What will be one or two significant effects of the Covid 19 experience in America? Be sure that you are choosing something that is up for debate. For example, ” We will be much more aware of viruses” is too obvious to mention. I urge you to do your own thinking and avoid asking Google what it thinks. Use sources to support your claims. For example, if I write “The Covid 19 experience will have this effect on education: …………………” I will use research about learning and education in general to support my point. I won’t look for someone who agrees with my prediction, but for someone who can give me the hard evidence UNDERLYING my prediction.

As always, refer to at least three credible sources and include a Works Cited page. You may (not required) also use your own experience for some (@ ¼) of your evidence. Please consider using Proquest to access magazine and professional journals.

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

One significant and debatable effect of the COVID-19 experience in America is the entrenchment of mental health awareness and the destigmatization of seeking help, alongside a potentially widening gap in access to quality mental healthcare.

While the pandemic undeniably triggered a surge in mental health challenges due to isolation, grief, economic uncertainty, and fear of illness, it also brought mental health to the forefront of public discourse in an unprecedented way. The shared experience of stress and anxiety, coupled with increased media attention, may have fostered greater empathy and a reduction in the stigma associated with mental health conditions.

Evidence Supporting Increased Awareness and Destigmatization:

  • Increased Reporting of Mental Health Symptoms: Surveys consistently showed a significant rise in reported symptoms of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. For instance, a Pew Research Center study indicated that at least four in ten U.S. adults experienced high levels of psychological distress at some point between March 2020 and September 2022, a substantial increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. This widespread experience could normalize discussions about mental well-being.  

One significant and debatable effect of the COVID-19 experience in America is the entrenchment of mental health awareness and the destigmatization of seeking help, alongside a potentially widening gap in access to quality mental healthcare.

While the pandemic undeniably triggered a surge in mental health challenges due to isolation, grief, economic uncertainty, and fear of illness, it also brought mental health to the forefront of public discourse in an unprecedented way. The shared experience of stress and anxiety, coupled with increased media attention, may have fostered greater empathy and a reduction in the stigma associated with mental health conditions.

Evidence Supporting Increased Awareness and Destigmatization:

  • Increased Reporting of Mental Health Symptoms: Surveys consistently showed a significant rise in reported symptoms of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. For instance, a Pew Research Center study indicated that at least four in ten U.S. adults experienced high levels of psychological distress at some point between March 2020 and September 2022, a substantial increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. This widespread experience could normalize discussions about mental well-being.  
  • Growing Public Perception of a Mental Health Crisis: A KFF/CNN survey in 2023 revealed that 90% of U.S. adults believe the country is facing a mental health crisis. This indicates a heightened public awareness of the issue’s prevalence and severity.  
  • Increased Focus on Mental Health in Media and Policy: The pandemic led to increased media coverage of mental health topics and prompted some policy discussions around improving access to care. This sustained attention can contribute to reducing stigma and encouraging help-seeking behaviors.  

Evidence Suggesting a Widening Gap in Access:

  • Disparities in Mental Health Impacts: Research indicates that certain populations, including young adults, women, people in lower-income households, and communities of color, experienced disproportionately higher levels of psychological distress during the pandemic. These groups may continue to face systemic barriers to accessing quality and affordable mental healthcare.  
  • Unequal Access to Care: Even before the pandemic, access to mental healthcare was a significant issue in the U.S., with many individuals lacking insurance coverage or living in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals. The pandemic may have exacerbated these inequalities, particularly for vulnerable populations.  
  • Strain on the Mental Healthcare System: The increased demand for mental health services during the pandemic has placed a strain on an already overburdened system. This could lead to longer wait times, limited availability of specialists, and challenges in accessing timely and appropriate care, especially for those with fewer resources.

Conclusion:

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely created a dual and potentially conflicting legacy regarding mental health in America. While the shared experience may have increased overall awareness and reduced some of the stigma associated with mental illness, systemic inequalities in access to quality care may have been amplified. The long-term effect will depend on how effectively the nation addresses these disparities and invests in a more equitable and accessible mental healthcare system.

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