Beyond Katrina: Memory, Erasure, and Gulf Coast Recovery

Introduction: Memory and Historical Erasure

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines meditation, in basic terms, as "a discourse intended to express its author's reflections or to guide others in contemplation." In an interview with Jonathan Fink, Natasha Trethewey reveals that her text is aimed at recollecting people's historical and collective memory (Hall 85). This is the only sure way to address the issue of historical erasure and arrive at a more complete version of events. The author's aim, therefore, is to "reclaim and to get as many of those erased stories back into the larger narrative" (Hall 85).

This analysis focuses primarily on the degree of importance attached to commercialized activities at the expense of the environment and people's safety. Other points of concern include the state's tendency to forget about the victims of such catastrophes, the change in the social fabric of people's lives after Hurricane Katrina, and the large extent of erasure facing such historical occurrences.

Effect of Commercialized Activities

Gulfport experienced massive economic growth in the late 1940s, attracting a large number of business developers. The rise in business developments brought more opportunities for employment, leading to growth in both the population and commercialized activities. The economic success continued through the 1950s and 1960s before Hurricane Camille struck in 1969. Attempts to revive Gulfport's economic prosperity, which had been largely affected by the 1969 hurricane, led to the passage of the Mississippi Gaming Control Act in 1990 (Trethewey 64). The legislation legalized gambling and consequently spurred the development of a significant number of coastal casinos. The resultant growth was extensive: "between 1992 and 1996, the number of hotel rooms at the coast increased from six thousand to more than nine thousand" (Trethewey 65).

The high economic growth yielded a number of positive results. In addition to serving as a leisure activity for many young people, casino operations brought about many opportunities for employment. Most locals found work in food and client service, management, security, and in the construction and renovation of new and existing buildings (Trethewey 67). Moreover, part of the revenues realized from the casino industry was directed toward the reformation of education and police services in the coastal region.

However, the economic growth had its share of negative consequences, including inadequate policies to ensure employee safety and significant environmental damage. Casino employees worked under degrading conditions, without fundamental "benefits, including workman's compensation — when any of the workers sustained injuries on the job, they paid for the trip to the emergency room themselves" (Trethewey 65).

By 1998, the effects of gaming activities were quite noticeable. The coastal shoreline was greatly altered as more sites for dockside gambling developed, pushing the shore further inward. The resulting rise in sea-water levels was responsible for the disappearance of wetlands, which play a crucial role in "cleansing polluted water, recharging ground water, and absorbing storm wave energy" (Trethewey 60). Wetland loss was therefore dangerous for both marine and human life, as it "rendered the Mississippi Gulf Coast more susceptible to hurricane devastation" (Trethewey 60).

The poem "Providence" depicts the extent to which Gulfport was exposed to natural disaster, painting a picture of the extremely strong winds witnessed just before Hurricane Camille struck. Additionally, the haunting images that Trethewey recorded in her notebook allude to this vulnerability. In the author's words, these recordings are evidence that she, "like many people from the Mississippi Gulf Coast are haunted — even at the edges of consciousness — by the possibility of a natural disaster" (Trethewey 7).

The Change in People's Social Lives

The change in people's interactions after Katrina is illustrated through Aesha, the girlfriend of the author's brother. Despite having a month's claim on her apartment, she is evicted. In her words, "her landlords didn't care — or couldn't care — so busy were they dealing with their own difficult circumstances" (Trethewey 29). Additionally, Jones Park, originally a social gathering space commonly occupied by families relaxing and congregating, had turned into a muddy, deserted plot surrounded by a makeshift police-tape fence. With more casinos dominating the coastline, the social life of the coast had taken a drastic turn; drinking had become the new form of socializing.

Conclusion

I found Beyond Katrina an extremely interesting and valuable book. I would definitely recommend it to other readers because it gives genuine insight into the events surrounding Katrina and actively works against the construction of what Trethewey calls "another version of the story" (Trethewey 43).

Works Cited

Hall, Joan W., ed. Conversations with Natasha Trethewey. New York: Harper Collins, 2014. Print.

Trethewey, Natasha. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Athens: University of Georgia, 2010. Print.