| Title |
White, Brooklyn MENG_2025 |
| Alternative Title |
It Could Happen to You:; The Southern Gothic, Slow Violence, and Hurricane Katrina |
| Creator |
White, Brooklyn |
| Contributors |
Cumpsty, Rebekah (advisor) |
| Collection Name |
Master of English |
| Description |
This creative nonfiction thesis examines Hurricane Katrina through the lens of Rob Nixon's theory of slow violence, arguing that the disaster was a prolonged act of systemic brutality against poor and Black communities. Blending media analysis, historical context, and literary reflection, the project critiques government failure, racist media narratives, and environmental injustice, while drawing on works like Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones and C. Morgan Babst's The Floating World to rehumanize the victims and explore the lasting impact of Katrina on the Gulf Coast. |
| Abstract |
As a blend of the creative writing and literary thesis projects, this thesis is a long nonfiction essay exploring the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the treatment of those who were killed, hurt, and displaced by the disaster. In understanding Rob Nixon's theory of slow violence, Hurricane Katrina was more than a natural disaster, it was a prolonged act of brutality against a majority poor and/or Black population beginning with colonization in the Gulf Coast. As the Bush administration fully botched the response to the hurricane, leaving an already vulnerable population was left to fend for themselves for days before FEMA would arrive with aid, these desperate people were villainized for their survival by mainstream news coverage and politicians. As the U.S. backed the post-9/11 War on Terror, the same militia was sent into New Orleans to handle the situation -- a vivid display of the imperial boomerang. Today, New Orleans has rebuilt but not fully recovered and the Gulf Coast continues to face steep environmental challenges as oil extraction continues, the coastal wetlands erode, and climate change becomes more severe. Written works like Jesmyn Ward's Bois Sauvage Trilogy -- especially Salvage the Bones -- and C. Morgan Babst's The Floating World give a fuller portrayal of the events that lead up to Katrina, the experience itself, and life after. More importantly, these novels humanize the impoverished Black communities that the American public largely misunderstood and then later forgot. With the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina here, it is important to reflect on what is past and try to understand how it continues to haunt reality. |
| Subject |
Creative writing; Literary movements; Journalism |
| Digital Publisher |
Digitized by Special Collections & University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University. |
| Date |
2025-08 |
| Medium |
Thesis |
| Type |
Text |
| Access Extent |
60 page pdf |
| Conversion Specifications |
Adobe Acrobat |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
The author has granted Weber State University Archives a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce his or her thesis, in whole or in part, in electronic or paper form and to make it available to the general public at no charge. The author |
| Source |
University Archives Electronic Records: Master of English. Stewart Library, Weber State University |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s65zwvcv |
| Setname |
wsu_smt |
| ID |
155064 |
| Reference URL |
https://digital.weber.edu/ark:/87278/s65zwvcv |
