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Hospital Worker, E. 149th St. at 3rd Ave., Bronx

Rationale By
Michelle Fanara
Link/Citation

Vergara, Camilo J., photographer. Hospital worker, E. 149th St. at 3rd Ave., Bronx. Bronx—New York (State)—New York—United States, 2020. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2020632879/

Source Type:
Photographs and Personal Narratives
Suggested Grade Level and Audience: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
Instructional value of primary source for the curriculum and/or classroom

The Vergara Pandemic Diary offers a unique visual and narrative lens for understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals and communities. It complements literary works like Piers Plowman, Pearl, The Decameron, and The Canterbury Tales, which explore resilience, morality, and the human search for spiritual meaning during crises. These texts, alongside the diary, allow students to investigate how pandemics reveal societal values and human adaptability.

Incorporating this source into English, history, or theology curriculum encourages students to compare visual storytelling with literary depictions of pandemics and societal upheaval. The diary’s vivid photographs provide a modern lens to discuss themes present in Piers Plowman, such as societal inequities and spiritual redemption, and Pearl, which reflects on loss and spiritual renewal. These works collectively highlight how humanity has grappled with suffering and sought hope across centuries.

In a Catholic school setting, the diary invites reflection on faith, service, and community support during crises. By analyzing Vergara’s visual narratives alongside Catholic teachings, students can deepen their understanding of resilience, compassion, and the shared human experience of adversity.

Summary/Description

This photo shows a hospital worker headed to or from work with the pandemic attire of a mask and a guarded stance on the street.

Context for the Primary Source
  • The Vergara Pandemic Diary is a photographic and narrative collection documenting life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Created by photojournalist Camilo José Vergara, the diary captures everyday scenes, personal stories, and societal changes during a time of global crisis. This resource offers students a visual and textual exploration of how the pandemic shaped individuals and communities, highlighting themes of resilience, inequality, and adaptation.
  • The diary complements historical and literary explorations of pandemics by providing a modern, firsthand account of societal responses to crises. When paired with medieval texts like The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, Piers Plowman, and Pearl, it allows students to examine how literature and art address universal themes such as morality, suffering, and the search for meaning during times of crisis. These connections foster interdisciplinary learning, linking history, literature, and theology, and encourage students to reflect on resilience, faith, and community across different contexts.
Focus Question(s)
  • How does this photo from the Vergara Pandemic Diary capture the social, moral, and emotional dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic through visual storytelling?
  • How do visual narratives like this one photo compare to medieval depictions of crises in The Decameron?
  • How can this image from the Vergara Pandemic Diary help students understand the role of inequality, resilience, and faith in societal responses to pandemics?
  • How do modern pandemic narratives like this diary build on historical and literary storytelling traditions to preserve the experiences of a global crisis?
Standards Connections

UCLA-Historical Thinking Standards, ELA Common Core State Standards, and USCCB Standards for Catholic Schools

Standard 4: Historical Research Capabilities: Students will analyze visual and narrative primary sources to understand historical events and their implications.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: During the Photographic Analysis activity, students examine specific images from the diary to understand how visual storytelling reveals societal resilience, inequality, and communal responses to crises.

RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: In Comparative Literature Analysis, students use textual evidence from Piers Plowman, Pearl, and The Decameron to discuss how storytelling captures societal and moral responses to crises and compare those to the diary's visual narratives.

RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: During Interdisciplinary Seminars, students explore themes of morality, resilience, and social justice in Piers Plowman and The Canterbury Tales while connecting them to the diary’s portrayal of modern societal challenges.

RI.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: In the Virtual Field Trip Group Project, students evaluate the diary alongside historical accounts, literary texts, and other primary sources to draw connections between visual and textual depictions of pandemics.

Domain: Faith and Social Justice, Standard 4: Reflect on Catholic teachings about dignity, compassion, and service to the marginalized.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: In Faith-Based Reflections, students analyze how the diary captures acts of faith and service, reflecting Catholic values of compassion and solidarity during a global crisis.

Domain: Literature and Theology, Standard 7: Analyze how literary works reflect the human search for God and understanding of suffering.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: During Socratic Seminars, students explore how Pearl, Piers Plowman, and The Decameron reveal the human search for hope and meaning during crises, comparing these to the diary’s narratives of resilience and loss.

Domain: Historical and Cultural Literacy, Standard 5: Evaluate how historical events and cultural artifacts shape societal values.

  • Connection to Teaching Approaches: In Creative Projects, students create their own visual or narrative storytelling pieces inspired by the diary, exploring how pandemics influence societal values and cultural responses over time.

Suggested Teaching Approaches
  • Photographic Analysis: Assign students to analyze specific photographs from the diary, reflecting on how visual elements convey themes like resilience and inequality.
  • Comparative Literature Analysis: Pair the diary with excerpts from Piers Plowman, Pearl, and The Decameron to explore the role of storytelling in preserving human responses to pandemics.
  • Faith-Based Reflections: Explore how Catholic teachings on compassion and service are illustrated in the diary’s narratives and photographs.
  • Creative Projects: Have students create their own pandemic photo diaries or visual storytelling projects to document their experiences and reflections.
  • Interdisciplinary Seminars: Facilitate discussions that connect photography, history, and literature, focusing on how different disciplines preserve the human experience of pandemics.
Potential for Challenge

Some students may find the visual and narrative depictions in the Vergara Pandemic Diary emotionally challenging, particularly if they have experienced personal losses or hardships during COVID-19. Teachers should provide a supportive environment for processing these emotions and frame the material as an opportunity to explore human resilience and compassion.

Additionally, some themes of inequality and social unrest may be sensitive for discussion. Teachers should offer historical and cultural context, encouraging thoughtful discussions that emphasize empathy, justice, and solidarity.

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources
  1. Social isolation in time of plague. Halloween candy dispenser. With supervisor. Vestal, New York. Vestal—New York—Broome County—New York (State)—United States, 2020-10-31. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2023696318/
    • ​​​​​​​This photo could be used as an alternative to the hosp[ital worker. It does not feature any people and there is more room for visual analysis due to the inclusion of text in this photograph.
  2. Catholic Church, William Beckford, Cortlandt F Bishop, Guillaume-François De Bure, François Gustave Adolphe Guyot De Villeneuve, Robert Hoe, Geoffroy Tory, Derôme. Binder, and Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Book of Hours. 1524. PDF. https://www.loc.gov/item/50041712/.
    • The Book of Hours (Medieval Illuminations): A visual representation of resilience and faith during crises, offering parallels to the photographs in Vergara’s diary.
  3. Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400, and Thomas Tyrwhitt, 1730–1786. The Canterbury Tales. New York, London, D. Appleton & Company, 1870. PDF. https://www.loc.gov/item/39017598/.
    • The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer: A foundational medieval text reflecting societal responses to crisis and resilience through storytelling.
Additional References

These resources provide a broader context or to balance the curriculum with additional historical and literary perspectives.

  1. Piers Plowman by William Langland
    This allegorical poem explores themes of morality, social justice, and spiritual redemption, offering a rich medieval perspective on crises.

  2. Pearl (Anonymous)
    This elegiac poem reflects on loss and spiritual renewal, providing a framework for discussing faith and resilience during pandemics.

Subject:
History , Language and Literature
Topics:
History , Poetry and Literature , STEM
Year/Date of Creation or Publication
2020