Reflective Essay Draft 5-1

Sarah Smith-Pittman 1

Sarah Smith-Pittman

Professor:  Rachel Sullivan

English 101

29 November 2011

REFLECTIVE ESSAY DRAFT

     When I first opened my book to read “A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge” by Josh Neufeld, I notice the panels on the first pages depicted predominately African Americans.  This prompted me to flip through the pages of Neufeld’s work just to view the panels.  The look of fear and distress on the people faces were palpable.  After seeing the panels of white police officers, with guns pointing at these distressed people with no intention to help them; I knew what my thesis statement would be.

     My thesis statement evolved into “AD New Orleans After the Deluge” paints a grim picture of disparity between races after a natural disaster in New Orleans:  leaving a group of people to think they were intentionally directed and sent to the Convention Center of New Orleans to die.  To support my thesis, I made reference to specific panels (which I should have been more descriptive of in my writing)   to persuade my readers that deception and disparity played a big role in the evacuation process.  

Smith-Pittman 2

The first two panels from page 219 are of polices in squad cars.  One of the cars is  in the distance, and the other car is close up.   I quoted the textboxes from the panels to show the deception of the officer, and the description of the panel to prove the race of the officers.

These two quotes from officers at two different times in Neufeld’s writing are evidence of deception.  On page 219 an officer says  “Attention, people…”  “The buses are on their way get yourselves lined up!”.   These people are seen in panel one of page 222 in a line as the bus arrives. They actually think they are about to be rescued, but to their dismay and officer steps off the bus and says “All right, people step back now!” “Let ‘em off!”.  I though this would show deception at its best.   The people in line was wondering who are these people getting off the bus; they thought the bus were there to take them to Huston. 

     Not all African Americans use slain, but I used some of the slain, ebonics, and descriptions of the people to prove the identity of the group not evacuated to prove disparity.  Also to prove disparity, I paraphrased Neufeld when people wanted to walk their way out of those conditions to Algiers, but were turned around by sheriffs.   Some of these people had family in Algiers and were trying to connect with them, but they were met with gunfire from the sheriffs telling them to get the hell back where they came from, meaning the hell hole of the Convention Center.  Finally, I thought using these quotes would erase any doubt in my audience minds that didn’t know of the disparity and desperation of these people.  “They won’t let us go! We trapped here!”.   “There ain’t gonna be no busses comin’! “ . “They brought us here to die!”.  

Smith-Pittman 3

My purpose is not to make this a race issue, but to shine a light on the disparity that happen during the evacuation process of Hurricane Katrina.

     I had to read “The Falling Man” several times to get an understanding where Tom Junod was going with his writing.  His use of just one photo, and interview with the Hernandez family, and a phone call to the Connecticut women made me a believer that he was searching for the identity of the man pictured in the photo of his writing. 

     As I stated in my essay, Junod knew of the negative connotation associated with the Jumpers, so he waited a few years hoping the hearts of America had somewhat healed.  To convince my audience Junod was in search for “The Falling Man” identity, I asked why did he only use the one photo, and used his statement “that we have known who the Falling man is all along” (80).  I am convinced that he use that statement because he thought the negative image associated with jumping had deterred public acknowledgement of this victim.  To prove my observation of this I cited the belief of the Hernandez family that the decision to jump was a betrayal of love, and some looked at jumping as lost of hope.  Even though I do believe that Junod is trying to find the identity of the man pictured in his writing, it was very hard for me to come up with solid evidence to support my thesis. 

4-5 Reflection

Kalman

In "Back to the Land " my purpose is to inform people who think their lifestyles are too busy to incorporate home grown vegetable that this isn't true.  Maira Kalman agrees that everyone is not a farmer, so I give examples how to live an agrarian lifestyle on a smaller scale.  One example is if you don't have the spacious land our forefathers had to grow  gardens, pots or some sort of container can be utilized on a smaller scale to grow vegetables on a patio. I used photos to compare and contrast the fast lifestyle of today's society to the slow,sometime laborious, lifestyle of our forefathers.  My point is to Urban society, you can have the fast lifestyle and still make time to eat healthy.

Neufeld

My intent is to provide evidence through Josh Neufeld's writing to those who have disbelief that disparity in race played a major role in the evacuation process of Hurricane Katrina. I used panels which depicted predominantly African American being controlled with guns by what appears to be a few Whites  Police Officers in squad cars and army tanks.  To show how desperate these people were for the basic necessity of life (f00dand water), I referred to the panels of looters and thugs. Also, to provide evidence these people thought they were taken to the Convention Center to die, I quoted from Neufeld's writing "They gonna open the floodgates and drown us!" (235).

Junod

In my essay, I am appealing to the family and friend of the victim Tom Junod focuses on in "The Falling Man".  The initial release of the image of the victim, was seen as taboo.  I am using Junod's description of  the victim's fall to dispel the use of suicide and other negative notions to bring some dignity to the victim.  My strategy is to use Junod's terms such as relaxed, comfortable, not appearing intimidated, and "if he were not falling, he might very well be flying"  in hope to release the notion of suicide which can be frowned upon.  My hope is with time my audience will come forward and positively identify the victim since we have photo(s) which gives a clear description of his face.  Junod's writing never clearly stated that this victim was positively identified.  Only that it might be Jonathan Briley.

                                                        



Quotation 4-1

Tom Junod wants  the victim of his writing to be layed to rest with an identity.  But for now, "the picture is his [the victim] cenotaph, and like the monuments dedicated to the memory of unknown soldiers everywhere, it asks that we look at it, and make one simple acknowledgment" that someone knows who "The Falling Man"  really is (80).

Junod is simply asking his readers if you know who this person is,  give him a name, and lay him to rest.

Junod: Rhetorical Situation

Junod writing sends a message that we don't want to be seen as vulnerable or attached to something viewed as taboo by society.

After Richard Drew, the photographer of the image, quest to identity the victim came to a halt;  Junod's interest began. Junod waited to write this piece in hope that our hearts might have healed somewhat from that devastating day.  Tom Junod decide to seek the identity of the victim through a less invasive form of medium in hope a reader will come forth.  Junod is asking his audience to take a look at the image and give this victim a name, a face, and fill his empty tomb.