Uzar
Sarah Dennis Hopfer
W-131
29 November, 2011
Paper 3 Draft
Hurricane Katrina was an extremely important and influential time in American culture .
During this time we see the rise of many great rallies which aided in the relief effort of Hurricane
Katrina but we also see the chaos that ensued during the time of struggle. Two photographs from
the Hurricane Katrina archive that both coincide well are the photographs of the refugees that are
awaiting admittance into the superdome guarded by US military soldiers and the inside of the
superdome in New Orleans completely empty with trash scattered everywhere. These two
photographs display many interesting similarities and differences that are aimed at producing the
same message of isolation to represent the Katrina disaster.
Taking a look at the refugees awaiting for admittance into the superdome, we see vectors
formed by the hand rails forming a conic shape leading to the guards stationed at the front of the
line. This photograph was taken at as a close range shot and portrays a social distance of a close
up because of the personal interaction the viewer feels from the immediate proximity to the
people lying on the ground. The refugees seem to all be wearing ragged and worn clothes seeing
as most are comfortable lying on the ground. The superdome is the center of attention in this
photograph with everything leading the eye to it; the dome takes up the width of the shot and the
vectors made by the rails and rows of people leading to the guards also point to the massive
superdome. The color saturation is rather low in this photo giving the feeling of a very sad day,
as you can tell that it is daytime but there is no visible sunlight shining down anywhere .
Similar to the previous photo is the interior view of the superdome completely emptied
out with trash littering all corners of the field. The first thing the viewer sees when looking at
this photo is the extremely bright beam of white light shining down from the ceiling. This may
represent a beam of hope since all of the refugees have been evacuated out meaning it is safe
enough to start rebuilding and begin a new life. The image provokes a mixture of sadness along
with happiness because everyone has been cleared out so the danger is apparently gone but we
still see a two people sitting on their cots looking over something as if mourning all their losses
and reminiscing on the days before the tragedy. This photo is taken from the perspective of as if
you were actually standing inside the dome observing these people, but it also promotes an
uninvolved feeling because you are far away from the people an cannot tell what exactly they are
occupied with.
These photos in comparison have many similarities, such as the lying refugees and the
trash littering the entire field which represents the chaos that New Orleans went through.
However these photos are also very different in that the first photo taken outside the superdome
seems to be before the chaos or even in the midst of it and the low color saturation gives a
moribund feeling while the second photo taken inside the dome depicts the aftermath when the
chaos has finally subsided and there is a happier aura represented by the beam of light that gives
new hope for a better life.
In his work Horatio Alger, author Harlon Dalton talks about the Horatio Alger myth
which states that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed but later he comes to disagree notion. with
this Dalton speaks of a case where a black student came to him seeking advice on how to
cope with a letter of recommendation that was written for her by one of Daltons colleagues
where he referred to her as one of the best black students to have ever taken his course (Dalton
88). Dalton has come to refer to this as the best black syndrome where African Americans are
only seen as the best of their kind, not the best overall which completely disagrees with what the
Horatio Alger myth states (87).
These photographs presented tie into this ideal of the Horatio Alger myth, because the
victims of Hurricane Katrina sitting outside the superdome in New Orleans do not have an equal
opportunity, compared to the rest of the population of the United States, to succeed. The victims
portrayed in the photo are lying on ground with only the clothes on their back and some very
limited possessions. This signifies that the refugees had their lives stripped away from them
along with what the Horatio Alger myth promises, an equal chance at success.
The other photo of the interior of the super dome also portrays the same aspect of the
falsity that the Horatio Alger myth expresses. While the three people portrayed inside the dome
also have had their lives torn apart and do not have an equal opportunity for success they have an
advantage over those who are stuck outside because they have shelter, they do not have to face
the unpredictable weather and with these little luxuries moral is higher which in turn boosts
productivity and therefore success. The Horatio Alger myth may hold true for people who are
exactly identical but as shown through these two photographs that is rarely the case and more
often than not the story of Horatio Alger is nothing but a myth.
In his work Of Our Spiritual Strivings, author W.E.B. DuBois notes that the African
American community is shrouded in a veil that isolates them and limits their opportunities
(120). Unlike Dalton, who states that not everyone can become successful because of lack of
opportunity, DuBois suggests that in order to overcome this obstacle, an individual must rise
above the factors that surround the veil. By adopting this route, any individual can reach the goal
of success.
In the second photograph taken inside the superdome, the veil can be associated with the
three refugees sitting alone. The veil, that isolates the victims and limits their opportunities, is
comprised of the chaos caused by the disaster which is represented by the tons of trash littering
the entire stadium and the lack of opportunity that is available after this disaster. The emptiness
of the stadium suggests that everyone who took refuge in the superdome is now trying to rise
above the veil. The refugees are now separated from the dome that represents chaos, suggesting
that they are trying to overcome the factors that created the veil. While everyone else is trying to
rise above the veil the three people still hiding in the superdome do not seem to want to rise
above it. The aloofness expressed by the three remaining refugees implies that they do not want
to rise above the veil. This contrast suggests that both groups of people must be on the same side
of the veil in order to eradicate it. If the refugees who left the stadium were to never leave the
veil or isolation would remain intact. If the three remaining people were to join the group who
left then the veil would be destroyed.