Honors Theses
Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Journalism
First Advisor
Mark Dolan
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
On August 29, 2005, southern Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast experienced what was possibly the worst natural disaster in American history. The only home 1 ever knew, the house my parents built, was inundated with nearly 12 feet of water and crude oil for almost two weeks. Our lives were changed forever. But our reaction to the disaster would serve as the guide for the rest of our lives. This thesis is the story of the disaster and its aftermath through the eyes of my parents and I. The bulk of information comes from three main sources: my own experience and separate interviews with my parents, Floyd and Charleen. Hurricane Katrina is not easily forgotten. I guarantee the demons still dance in my mind and in the minds of my parents and family. Our words make up the content, and this story is 100 percent non-fiction. Every photo that appears within the text is my own unless otherwise noted. These visual aids, I feel, are necessary to open your minds where my words fail because what happened in August 2005 is both real and surreal. Part I contains eight chapters that comprise eight days leading up to, during and after Hurricane Katrina. Each new date line signals a shift in perspective. This technique is employed in order to ease the reader into transitions. Part II begins right where Part I ended, following my parents on their journey to Texas and eventually .*i:ir return to Louisiana, including their fall and resurrection. V What separates this story from the countless others told in the months following Katrina is its storytelling quality. Writing may not be my forte, but my efforts to convey the story from first-hand accounts in a combination of literary narrative and journalistic accuracy recapture a personal story on a dramatic level. VI
Recommended Citation
Sharpe, Matthew Samuel, "Surviving Hurricane Katrina: A Family Chronicle" (2007). Honors Theses. 2117.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2117
Accessibility Status
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