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Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 86 - 101, 29.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.1083862

Abstract

The pandemic due to covid-19 that people throughout the world have been exposed to since 2019 arouses curiosity about the situations experienced in epidemic cases throughout human history. When one is in search of such cases, one can encounter that the scientists or physicians dealing with contagious diseases had difficulties in even the phase of the eradication of the disease by means of vaccination. Edward Jenner, who became the father of immunology owing to his invention of the vaccination against smallpox, was one of those physicians having difficulties in persuading local people to have vaccination. It is known that Jenner, aspiring to eradicate smallpox, asked for help from Robert Bloomfield, a labouring-class poet. As a poet, Bloomfield’s only power was his poetry. Thus he wrote Good Tidings; or News from the Farm in 1804 to convince people to be vaccinated and to save them from prevalent absurd rumours and superstitions about the vaccine; and as such, to encourage them to be vaccinated against the deadly disease. Then the purpose of this study is to analyze Bloomfield’s mentioned poem in respect of its content to demonstrate how powerful a literary work could be to lead people towards the scientific, and that a poem may be an appropriate means to be used in the annihilation of an epidemic.

References

  • BARREL, John. (2006). “Foreword” in Robert Bloomfield: Lyric, Class, and the Romantic Canon. Simon White, John Goodridge & Bridget Keegan (eds.). Lewisburg: Bucknell UP.
  • BLOOMFIELD, Robert. (2007). Selected Poems: Robert Bloomfield, Revised and Enlarged Edition. John Goodridge & John Lucas (eds.). Nottingham: Trent Editions.
  • BLYTHE, Ronald. (1999). Talking About John Clare. Nottingham: Trent Editions.
  • FULFORD, T. and LEE, D. (2006). “The Vaccine Rose: Patronage, Pastoralism, and Public Health” in Robert Bloomfield: Lyric, Class, and the Romantic Canon. Simon White, John Goodridge & Bridget Keegan (eds.). Lewisburg: Bucknell UP.
  • HARRIS, Fraser (1915). “Edward Jenner and Vaccination”. The Scientific Monthly , Oct., 1915, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Oct., 1915), pp. 66-85.
  • KOTAR, S. L. and GESSLER, J. E. (2013). Smallpox: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
  • MATTHEW, H. C. G. and HARRISON, Brian (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Volume 6. UK: Oxford UP.
  • OFFIT, Paul A. (2008). Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases. New York: Harper Collins Publisher.
  • SCRIVENER, Michael (2011). A Companion to Romantic Poetry. (ed. Charles Mahoney). UK: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication.

Aşı Karşıtlarını İkna Etme Aracı Olarak Şiir: Robert Bloomfield’ın Müjde; Veya, Çiftlikten Haber Adlı Şiiri

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 86 - 101, 29.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.1083862

Abstract

2019 yılından bu yana tüm dünyada insanların maruz kaldığı Covid-19 kaynaklı pandemi, insanlık tarihi boyunca salgın vakalarında yaşanan durumlar hakkında merak uyandırmaktadır. Bu tür vakalar araştırıldığında, bulaşıcı hastalıklarla uğraşan bilim adamlarının veya hekimlerin sadece tedavi bulmakta değil, hastalığın aşı yoluyla yok edilmesi aşamasında da zorluklarla karşılaştıkları görülmektedir. Çiçek aşısını icat etmesiyle immünolojinin babası olan Edward Jenner, yöre halkını aşı olmaya ikna etmekte zorlanan doktorlardan biriydi. Çiçek hastalığını ortadan kaldırmak isteyen Jenner, emekçi sınıf şairi olan Robert Bloomfield'den yardım istemiştir. Bir şair olarak Bloomfield’ın tek gücü şiiriydi. Böylece Bloomfield 1804’te insanları aşıyla ilgili yaygın saçma dedikodu ve hurafelerden kurtarmak ve onları çiçek hastalığına karşı aşılanmaya ikna etmek için Good Tidings; or, News from the Farm şiirini kaleme aldı. Dolayısıyla, Bloomfield insanları ölümcül hastalıktan korumaya katkıda bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Bloomfield'in söz konusu şiirini içerik açısından inceleyerek edebi bir eserin insanları bilimsel yollara yönlendirmede ne kadar etkili bir araç olabileceğini ve bir şiirin bir epideminin yok edilmesinde yararlanılan uygun bir araç olabileceğini ortaya koymaktır.

References

  • BARREL, John. (2006). “Foreword” in Robert Bloomfield: Lyric, Class, and the Romantic Canon. Simon White, John Goodridge & Bridget Keegan (eds.). Lewisburg: Bucknell UP.
  • BLOOMFIELD, Robert. (2007). Selected Poems: Robert Bloomfield, Revised and Enlarged Edition. John Goodridge & John Lucas (eds.). Nottingham: Trent Editions.
  • BLYTHE, Ronald. (1999). Talking About John Clare. Nottingham: Trent Editions.
  • FULFORD, T. and LEE, D. (2006). “The Vaccine Rose: Patronage, Pastoralism, and Public Health” in Robert Bloomfield: Lyric, Class, and the Romantic Canon. Simon White, John Goodridge & Bridget Keegan (eds.). Lewisburg: Bucknell UP.
  • HARRIS, Fraser (1915). “Edward Jenner and Vaccination”. The Scientific Monthly , Oct., 1915, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Oct., 1915), pp. 66-85.
  • KOTAR, S. L. and GESSLER, J. E. (2013). Smallpox: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
  • MATTHEW, H. C. G. and HARRISON, Brian (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Volume 6. UK: Oxford UP.
  • OFFIT, Paul A. (2008). Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases. New York: Harper Collins Publisher.
  • SCRIVENER, Michael (2011). A Companion to Romantic Poetry. (ed. Charles Mahoney). UK: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication.
There are 9 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Mevlude Zengin 0000-0002-7778-8268

Publication Date June 29, 2022
Acceptance Date May 5, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 9 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Zengin, M. (2022). Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(1), 86-101. https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.1083862
AMA Zengin M. Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield. ADUSOBIED. June 2022;9(1):86-101. doi:10.30803/adusobed.1083862
Chicago Zengin, Mevlude. “Poetry As a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield”. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 9, no. 1 (June 2022): 86-101. https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.1083862.
EndNote Zengin M (June 1, 2022) Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 9 1 86–101.
IEEE M. Zengin, “Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield”, ADUSOBIED, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 86–101, 2022, doi: 10.30803/adusobed.1083862.
ISNAD Zengin, Mevlude. “Poetry As a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield”. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 9/1 (June 2022), 86-101. https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.1083862.
JAMA Zengin M. Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield. ADUSOBIED. 2022;9:86–101.
MLA Zengin, Mevlude. “Poetry As a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield”. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 1, 2022, pp. 86-101, doi:10.30803/adusobed.1083862.
Vancouver Zengin M. Poetry as a Device to Convince Antivaccinationists: Good Tidings; Or, News From the Farm by Robert Bloomfield. ADUSOBIED. 2022;9(1):86-101.

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