Opening Activity
Read the following passages:
Passage 1
The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so
intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there
for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on
the deck for the fresh air; but now that the whole ship’s cargo
were confined together, it became absolutely pestilential. The
closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to
the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had
scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. This pro-
duced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became
unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and
brought on a sickness among the slaves. . . .
—First-person account of conditions on a slave ship
during the Middle Passage, from Olaudah
Equiano, The Life of Gustavus Vassa
Passage 2
The pungent aroma of backed-up toilets, unwashed bodies,
decaying food, mold and who knows what else. Sweltering
heat. An awful din. Rumors of unspeakable crimes. . . .
“I can’t stand to even look at pictures of that time,” said
Terrie Green, 41, who went to the Superdome with her three
children and infant granddaughter on Tuesday, August 30,
after being rescued from their flooded Ninth Ward home.
By the time we got out of there we were all sick. Sick from
the heat, sick from that stink that was there. Just worn out.”
Because of the heat—outside temperatures soared into
the high 90s, and it reached an estimated 125 degrees inside
the Superdome—the family, including little Alea, only 2 days
old when the storm hit, moved to the concourse that runs
around the exterior.
The heat took a toll on the baby, who developed a rash
and became dehydrated. After they evacuated to Houston,
the infant was hospitalized for a week.
“She’s still kind of sickly,” said Green, who remains in
Houston looking for work.
—Description of conditions in the New Orleans
Superdome during Hurricane Katrina, from Mary
Foster, “There was the fear, the heat, the misery,
but most of all—the smell,” Associated Press,
August 27, 2006
Questions:
1. What similarities can you identify between the description of conditions in the two passages?
2. Do you think the comparison of the two situations is valid? In other words, is it accurate or acceptable to compare the two situations? Why? Why not?
3. How might your views on the evacuation of Katrina victims be different, if this hadn't happened in New Orleans, but in a place that had little history of slavery?
4. Would your views be different if you were from a different racial, or ethnic group? If you were poor, rather than middle class? If you were a man, rather than a woman, or a woman, rather than a man?
5. CLICK HERE. Read the account of life for Katrina survivors in the FEMA trailer park known as Renaissance Village. In what ways might conditions in this trailer park be similar to conditions in quarters inhabited by slaves? Is this a valid comparison? Why?
18 comments:
1. the heat, smells, and closeness of the people in the ship.
2. yes, even though the citizens from new orleans had something to look forward to, the conditions were still horrible.
3. i don't think it would be as bad because the residents of new orleans are mostly black and no one would suspect racism very easily.
4. my views would be different if i was a different race because i would view white people as an enemy, instead of just people who messed up.
5. the people in the trailers don't have any means of transportation and almost nowhere to go if they leave.
1. the similarities i can identify between the two passages about the conditions, is the smell, heat, crowdedness, and sicknesses.
2. the comparison is appropriate because the people were enslaved by the hurricane. They were all unfortunate and encountered similar things like heat & sickness.
3. The history of slavery in New Orleans has nothing to do with the storm or the evacuation. There was really not more they can do. they should've started evacuating earlier.
4. this disaster was not a matter of color, wealth, or gender as some created it to be. My views would not change if i was someone else.
5. the conditions in the trailer park are similar to the conditions inhibited by slaves because there was no help, no hope, and alot of disaster.
Crystal S.
Period 4
1. In both passages the people talk about the harsh conditions in which they were placed.
2. Yes it is acceptable to compare these two situations because people were just placed anywhere and people in other places didn’t care about how they were treated.
3. Yes think I would think about slavery at all if it were some place else. I would think about slavery after hearing about the harsh conditions people were placed in and how they were treated. For example during the slave trading days families would be split apart and might not ever see each other again. In this situation many families were separated to different parts of America and it was a long time before they saw each other again.
4. I think that no matter what I was, I would think about the same thing. These people went thought a terrible experiences and they will never be the same people again.
5. The similarities are that the people are trapped in these trailer parks and do not have any money, cars, or jobs. Also their children cannot attend school. The differences are that the people are getting three hot meals a day and they each have their own “home”. This is not a valid comparison because the people are not being treated harshly; they just can’t get what they want.
Anastasia Ioannou Pd.2 : )
1. Both characters in these passages suffered after hurricane Katrina. They both talked about the heat and most of all the heat.
2. I think it is acceptable to compare these two passages because both characters almost went through the same situation.
3. I wouldn't care if they were black or white. I wouldn't just leave them there and not touch them. That's disrespectful.
4. No, because, like I said, I wouln't care what Race they are.
5. Well, the people in the trailer park actually get what they need. Except for that FEMA is going to stop the food service. Another selfish thing they did is that they locked the trailers for kids that don't go to school. You can't compare this with the history of slavery because these people are not getting bad treatment. FEMA is just ignoring them a little bit.
Domenico Rizzo
The two passage are smilar because the african american people got treated badly like they had no respect for them.It is accruate to compare these two situations because in both of the passages it seem's like the african american's are being treated like animals.
My views of the evacuation of Katrina would be different if it had not happend in New Orleans it happend where they had history of slaves i would think that it maybe would have been based on there skin color.My views wouldn't be different from even if i was a man, poor or middle class i think it took Geroge Bush to long to help New Orlens out so many people lost there lives because of The US. What bothers me the most is how some of the Goverment could be shopping , playing tennis when people in other country are dieing!
I kinda agree that this is a valid comparison because they were still in a closed up area even though it was still shealter i dont think it would been safe or not either way. Many people lost there lives trying to servie.
Alexandria barry
period 2
903
1. The similarities between the two passages is they both tell the same story but in different ways. They both tell of horrible conditions, the smell of like dead flesh, the sickness.
2. The two situations in comparison are both valid because they speak of the same conditions that people were in.
3. I'm not sure.
4. Yes things would probably be different because I'm latino so for example if I was black and we have seen in the video that American Americans said they were being treated differently, My views would be different. Because If I was black I might agree with them and say Hey these are my people this is racist blacks are being treated different then the other groups in New Orleans.
5. The conditions are the same and the comparison is valid because they were in small cold smelly rooms were life was basically hell. And the sad thing is there are people still living in those trailers today.
David W.
Period 4
1. I see that in both passages, all of the people's areas had very bad conditions, it smelled, it was hot, and it was extremly crouded.
2. I don't think that it's valid to compare the two passages. This is so because most of the people in the Super Dome chose to go there, but the slaves were forced to go on the ships. It wasn't anyone's fault for the conditions of the Super Dome, but you can blame the crew for the ship conditions.
3. If this huracane had hit another city with slave history, then my views would go more twards the view of the citizens being treated like slaves.
4. If my race had been changed from white to African-American, then I would probably think that the victums of Kitrina were being treated like slaves. If I was poor, then this wouldn't really change my mind at all, the same if I was changed from a man, to a woman.
5. (the video dosen't work, but I will try my best)I don't think that this is a valid comparason, this is so because FEMA was trying to get these people to safty, but the crew was just trying to get them to a trading point and didn't really care about them.
Andrew Villa Period 2 931
1)The similarities I can identify between the description of the conditions in the two passages are that both passages describe the smell of the setting like it was a very bad smell and that you wouldn't want to go near it, there was no fresh air, it was really hot,and the people were being treated badly with no one to help.
2)I think it is not a good comparison because the people in the Superdome were free,and there was food, shelter, supplies and some help from volunteers. The slaves had nothing.
3)My views wouldn't change because I think that anyone that needs help should get help no matter who you are.
4) If I was from a different race or if I was poor, I still believe that the people from New Orleans should get help. If I was a man I may not care about the Hurricane Katrina victims.
5)I think the conditions in the trailer park are not similar to the conditions in passage one
because in the trailer park, the people had necessities. They had televisions, a place to live, food, money for shopping at Walmart, computers, and cell phones. The slaves had absolutly nothing.
Sara T.
Period:4
1. What similarities can you identify between the description of conditions in the two passages?
~ in both stories it seams that the time periods were hard for people to live right.
2. Do you think the comparison of the two situations is valid? In other words, is it accurate or acceptable to compare the two situations? Why? Why not?
~yes i think it is acurate to compare the two situations because they were simalr but different in there own way.
3. How might your views on the evacuation of Katrina victims be different, if this hadn't happened in New Orleans, but in a place that had little history of slavery?
~the views might have been different because it wouldnt have so much inportance of history behind it.
4. Would your views be different if you were from a different racial, or ethnic group? If you were poor, rather than middle class? If you were a man, rather than a woman, or a woman, rather than a man?
~no, my views wouldnt be different because what happend was really upsetting, and any one wether your a man or a woman or what class your in, or what color you are, it would still be devistating.
5.In what ways might conditions in this trailer park be similar to conditions in quarters inhabited by slaves? Is this a valid comparison? Why?
~they might be similar because slaves were placed in a small area, so maby the trailer park might be small, no because maby slaves were in better tertories.
1. The similarities between the two passages are that there is a bad scent, the heat was unbearable, and people were scared and sick.
2. It's acceptable to compare the two situations because basically, they are very similar, just worded differently.
3. If it had taken place in a place that had little history of slavery, people probably wouldn't have been as devestated by it becuase the place would'nt had as much history.
4. My views would probably be different if I was a different race or ethnic group, or if I was poor because I would really be able to understand what the victims were going through at that time.
5. Trailer parks might be similar to conditions in quarters inhabited by slaves because usually people who live in trailer parks don't have a lot, and it's had to live like that. It's a valid comparison because it's both struggles.
Brianna R. Period 4
1. The similarities between the two passages are that both have to do with a whole lot of people confined in an area that caused living conditions to become unbearable. Both passages made mention of limited space to accommodate for the number of people, lack of facilities to wash and relieve oneself. The temperature inside the confined areas was hot and uncomfortable. The stench in the air became unhealthy and people were getting sick because of this. There was no medical facility to help the dying and the sick.
2. I think that the comparison of the two situations is some what valid because they are similar in many ways. Both situations involved a large number of people who were forced to stay in a confined area that was not built for people to live in. It is obvious that if you put a large group of people in a situation that lacks the necessary material to survive, the results and outcome will also be the same as in the two passages which are death and sickness. This is where I think the comparison ends because in the first passage the people (slaves) were forced to be confined in the hole of the ship against their will. In the second passage, I think the people were forced to stay together because of the natural disaster that was caused by hurricane Katrina. They came together at the Superdome to get away from the flooded areas and were not forced against their will like the slaves.
3. If the evacuation of Katrina victims didn’t happen in New Orleans but in a place that has little history of slaves my view of the evacuation would still be the same. I would feel bad for the people who had lost their homes, friends and family. Slave history or not, anytime something as devastating as this happen you always feel the pain. Something like this could always happen in a place where you may have family and friends. If help did not arrive on time or did not progress quickly you would be upset. The longer it takes for any help or aid to arrive in disastrous situations always ends with negative results.
4. My views of the events that happened after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the slave ships would be the same regardless of what ethnic group I belonged to, if I was rich or middle class or if I was a man or women. Anytime something like this occurs, you always feel for the people. You would want whatever help needed to arrive immediately. You would never want to see innocent people suffer. Sitting and watching the situation unfold makes you think, what if it was my family that was in that situation. I would definitely want to be rescued immediately and housed somewhere that was comfortable enough for my family to live until things quieted down and got better. Disasters can pop up anywhere in the world and you might find yourself in these situation some day. You would hope that help arrives quickly to limit the damage and to restore everyone’s life back to normal.
5. The only conditions in this trailer park that might be similar to the conditions in quarters inhabited by salves were the sheer number of people living and sharing space in a limited area and the lack of a medical facility. I do not think this is a valid comparison because the people in the trailer park still had some modern conveniences provided to them. They were provided facilities to wash and a bathroom to relieve them. They were provided 3 meals a day, transportation to the Wal-mart to purchase what they needed and phones to communicate with family and friends. The slaves meanwhile were confined to the hole of the slave ship. They did not get 3 hot meals a day. They did not have a bathroom to go to or a place to bath themselves. People on board the ship were getting sick and dying and the survivors had no where to bury the dead or accommodations to help the sick. Even though the trailer park did not provide for the greatest living conditions, it was still better than the conditions aboard the slave ship.
1.The simalrites are that both people complain of the stink and saying that it was too uch to bear. Both stories also tell that someone either the stor teller or someone else had gotten sick because of the posioned air.
2.It is very acceptable because both take place in an area that was horrible and crowded. It descirbes th stink of the air as horrible and many people like the slaves or the baby from the second story had gotten sick because of it.
3.I doubt the my views were to change because if it was in another area with the same type of situation it wouldnt be any different. Situations meaning that mass amounts of people did not have a car and depended on public transportation. The way this was done was unacceptable. Mnay peopel died because of the way this was handled. Even thought this happened in new Orleans which has a very large history of slaves, no area of the Untied States of America should go through that.
5. In a way it relates to the slave quaters becauee they are not able to go out or find a job. The only reaso they can leave is on a bus to go to the local Walmart. Then again these victims have been given the resources and the slaves had nothing. They had to work in even worse conditions. Those people have have to wait for the government to pick up the pieces and fix this.
Allison OHagan
Period 2
1) In both stories the people are all talking about the hardships they wen threw or are about to face.
2)The people were both enslaved by a hurricane and both had a lot of hardships to face.
3) I don't think it involved race I just think that the president should have thought more and should've evacuated a lot sooner because if that would've happened everyone probably would've been safe.
4) If I was changed from white to black IU would've thought that they were being racsist and discriminating and I also would've thought that they were treating us like slaves.
5) The comparison is valid because it showed how much the Hurricane Katrina victims went threw in the trailers and how hard it was for them to get threw this.
1. Both suffered alot and they talked alot about the really hot weater.They also talked about smells and the crowdedness.
2.the conditions were very bad.
3.half and half because te people they could take it as racism because they might think they are being discriminated agaianst and some will think they arent since everyone is almost black.
4.Im not really sure but i dont consider white people to be the ones who ruin things. no particalure race is.
5. they have nowere else to go because everything is gone or ruined. so they have to stay there.
-isabela janashvili
period 4
1. The similarities I identified were that each passage talks about the horrible things they went through after Katrina.
2. Yes it is acceptable because these people went through the same thing, they had to deal with a hurricane and had to try and survive it. And nobody cared how they were treated so they had to help themselves, which is difficult.
3. If anything, I still believe that these victims were treated like slaves. So if it were in a place where slavery has been encountered before, I would feel no difference. The way they were treated was horrible and could have been a lot easier if the government would have cooperated.
4. No matter what race I was, I would still believe what I believe because I know what I believe in. It's hard to say though because I've obviously never been another race before and I have no idea what that feels like.
5. The people trapped in trailer parks had no resources what-so-ever. So there is a difference because there were people out there being fed meals and their children were able to have a life a 6 yr old should have, while these people had nothing at all.
Megan E.
Period 2.
1. The similarities i can identify between the description of conditions in the two passages are the intolerable stenches and the high temperatures.
2. I do not think that the comparison between the two situations is valid because although they have a number of similarites to each other, such as the horrible conditions, putrid stenches, and the crowdedness of both situations, one is still worse than the other. The middle passage was a terrible event, when white people would knowingly and inhumanely board hundreds of black people into a slave ship in terrible conditions. The conditions of the Superdome were not of human rash decisions, but of a natural disaster, that could not be prevented.
3. My views on the evacuation of Katrina would not be different because it the history would not matter. The history of slavery in an area has little to do with the matter at hand, of evacuating the Katrina victims.
4. My views on the evacuation of hurricane Katrina would not be different if i came from a different ethnic background, different economic standing, or if i were a man rather than a woman, because i only think negatively toward the federal government for their lateness in coming to the aid of the Katrina victims, and for the way they are operating. My views have nothing to do with racism, sexism, or economic standing.
5. I do not believe it is valid to compare the conditions in the Renaissance village to the conditions in the Middle passage because the middle passage was totally inhumane, with hundreds upon hundreds of people crowded into a boat with no food or any means of sanitation. The Renaissance Village had food, a home for all, and accessibility to Wal-mart.
1. The similarities between the two conditions of the passages were the unbearable heat, the terrible smell, and the oversized crowds.
2. Yes, I do think the comparisons are accpetable and valid because the truth is that all the suriviors of Hurricane Katrina were treated like slaves. There was no sign of help for 5 days! The Convention Center and the Super Dome was infested with people alive and dead, there was no food or water, no bathrooms so the smell was just like those on a slave ship. The heat outside was extremely hot, and there was no other places the people could go. Just like the slaves the people in New Orleans were trapped.
3. My views wouldn't change. I would stll think it was wrong. Just because back in history there was slavery, slaves were still human and didn't deserve the treatment they were given. It doesn't matter if you are black or white, if your ancestor was a slave or a president, all humans are citizens and should be treated equal.
4. If I was a different person then my views would definently be different on life, but on this situation I would still think the same that there was no excuse for what the government did. It was wrong and no matter how I looked at it, it will always be wrong.
5. The conditions in the trailer park are similar to those in a inhabited by slaves because the Katrina evacutees didn't have a permanment home, or any means of a stable lifestyle.
Gabrielle Rosado
Class Period 4
MAKE UP HOMEWORK
1.The similarities that were described in the passage was how badly the people were treated both in the super dome and in the ship when they were slaves.
2.i don't think its right to compare the two situations because after all when hurricane Katrina hit there were many people and all of them couldn't be helped, slavery was when the people didn't have rights or choices.
3.it wouldn't change because the people were treated badly but not to a point were they had to do what ever their government told them to, the people had a choice to evacuate and for whatever causes that they dint doesn't mean they were treated as slaves. they weren't maltreated or anything of that style.
4. maybe if i were in the victims position i would call it being treated like slaves but i really don't know.maybe if i was low class instead of middle class i would know how the people who couldn't evacuate would feel.
5.one way the renaissance village can be compared to how slaves were treated before is that halve of the kids cant go to school and the people don't have jobs.
Angela Rivera 903
2nd period
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