North Carolina State University

ENG 105

Comparative Rhetorical Analysis Hurricane Katrina was a naturally occurring disaster that affected several communities and negatively impacted the environment. This hurricane was a category five which made landfall in Louisiana and Florida in August 2005 and affected all areas nearby. With high wind speeds of up to 174 mph and severe flooding, 1,200 people lost their lives and caused damages that cost up to $100 billion. The effects of hurricane Katrina is still one that is remembered by many even today after several years. In this essay, I will be comparing two articles that both about the same hurricane that occurred in 2005, but with different focuses. These differing focuses are the results of different disciplines which require different formatting and audience intended to appeal to. In “Distribution of toxic trace elements in soil/sediment in post-Katrina New Orleans and the Louisiana Delta” by Tingzhi Su et. al. and “Environmental justice, local knowledge, and after-disaster planning in New Orleans” written by Barbara L. Allen, these two articles discussed how hurricane Katrina impacted the areas through a different perspective. While Allen’s article, “Environmental justice, local knowledge, and after-disaster planning in New Orleans”, focuses on the social impact from the hurricane, Su et. al.’s article, “Distribution of toxic trace elements in soil/sediment in post-Katrina New Orleans and the Louisiana Delta” is mostly about the environmental impacts. These articles have different objectives in their writing about Hurricane Katrina which cater to different audiences. Through the use of strategic diction, relevant statistics, discussions, differing appeals, and repetition, Allen was able to utilize