In “Lydia’s Story,” nurse Jan Brideau describes the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina. The author elaborates how countless people had the hope and determination in the face of terrible adversity. The story stresses the importance of keeping your thoughts in a positive mindset, but also shows the reader that moving forward is only half the battle, and sharing your story to others finishes the fight. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina is remembered from the survivors who never lost hope. Keeping your head is one of the small things that people look over in situations that are high intensity and stress-filled. The conditions Lydia faced were illustrated in the story when she said, “The water continued to rise quickly, and the water pressure was …show more content…
I say this because she could nearly see her life flashing in her eyes. This is proved when she says, “The water rose to above her height, then to above six feet, finally to about seven feet.” (p.130) The possibility for the current to overtake her was about ninety-nine percent, but she still continued to fight on. If I was put in the same situation as Lydia I would not have known what to do. She knew measurements very well because of her previous job, and she also knew what the safest place in her apartment was. I am more than proud of Lydia because of the way she continued to fight on and keep her …show more content…
Lydia did not hide what happened during Hurricane Katrina, she shared her story with others. “But it’s Lydia’s story that stays with me most, probably because it represents the essence of hope and determination in the face of terrible adversity.” (p.131) This quote made me realize how significant the impact of sharing has on people who weren’t even victims of Hurricane Katrina. I feel like Lydia showed a tremendous amount of courage that not many people could have done. This piece of writing held my interest the entire time because you never get the full story of how someone survived Hurricane Katrina and Lydia did not hold out on any details. I wish I could ask Lydia did any of her neighbors survive as well? Or how her apartment looked when she went back to the photo album? I realized that it takes a special kind of person to do all that Lydia has done and I am honored to be able to read on her survival
Waters, Alice and Katrina Heron. “No Lunch Left Behind.” New York Times. 19 February 2009. Print.
Rankine also shares the horrible tragedy of hurricane Katrina experienced by the black community, where they struggled for their survival before and post the hurricane catastrophes. She reports that the lives of black people in the disaster were of no cost for white administration and they delayed the help. She expresses this by writing, “I don’t know what the water wanted. It wanted to show you no one would come” (Rankine 94)(11).
A storm such as Katrina undoubtedly ruined homes and lives with its destructive path. Chris Rose touches upon these instances of brokenness to elicit sympathy from his audience. Throughout the novel, mental illness rears its ugly head. Tales such as “Despair” reveal heart-wrenching stories emerging from a cycle of loss. This particular article is concerned with the pull of New Orleans, its whisper in your ear when you’ve departed that drags you home. Not home as a house, because everything physical associated with home has been swept away by the storm and is now gone. Rather, it is concerned with home as a feeling, that concept that there is none other than New Orleans. Even when there is nothing reminiscent of what you once knew, a true New Orleanian will seek a fresh start atop the foundation of rubbish. This is a foreign concept for those not native to New Orleans, and a New Orleanian girl married to a man from Atlanta found her relationship split as a result of flooding waters. She was adamant about staying, and he returned to where he was from. When he came back to New Orleans for her to try and make it work, they shared grim feelings and alcohol, the result of which was the emergence of a pact reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. This couple decided they would kill themselves because they could see no light amongst the garbage and rot, and failure was draining them of any sense of optimism. She realized the fault in this agreement,
escape the wretches of poverty. Katrina’s story reflects the untold struggles of many women in
In Josh Neufeld’s Trauma novel, A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge the personal aspects of Hurricane Katrina are emphasized and explored. The book follows representative Katrina survivors, highlighting their experiences and coping with the aftermath of the storm. None of characters in the book are presented as having the “right” answers, but Denise, had a full experience of the chaos, horror, and destruction that Katrina inflicted on New Orleans. She had full exposure of the traumatic event, and the novel gives the reader a unique insight into her experiences.
A brave hero often risks his/her lives to save someone else. In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers tells us a story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the hard working Syrian American owner of a contracting company in New Orleans. Zeitoun and his wife Kathy ran the company together. They have three children named Nademah, Safiyah, Aisha. Kathy has a child from her first marriage. Zeitoun is very closed with his family and he takes his family like nobody else. When hurricane Katrina landed in 2005, endless number of people were affected. Mayor Nagin ordered a first time ever mandatory evacuation. Kathy moved with the children to her sister’s house in Baton Rouge. Zeitoun refused to leave with his family because he didn’t want lose his properties, but at the same time, his customers trusted him and gave him their house keys to check on their houses, which caused his separation with his family. This illustrates that Zeitoun is a responsible, powerful, trustworthy, and unselfish person. During the hurricane, Zeitoun was using a canoe rescuing people. Due to the lack of rescue work, many people didn’t get enough supports at that time. Zeitoun had the courage to sacrifice his family, safety, and selfish needs for saving the people.
Lydia Marie Child was born on February 11, 1802 and died on October 20, 1880. During her life she wrote in many forms and on various topics, but Lydia was more than just a writer. She wrote short stories, biographies, science fiction, serialized fiction, children’s literature, historical novels and antislavery literature (Karcher 6). She was also a journalist and a feminist, and wrote about the American Revolution and Native Americans. She helped Harriot Jacobson escape slavery, encouraged reform and was an abolitionist. But, before she could help others, Lydia had to fight for her own right to advance and succeed. Lydia was born in Medford, Massachusetts, as the sixth and youngest child of Convers and Susannah Francis. Susannah died when Lydia was twelve, and she was sent to live with a married sister until the age of nineteen. Although Mr. Francis encouraged the intellectual advancement of his sons, he discouraged his daughter, Lydia, from her fondness for books (Myerson 5). Lydia continued to read and learn, without her father’s encouragement or help, an...
Stephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., Markus, H. R., Bergsieker, H. B., & Eloul, L. (2009). Why did they “choose” to stay? Perspectives of Hurricane Katrina observers and survivors. Psychological Science, 20(7), 878-886.
Allison has had a bitter past full of moments which have scarred her personality. She uses these and writes about the world that few are willing to admit exists. Many find refuge behind their gregarious nature and take comfort in religion or other bodies. However, that does not change the facts of what the world is and how it got there. Allison exposes her audience to these facts, and in the process, she shares her own view.
showed a lot of courage by doing what she did. It helps to show people
Trethewey, Natasha. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Athens: U of Georgia, 2010. 83-125. Print.
Hurricane Katrina is approaching New Orleans, Louisiana, including the Ninth Ward, where Lanesha and her guardian, Mama Ya-Ya live. The chapter, titled “Sunday”, starts off with the newspapers and the televisions emphasizing the word “evacuate”. Mama Ya-Ya, who is normally up and about, ready to greet the day, is curled up on the couch asleep. Something has been bothering Mama Ya-Ya; Lanesha even sees it when she wakes up.
Fink, Sheri. "Hurricane Katrina: after the flood." The Gaurdian. N.p., 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Lydia is here the portrait of an independent, clever and rational woman. She seems to be a stronger...
"Helen's Bravery Pays Off." Sunshine Coast Daily: 10. Mar 12 2014. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2014 .