Isaac’s Storm Monograph Analysis

In a well-written and thoughtful essay, answer the following six questions concerning the monograph, Isaac’s Storm, by Erik Larson.

To do well on this essay you must fully answer all of the questions in an essay form. Please do not simply write the question’s number and the answer. Make it an essay.

Important: you must cite specific information in the book that corresponds to your points. A simple parenthesis with a page number is fine for citation, e.g. (175).

Finally, the only material you can reference is the book itself. Please do not use outside sources or summaries. That would do more harm than good since it would be plagiarism. Plagiarism is bad. I have not had too much problem with it so far this semester. Let us not start now.

There is no min or max page limit to this essay, but I think a good essay would probably fall in the range of 3-5 pages. These are large questions, after all.

Please use the standard essay format: double-spaced, 11 or 12pt font, Times New Roman or Arial script (or any other professional script).

Questions to answer:

1. Why did Larson write this book? What was the main point he was trying to get across? Was he effective in convincing you about his point?
2. Besides Mother Nature, of course, who or what do you think was most at fault for the tragedy in Galveston? Was such a large loss of life preventable? How do the ideas of the late Gilded Age and the “certainty” of technology play into the disaster? Give specific examples from the book with citation.
3. Why do you think Larson spent so much time describing the science behind hurricanes and meteorology? Did it help or hinder the book? Why? Explain.
4. Which story or vignette (short account or story) of the hurricane did you find most intriguing, engaging, or perhaps terrifying? Explain what happened with citation. Why did Joseph and Isaac become estranged after the storm? Back this up with details from the book.
5. Besides just being a history of a tragedy, what can be learned from Isaac’s Storm? Is there a lesson or at least a warning in the book?
6. Finally, in a concluding paragraph, briefly write what you thought of the book. Did you like or dislike it? What worked and what did not? Be honest here. I like to get feedback to decide if I will continue to use the book in the future.