Blood Dazzler Response

The biggest difference between Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith and the works we've read so far is that it contains a clear narrative following the hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans in 2005. The narrative style of the book and its concrete subject matter made it much easier to read. A timeline of events is formed, from Katrina's forming, evacuation, land fall, and aftermath of the disaster.

A majority of the poems in Blood Dazzler are written from the perspective of those involved, particularly the victims. The hardships of the survivors and the dead are written in stark detail leaving little to the imagination. Authority figures play a smaller part, showcasing mainly the apathy the government (and the president himself) seemed to have toward the disaster. The most interesting of the "characters" showcased was hurricane Katrina herself. I say herself due to Smith's anthropomorphizing of the hurricane into a very alive, very cruel woman.

Blood Dazzler is very dark and unforgiving in its subject matter, dealing with very disturbing truths of hurricane Katrina. Rape is mentioned several times, more so I believe then general violence. Victims left to die, particularly the 34 residents of St. Rita's Nursing Home and Ethel Freeman who died waiting for rescue. And again, there is a stark reminder of government apathy in the poem What To Tweak which features an email correspondence between a FEMA employee and Michael Brown, head of the agency. Brown's response of "thanks for the update" in reply to a very grim assessment of the situation paints a clear picture of how little anyone cared for the victims left in New Orleans.