In Response To "Hurricane Song" by Paul Volponi

We must remember the people in the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina because of what they had to live through. Under those conditions, it’s surprising that anybody trapped in there even got out alive or healthy enough to survive. We must remember the sacrifices they made, such as the loss of food and water in their bodies, making them extremely tired, weak, and vulnerable to the smallest dangers. By telling the story in the point of view of Miles, the protagonist, Paul Volponi shows feelings of loneliness and helplessness. Volponi uses Miles as a way to show how bad it really was in the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina, but also as a way to show how it made the nation and its people stronger. Throughout the story, Miles and his father’s relationship grows stronger as well, all because of the hardships he and his father went through as they spent their days wasting away in the trashed football stadium, waiting for the one day when they would grow free from the storm’s curse.

When Miles describes the way his family and many others had to live like for those many days that they were stuck inside the Superdome, he reveals the fact that they had been living like animals. With urine on the floor and robberies and rapes occurring everywhere you turn, Miles’ thoughts about what was going on showed just how much worse the situation became than everyone thought it would be. In the beginning of “Hurricane Song”, Miles and his father had no doubt that the storm would be over within a day, and they’d all get to go home to their secured houses untouched by any storm. But once they realized that there probably was no more home to go to, their relationship grew stronger, bringing them closer than they ever thought they’d be. When Miles and Pop discover their home to be destroyed, along with Pharaohs, the jazz-filled restaurant where Miles waited tables and Pop played his music, their bond grows stronger. This is because they had something to miss together, meaning that they understood each other’s pain.

The process that Miles and Pop had to take in order to gain a special father-son bond showed me that I should be more appreciative of the love, wealth, and support I get from my own parents in my own life. It made me think about some of the parents in the world, and how they abuse their children or don’t pay any attention to them or act like having kids was a mistake they can never fix. Miles had thought that his own father loved music more than his own son, and that he didn’t approve of Miles’ love for football. Because of this, they grew even further apart, just assuming that neither one of them loved the other like family. This made me think about just how lucky I am to be able to know that my parents accept me for who I am and to know that they love me more than life itself. That’s a feeling not a lot of kids get from their families, like with Miles, and the kids who do get to have that privilege should take notice that they have it.