2020 Articles

A Conversation With a Coronavirus

Pollack, Robert

The document titled "A Conversation With a Coronavirus" by Robert Pollack, written during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, is a creative and reflective piece that personifies the virus to explore the human response to the crisis. Pollack imagines a dialogue with the coronavirus, where the virus expresses surprise at humanity's inadequate and fragmented response to its spread. The virus highlights the irony of humans' vast intelligence and technological prowess being undermined by their failure to unite against a common threat. Pollack uses this imaginative conversation to critique the lack of global cooperation, the underestimation of the virus's potential, and the neglect of preventative measures that could have mitigated the pandemic's impact. The piece serves as a metaphorical examination of human behavior in the face of existential threats, questioning the preparedness and collective will of humanity to address such crises effectively.