‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’
People wait on a line for COVID-19 testing at a CityMD Urgent
Care location Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in the Forest
Hills neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York.
Associated Press/Frank Franklin II
Caribbean Life, JANUARY 1-7, 2021 11
“It was the best of times, it
was the worst of times, it was
the age of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it was the
epoch of belief, it was the epoch
of incredulity, it was the season
of light, it was the season
of darkness, it was the spring
of hope, it was the winter of
despair.” Charles Dickens, “A
Tale of Two Cities”
Perhaps I was too young as
a student of preparatory school
to fully comprehend the opening
lines to a novel penned by
Charles Dickens, who described
the contrasts between citizens
in London, England saying “it
was the best of times, it was the
worst of times…”
Although intriguing, his sociological
references in “A Tale of
Two Cities” endeared me to his
prolific writings.
Throughout those years, it
seemed incomprehensible that
both conditions could exist
simultaneously. But in each of
his novels he seemed to cite a
dichotomy that existed in the
Victorian era often attributing
to need for orphanages and
surges in child abandonment
— “David Copperfield,” “Oliver
Twist,” “Great Expectations” and
“A tale of Two Cities.”
Back then living in the commonwealth,
he was my favorite
author and his work resonated
as literary nutrition to further
my development.
However, in 2020 I can see
clearly now that the tales of
1859 are as relevant in America
as they were in Victorian England.
The Dickensian literature
I cherished in my youth were
magnified by the pandemic.
Quarantine slowed the pace
forcing everyone to pause and
for many to see things as they
are and not how they are perceived.
For a segment of the society
it was indeed the best of times.
Some real estate magnates
claimed a windfall in added
earnings. Benefactors of misappropriated
stimulus reportedly
boosted their coffers — Kanye
West among the millionaire
profiteers — and enterprising
entrepreneurs capitalized on
opportunities to reap unprecedented
profits.
Then there are those who lost
loved ones to the coronavirus;
depleted their savings, relied on
food banks to survive, became
homeless, jobless and pessimistic
about their faith and country
. For them it was the worst of
times.
Dickens would have penned
another bestseller had he lived
through a year that 90 million
global citizens encountered the
COVID-19 virus.
Among the victims, 333,110
Americans who died.
In 2020, daytime television
talk-show provided “The View”
a one-hour, midday potpourri
of female chitchat from conservative
and liberal influences
who opined on topics related to
politics, entertainment and current
events. Their perspectives
on the murders of George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery
and other racially charged cases
helped to amplify conversations
some of which under normal
circumstances might have faded
under the radar.
During a year, nighttime television
introduced reality shows
titled The Masked Singer and
Masked Dancer viewers seemed
to be held hostage by masks
they are required to wear in
order to ward off infection.
Throughout the period of
quarantine, a litany of hypocrital
and ugly realities concealed
for generations were unmasked.
Needless to say, 2020 was a
year of racial reckoning. The
fact systemic racism, Black Lives
Matter, Defund The Police and a
few more phrases emerged regular
topics to debate, America was
under a microscope.
Catch You On The Inside!
Inside Life
By Vinette K. Pryce
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