Freewrite
Today's freewrite has to do with Hurricane Katrina. The anniversary is Saturday, August 29, 2009. Many artists responded to Katrina and the US governments response or lack thereof. You received a copy of a poem, respond to the author's work with comments of your own. Note the poet and the title of the poem in your response.
See: http://wordsuponthewaters.blogspot.com
Today's freewrite has to do with Hurricane Katrina. The anniversary is Saturday, August 29, 2009. Many artists responded to Katrina and the US governments response or lack thereof. You received a copy of a poem, respond to the author's work with comments of your own. Note the poet and the title of the poem in your response.
See: http://wordsuponthewaters.blogspot.com
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 11:17 AM
25 Comments:
Anaya Odom
"Rant" - By Karla Brundage
While reading this poem, i imagined a person who was fed up with the governments response to Hurricane Katrina. I can relate to it, because my mother/family is from New Orleans. Recently i went out their, and discovered that even years later after it has happened things are not still restored. One of my cousins just recently finished rebuilding his house, which was destoryed. "Relationships form on false contracts. Broken." This line stood out to me, because it shows that their was a trust the victims held in the government. It is obvious they were let down though. Another line that also stood out to me was, "Ocean couples with wind, River mixes with san, Elements all come together to let us know, that greed is good." I think this line is saying that, often times it takes a bad situation to bring people closer together. I feel that, its like taking the negative energy and turning it into your motivation to have more, or do better. Overall the poem was cool, i had to read it twice though to understand it.
FreeWrite (Hurricane Katrina)
Our Lives on a Summer Breeze- John Curl
John Curl, in Our Lives on a Summer Breeze, to me really connects with the inner state of many people affected by this terrible diaster. He uses vivid description on the pain that they felt. I personally feel that the ones affected by Hurricane Katrina are strong indivduals. Very strong indivduals. In the last line, John Curl states,"Rebulding shattered dreams." This is something that cannot be done overnight. People were left jobless, homeless, and hopeless. Yet everyday they pulled themselves together for themselves, their family and each other. "No food or medicine getting through,ahw picks up the baby." Can you just imagine what is was like to live in these conditions? There were so many adults and twice as many children going through it. John Curl showed just how many emotions were going through the many victims minds and hearts.
Smokey Miracle by Wanda Sabir
Not everybody in this world has a father that they could look up to for advice or for some help. In this poem Wanda Sabir talks a lil bit about her father on what he did and about the sadness and terrible slow death. As she said "i dreamt of daddy last night and today i remember his slow death, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, black skin not lethal the scientist said". Its a hard feeling when you lose a person in your life that you really love. "we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday" they cried.
- Alberto Gonzalez
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Free Write
Words upon the Waters
I am Katrina by Opal Palmer Adisa
I really love this poem; I love how it’s coming from the hurricanes point of view, and how it gives life to it. It seems true because a person can only take so much until they explode, like if you mess with someone they can only take so much negativity and torment and then they snap. This poem opened my eyes and mind to think that maybe nature can only take so much mistreatment too.
Free Write
Words upon the Waters
Angle in the Doorway by Kim Mcmillon
I didn’t quite understand this poem It sound s like it’s death coming and that people don’t need to be afraid of it, but it also sounds like maybe since there isn’t much we can do about a natural disaster and that people are going to die, but that there is an angel to help? I’m not too sure. It’s a sad poem, I’m not too fond of it, and it’s because of the line “Comforting children guiding those taking their last breath” It’s just sad to picture that. Although the poem get a little happy at the end, because it shows that there is some one fighting for people’s lives, so it’s not all sad.
After The Mardi Gras Is Over
(excerpt) by Kirk Lumpkin
The excerpt of the poem "After The Mardi Gras Is Over" by Kirk Lumpkin, talks about how a community has to come together in order to rebuild all that they have lost. Lumpkin mentions the government is doing little to nothing to help their situation and that it is almost like they have forgotten that they even exist. The poem then says that they will not break under pressure and that they will live to once more have a good time. This excerpt from poem seems to be inspiring. This is because it speaks about how even though people have gone through a devastating loss, if they come together as one they can rise above it. Then they will be able to enjoy their lives as they did before.
Debbie Lee
August 27, 2009
English 1A
Avotcja, Graveyards For the Living Dead
Its horrible what the Hurrican Katrina did to Mississippi, New Orleans. I've seen a recent video over the summer about the exploser of the hidden secrets media "FORGOT" to leave out about this tragedy. Acting like nothing happen, they told the story of what happened to New Orleans but did not tell the story of what happen after this incident. Media is percieved to be truthfull but they are full off bull s***. Can anyone imanage water flooding the entiry city, helpless call for help for survival, every precious things you ownd vanish like thin air. The sounds of crying and heavy breathing, the physical feel to pain knowing this might be the last day to live, the last minute, the last second to live. Imanage yourself in that situation. What if you was the only survival and you see everyone drowning because majority of the people there cannot keep up with the wave so they cry for help to stay alive. Or, Imanage the mothers and fathers with little kids in their hands trying to reach out to you because they see you safe and sound and all they want is a future for thier child. Will you reach knowing you might fall into that scary rollercoaster of wave or would you save yourself and relive the moment for the rest of yourself. All of this is going on and all the media have to say is "there was a Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, New Orleans and show some images which stand on television for a few weeks to months or so and vanishes like it was last year news. What is even worst, everyone knows who have not experience this tradegy sits down thier coach, thier chairs, thier table and watch the new thinking thank god it's not me whos experiencing it. How selfish can a person get? When New Orleans asked for help to donate some money, a few nice people helped but what about the rest? Do you care about Americans or do you care about yourself? You wouldn't be yourself if it wasn't for America. THINK ABOUT IT. What if something like this happened to yourself you wouldn't be thinking the way you are thinking now. Help others if you want to be helped.
Crystal Cervantes
Poem response
While reading this i agreed that this is an event that wont be forgotten especially for the people that were part of it.And that it is hard to think of being somewhere were unwamnted things appear like bacteria, floating trash, pollutants etc. The solution seems simple like removing the water and the dead bodies but to her its un forgetable. After everything is sed and done she has hope that everything will slowly go back to how it used to be.There will be beads,feathers,bands playing and parties.
Brendan Tietz
Poem response
While I read this poem I feel that the women is speaking about the failures of our world or our society in the modern day. She speaks about the horrible response to huricane katrina while using metaphors for people drowning. She continues on to speak about how she hates our capitalist government and even though she has this strong hate for it she finds herself to be a part of it. I find this to be true with most people and the way they think. In todays society many people speak and rant on about how our system is corrupt or the idea of it is bad yet everyone seems to be okay with it or contributes to it even if in a small way. She speaks more about our society in the poem talking about "The theme of the 80's, the theme of my generation, that says me first me first me!". What she means by this in my opinion is that our society conducts and tells us what we should be and how we should act according to the media or whatever our "theme" is for that decade. This all comes down to our society and the system that it is under and how we respond to this system. The very ending of the poem hit hardest of it all to me. It speakes about abortion and how it is expected to be okay in todays world. How our "god" aka president (bush not obama) tells us that abortion and killing or stop a life from being is okay. I agree with all the authors points and her peom.
Brendan Tietz
Poem response
While I read this poem I feel that the women is speaking about the failures of our world or our society in the modern day. She speaks about the horrible response to huricane katrina while using metaphors for people drowning. She continues on to speak about how she hates our capitalist government and even though she has this strong hate for it she finds herself to be a part of it. I find this to be true with most people and the way they think. In todays society many people speak and rant on about how our system is corrupt or the idea of it is bad yet everyone seems to be okay with it or contributes to it even if in a small way. She speaks more about our society in the poem talking about "The theme of the 80's, the theme of my generation, that says me first me first me!". What she means by this in my opinion is that our society conducts and tells us what we should be and how we should act according to the media or whatever our "theme" is for that decade. This all comes down to our society and the system that it is under and how we respond to this system. The very ending of the poem hit hardest of it all to me. It speakes about abortion and how it is expected to be okay in todays world. How our "god" aka president (bush not obama) tells us that abortion and killing or stop a life from being is okay. I agree with all the authors points and her peom.
I really liked reading this poem. The poet has a very awesome discriptive ability and I think that's mainly why I like it. I really enjoyed imagining all of the things described in the poem even though it esd really sad...
Fatima Duran
Andrew Yuen
Grief-Selene Steese
Freewrite
This poem painted a vivid picture of what it felt like to be a victim of Hurricane Katrina. The author describes how it felt like to get knocked down but still have the strength to get back up. "I surface each time and each time I fear I will never surface" is an example of words the author used to descrive this tragic event.
Amani Ali
Eng 1A
My peom was about grief. Grief is defined as mental suffering which can be also called depresion, agony over something and unhappiness. This poem describes my problem i have with depression. I try to avoid feeling like this but sometimes you can't help it. When you are in a state of distress over affliction or loss, it is followedby a painful regret. Depression is considered a disorder. Many can cope with it and many can not.
Katie Atkinson
Free write August 27, 2009
Wanda Sabir
Smokey Miracle
for Daddy (October 22, 1933-August 14, 1993)
My great aunt Eleanor died the day the levees broke. I was having dinner with my dad before hopping a Daly City train out all the way past Colma to S.F. State for a 7-9:30pm class. That’s when he told me. Riding on BART I remember a great mass overwhelming me. I felt as if a great weight had overtaken my entire body and I couldn’t move. I didn’t go to class that day and my dad had to drive out to the station to get me. In the din of the BART crowd I held back tears. There was no point in continuing the charade of college. My aunt Eleanor represented everything that New Orleans represented to me, everything I loved about the Quarter. She made me my first gin and tonic in her sitting room when I was seventeen. She was unhurried and never afraid to speak her mind. She was the spirit of the city embodied in one human being. At the time I was overwrought, but now a part of me thinks it was right for her to go when the levees did—the city would never be the same without her. At the time I confused sameness with rightness. There’s no such thing. I have been back to New Orleans a few times since, visited her grave and my grandmother’s at Metairie. I know now that there is a light that can never be extinguished from NoLa, a music that will not stop until long after the dawn has come and gone. There will be remoulade and mint juleps on patios and humidity and heat that makes the hottest day in Northern Californian seem brisk and chill. Most of all there will be hope and there will be rebirth, nothing can stop it. I dropped out of college the day Eleanor died. I am back now and so is my city, getting bigger and easier every day.
Note: When I read Ms. Sabir’s poem about her father this was all I could think about and I let the words flow. I apologize if it does not meet the requirements of the assignment.
Erik Del Nero
English 1A
Hurricane Katrine was a horrific event. Many people lost their lives. The homes in New Orleans were destroyed and left looking like scrap. The moon was full that night and had a shiny glow to it. It took a long time to recover from the accident. The city that liked to live the life style of easy street was now all under destroyed houses and no one knew what to do. Most citizens just wanted to get out alive. The Hurricane became the front line news report so the whole world was aware of this terrible accident. The moonlight made some people feel at peace for a period of time. We sent a lot of help for the people in New Orleans. Most people had to stay in home shelters just to make ends meet. The people of New Orleans were very grateful for the report that they received. I hope nothing like this happens again anytime soon.
"Mother Nature Has Become a Terrorist"-Garrett Murphy
This poem portrays how angry some people felt as to how Hurricane Katrina was handled by the government. This poem makes indirect and direct comments toward President Bush. The author points out how long it took for Bush to send help and relief for the people of New Orleans. He portrays mother nature as a person, that had put her wrath upon New Orleans and it's residents. He emphasizes how mother nature is pointed as a "SHE. He also throws out the question if the hurricane was a way of punishing President Bush for being a hopeless president. From this poem you can tell that the author is not a fan of President Bush. This poem was well written, with strong emotions that make you start to feel how the residence of New Orleans must have felt.
-Anne Hallford
Freewrite
eng1A Nick Rafter
in the poem "Graveyards for the living dead" by Avotja, talks about how the government wasn't there, and how alone , and helpless the victims were during the hurricane. The author suggest that racism was a factor to the lack of the governments response . i understand were she's coming from. the mood from the poem is very dark, but then again hurricane katrina was a very dark tragic event. the word hopeless is used a lot in this poem, and i think the author was trying help the reader truly understand what the people were feeling. i found this poem to be depressing, but eye opening.
Free Write.
Kaitlynn "Alexandria" Eoff
Afi Khume- My World
It's amazing how many outsiders believe America to be this place of magic, freedom and happiness. I can see what thy're talking about but if you look deep enough it's filled with hatred and disgust. America is the worlds worst contradiction-Freedom of Speech? How so, when the government controls the media. Compared to other countries, we've got it good; however, or legal system is still corrupt, police brutality is reaching its peak. My perception of "My World" is that it's talking about our world's constant contradiction; about how beautiful our land is one moment and in the blink of an eye it's destroyed.
Garrett Murphy's "Mother Nature has become a Terrorist"
Maybe I'm only realizing due to my age and the governments recent affect on my life or maybe it is an actual fact that Bush was the worst president this country has claimed. He was a cheat, a liar, and a racist pig. Harsh? What's harsh is how long it took him to respond to Katrina victims. What's harsh is how his media portrayed homeless African American victims "pillaging" through the destruction; however when they portrayed "whitey" ransacking electronics and other unnecessary items they simply stated they were "scrounging up necessary items to survive."
Debbie Adame
Katrina
Hurricane Katrina cause a lot of grief into peoples lifes. People are not longer living the happy life because are missing what the great daily rutine that they had. Many people hit rock bottom. As a result deppresion hit them.They also lost a lot of money that resulted into economic issues. They had no choice but to evacuate with in a matter of time.
Many people are facing depression that will never replaced the ordinary lifes that they used to live by. Many People also hit depression because they witness the tragic event, consequently they saw many died and even found many dead. This depression let to many commiting suiced because of fear to start a new life in a different state. Whiles others Depression hit thim because they withnessed the tragic momment that forever will marked their lifes. As a result it will be hard to forget about it.
Many people had to evacute in matter of time because the hurricane was un predictable of when it will returned again, therefore; the state was declared in emergency that led to all the people to evacuate expect for the rescuers.Many people had to evacute with only their family memebers and who ever that could fit them in the car.
Many people faced economic issues because they lost a lot of money that is unreplaceable.They lost money on their homes because their homes wheres severly distroyed. Others lost money in their homes such as their personal belongings and materials, in which the goverment is not able to replaced now re-enversed them back with.
Today, many people are still recuporating their emotional stress and depression that led them living a miserable life. People who are alive now its because they survived the evacuating that almost left them stranded because of the highways that where fullfill with traffic. Their economy will never bee the same for people because the lost a lot of money. Although the fortunate that had family in states have been lucky to get helped from their families. These people will never live a happy life because Katrina will always remind in their mind that will for ever make history.
People had to evacuate becuase they just faced a harsh and traumattic date, that led them to be force to move to another state. This people had to evacuate as soon as possible, otherwise they will get stranded in danger. Because they had to faced with an emergency evacution, many people choosed to die in their home because of fear of starting all over again. while Others decided didnt survived because the traggic hit them before they could even evacuate. But a lot people couldnt surved this cathestrofic event because help didnt come right away to them.
Debbie Adame
Katrina
Hurricane Katrina cause a lot of grief into peoples lifes. People are not longer living the happy life because are missing what the great daily rutine that they had. Many people hit rock bottom. As a result deppresion hit them.They also lost a lot of money that resulted into economic issues. They had no choice but to evacuate with in a matter of time.
Many people are facing depression that will never replaced the ordinary lifes that they used to live by. Many People also hit depression because they witness the tragic event, consequently they saw many died and even found many dead. This depression let to many commiting suiced because of fear to start a new life in a different state. Whiles others Depression hit thim because they withnessed the tragic momment that forever will marked their lifes. As a result it will be hard to forget about it.
Many people had to evacute in matter of time because the hurricane was un predictable of when it will returned again, therefore; the state was declared in emergency that led to all the people to evacuate expect for the rescuers.Many people had to evacute with only their family memebers and who ever that could fit them in the car.
Many people faced economic issues because they lost a lot of money that is unreplaceable.They lost money on their homes because their homes wheres severly distroyed. Others lost money in their homes such as their personal belongings and materials, in which the goverment is not able to replaced now re-enversed them back with.
Today, many people are still recuporating their emotional stress and depression that led them living a miserable life. People who are alive now its because they survived the evacuating that almost left them stranded because of the highways that where fullfill with traffic. Their economy will never bee the same for people because the lost a lot of money. Although the fortunate that had family in states have been lucky to get helped from their families. These people will never live a happy life because Katrina will always remind in their mind that will for ever make history.
People had to evacuate becuase they just faced a harsh and traumattic date, that led them to be force to move to another state. This people had to evacuate as soon as possible, otherwise they will get stranded in danger. Because they had to faced with an emergency evacution, many people choosed to die in their home because of fear of starting all over again. while Others decided didnt survived because the traggic hit them before they could even evacuate. But a lot people couldnt surved this cathestrofic event because help didnt come right away to them.
Free Write
Aralisa Samaniego
poem: After The Mardi Gras Is Over (Excerpt)
This poem is a ray of hope in a bad situation. Just reading it you feel warm inside and feel that you can smile with confidence that things will get better.It clearly states that the city is alone ,that they have been left to fend for their own by the goverment. Together as a city they celebrate and parade just as strongly as they stand together to restore their home.
Vannary Bun, Eng1A
Time of Greatest Need - For Hurricane Katrina's Victims
Jill Eisnaugle's Poetry Collection 2005
This poem was very deep. The author made it known to those who were victims during Hurricane Katrina, that everything is ok. Though they had experience one of most terrifying natural disaster, they don't need to be scared. There are many people in the world who not sympathize but is willing to do what they can to make you feel safe. The poem ensures the Hurricane Katrina victims that they must not let this tragedy get to them. They must be strong and believe in those who is willing to help. They must allow fear to come out and let people come to their aid. Just allow time to take over and push yourself to progress, don't let this disaster take the best of you. Like the author mentioned "For the hardship you have gone through, we will not soon forget" but "kindness shall not be diminished".
This comment has been removed by the author.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sha'Quea Pratt
English 1A
Poem Responce
August 27,2009
Full moon over New Orleans after the Hurricane
Full moon over New Orleans after the Hurricane by Rafael Jesus Gonzalez is about the way New Orleans is now after Hurricane Katrina has occurred. It expresses how the waters have an odor that has gardenias, oaks, trees: magnolias, trumpets, saxophones and drums. He tells how the city that first dreamt of being big and easy like France and Religious now lies under a watery cloth that is usually used to wrap a body for burial. This line is said because it is sharing how bad New Orleans is now; how dead it is now that nothing is the same as before. All there is, is the full moon hanging over the dirty-stinky waters.
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