TOW #4- Half of IRB Book: A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge

Josh Neufeld is a longtime artist whose works have been exhibited in museums and art shows in both the United States and Europe. In 2005, after hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, Neufeld published his own zine about his work as an American Red Cross volunteer in Mississippi delivering hot meals to those without power. In the summer of 2006, he embarked on a journey to document the remarkable experiences of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The result was the New York Times bestselling graphic nonfiction book, A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge. Neufeld utilizes his artistic abilities to accurately depict the lives and experiences of real New Orleans residents before and after the storm. He uses sign texts throughout the book to ensure the reader gets a realistic scene of New Orleans. There are certain points throughout the book when specific use of text signs makes a real difference in the readers ability to connect to the story. When Neufeld is introducing all of the characters, he wants the reader to see that these really are average people with normal lives. He shows some of them relaxing with family members wearing jerseys with "Saints" printed across the chest in bold letters showing the pride that so many of them had in their football team, but mostly in their home town. Other people are shown wearing college sweatshirts or in front of their own typical shopping centers, restaurants, or gyms such as "Ten Knuckles Boxing Club". In one way this is extremely useful because it gives the reader something to relate to, ordinary people just like everyone else, and it brings the whole situation into perspective as many of us can picture ourselves in a similar scene. However, he also uses these text signs to compare and further represent the destruction of the storm as later in the book he shows that same boxing club with it's roof in pieces and it's sign torn off. Neufeld introduces these signs in different places strategically to make the reader feel more connected to both the characters and the scene itself. This also appeals to logos as he finds a way to show the reader what to feel, whether it's happy when the characters who love their city find a way to rebuild or sad when what was the most popular restaurant in town ends as a pile of rubble. Neufeld also uses different color schemes which shift depending on the severity of the events. The story begins with a representation of the storm and what it did to New Orleans. He shows several jagged, frightening illustrations of flooded streets, destroyed homes and people in distress all represented in dark, menacing colors. However, once the story jumps to an introduction of each character before the storm hit, the colors are much lighter and more calm. As the book proceeds, the color becomes increasingly dark fitting to the darkness of the situation. When the storm is shown, almost everything is dark grey or black, giving the reader an uneasy, accurate feeling of what hurricane Katrina felt like to a small degree. This ability to change the readers mood toward what they are reading depending on the colors shown is something Neufeld shows throughout the book to help achieve his purpose. It brings the reader closer to the story and helps set the scene. These uses of rhetoric all contribute to Neufeld's success in depicting life for residents of New Orleans who faced the tragic hurricane that swept their worlds away.