I Still Remember

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Name Instructor’s name ENG 101 – Section B12 SWA #6 22 October 2013 I Still Remember In “A City beyond the Reach of Empathy,” by Richard Ford, Ford writes about his feelings after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Ford depicts the aftermaths of the catastrophe by describing many ruins and how people lived in the turbulent accident in this city. He reminisces about what happened in his life in the city before the hurricane took place and destroyed everything unbelievably. However, he points out empathy that is what people yearn for. Ford evokes the feelings of empathy in terms of tone and atmosphere in his article by using some words to make everyone realize his feeling to the tragedy. Ford creates tone and atmosphere by recalling how great and wonderful New Orleans really once was before the tragic calamity. He describes the city in the positive way, telling the stories about his family to create the atmosphere of happiness and joy. For example, he mentions about V-J Day and City Park where his family took photos together. He portrays that “They are all dressed up and happy” (739). He talks about Antoine’s Restaurant that narrates the celebratory tone about New Year’s Eve. Ford also speaks of Buddy Bolden and Satchmo to explain the readers that there are many great people in New Orleans and to create the proud tone. To create the tone of appreciation of the city, he depicts what are in the city and talks about the important things such as Fat Tuesday and Napoleonic Code. For instance, he illustrates that “there are the streetcars. And there are the oak trees and the lovely French boulevards and the stately rich men’s houses” (740). Additionally, Ford juxtaposes the Hurricane Katrina with 9/11 and Hiroshima to create the depressed tone. The tones and atmosphere in the essay make readers feel of happiness and sadness by stating different stories.
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