of a city devastated by an epidemic of blindness. Students who find writing to be a difficult task. Blindness - Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis. We provide you with original essay samples, perfect formatting and styling. However, spreading knowledge of the annihilating consequences of such a threatening epidemic will increase humanities chances of survival. Besides, divinity intervenes to punish ignorance. ReadLit Team. Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. They are all sent to an asylum where the inmates quickly turn to violence and force to get what they want. For example, during the 2009 H1N1 Influenza outbreak there was a “priority of access to healthcare resources given to Americans with increased global demand” (Palacios). The author displays his contempt for aggression, injustice, and gang terror in Blindness, mostly through men who embody humankind's basest characteristics. This is well presented by Jose Saramago in his epic novel, Blindness. Jose Saramago’s Blindness depicts a world suddenly stricken by a blindness epidemic. Chapter Summary for José Saramago's Blindness, chapter 5 summary. In 1998, Saramago received the Nobel Prize for Literature, and Blindness was one of his works noted by the committee when announcing the award. The doctor, an ophthalmologist, is one of the seven main characters of the novel. All rights reserved Gradesfixer ™, “Affects Of Pandemic On People’s Life as Depicted in “Blindness” by José Saramago.”, Affects Of Pandemic On People’s Life as Depicted in “Blindness” by José Saramago [Internet]. Due to a crushing infection, in this case Blindness, it becomes increasingly dangerous to drive or even be near cars. Blindness content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Analysis and discussion of characters in José Saramago's Blindness. This is shown when they come up with a scheme wherein they have the right to rape the women of the other wards in exchange for food. The boy with the squint was quarantined without his parents. At the end of the day, a lack of a proper government will result in misery for the country’s citizens. Let us write you an essay from scratch. Mental Health Issues: Preservation & Treatment Essay, The Use Of Naproxen - A Drug Which Reduces Pain Essay, Market Access And Pricing In Oncology In Emerging Markets Essay, Healthy Body Image on the Person's Value Essay, Reasons for the Public Health Focus on Cardiovascular Disease Essay, My View On The Health Of People In Different Area According To The Book Of David K. Shipler Essay, Video Games Can Be Beneficial for Our Health and Brain Essay. Blindness by José Saramago. On the other hand, transportation systems also break down like seen in Blindness. Saramago's high regard for female characters in Blindness manifests itself not only in the significantly vital role he assigns to the "doctor's wife" as the only person who "can see" in the entire city, but also in the overall portrayal of women in this work. Print Word PDF. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper. This signifies the threat that this issue brings forth. Are you interested in getting a customized paper? They are no longer defined by their past or their relationships with people in the outside world. To explain, some people take advantage of a lack of a proper government by feeling as if they are not obliged to follow the rules any more. You'll get access to all of the None of the members of this group are able to see properly and, as the novel proceeds, even those whose job it was to help the visually handicapped, lose their sight one by one. Lastly, humans are unable to socially interact as they did before, and the infrastructure of society breaks down. With the knowledge of these horrible consequences as motivation, people will strive to become prepared to the best of their ability. This tremendous impact only resulted from under 30% of the population being infected. By reading Blindness, society will become appreciative of current norms and they will put forth their best efforts in order for all possible measures be taken to avoid the terrible events in Blindness becoming a reality. Hence we have the ophthalmologist and the ophthalmologist's wife, "the doctor" and "the doctor's wife," "the first blind man," the car thief who stole the car of the first blind man, the patients at the ophthalmologist's office who are: "the old man with a black patch over one eye," "the cross-eyed boy," and the girl "with dark glasses." This includes media, transportation networks, and like previously mentioned the government. In other words, they remain unidentified to further highlight the writer's conviction that in the modern world we human beings have completely lost our identities. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, ©1995, 294 pp. The Girl with the Dark Glasses is a prostitute who, while with a customer, is hit by the blindness. This shows the unsympathetic attitudes of those diagnosed with a pandemic. 2021 © gradesfixer.com. Neither have the streets and places within the story. With a gross attack rate of under 30% the “estimates of the total economic impact in the United States of this influenza pandemic were around $166.5 billion”. Parallel to this philosophy, Saramago does not let his characters have any proper names either. José Saramago’s eerie story of an epidemic in a contemporary city begins with the scene of a man sitting in a car at a traffic light. A prime example of this is when a thief “took advantage of people’s confusion and distress and robbed their personal belongings”. Home — Essay Samples — Health — Public Health — Affects Of Pandemic On People’s Life as Depicted in “Blindness” by José Saramago. Nevertheless, society will only be enlightened when every single person is aware of the consequences on an individual basis. When it comes to a discussion of characters in Saramago's work, it is not possible to ignore the importance he attaches to women in his novels. This is seen in Blindness with the occurrence of people robbing each other’s belongings. It is, as well, Saramago's goal that his characters exceed the framework of his novel and refer to anybody in the modern era. The novel opens with a man driving home in his car. Analysis. 4.14 avg rating — 216,760 ratings — published 1995. add/edit characters. As soon as it occurs, the pandemic will stretch like a colossus around the world, killing tens of millions if not billions. When defining the word blindness, it can be interpreted in various ways. Word Count: 594. Want to Read. Word Count: 594. Moreover, some might consider Blindness as an unrealistic and pessimistic view of human nature, however, the attitude seen in Blindness is much closer to reality then one might realize. José Saramago. Apart from government and transport, the financial system is also unable to continue flowing as it normally did due to the extreme confusion, fear, and rise in mortality. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. In Blindness, all of the institutions that humans regard as pillars of society such as government, infrastructure, the economy, and religion, come crashing down as soon as there is an unprepared pandemic outbreak. In the novel Blindness, Jose Saramago depicts and demonstrates how in an instant your right to see can be taken in an instant. Blindness is a great novel by Portuguese writer José Saramago that deals with human’s individual and collective reactions when in the face of adversarial forces. A dystopian parable, Jose Saramago’s “Blindness” is a surreal novel. The soldier guarding the quarantine, refuses to listen to the internee with the infected leg and responses by saying, “Look here, blind man, let me tell you something, either you get back to where you came from, or you’ll be shot”. Moreover, not only do people’s individual interactions fall apart, but the larger scale of infrastructure of society also breaks down. Blindness – José Saramago – 1995 . Second, people lose all forms of humanity and are transformed into cold-blooded and brutal creatures. The girl with the dark glasses. This postmodern, apocalyptic novel was originally written in Portuguese, and was translated into English by Giovanni Pontiero with additional help from Margaret Jull Costa. The man who helps him get safely home goes … Furthermore, a realistically frightening representation of the fragility of human society and the tenuous interpersonal web of interactions in which people live in today is illustrated in Saramago’s Blindness. As the dying person with the leg infection continues to ask for help he is shot and killed. The city in which the people of Saramago's novel go blind has no name. To begin, Saramago’s Blindness would allow the consequences of a pandemic to become a shocking realization for society because of its depiction of a government losing its authority over its citizens. If you’d like this or any other sample, we’ll happily email it to you. At the end of the day, people have always put them selves first when it comes to survival and will continue to do so. Having trouble finding the perfect essay? It is one of Saramago's most famous novels, along with The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and Baltasar and Blimunda. Posted by Dave on 30/5/2002, 6:58:45 saving…. Attention! Just beware, there are spoilers in here. The blindness of the novel operates in this same allegorical vein, using blindness as a metaphor for ignorance. As civilized behaviors and customs are replaced with the desire to survive, characters respond with both great selfishness and selflessness depending on their inner condition. Either it can be explained as sightless, or it can be carefully deciphered as having a more complex in-depth analysis. Social Behavior in Saramago’s Blindness. As an inexplicable wave of blindness spreads, society fragments and people freely express an “animalistic” form of human nature in face of the increased pressure for survival. He is immediately taken home and then to the doctor's office, where he infects all of the other patients. She is part of the small group with the Doctor's Wife who eventually get out only to find that the entire city has fallen under the same conditions as the asylum This man was the first to be stricken by the disease while driving in traffic. People seem to disregard elementary things like care for family when they are infected with such an epidemic. Analysis of How Pandemic Affects People’s Life as Depicted in Blindness by José Saramago. Afterwards, the realization comes that “they may become a burden upon your personal survival”. Either it can be explained as sightless, or it can be carefully deciphered as having a more complex in-depth analysis. As evident, society’s interpersonal web of interactions is so fragile that the absence of one faculty, sight in this case, can cause the whole thing to unravel. We will occasionally send you account related emails. Blindness is a 1995 novel by the Portuguese author José Saramago. The psychopathic ward of hoodlums crosses all the lines of humanity and their barbaric actions were not only inhumane, but even worse than animals. The man stops at a light and then simply goes blind. One consequence of a pandemic outbreak shown in Saramago’s Blindness is that the government will lose all of its authority over its citizens. This can be seen in the 2009 H1N1 Influenza outbreak, where a majority of people “believed [that] the government had overreacted”, and that their response was filled with panic and thus they were “doing a poor or very poor job of providing the country with adequate vaccine supplies”. Additionally, in Blindness there are times at which Human nature is shown worst then animal nature. Why does Jose Saramago give no names in his novel Blindness. Pssst… Find a summary of this and each chapter of Blindness! He is one of the principle members of the first ward - the ward with all of the original internees. This ultimately shows how easily infrastructure systems and interactions can break apart, conclusively causing the world to tip over the edge. In fact, after being aware of such heart wrenching consequences of pandemics, and their authenticity, readers will definitely be persuaded that everything in their power should be done to ascertain that society is best prepared for the next pandemic. Moreover, Saramago’s Blindness realistically depicts the darkness of human nature that emerges when such conditions arise. In the novel Blindness, Jose Saramago depicts and demonstrates how in an instant your right to see can be taken in an instant. In this clear and detailed reading guide, we’ve done all the hard work for you! Blindness tells the story of a group of people who, for some unknown reason, suddenly lose their sight. and linked between the strong animal imagery in Jose Saramago’s Blindness and the idea of spiritual blindness of human beings as symbolised in the physical blindness of the characters to assert that meaning is indeterminate and shaped by the reader’s realization of it. Whether people decide to face this disturbing reality or ignore it, the outbreak of a pandemic is inevitable. With all of these terrifying consequences in mind, people would definitely do everything in their power in order to make sure that a pandemic does not conquer the globe. Imagine a pandemic affecting nearly 100% of the populations, the outcome would simply be beyond limits. Each individual needs to be prepared and only then will the entire world be ready to face the pandemic. Therefore, Blindness accurately portrays the horrendous outcome of a pandemic, especially in terms of the government’s fall and the follow up. Category: Economics, Life, Health; ... Blindness by José Saramago should be the recipient of the 2017 United Nations Book Award because it accurately depicts the devastating consequences of not being prepared for a pandemic. 2021 Jan 25 [cited 2021 May 22]. The assertiveness of the "doctor's wife" and the marginal roles Saramago assigns to his male characters are... Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Blindness study guide. As tensions grow and people become increasingly … If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired, and figure out a title or outline for your paper. Myla Goldberg says Saramago vividly illustrates disaster's potential to … The doctor’s wife tells them that they need to reconcile, but the first blind man refuses and proclaims that the car-thief’s blindness is “justice.” The first blind man resolves to go to another ward and finds his way to the door, … Blindness (Blindness, #1) by. To prove, after the outbreak of the pandemic it was extremely rare if not non-existent for there to be “feasts where what belongs to one, belongs to everybody”. Blindness, the 1995 book by Portuguese author José Saramago, tells the story of a society that’s been struck by a virulent epidemic of blindness. In the novel Blindness, José Saramago deftly presents the all too prevalent short-comings of mankind – particularly during an emergency situation.A difficult read at times, if only because the brutal reality that is the nature of man is so blatantly put before the reader, Blindness realistically portrays the ease of descent to which man is apt to succumb during an extreme … This essay is not unique. In the novel Blindness, Jose Saramago depicts and demonstrates how in an instant your right to see can be taken in an instant. In addition, the researchers try to fill in the gaps created by the Log in here. The blind internees quickly begin to experience the erasure of their identity and humanity. When defining the word blindness, it can be interpreted in various ways. Therefore, Blindness meticulously represents the degree of weakness and fragility in the bond of human society, enlightening the public of yet another unpleasant consequence of a pandemic outbreak. While the sexual interactions of animals are certainly different compared to humans, it would be hard pressed to find a group of animals that functioned with a similar degree of calculated exploitation. The car-thief yells out that the first blind man is “to blame for our misfortune.” But the first blind man reveals that the thief stole his car —which the thief denies. A sequel titled Seeing was published in 2004. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. Get an expert to write you the one you need! José Saramago. However, all this falls apart as soon as humans are unable to function as they previously did. All of this ultimately led to the citizens “not trusting public health officials and the government to provide correct information about the vaccine’s safety”. This Study Guide consists of approximately 65 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Blindness. The following is a compilation of discussions and reviews from the previous version of our website. Interestingly enough, these defining features have something to do with either their state of vision or their profession and relation to those with sight problems. First of all, once infected, people suddenly become unable to interact as they did before, and this precipitates a change for the worse. The reason for such namelessness may well be the importance he attaches to the theme of his work, which surpasses that of the identity of his characters. This demonstrates that people not only stop fearing the law, but they also lose all forms of humanity. We hope you enjoy these older deliberations. In the novel Blindness, which inspired a recently released movie by the same name, Nobel laureate Jose Saramago uses blindness as a metaphor for moral depravity, filth, and social collapse. The story begins when the first blind man loses his vision in his car while waiting for a traffic light to change. The blind characters in the novel often struggle to orient themselves in time and space, and with these stylistic choices Saramago simulates that sense of disorientation for readers. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/analysis-of-how-pandemic-affects-peoples-life-as-depicted-in-blindness-by-jose-saramago/, Receive a 100% plagiarism-free essay on your email just for $4.99, *Public papers are open and may contain not unique content. In the same way, women become the passive victims of the crimes men commit and innocently fall prey to their aggression and blind lust. With gorgeous prose, this thought-provoking book shows us how our world, ever so concerned and consumed by appearances, would deal with the loss of our most relied upon sense: vision. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. We’ve got you covered. However, with the enlightenment of society, mankind’s likelihood of survival will be strengthened. This can be seen in Blindness when after the government completely vanishes, a gang leader with a gun decides he is in charge. In an unknown city full of people who are never named, an inexplicable and incurable epidemic of blindness strikes without warning, causing all but one of the city’s inhabitants to lose their sight. Horns honk, epithets are muttered, drivers waiting behind the stationary car finally get out to investigate, then pound on the driver’s side window. Earlier in the novel he was a patient of the doctor because he had a peculiar squint that remained even after he went blind. Lastly, an accurate depiction of the frailty of human civilization, and the fragility of people’s social connections can be seen in Blindness. Under the Radar 2021: A Thousand Ways ... portrays the only character untouched by vision loss, there’s an ugly undercurrent in the suggestion that the blind can’t even speak for themselves. This means that if the H1N1 Influenza had affected nearly every citizen, then the outcome would have been extremely similar if not identical to that of Blindness. Even though, this is “against all the rules of humanity”, it is a horrible reality and such selfishness is precisely illustrated in Blindness. José Saramago’s Blindness Takes on Heightened Meaning in Our Pandemic Age. Chaos, Perseverance, Redemption: José Saramago’s “Blindness”. A novel that provides many examples of this is Blindness, the 1995 novel by Portuguese author José Saramago. “Let us not forget that the next pandemic is coming” (Coburn). eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Such financial crisis led to “people, afraid of ending up… unprovided for, raced to the banks to withdraw their money”. Blindness, a novel by Portuguese author José Saramago, depicts the dystopian outcome of a plague of white blindness, (clunky) a mysterious disease that eventually becomes known among the novel’s characters as the “white evil.” Saramago quickly introduces the malady, recounting the first infection within the first few pages of the novel. First of all, if there is no government to maintain order in their citizens, then people can be dictated by a tyrant. In spite of the characters' namelessness, however, each fictional person at the center of the story is described with a prominent characteristic. The girl… read analysis of The girl with the dark glasses. The women being raped were helpless and no humane methods worked, so the problem was only ironed out when “a woman had stabbed and killed the leader of the thugs”. Want us to write one just for you? A good way for everyone to be aware of such consequences is by reading Blindness by José Saramago. The victims are forced into quarantine, where they are steadily dehumanized. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy. It tells the story of a blindness epidemic which unexpectedly hits a crowded, cosmopolitan city. This essay has been submitted by a student. When the doctor examines the blind man’s eyes, nothing seems out of place, and there’s no known reason he should be blind. The blindness in the platonic allegory serves as a barrier to understanding just as the blindness in the novel is itself something incomprehensible – the doctors are baffled as to its cause, how it spreads and what can stop it. On several occasions, the infected are killed almost indiscriminately as seen with the killing of one of the internees who is trying to ask for medicine in order to treat his infected leg. All in all, pandemics are one of the most dangerous issues brought upon humanity, and whatever happens “Let us not forget that the next pandemic is coming”.
Garage Sweatpants Canada, Motor Mechanic Licence Qld, City In Seoul, Yasmin Name Meaning In Arabic, Prix Crèche France, Cvs Thyroid Test, Who Does Kai Rooney Play For, Monster Ultra White Flavor, Smith And Nephew Offset Guide, Follicular Thyroid Cancer Wiki, Tibial Spine Avulsion Fracture Rehabilitation Protocol,