Human beings have overcome catastrophe and cataclysm since the dawn of time. There is no better example than in Pat Frank’s Alas Babylon. Randy Bragg is “a thirty-two-year-old progressive lawyer from a respected family in the rural Florida town of Fort Repose” (Schwartz 2006). When bombs are dropped, nearly every major city in the U.S. has been evaporated in the matter of seconds. Randy realizes that only the strong survive, so in order to keep him and his small town alive, he will have to unite a community and realize his true potential. The persistent human spirit makes those of the small town, become leaders and work hard to beat the circumstances thrown at them. Before the bombing Randy is just a relatively unknown individual in his neighborhood, but when the …show more content…
A family is formed throughout their small neighborhood and Bragg becomes a leader, making the decisions for his small clique. “Without being conscious of it, he had given orders in the past few days. Even to the Admiral he had given orders. He had assumed leadership in the tiny community bound together by the water pipes leading from the artesian well.”(Frank 169) Randy’s brother Mark sends his family to Fort Repose because of prior knowledge of the attack and trust in Randy to provide and care for them. This causes Bragg to leave his bachelor life behind and start to care for people, other than himself. When confronted with a potential problem, the Highway men, he makes a set of Orders and hangs them in the middle of the town park. This makes him appear as an imposing leader and a key aspect towards the success of Fort Repose. “Randy makes it clear that he is not forming a vigilante group, but a provisional company. Ultimately, the provisional company would surrender power to a legally constituted civil authority once a functioning government is formed.”(Staff 2008) At the end of the novel, Randy takes responsibility for the
Pat Frank, also known as Harry Hart Frank, was born May 5th, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois (Deutsch). Frank began writing in the 1940s about the effects of nuclear war and radiation. He is most famous for his novel Alas, Babylon, a story about surviving a nuclear attack on the United States of America from Russia. Pat worked for the government as well as served during the Korean war. Throughout his books the reader can note his experiences with the government. For instance, during the period he worked with the military as a correspondent nuclear war became one of the biggest fears of this time period influencing his stories. Frank eventually moved to Tangerine, Florida where a nearby town “Mount Dora” became the inspiration for the town “Fort Repose”
“To the world you may be just another person, but to one person you may just be the world (Snyder, ThinkExist.com). In Pat Frank’s book, Alas Babylon, Randy Bragg is no one of importance. He is failed politician that lives off his family’s land in a small town, Fort Repose, in Florida. But For this small town lawyer everything was about to change. The United States had been on edge of Nuclear Warfare with Russia for years. Frank writes on about how one man, Randy Bragg, redeems himself from a failed politician to a somewhat of a town hero (Frank).
What is the you thoroughly understand the term “allegory” and that you can discuss “Babylon Revisited” as an allegory?—This question is garbled and does not make sense.
In conclusion, the flood at Buffalo Creek destroyed the inhabitant’s very social fabric. This in itself is not unique, but what was unique about Buffalo Creek is that there was no post disaster euphoria, where people who have survived the disaster are uplifted by the fact that the community is still present and viable. That was not the case in Buffalo Creek, mostly in part due to HUD’s internal policies but also due to the very devastation caused by the flood. The other thing that was unique about Buffalo Creek was that ninety-three percent of the survivors had diagnosable emotional disorders eighteen months after the disaster. Usually survivors of disasters are able to get over it and move on, but the survivors of the Buffalo Creek disaster were not able to do this because of their total loss of “Gemeinschaft� or sense of community.
In the short story “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet, the theme of truth is revealed by Johns father when he said, "Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth” (Benet 326). “By the Waters of Babylon” focuses on the thought that man is capable of anything and everything, including diminishing itself. The author establishes the theme of truth throughout the story by the futuristic setting, the first person narrator point of view, and the archetypal quest throughout the story.
Vulnerability is found is the incessant hope of humans for a better world. The key to the human condition is the desperation for all problems to be resolved. Nathan embodies that perfectly. A teenager, coming of age, in an ever changing world, Nathan’s confusion leaves him raw to the influence of a brutal world. He is unknowingly in the perpetual flux of the human condition. The tradeoffs of life leave humans in anticipation for the next disappointment, as we wired negatively. The inability of people to feel their own worth is the biggest key to their insecurity, yet the ability of people to feel loved is the key to their invincibility. Nathan exemplifies both of these traits through his development in “The Lost World.” Everyone experiences the state of vulnerability like Nathan Shapiro, the teenager trying to find his invincibility.
The vast majority of Johnson’s readership only experienced Katrina through news reports, so it’s challenging for an author to help us experience what the disaster felt like in a way that feels authentic. One way Johnson does this is by introducing objects that are familiar to us and then uses them in an unexpected manner. For instance, he describes Nonc, the UPS Driver, as “a guy who has lately improvised toilet paper from first-aid compresses, a miniature New Testament and the crust of Chuck E.’s own pizza” (42). The humor in this passage helps undercut the depravity of the image, helping the reader understand the sadness of the situation without being too mortified to move on. Johnson takes objects that are in-and-of-themselves funny, in addition to the humorous concept of toilet paper, and combines them in a way that is profoundly sad. This disorienting fusion of light and dark is a defining characteristic of Adam Johnson’s writing, and it ensures that the reader keeps turning the
The threat of nuclear warfare has been a fear tactic used multiple times to settle issues between countries. In Pat Frank’s Alas Babylon, Frank focuses on Fort Repose, a small community in rural Florida. Frank centers the time frame on the height of the Cold War between Soviet Russia and the United States. Opening on how connections can save lives and change lives. Randy Bragg and the town of Fort Repose is dealt a lucky hand when Randy’s brother, Mark, a military man tips Randy off to the threat of a nuclear strike. Mark disguises the warning through a telegram telling Randy that Mark’s wife, Helen, and two children, Peyton and Ben Franklin, will be coming down to visit also asking Randy to meet him at the Base Ops McCoy in Orlando at noon that day. Mark closes the telegram with Alas Babylon. Hearing these words strikes fear in Randy and makes his heart ache. To some people Alas Babylon would be gibberish, or of no importance, but to Randy it meant something far more. Alas Babylon is a code that Mark and Randy agreed to use if the likely hood of a nuclear strike was high Randy, in the concern that a nuclear war was close, had his house maid, Missouri, prepare room for Helen and her children. Randy then made his way to the Base Ops McCoy, a two hour trip. (Frank 8, 9, 14)
When humanity is faced with a great challenge, inevitably they always find a way to thrive. It seems that no matter what happens, no matter how bleak a situation becomes, there is always someone who is willing to fight back. This mentality has been all but lost in humanity in the short story “Amnesty” by Octavia Butler. Throughout the story we continually find out more information about the ways that humans as a whole have been changed by the arrival of an alien species known simply as Communities. Through the analysis of this short story I will delve into why the main character is an exception in this story by examining the position of power she has taken and how she is using this position of power. While Noah seems to be a victim of her circumstances
His delvings into the workings of the human mind, especially in terms of how it responds to the utter chaos and ruination brought about by combat, supply his audience with a unique glance into the cynicism felt by the post-War generation. With his musings on mortality, futility, devastation, and the scarcity of time, Bierce represents the sentiments of a nation that was torn apart by fighting and temporarily lost its ability to function as a whole. Furthermore, with his stories “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Chickamauga,” Bierce grants the opportunity for his readers to ponder their own behaviors, opinions, and lifestyles. As a result, he proves himself to be an incredible example of the means by which literature can affect people, an ability that endures even after one’s original audience has passed and a new generation has
The second half of the book follows Mr. Bragg's developing career and family. Mr. Bragg covered various events like the Miami riots, the Haitian atrocities, and the Susan Smith case among others for his job.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the largest disasters in American history. Practically overnight the great city of Chicago was destroyed. Before the fire there was a large drought causing everything to be dry and flammable, then a fire broke out in the O’Leary’s barn and spread throughout the city. Many attempts were made to put out the fire but there were too many errors and problems in the beginning. After the fire many people were left homeless and had to help build their city again (Murphy, 39)
“Why do large scale disasters produce such mentally healthy conditions?” (52-53 Junger). This question was formed by Charles Fritz and it commenced his long paper that discussed the improvement in mental health in people, as a result of war and other detrimental conditions occurring within a community. Specifically, this question was originally derived the communities in London, more generally England, and Germany. Germans began to bomb London and then further acts of war had been carried out. This event that occurred in these communities became more modernly observed through the work of Charles Fritz and his team of 25 other researchers. As seen through the novel Tribe, by Sebastian Junger, and throughout various scholarly journals and articles,
His mother’s high expectations lead her to holding high expectations for his future, while his father was the hero who always supported him. This setting in his hometown and the structure of his parents helped mold him into the person he was and the goals he had set for himself. In addition, the Pittsburgh setting in the 90s is the place he established his life with his wife, Jai, when he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pausch states, “I wanted to be alive as long as possible for Jai and the kids. At my first appointment with Pittsburgh surgeon Herb Zeh, I said: ‘Let’s be clear. My goal is to be alive and on your brochure in ten years.’” He is at the point in his life when he and his wife receive the devastated news that he had cancer that would surely kill him and take him from his family. This moment in his life sparks something in him that leads him to his lecture, as well as the plan for his wife and kids after his death. Lastly, Southeastern Virginia in 2006 is an important moment for both Randy and his family, because they are on their way to restarting their lives
...dreadful natural disaster Hurricane Katrina. “Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.” said Sarah Dessen. “This is the pattern of his life: ludicrous dreams followed by hours and says and years of work and then a reality surpassing his wildest hopes and expectations. And so why should this be any different.” (p. 325) Through many ups and down, The Zeitoun family had the power to survive the many conflicts and events that came during and after the sixth strongest hurricanes that had hit the American coastline, Katrina. While reading this novel, I finally understood what home is to me. What those home mean to you?