The book Life as we knew it (LAWKI) by Susan Beth Pfeffer is a story based on the survival of a family in the interruption of the Earth’s natural satellite; the moon. Almost every natural disaster imaginable occurs, but their consequences are catastrophic. The horrifying idea of the moon moved closer to Earth but not crashing unto it, but having to go thru a painful and slow path to extinction shows how a carnal, physical hell can exist.
One may wonder how it would be to have to survive, or at least try to survive, the mega-natural disasters presented in the LAWKI universe, but what if such colossal events can appear in the real world? By using natural disasters that left their mark in history, each realistic event and their detailed effects can then together create a more realistic idea of the apocalypse of LAWKI.
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Unlike a tsunami being a giant wave that sinks a piece of land, a flood is a temporary overflow of water on usually dry land. Floods can come from heavy rain, storm surges, waterway block and many more. They can occur in a slow pace, taking days, or happen at an instant, becoming a flash flood (Flood). In 1931, a flood that covered an area the size of England and half of Scotland hit China. It affected 52 million people and killed around 2 million. The name varies as either the Yangzi-Huai flood, or the 1931 Central China flood (China Flood). Since the moon is closer and tides are powerful than ever, it is safe to say that this flood would be able to sink chunks of main lands. The colossal flood would sink more than half of China. In summary, the recreated universe now has a moon closer to Earth, a colossal tsunami, a mega-volcano, and a devastating flood capable of sinking countries. Can one survive all these mega-disasters, along with their side effects (that being the lack of sunlight, drastic temperature and climate change, lack of resources, etc.)? The easy answer is
Floods can be a very dangerous natural disaster because a flood has the power to move cars, buildings, and cause massive damage to life and property. Even the small floods that are only 30 centimetres or so can do massive damage to houses and if the
A major flood on any river is both a long-term and a short-term event, particularly any river basin where human influence has exerted "control" over the ri...
In Susan Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It, life for Miranda and her family comes to a screeching halt after a meteor collides with the moon, triggering calamitous natural disasters. After the initial tragedy, humanity is left with unanswered questions, to which no one seems to have answers for. As a result, Miranda must forget about her normal, mundane life and focus on the hardship ahead of her and her family. With her world collapsing around her, she is left with choices and responsibilities that affect her loved ones as much as herself. Through literary devices, Pfeffer emphasizes the emotional struggles and physical battles Miranda must surmount before and after the misfortunate collision.
Have you ever disobeyed your families culture? Or ever wanted to forget about something in your past culture? It’s not always easy, to follow traditions, sometimes you want to create or change your lifestyle.In the poem ‘’El Olvido’’ by Judith Ortiz Cofer and ‘’Life In The Age Of The Mimis’’ by Domingo Martinez. The authors of these texts indicate the idea that trying to hide your cultures identity is defiance against your heritage.
Richard Taylor, an American philosopher and author of, “The Meaning of Life” believes you can live a meaningful life as long as you realize your will and are completely involved in it and enjoy it, then you are no longer needed and your life was a successful one. “This is surely the way to look at all of life- at one’s own life, and each day and moment it contains; of the life of a nation; of the species; of the life of the world; and of everything that breathes” (Taylor p 27). He proves this through the ancient myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was sentenced by the Gods to spend an eternity rolling a stone repeatedly to the top of a hill and once it reached the top, it would roll right back down once again. Taylor calls Sisyphus’ life as an “endless pointlessness.” Taylor relates human life to Sisyphus’ life. He believes that both of our lives can have meaning. Taylor asks us to look at Sisyphus’ story in a different way. For example, while the Gods sentenced him to rolling this stone up a hill for an eternity, what if they gave him a “strange and irrational impulse” to roll the stone repeatedly. Now, according to Richard Taylor, Sisyphus’ life would now have meaning and if we were to be as invested as Sisyphus in rolling the stone, then our lives have meaning as well.
Ten million California residents who lived closely from the major fault lines could have been endangered in many extreme ways. (House, 56). A tragic thing was that after the earthquake a multitudes of fire followed right after. The situation led to the water mains being destroyed and the firefighter being left with no water to settle the growing fire which continued blazing. The bay water was planned on putting all of the dure out but it was to far in distance to be able to transport it (Earthquake of 1906, 2). The firefighters who were putting out the fire were either surrounded or being burned by the fire that was blazing in all directions (San Francisco Earthquake, 2). A resident who was present during the event mention that he/she saw men and women standing in a corner of a building praying, one person who became delirious by the horrific ways that were surrounding him while crying and screaming at the top of his lungs “the Lord sent it, the Lord”. Someone also mentioned that they experience themselves seeing Stones fall from the sky and crushing people to death. Reporters say there were 100 cannons going off (San Francisco Earthquake, 3). People who lived fifty miles away from the fire was able to “read the newspaper at
A tsunami is a series of waves “created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite” (ready.gov). Tsunami waves are quite different from normal waves. Once a tsunami is set in motion there is no way to really “prevent” it fully, or to stop such an event. Precautionary steps can be taken, such as in Japan where a sea wall was built to protect people and property. However, this was a futile attempt since in 2011 a tsunami was able to surge over the wall, with the water building up and rushing over the top. The lesson learned is that one should not
Boom! Crash! Sound echo everywhere. People scream all around you. A deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake has just hit your town. On October 14, 2013 this happened in the Philippines (B-Essay). There were 3,512,281 affected individuals and 36,645 houses damaged (Doc. D). 39 roads and 18 bridges were in disrepair (Doc. D). People respond in certain ways after a natural disaster. They band together and react with Red Cross and government, Evacuation centers, and Gathering supplies.
In the essay “Flood” by Annie Dillard, the author depicts a giant flood taking over her neighborhood. She recalls the day was a very gloomy day; it was raining hard and the creek was beginning to rise up continuously. As it continued to rain, Dillard realizes that her neighborhood might be in jeopardy. While the author and her neighbors watch as things slip away in the flood, she describes it as “a dragon” and ponders how humans or animals could withstand the rushing waves. Over time, the flood starts to slow and people are helping each other out of the water, trying to gather lost possessions. Once everyone turns out to be alive and well, the neighborhood gets together for leftover food and drinks. “Flood” by Annie Dillard shows the readers
...cal consequences for survivors of future catastrophes. Communities should have a well prepared plan in dealing with disasters such as Hurricane Ivan. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ivan was the culprit of major damage among many communities, and many lives were lost. Of course there are no fingers to point because it is a force of the earth that caused this tragedy, but every day we are learning of better methods to prepare us for any disaster. It seems like we hear of a major natural storm outbreak almost every month, but every time it seems like we are more prepared. Scientists and engineers have teamed up to ensure that our architecture and safety plans are the best they can be. We're also developing technology that can help us to detect these incidents faster and earlier than before, so we hope that these incidents can be reduced to a minimum in the future.
The theme of Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is family bond and survival. The theme is family bond and survival because through the story they suffer pain and lost and that cause them to bond more and to help each other and stick together. The theme is also based on survival because they experience though stuff like bad weather and bad environment. They experienced many lost between neighbors, doctors, and people they love. They also experienced tough situation and people they love getting sick and feeling bad, and not being able to help around. And now let's move on to more details.
The title of the novel is relevant to the plot. The title of the novel is LIfe As We Knew It. The novel is about the about how the world is ending from a point of view of a 16-year-old girl named Miranda. Her whole world was flipped upside down. From the date the book Started May 7th to May 16th her life was pretty normal until the night of the 16th. That night there was supposed to be an asteroid that would travel over the moon but instead the asteroid it hit the moon and brought it into our orbit. On page 13 Miranda’s brother Matt called. Matt called because of the moon. At this point Miranda has no idea how bad the moon situation really is. But after the call Miranda is slowly realizing how bad the moon situation is. May 18th (page 16)
On inland Rivers and around flat areas. They take days to build up and can last from 1 week up to months on end. It results in loss of crops, livestock, roads and railways. Rapid-onset floods affect most towns and cities across Australia. They are far more damaging compared to slow-onset, as more lives and property are lost.
Killing nearly 4 million people, this flood is known as the deadliest flood ever recorded. This flood didn’t just cause death. It also caused destruction to thousand of square feet of the land in China. “...34,000 square miles (88,000 square km) of land were completely inundated, and approximately 8,000 square miles (21,000 square km) more were partially flooded, leaving 80 million people homeless.” (Encyclopedia Britannica: Huang He Floods). Levees were built along the Huang He River (Yellow River), but they caused the river to rise, so the levees actually didn't help the floods at all. These failed levees are thought to be the cause of this disastrous flood. Also, it is said that the Huang He River has flooded about 1500 times in 200 years, so a flood wasn't uncommon for the people by the river. “Countless people died of drowning or from waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhus, while there were widespread reports of wives and daughters being sold, infanticide and cannibalism. The death toll estimated between 3.7 and 4 million people, with a further 30 million affected.” (This Day In History: Central China Floods of 1931) From this, you can see that this flood was the worst recorded flood of all time and caused many people to lose their lives, homes, and
Thousands of years ago before people built towns and planted crops, rivers cut deep canyons and molded the continents. Often these rivers overflowed their banks and flooded the surrounding areas, depositing mineral rich silt and soil in the surrounding plains and valleys. Because of the way floods enrich soil some of the first cities were built along rivers. The most important ones grew along the Indus River in Pakistan; the Nile in Egypt; the Yellow River in China; and the Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East. These rivers floodplains are called the “cradles of civilization”. (Michael Burgan &Robin Doak) Even though floods happen everywhere, there are only four types of floods. River floods occur along rivers and usually happen because of heavy rain over a large area. This can also be caused by melting snow and ice jams and can last for weeks. In most parts of the world dams and levees help keep rivers from flooding by blocking off water and storing it in lakes and reservoirs. Sometimes a dam will break causing another kind of flood. Dam failure floods happen when dams or other manmade structures are neglected, poorly designed, or damaged. These floods are very dangerous because a huge amount of water is released suddenly and with no warning. Flash floods happen when a large amount of rain falls very quickly. Flash floods generally occur in mountainous areas and are so deadly because they happen with little or no warning. Coastal floods occur along the shores ...