Pandemic Meme Assignment.pdf

extracted text: recreation of Nicolas Cage
giving an expression
resembling faux shock along
with the words "YOU DON'T
SAY?" written in bold, red
font.

The Meme consists of two
images. The first image is of
an article, with its title at
the top of the meme reading
"Memes about COVID-19 helped
us cope with life in a
pandemic, a new study finds,"
with an image of graffiti
depicting Bernie Sanders
sitting sullenly in a medical
mask and mittens at President
Joe Biden's inauguration.
Below the article is a black
and white minimalist

I chose this meme for two
primary reasons; I believe it
accurately expresses a
component of many people’s
experience over the years of
the pandemic, and has an
element of meta-commentary
that is in itself
entertaining. For many
people, the pandemic and
subsequent lockdowns were
filled with new, precarious
life challenges, and an
escape through entertainment,
often in the form of memes
such as this, was helpful in
maintaining a sense of
relative normality, and this
meme demonstrates an active
awareness.