Corona Says
Vishnu Rai
Summary:
The poem ‘Corona Says’ is composed by Vishnu S. Rai. It is written on the theme of the present world crisis Corona and its devastating impact on human life. It is a subtle satire on man’s conduct and attitude. It views Covid 19 as the byproduct of man’s treatment to nature.
The speaker asks human beings not to cry and curse it for damage. It claims that irrational human behaviours have invited it and it has no choice except letting people suffer and die. For the speaker, the number of deaths caused by wars is higher than the pandemic has done. The so- called human superiority over other creatures is criticized in the poem.
The pandemic questions us for our indifferent nature to the living organisms flying in the sky, living in the ocean and crawling on land, and trees which are the sources of oxygen. These organisms are considered to be slaves. According to our will, we either kill or sell them.
In the poem, the positive impact of the disease are mentioned. During the pandemic the sky has been clean without dust and smoke since no human activities took place. People have felt like caged animals do in a zoo. The pandemic has allowed the earth to have a little rest.
The speaker wishes to make human beings know themselves first though they claim that they have mastery over everything and realize the earth is common home for all the creatures. The speaker relieves us saying that the disease can be eradicated, and at the same time warns us that there are many other diseases from which we may suffer. It cautions us that If we continue our immoral activities, we may encounter the irreparable loss and our civilization may be in danger.
Understanding the text
- Who is the speaker in the poem?
In this poem, the speaker is Corona who has created severe impacts in the lives of human beings.
- Who claims that they are superior to all?
The human beings claim that they are superior to all.
- Why has the speaker come to the Earth?
Actually, the speaker hasn’t come to the earth on his own free will. Instead, he was invited. The speaker “Corona” has been here to take revenge of what human beings have done to the mother nature, to give her a little rest and to make human realize that they are not the almighty and the earth is the common habitat for all living organisms.
- What positive changes have occurred on Earth after the speaker’s visit?
After the speaker’s visit, various positive changes occurred on the earth. The positive changes are as follows:
Environment pollution minimized
Nature became dust-free and the air became fresh
Human learnt to use natural resources properly.
Their egos have been transformed into fear.
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 beautiful lines have been taken from Vishnu S. Rai’s wonderful poem “Corona Says”. Here, we find corona as the main speaker who is talking to a man of the present world. The speaker is saying to the men about the bad aspects of war. He wants to make the men realize about the impacts of inhumane wars. Here, the speaker is blaming the human for killing many people through their wars. He is asking about the calculation of dead people that have been invited by humans’ war.
- 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, l o n g, l o n g ago …
These beautiful lines have been taken from Vishnu S. Rai’s wonderful poem “Corona Says”. Here, we find corona as the main speaker who is talking to a man of the present world. Here, the speaker is warning the human about future circumstances. He is informing him about his fellows who are similar to him. He says that one day he will depart from the planet but if humans don’t get rid of their inflated egos, they (fellows) will come too. In that critical situation, humans will be back to the caves as before (the stone age). That will be the worst situation for humans.
- What does the speaker mean in the following lines? Explain.
The earth is not your property alone –
It’s as much ours as yours.
Here, Corona as a speaker is making the human realize that the mother (Earth) belongs to all the creatures not only the humans. He reminds the human saying that the mother (Earth) isn’t their property alone. He claims that the earth belongs to other creatures also apart from humans.
Reference beyond the text
- What human behaviours are responsible for suffering in people’s lives?
The human behaviours are the sole cause behind all these sufferings of the people. Due to human egos and bad deeds, the present world is facing a crisis. Many people have lost their lives during this critical period. Due to their selfish nature, the earth and its people have faced numerous problems of diseases. Their so-called egos and wars have snatched the lives of many people.
- How does an epidemic differ from a pandemic? Briefly explain the impact of Corona Virus on human life and environment.
An epidemic is a widespread disease that affects many people in a population whereas pandemic is a disease that affects a wide geographical area and a large proportion of the population.
Coronavirus is considered as one of the unforgettable threats of the twenty-first century. This disease has snatched the lives of people at a very high level. People in the world are panic-stricken and living their life in mental fear. Covid 19 has created devastating results in humans’ history. Due to this pandemic people are seen sanitizing the environment every time.
