Sontag, from AIDS and Its Metaphors

Discussion questions: Sontag (1988)

1. Can you think of illnesses besides AIDS for which people have blamed society or blamed the individual patient?

2. Do societies still perceive foreigners or outsiders as potential "polluters" or carriers of disease?

3. Can you think of examples of things referred to as "plagues" today, whether they are illnesses or non-medical things?

4. What AIDS myths persist twenty years after Sontag's essay?

5. The arts often represent plagues of various kinds. Can you think of examples from film, TV, books, music, painting, or other areas?