“And of Clay are We Created” – Janet

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.