Summary

The corona is the poem's speaker. It requests the listeners, human people not to cry and curse for its devastation since the listeners are contaminating the environment. The corona is compelled to come to Earth because to their insane behavior. It has, in fact, been invited. It is the product of human behavior and actions that are not natural. Corona has no option than to let people suffer and die. According to the speaker, the number of deaths caused by human conflicts (wars) is more than the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus.

In this poetry, human supremacy over other organisms on the world is being attacked fiercely by the speaker. The virus calls into question the fact that other species enjoy far less freedom than humans do. We consider ourselves to be the most intellectual, but we are becoming victims as a result of the epidemic. Our alleged superiority is meaningless. We consider ourselves to be the earth's monarch. We can simply sell or murder the living things that fly in the sky, swim in the sea, and crawl on land that are now free and unaffected by the epidemic, but we are in big danger.

Several of the disease's good effects are described in the poem. Due of the epidemic, the blue sky is pure and clear, free of dust and smoke, because humans are trapped like animals in a cage. They are unable to engage in any activities outside of their houses. They have the sensation of being confined. The earth has an excellent opportunity to relax.

The speaker threatens us with the arrival of additional viruses like it if we do not modify or halt our bloated (air-filled) ego. The virus in the end threatens that if we do not correct ourselves, we will be sent back to those ages when humans lived in caves.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Who is the speaker in the poem?

The virus called Corona is the speaker here.

Who claims that they are superior to all?

Human beings consider themselves intelligent and superior to all beings that on the earth and they claim this themselves.

Why has the speaker come to the Earth?

The speaker has not come to earth rather it has been invited. It wants to teach the lesson to the people who claim to be intelligent of all the living beings.

What positive changes have occurred on Earth after the speaker's visit?

The dust filled sky has cleared and the sky is once again blue, the air that was polluted with the smoke is clean and the earth has been able to take rest. Additionally, the creatures that were always in fear of being killed and never dared to encounter any human being are feeling free because the humans are caged inside their houses.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

What does the speaker mean when he says:

“But have you ever counted

How many have died so far

Because of you and your wars?”

These lines are extracted from the poem called ‘Corona Says’ and through these lines the speaker, Corona virus itself, is accusing human being to be greater murderer than it. It wants us to realize our mistakes and stop blaming corona for the deaths.

These lines mean to say that corona virus wants us to retrospect that the death toll caused by our wars are considerable more than the count of people who died due to COVID-19.

Explain the following:

“I will depart one day.

But remember

There’re many others like me.

They’ll come too.

If you don’t get rid of your inflated ego,

You’ll be back to your cave time

That you endured

Long, long, long ago ......”

These lines clearly hint that we human beings are in illusion that we are strong and have control over the world but in fact a tiny, invisible virus can turn our world upside down. Therefore, if we do not come out of this illusion and continue to do what we are doing now, even though corona virus will go away, other viruses like corona are waiting to teach us a lesson and are ready to come again in the future to teach us a lesson.

The virus also warns us that if we continue to pursue our financial endeavors without considering about the well-being of other creatures then viruses like corona have the capability to send us back to cave time when humans used to stay inside the cave and had no luxuries that we have today.

What does the speaker mean in the following lines? Explain.

“The earth is not your property alone-

It’s as much ours as yours.”

In these lines we can find traces of communism where an oppressed group of the society revolts against the oppressing class to snatch the rights. Here, the speaker, the virus, is revolting against the human beings on behalf of all the creatures, big and tiny, for their rights. It mean to imply that human beings consider other creatures their property and utilize them as per their interest. Therefore, the virus wants us to realize that this earth is also equally theirs as it is of human beings.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a.) What human behaviours are responsible for suffering in people’s lives?

Since ages, human beings have been striving for better life and in order to achieve that they have crossed many limitations such as they have been exploiting nature in various ways. They have been using animals for their benefit, they have been polluting sky, they have been cutting down trees, and they have been waging wars for resources and many more. All these actions have created problems for human beings. If we consider some conspiracy theories, corona virus was created in a lab somewhere in the world, although USA claims that it was China, in order to cripple the west financially and change the world order. It is still a mystery, but these are the selfish behavior that has contributed to suffering of people’s lives who are not involved in all these conspiracies.

b.) How does an epidemic differ from a pandemic? Briefly explain the impact of Corona Virus on human life and environment.

An epidemic is a disease that affects a huge number of individuals in a population, but a pandemic is a sickness that affects a vast geographical region as well as a big proportion of the population.

Coronavirus is regarded as one of the most enduring hazards of the twenty-first century. This sickness has taken a large number of people's lives. People all across the world were panicked and have lived mental terror. Throughout human history, Covid 19 has had disastrous consequences. Owing to this pandemic, every time, people were observed sterilizing the environment.