The Idea of Disaster

The idea of disaster

Throughout the history of our land there has been disaster after disaster, not to say they are consecutive but each equally upsetting. Many emotions that come with disaster do not leave the heart or soul abruptly; they linger, until something else occurs. Many experience loss even when it is not personal, then again some feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility. When a National disaster occurs everything is taken into account; others feelings, losses, position, efforts, and the question of whether or not death was heroic or coincidence. These characteristics are displayed in “ Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven,” by Paul Spreadbury. While disaster has many other forms “Auto Wreck,” by Karl Shapiro speaks from the other side; witnessing a disaster. Even though these two poems have no relation to one another event wise, they both speak in fascinating ways on the aftermath and reaction one endures; while faced with disaster.

The authors Paul Spreadbury and Karl Shapiro both used very different writing techniques while at the same time capturing the imagery needed to feel as though you were there in the scene. In Shapiro’s poem he directly contrasts everything he says while leaving a very visual impact and understanding. In the first stanza he states “ It’s quick soft silver bell beating, beating, and down the

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dark one ruby flare pulsing out red light like an artery.(Shapiro 1-3) His description of the ambulance approaching from a distance was soft in it’s beginning when suddenly it really appeals to your danger senses with the analogy of the light pulsing similar to an artery. In a similar way Spreadbury appealed to the senses of fear and concern by stating “ Then, before them all appeared a s...

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...hat there are some things and occurrences that you are never going to be able to understand.

For death in war is done by hands;

Suicide has cause and stillbirth, logic;

And cancer, simple as a flower, blooms.

But this invites the occult mind(33-36)

They both convey very different writing technique's and approaches to the readers senses, and hold different weight as for as optimism and pessimism. Although there are visible differences in the perspective of each author, they both closely related to disaster; and the feelings and reaction that come along with it.

Works Cited

preadbury, Paul. "Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven." The USGenWeb Census Project®. Web. 08 May 2011. .

Shapiro, Karl. "Car Wreck" Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan et al. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2010. 3-7.

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