When the Levees broke rhetorical analysis
Max Massimo
Professor Gwaltney
English 1102
18 March 2014
When the Levees Broke Rhetorical Analysis On August 25th at six thirty P.M, one of the most devastating natural disasters the U.S had ever seen touched ground in Florida. Hurricane Katrina was a category five hurricane that had made its way to New Orleans by August 29th. This storm was so destructive that not only did it leave a mark in the gulf coast, but it put the whole country into complete turmoil. Spike Lee was one of the first people to try to start a movement and show the country what really happened during this brutal storm. In the film When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee does a fantastic job at using the people of New Orleans to back up his argument that the United States government did not do an effective job at protecting its people during such harsh times. Lee’s background has a tremendous influence towards how he constructed this film. Spike Lee’s film When the Levees Broke sends a very strong message out to his audience and does a great job at stirring up the argument of whether or not the government could have done a more efficient job at taking care of the city of New Orleans. Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20th, 1957, but was raised in Brooklyn, New York where he developed his roots with the New York Knicks. Lee’s father was a jazz musician, his mother a teacher of arts and literature, so therefore music and art were important in his household. While growing up in New York, he felt that sports were his passion and that he wanted to direct his career in sports. Lee felt that his best option would be to try to become a major league baseball player. Eventually, Lee came to the realization that it was better off to attend college. In the mid 70’s, Lee attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. While in school, Lee began to focus his attention towards film and eventually released his first piece. In 1977, Lee unveiled Last Hustle in Brooklyn. From then on, Lee began to
Professor Gwaltney
English 1102
18 March 2014
When the Levees Broke Rhetorical Analysis On August 25th at six thirty P.M, one of the most devastating natural disasters the U.S had ever seen touched ground in Florida. Hurricane Katrina was a category five hurricane that had made its way to New Orleans by August 29th. This storm was so destructive that not only did it leave a mark in the gulf coast, but it put the whole country into complete turmoil. Spike Lee was one of the first people to try to start a movement and show the country what really happened during this brutal storm. In the film When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee does a fantastic job at using the people of New Orleans to back up his argument that the United States government did not do an effective job at protecting its people during such harsh times. Lee’s background has a tremendous influence towards how he constructed this film. Spike Lee’s film When the Levees Broke sends a very strong message out to his audience and does a great job at stirring up the argument of whether or not the government could have done a more efficient job at taking care of the city of New Orleans. Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20th, 1957, but was raised in Brooklyn, New York where he developed his roots with the New York Knicks. Lee’s father was a jazz musician, his mother a teacher of arts and literature, so therefore music and art were important in his household. While growing up in New York, he felt that sports were his passion and that he wanted to direct his career in sports. Lee felt that his best option would be to try to become a major league baseball player. Eventually, Lee came to the realization that it was better off to attend college. In the mid 70’s, Lee attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. While in school, Lee began to focus his attention towards film and eventually released his first piece. In 1977, Lee unveiled Last Hustle in Brooklyn. From then on, Lee began to
Cited: Lee, Spike, dir. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in four acts. HBO Documentary Films, 2006. Film Nicholson , Peter. "Hurricane Katrina: Why Did the Levees Fail?." American Society of Civil Engineers 2005: Web. 15 Mar. 2014. Schneider, Saundra. "Administrative Breakdowns in the Governmental Response to Hurricane Katrina." MSU.edu. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.