Summary: In the final chapter of Come Hell or High Water:Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster Michael Dyson looks at how different groups use religion in the face of a natural disaster. In Hurricane Katrina there were essentially two groups that were a part of the disaster: poor, black victims and those that were supposed to help them. For those that are in a position to help, they often view natural disasters as a means for God to punish sinners and for those that need help they look to God as a comfort and as a way to cope. In the chapter, Dyson discusses how several Christian role models made similar statements about how New Orleans is a hub of sin and that the citizens of New Orleans snarl in the face of God until they need help;
…show more content…
However, most people have similar ways of coping. After a disaster, an individual or family want to go back to their way of life as soon as possible and want a sense of stability through the process. In previous class material we looked at how families in Grand Forks, North Dakota coped with their disaster. For many of the women, they chose to live their lives as close to the way they were before the flood. They sent their children to school as soon as they could, tried to find their children 's friends so they had familiar faces, cooked their families favorite dinners, planted their favorite flowers, and got involved with their church communities. For those that are affected by disasters, religion can be a way to cope and many do it differently. When Hurricane Katrina hit, many of those affected wondered why God would do such a horrible thing to people that were so marginalized already. The culture in New Orleans is based largely on spirituality and religion and dates back to slavery days. African Americans have a long history with misfortune, religion, and water as a symbol of religion. Water can symbolize freedom, purity, birth, and death all at the same time (Dyson 2007, p. 193). In the Bible, and in African culture, God has put his people through trials and tribulations and they have relied on him to bring them through it and to learn from it and the people of Katrina …show more content…
The war on poverty has become a war on the poor. That is waged in the name of God, in alliance with those who claim to honor God, is blasphemy” (Dyson 2007, p. 200). In our society, there is a great value placed on success and hard work and it is often looked down upon when one has not succeeded and many believe it comes from not putting in the effort. It is becoming popular to blanket blame the poor for their misfortune and to shame them by withholding help from them. The government was reluctant to help the underprivileged in the Katrina crisis and many used the excuse that they were there because they chose to not leave and was even justified by using religion. However, the bible preaches sacrifice, love, and understanding. The quote is significant because it shows the hypocrisy that was brought to the surface after the
However, most people have similar ways of coping. After a disaster, an individual or family want to go back to their way of life as soon as possible and want a sense of stability through the process. In previous class material we looked at how families in Grand Forks, North Dakota coped with their disaster. For many of the women, they chose to live their lives as close to the way they were before the flood. They sent their children to school as soon as they could, tried to find their children 's friends so they had familiar faces, cooked their families favorite dinners, planted their favorite flowers, and got involved with their church communities. For those that are affected by disasters, religion can be a way to cope and many do it differently. When Hurricane Katrina hit, many of those affected wondered why God would do such a horrible thing to people that were so marginalized already. The culture in New Orleans is based largely on spirituality and religion and dates back to slavery days. African Americans have a long history with misfortune, religion, and water as a symbol of religion. Water can symbolize freedom, purity, birth, and death all at the same time (Dyson 2007, p. 193). In the Bible, and in African culture, God has put his people through trials and tribulations and they have relied on him to bring them through it and to learn from it and the people of Katrina …show more content…
The war on poverty has become a war on the poor. That is waged in the name of God, in alliance with those who claim to honor God, is blasphemy” (Dyson 2007, p. 200). In our society, there is a great value placed on success and hard work and it is often looked down upon when one has not succeeded and many believe it comes from not putting in the effort. It is becoming popular to blanket blame the poor for their misfortune and to shame them by withholding help from them. The government was reluctant to help the underprivileged in the Katrina crisis and many used the excuse that they were there because they chose to not leave and was even justified by using religion. However, the bible preaches sacrifice, love, and understanding. The quote is significant because it shows the hypocrisy that was brought to the surface after the