Contagion

The concept of Contagion has proven itself to be a multifaceted tool. This idea of the spread of thoughts as well as disease has taken many forms throughout the course. From meme culture and Cholera to religion and AIDS, it has been interesting exploring the dynamic of such an expansion. The themes that have carried over throughout all of the books we have read include cultural influence, social class, sacrifice, shame and guilt, as well as the manifestation of reality into dreams. The interference of culture seems to be heavily present in the formation of identity and fate in Angels in America and Dream of Ding Village. Not only do these outside factors prevent the characters from forming their true identities, they also create a roadblock to them facing their well-deserved fates. Social class has been an interesting factor in some of these books as sickness knows no boundary. This is perfectly addressed in the convener’s post for Train to Busan where they describe the socially diverse group that faces the threat of death together. Another theme that is present in this film is sacrifice, this is best demonstrated by the homeless man’s heroic act of stalling the zombies in order to save the pregnant woman and the little girl. Angels in Americaportrays the idea of shame and guilt excellently as the characters are unable to live out their true identities in the fear of being judged by others. As for the manifestation of reality into dreams, Angels in Americaand Ding Villageare the perfect examples of how the subconscious can be a bridge to reality. All of these different ideas show that so much goes on behind the spread of a disease, and that sometimes, ideologies can be just as deadly and destructive as illnesses.

Excuse the stereotypical theme analysis of this post, I thought it would be interesting to look back and see the consistent ideas that were present in what we read. What would you guys add to the take away of the class and do you have any comments about what I said?

Thank you for being such an awesome group and creating such insightful discussions in class, it’s been a good semester! Have a good break!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.