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I feel that Isabel Allende’s And of Clay are We Created connects to the current pandemic situation the same way Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich does with the “At least it wasn’t me!” sentiment. This is because of the role the media plays in covering the volcanic eruption. Like the focus on the innocent little girl in the story, I feel that the mass media centers on too much on the numbers of deaths, the coffins accumulating, and how it became a contest on which country defeats the virus the best or not rather than devise ways in which they could help the same way Eva Luna tries to get a pump sent to the site of the disaster. With the way technology has advanced in making far distances appear closer, “Oh no, another hundred died” statements are almost always paired with “Well, at least I’m safe in my home!” It is in this case that I also believe that the reason the government, especially Trump, and the general public have trouble believing the truth about the virus is because of the way the media usually alters out perception of reality and thus propagates false news. Because of this, most were quick to regard the COVID-19 virus as “just the flu.” Thus, this, I believe, is also the reason why some, if not all, government leaders around the world are relatively slow in responding and so they leave the masses with the faint hope that “they got everything covered.” However, it all hits different when you or someone close to you experiences the contagion. My mom and some of my friends got the virus, but luckily they all recovered fine. It was unfortunate, however, for one of my friends’ mom. The fear and anxiety that I might catch it as well or that they may fail to recover were inevitable, and as an immunocompromised individual, I had a hard time clearing my thoughts. With all this, I therefore concluded that it is in the reason that we are almost always glued to the screens and the social media that we fail to recognize the entirety of what’s happening until it affects us. And it is in this same reason that we learn to cherish genuine human connection, may it be close or through the bright screens that help us get closer to each other.

Throughout this semester we’ve had a couple of readings we could apply to the current state the globe is in with the pandemic, but this I would say is the most applicable. In the story “ And of Clay are We Created” ,  the most similar aspect in my opinion would be the governments role towards the affected citizens. Even this week on the view, a morning talk show Chris Christie former New Jersey governor said we need to be okay with sacrificing people similarly to ww2 , this was also the same viewpoint of talk show host doctor oz. The media as well as the government project these death rates and how populations will decrease and that we just need to endure it in the end, But, what about there families who are they going to give up , what pain are they going to endure, what food scarcity will they experience , when will they get worried that they can’t pay rent after filing for unemployment. People that generate the wealth such as media personalities, the 1% and government official aren’t feeling the real impacts of this pandemic because they still have everything they had prior the the pandemic they just can’t travel or they sneak to see friends during the pandemic to harm the lives of others because there meetup is more important. 

In the essay And of Clay Are We Created, the reporter Rolf Carle tries his best to save the girl Azucena from the volcano eruption under the screen of many medias and this story spread very far. In the situation of nature disaster, people all over the world wants to help this little girl although she finally dies after several days of starvation and fever. Screen plays a role in spreading the story and in helping the girl to obtain equipment and food. Although people are far from the spot of eruption, they can see the scene through the screen and feel this heart-breaking accident. In fact, I think the earthquake that I experienced in 2008 in Sichuan is more similar to this situation than this pandemic. I was near the earthquake epicenter at that time and I spent more than two months living in the tents on a football field. Television, newspaper and internet enable the world to know our difficulty better and we really get assistance and essential equipment. In this way, the media play a positive role in reconstructing. But when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, the media is like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps convey the latest information, warn the people about the potential risk and makes the donation more efficient. On the other hand, some misleading information on the media triggers anxiety and spreads the rumor which harms people both mentally and physically.

The short story “And of Clay are We Created” by Isabel Allende, is a true-life experience which a young girl loses her life due to a volcano eruption. Her life changed suddenly like a blink of an eye, putting her in a position where all she could do was reminisce the happiest and unhappiest moments she lived on earth. I believe we can all connect to the sufferings that people went and are going through during this pandemic, because we can all just take a minute and put ourselves in their shoes and think about how difficult it can get. People are losing family members, loved ones, and friends due to this pandemic it is very challenging to not be able to connect to their sufferings. This connection is what brings us humans together not physically but spiritually because wherever in the world, I think people are doing prayers not only for themselves but for others as well, in hopes that all of this comes to an end. I think that screen plays a very important role in present day because for many people it’s their source for news informing them not only about what is happening wherever they are but also informing them of other parts of the world. Nevertheless, I believe that screens can be overwhelming, as well and cause a lot of anxiety and panic. Sometimes, people do not want to know about the terrible things that are occurring because it makes them to overthink things and that can mentally affect them. Even though this is something very serious and petrifying it takes away the good vibes from people because they are just thinking and living in fear due to everything they see or listen from screens. I think that the government plays a major role in managing disasters like this because there are thousands of people who rely on their behavior towards this. People rely on their information and the plans they have set, in order for people to be able to manage. This disaster has been overwhelming because my mom got sick and she had the symptoms and that resulted of her getting isolated. It was worrying for my family and I during those days because as we have heard through the screens, people would get very ill and have to be taken to a hospital where they would be isolated and as families we wouldn’t be able to know about them. Therefore, that worried us a lot, however, thankfully my mom recuperated. I believe that as human beings we learn to pretend like we are okay but in reality we aren’t. Situations like this, makes you feel like Rolf in his position, you are near a person who isn’t doing well and you start to reflect on things that you never got through, things from the past that you tried to escape but you find yourself acknowledging it again. This pandemic is a very chaotic situation, but I think that it made people reflect on many things from their lives and also brought people together, and reflect that life is something that we cannot take for granted and think that ourselves and loved ones will always be around because life can change in a blink of an eye.

I feel like the best way that I could connect this situation in the story with our current life is that when I saw that people in Wuhan were dying, and saw the number increasing I had no meaning of those numbers because I was so far away. I randomly saw the numbers going up and sadly or surprisingly, I couldn’t connect that to the amount of lives or being lost. It felt like something that was for and then I didn’t know how it would or could impact my life. Yes, I do believe that being able to see something from far away can build a connection but it can easily create a distance as well. The narrator does her best to help the girl, she goes out of her way to assist in every way she can because she feels at that moment it’s significant for both of them. She wants to do her best to help the people that seemingly need it but she’s not emotionally invested, as much as Carle. She’s just seeing it from the perspective of the TV so she sees something that isn’t really real to her, but he on the other hand is experiencing everything as it happens. In front of his eyes he’s seeing a person slowly pass away. He’s able to empathize and connect with her in ways that nobody else can. And this is exactly what happened with us in the coronavirus. We understood that something bad was out there and that people were dying from it, but it was a distant problem so we didn’t know the importance of it. We only found out the potential of the pain and misery that it could cause after it got close enough to affect us. After we were able to see the pain first-hand. We were able to see the island in which the mass graves were dug, we saw the potential for our parks to become graveyards. That’s what gave it an actual meaning to us but before it was a distant phenomenon.

“And of Clay Are We Created” talks about a volcanic eruption that resulted in the lives of thousands. In the story of “And of Clay Are We Created”, seismographs had predicated the possible disaster, but no one heeded to the warning. The story portrayed the catastrophic impact of negligence during the preface of disaster. The current disaster was somewhat manageable at its early stages, however, human negligence allow it room to grow, becoming the pandemic today. The first case of the novel-virus was in Wuhan, China. Reports of the cases came as early as December by Dr. Zhang and Dr. Li but was not taken seriously by Chinese officials. As matters escalate, inflection cases spike, and the Hubei province of China was forced into lockdown. Instead of explaining the severity of the virus, both China and the W.H.O downplay the severity of the virus, preventing first actions.

Human arrogant is the root of disaster, it pressures us to overlook possible consequences. Covid-19 was the result of poor management and the failure of taking responsibility. Our failure to acknowledge our mistakes and bear its consequence is what allowed the growth of the virus. Even today, people continue to neglect the consequences of the pandemic with many failing to take proper countermeasures. I have seen videos of people visiting public facilities without wearing proper protective gear such as a face mask. In the worse case, I have seen videos of people making jokes about the virus while demonstrating poor hygiene practices in public. Disasters are preventable but human negligence is not.

“And of Clay Are We created” is a short story based on a real event. It is about a real volcanic eruption that caused the deaths of thousands of people and one of those victims was Azucena. This event is very similar to our situation Today. After two months of quarantine and all the precautions we have taken to save ourselves and our beloved ones. Yet the number is only rising, and this pandemic is becoming part of our lives. Azucena’s suffering while being stuck in mudslide and the fact the media and people around her could not help; this relates to our lives today. Being isolated in our homes and being threatened by this deadly virus that doesn’t have a vaccine yet ,  just makes us suffer more to see old people we know and around us die with a blink of an eye and we can’t help to keep them alive. Also, we will suffer greatly after the pandemic is over because nothing will be the same again. On the other hand, screens in this pandemic play significant roles in our lives. Screens in general are a good thing to have because it helps us become aware of what is going around us and around the world. However, in this critical time, screens seem to put fear and panic in people who are being isolated in their homes. Seeing death toll increasing every time I turn my face to a screen is not something that will help me overcome this quarantine and therefore, I think screens have a bad impact in our lives today. Even Though the government did not act fast when COVID-19 started in China, they very well responded when this pandemic has spread around the states. They have resources to keep people in their homes, but they need a bigger plan to provide for those small businesses that closed during this pandemic. Most of those businesses are going out of business and that only shows that this economy will suffer a lot after this is over. I personally think that we need to have patience to overcome this critical time. We should not start going out and act like nothing is happening like I see many people on the streets. We should keep going with social distancing until this is over.

“And of Clay are We Created” is a story that connects to our current world. In the story, a volcano erupts and disrupts people’s sane life. Like our reality, people panic much so during the time of crisis. They start worrying about what can happen in the future. Will life ever be the same again? Well, these are the questions we may never have answers for. The trajectory of future is no doubt out of our control. So why worry about them :)? All we ever have is NOW. Personally speaking, I try to focus on what I have control of. I cannot control how COVID-19 is affecting my life, but I can control how to react to it. Look at positive things that are still around us. Embrace the extra time we get to spend with our families that we normally do not get to enjoy. Cherish that ozone layer is healing because of the significance reduction in CO2 emission.

The world is going through a lot for sure. People are losing jobs, families, their own lives… but we got to keep living. Live for the ones we have lost during this pandemic; live for the ones we still get to be around; and live for the day when all of this is over. Bad times always end. Until then, just breathe a little deeper and you will find your peace of mind!

1.As we have discussed during the zoom meeting, the moment of Twyla describing Roberta’s mom especially stands out to me from the rest of the story. As a reader, I also have encountered the moment of assuming Roberta’s mother is white because of her appearance. After class, I questioned the reason of my assumption and decided to contemplate on it. I think the issue that divides the two characters is the inability to empathize. Coming from different ethnicity background, Twyla and Roberta fail to stand in each other’s shoes and understand the perspective of the other person. Ego is a weird entity of human. As an individual, one inevitably forms his/her views of the world mostly based on his/her past experiences and hence believes that “the world” = what he/she thinks it is. Everyone is different. It is important to sometimes takeoff our own ego hats and acknowledges the difference in individuality.

2. Growing up as a descendant of both Japanese and Chinese, I had to battle with lots of negativity (regarding the history between China and Japan) from my peers at a very young schooling age. At kindergarten, I did not feel accepted by other classmates. Luckily, I met my first teacher who helped and navigated me along the way. Turned out, kids are not evil at all, they just loved to say ignorant things that they do not even have clues of what those words mean. I was eventually able to overcome the insecurity and blend in. Until this day, I am grateful for my first teacher at kindergarten. When I think about the purity of education, I always think about her. My life could have been different without her.

“And of Clay are We Created” is a story about a volcano eruption that had happened and how it brought about the connection of the reporter Rolf Carle and the young girl Azucena. We can connect this disaster the ongoing pandemic which has instilled fear in the hearts of many. Like in the text, a lot of people have died, and a lot of people are struggling for their lives at the moment like Azucena. Another way we can come to terms of Azucena’s situation can be by comparing ourselves to her. Azucena was trapped and she came in terms with the fact that it was nothing she could do about it and just waited for what was next. We have been subjected to staying at home, and at the beginning, it was really hard but now to an extent we have come to terms with the situation and we are doing our best to stay sane.  Screens in my opinion has caused more harm than good in the whole pandemic. When you turn on the TV, its hardly anything positive news about the virus, we hardly see reports about people recovering from it, but we most definitely see reports of people who have died from the virus which just puts fear in our minds, and makes us wonder what is next. The government has responded pretty well to the whole pandemic by shutting down almost every establishment to curb the spread of this virus, they have also put some resources in place to make sure that people are provided with the basic essentials they need in these difficult times.

I personally have gotten in terms with the whole situation and I have played my part in ensuring the virus doesn’t spread further by staying at home, and not having physical contact with anyone except my family who I live with. The whole pandemic has just made me imagine how life will be after the whole thing is over. I feel like it will always remain at the back of our minds and we might never be able to fully recover from it.