Assignment 1-3 Journal Article Analysis

A Response to Mt. St. Helens
Mt. St. Helens had a history of eruptions in the 19th century. On record, there were at least 6 eruptions recorded within a fifteen-year span. Beginning in late March of 1980, the volcano showed signs of activity again, and then on May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens had a major volcanic eruption (Estes & Shaw, 1985). Although the eruption was over 28 years ago, the response as related to popular culture today would be nearly the same. The article gives a recollection of events after the eruption and then mentions several responses to the aftermath of the disaster. The primary responses came from the news media, the local residents, and the general public. These responses are talked about in terms of people’s searches. This is the key idea to take away from this article. The mass population responded by seeking wealth, control, understanding. significance, life, death, and community (Estes & Shaw, 1985).
The intended audience for the article was general because scientific words were not used. The style of the article made it easy to read and understand. The writers gave interesting examples of the responses and the main ideas were clearly presented. Next, is a short summary of the events after the eruption and then the analysis of the people’s searches in response to the tragic natural phenomenon.
When President Carter asked Dixie Lee Ray, the governor of Washington State, what her state needed her reply was money (Estes & Shaw, 1985). Money would become a very important part of the disaster. For example, in anticipation of the eruption, many roads in the area were closed, but enterprising mapmakers were out on the highways selling maps which showed routes around the roadblocks (Estes & Shaw, 1985). This was only the beginning of ways money would be made on this disaster. The tourists, as well as, the locals in the town of Toutle cared very little about safety. This event took sixty-three human beings, uncountable wildlife, and destroyed huge forests, businesses and homes (Estes & Shaw, 1985).
Revenue was brought into the area in many ways. Photographers took before pictures and after the eruption, they took pictures and then sold postcard sets of these pictures in every store around. A painter used the ash in her paint and then taught classes advertised as “How to Paint with Volcanic Ash” (Estes & Shaw, 1985). Potters, sculptors, and glassmakers got in on it, too by using ash in their products. Items having to do with the mountain were sold as cups, frisbees, backpacks, buttons, caps, hats, pennants, newspaper special editions, and commemorative coins in souvenir shops. Protective items such as face masks and body coverings became popular in stores. New names were given to existing products in restaurants like “Volcano Burgers” and “Inferno Dogs” (Estes & Shaw, 1985).
A human interest story began when Harry Truman, a local man in his 80’s, refused to evacuate the mountain. When the media talked about Mt. St. Helens, they talked about him, too. In the short time before the major eruption, he became a hero because he stood up to authority and to nature. He appeared in Newsweek and Time. When the mountain blew, Harry Truman was killed. The attention he received didn’t stop. He became the subject of a Hollywood movie, a book, songs, poems, and many magazine articles. He became a true hero.
The first of the seven responses to this disaster experience is the search for wealth. It is defined as the idea of making money in any possible way. Many people who lost their businesses were easily able to start a souvenir shop. Others were able to capitalize on additional income to their existing jobs by using a variety of money-making ideas related to the eruption.
The second response is the search for control which was displayed by Harry Truman. He controlled everything about his life he possibly could including nature, death, government, science, and the media. A natural disaster takes control away from the public. The public used Harry to gain some control back through him.
The search for understanding is the third response. We look for logic even in unusual or bizarre situations. This led the population to intensely follow the news and to look for an explanation and an education. We wanted to learn more about volcanoes. Educators who could provide information on volcanoes became heroes.
The fourth response is a search for significance. The local residents who previously were unknown were now the center of attention. By purchasing souvenirs the population would feel part of the event and therefore important.
The next two responses are related. Life was celebrated by purchasing a T-shirt or bumper sticker which said “I Survived Mt. St. Helens.” People enjoyed jokes about the situation and used ash-filled artifacts as good luck charms. Ash has been a symbol of death for many years like the words at a burial “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” (Estes & Shaw, 1985). When people purchased the ash, it reminded them of their mortality.
The last response seems to be the most important. The search for community brings people together. Individuals had something in common by being involved in the eruption one way or another. They have a need to be involved in the events around them and enjoyed the time it provided to be with others.
The responses to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 would probably be the same responses to a natural disaster in 2008. We would see the mass population seek to profit from the situation, look for control, look for understanding, and to determine their individual importance. They would search for meaning in life and death as it pertains to them and the need to establish a sense of community around them. By studying the response from an event in the past, it can help us plan the best way to handle a similar, unavoidable situation if faced with it today.


References
Estes, J. & Shaw, D. (1985). Popular Culture and Mt. St. Helens: A Study of a Response. The Journal of Popular Culture, 18(4), 135-143.