Post by meganp112 on Dec 4, 2012 20:20:35 GMT -5
After super storm Hurricane Sandy unleashed its destructive wrath on the East Coast, thousands of communities were left severely damaged. After seeing the destruction that the storm left behind, many people banded together in order to restore their communities. Even people who were not directly affected by the storm became involved with hurricane relief. These people had their own reasons for wanting to help the community, but in the long run they were helping themselves by doing so. The reason so many came together to rebuild their communities after the storm can be explained with the Bercovitchian idea of representative selfhood; by helping their communities, people were also helping themselves by regaining a sense of normalcy in their lives, promoting their organizations, and giving themselves the benefit of knowing that they made a difference in society.
Although there were many examples of how people banded together, the way concerned Jersey Shore residents united to help rebuild their once beautiful community and thus helped return their own lives back to normal is a prime example of how representative selfhood was present after the storm. The lives of the full year residents of the Jersey shore, which was severely hurt by the hurricane, were deeply ingrained in the distinct culture of the shore. The storm not only damaged their homes, but it also damaged this culture and their way of life. Suddenly the boardwalk and the beautiful beach they learned to live off of were ruined. Not only did the value of their homes begin to decrease, but their whole way of life was put at a standstill. Thus, in order to save their property values and help restore their beloved community to its former glory, Shore residents came together to fix their community. In order to do so, local food pantries began making as much as five hundred meals a day for the homeless, people helped gut out destroyed homes, neighbors helped each other save the few belongings they had left, and people helped cut up trees that were blocking roadways. By uniting to restore their community, these Jersey shore residents were actually benefiting themselves because their actions allowed them to become one step closer to returning their lives back to normal and restoring their beloved way of life.
Members of organizations, such as those of the Ogemaw Hills Free Methodist Church in Michigan, also demonstrated how people can befit themselves by helping their community because by donating supplies to suffering communities, they were promoting their organization in the long run. The members of this particular church sent a fifty-three foot trailer packed with supplies all the way to New York. Not only were the individual members of this organization giving themselves the joy of knowing that they were making a difference, but they were also promoting their organization by giving it positive press. For example, newspapers such as the Ogemaw Country Herald, wrote articles about the tremendous help the church provided for the hurricane victims and thus promoted their organization. Therefore, organizations also demonstrated representative selfhood after the storm by assisting relief efforts and benefitted themselves as a result.
Hurricane Sandy had tragic consequences for the communities of the East Coast, but because people are banding together to help their communities and themselves, the recovery process is speeding up. It will take years before communities that were hit the hardest by the storm can fully recover. However, thanks to people and organizations demonstrating representative selfhood, the East Coast is well on its way to recovery.
word count:587
Works Consulted:
www.ogemawherald.com/stories/Community-bands-together-to-help-Hurricane-Sandy-victims,95776?category_id=1&town_id=7&sub_t
www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-paradise/a-jersey-shore-thank-you-_b_2216996.html
Although there were many examples of how people banded together, the way concerned Jersey Shore residents united to help rebuild their once beautiful community and thus helped return their own lives back to normal is a prime example of how representative selfhood was present after the storm. The lives of the full year residents of the Jersey shore, which was severely hurt by the hurricane, were deeply ingrained in the distinct culture of the shore. The storm not only damaged their homes, but it also damaged this culture and their way of life. Suddenly the boardwalk and the beautiful beach they learned to live off of were ruined. Not only did the value of their homes begin to decrease, but their whole way of life was put at a standstill. Thus, in order to save their property values and help restore their beloved community to its former glory, Shore residents came together to fix their community. In order to do so, local food pantries began making as much as five hundred meals a day for the homeless, people helped gut out destroyed homes, neighbors helped each other save the few belongings they had left, and people helped cut up trees that were blocking roadways. By uniting to restore their community, these Jersey shore residents were actually benefiting themselves because their actions allowed them to become one step closer to returning their lives back to normal and restoring their beloved way of life.
Members of organizations, such as those of the Ogemaw Hills Free Methodist Church in Michigan, also demonstrated how people can befit themselves by helping their community because by donating supplies to suffering communities, they were promoting their organization in the long run. The members of this particular church sent a fifty-three foot trailer packed with supplies all the way to New York. Not only were the individual members of this organization giving themselves the joy of knowing that they were making a difference, but they were also promoting their organization by giving it positive press. For example, newspapers such as the Ogemaw Country Herald, wrote articles about the tremendous help the church provided for the hurricane victims and thus promoted their organization. Therefore, organizations also demonstrated representative selfhood after the storm by assisting relief efforts and benefitted themselves as a result.
Hurricane Sandy had tragic consequences for the communities of the East Coast, but because people are banding together to help their communities and themselves, the recovery process is speeding up. It will take years before communities that were hit the hardest by the storm can fully recover. However, thanks to people and organizations demonstrating representative selfhood, the East Coast is well on its way to recovery.
word count:587
Works Consulted:
www.ogemawherald.com/stories/Community-bands-together-to-help-Hurricane-Sandy-victims,95776?category_id=1&town_id=7&sub_t
www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-paradise/a-jersey-shore-thank-you-_b_2216996.html