Decameron Stories

     I think that the thing that struck me as I was reading both of these stories is the similarities despite the authors being from South America, especially in A Time of Death, the Death of Time. The authority figures' handling of the pandemic in the story were reminiscent of Trump and his government's handling of the virus, displaying a lack of empathy for the people that were suffering. I think that another part of this story that I related to was the encounter between the main character and their parents. The author very subtly describes their attitude as calm and ignorant of the dangers the virus poses to them. Unfortunately, I have had a similar response from my grandparents, who believe that COVID isn't a real threat. In general, this seems to represent the political divide between the generations, with older generations tending to oppose the restrictions despite their increased risk.

    Screen Time dealt more with the technology aspect of the pandemic, causing the reader to reflect on their own screen time during the pandemic. The parents take a very reserved approach to technology, possibly as a result of their own unhealthy experiences with television. Thinking about my own screen time during the pandemic, it feels like I am always looking at a screen. School is all online, so that time that was mostly devoid of technology is now filled with it. While I might have spent free time hanging out with friends or playing sports, now it feels like video games or TV are the only available forms of entertainment. Overall, some of the actions the writers describe in their stories were eerily similar to my own experiences in quarantine.