Jay Barnes in his book, Florida’s Hurricane History, provides a vivid description of the history of hurricanes in Florida. Barnes goes deep, providing more details on the hurricanes of Florida by describing other aspects such as the meteorology of the hurricanes and the traditional naming of the hurricanes. In the book, Barnes mentions about a hundred hurricanes that have occurred in Florida over the last four centuries. The history goes deep into the colonial times where hurricanes made it quite difficult for the Spanish, French and even the British colonialists to properly grasp and conquer Florida. According to the author, Florida has seen and had more hurricanes than any other place in the whole of the United States. The author uses news reports, maps, and historical pictures, reported and directs speeches from to provide more clarity and evidence on the subject. The author also provides various government studies which were aimed at tracking and dealing hurricane disasters. Through the book, people are made aware of the history of hurricanes, the disasters they bring to people and property as well as the threats they pose in the future. This essay aims to analyze the book, Florida’s Hurricane History, by Jay Barnes, by looking at the methodology and the intent of the author.
Barnes puts together the history of hurricanes in Florida by describing in details about one hundred hurricanes which have occurred for the past four years. No other region, according to the book, has had quite as many hurricanes as Florida. Some of the hurricanes which have occurred in the past few years include the likes of Charles, Denis, Frances, Wilma, Katrina, and Ivan among many others. The author supports his knowledge of the various hurricanes which he mentions in the book using various pieces of evidence. All the hurricanes mentioned actually took place in the period noted by the author. As a book of American History, various occupants of the region at different times are also mentioned in the book. The Spanish colonialists and the British, for instance, faced quite a lot of challenges while trying to conquer the area. Hurricanes swept many settlements around the area of Florida during such times, making it quite difficult to stay in the region ( Barnes, 2007) .
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The work of Barnes in his book is quite approvable as it shows that a lot of research was carried out prior to the writing of the book. Barnes brings forth some of the studies that have been carried out by the United States government over the years in trying to track the hurricanes. The hurricanes have destroyed a lot of properties and ended many lives. The U.S. government has always tried to be ahead by tracking the occurrences of the hurricanes and getting prepared in order to minimize or avoid too much destruction of property and lives.
The author shows a lot of proof and evidence in his work through the use of news reports, maps, historical photos, quotes in the first person account, and historical articles. The author has used all these to provide more clarity and proof in his work. News reports on some of the past hurricane disasters have been used in the book to let readers know more about those particular hurricanes. Maps are available all over the book, showing places where hurricanes have taken place over the years. Historical photos have been provided in the book, showing the destruction of property in the area at different times as a result of various hurricanes. The historical photos have dates on them, thereby indicating the specific time in history when those hurricanes actually took place. The author also draws information from several articles which wrote about specific hurricanes in the past years. Meteorological research, technology, and evidence has also been used and presented in the book to help study and the occurrence of the hurricanes over the years.
The author uses a descriptive approach in his writing while trying to put up details in a chronological manner. Every detail is brought out in a proper descriptive manner which is quite understandable to the reader. The story goes deep into the colonial period and rises slowly to the later years. The occurrences of the hurricanes are brought out in a chronology giving the reader a proper account of each occurrence ( Barnes, 2007) . He also applies other styles of writing such as the use of direct speeches. Reported and direct quotes are evident in the book, whereby various people including witnesses and survivors try to give out their account of some of the hurricanes which had occurred. While the book largely talks about the history of Florida and its hurricanes, the writer also tries to make his audience aware of the future threats of hurricanes in Florida. More properties may be destroyed if some proper strategies are not put in place. The writer warns about the future by providing descriptive details of the past hurricane disasters in Florida.
Florida's Hurricane History is a great book, whose details are well supported by various sources and pieces of evidence. Barnes in the book provides a descriptive history of hurricane disasters which have taken place in Florida over the past four centuries. The author supports his writing through the use of historical pictures, news reports, and maps among other sources. The book describes in a chronological manner the occurrences of about one hundred hurricanes which have occurred since the colonial period. Sufficient meteorological information about the hurricanes of Florida is also available in the book to provide more insight into the subject.
References
Barnes, J. (2007). Florida's hurricane history . UNC Press Books.
