Emmanuel Acosta

00205172

Writhing and Rhetoric

Think Piece #2: Junot Díaz "Apocalypse"

Junot Díaz structures his text by dividing it into several numbered chapters. The first point

begins by offering context to what happened in Haiti in 2010: an earthquake of magnitude 7.0

devastated the nation, leaving hundreds of thousands of deaths as a legacy. The author continues

with his chapter point offering more context of the event, this time analyzing the etymological

origin and the different definitions of Apocalypse used today. The chapters structure make it

seem at first glance that the point that Díaz make are unconnected, but the author utilizes the end

of each charter to introduce the next one. This structure allows the author to give context about

Haiti, the Apocalypse and capitalism and that the reader does not feel overwhelmed. Finally, all

this context his used to criticize globalization and it causes greater disparity between developed

and third world countries. Similar to Mona Hanna-Attisha in “I Helped Expose the Lead Crisis in

Flint. Here’s What Other Cities Should Do.” [CITATION Han19 \l 1033 ], Díaz start pointing to the

most obvious problem (in this case the earthquake) just to introduce a more obscure and socially-

related issue.

An Apocalypse, as most people know it, is the end of the world, or at least, the world as we

know it. The popularity of the term is due to the last chapter of the Bible, known as John's

Apocalypse or The Book of Revelations. Another way in which the term is used is to describe a

catastrophic situation, a natural disaster of great magnitude. Although the author refers to both
terms and how they adjust in one way or another to the situation experienced in Haiti, he

emphasizes the third definition: a “disruptive” moment that offers enlightenment, a revelation of

the “true nature” of things.

In the third chapter Díaz explains what was the revelation that the earthquake left behind. The

devastation was not an act of nature or an act of God. It was not inevitable. The author defines

the differences between what is a natural disaster and what is a social disaster. Basically, a

natural disaster is a product of the environment and its causes and consequences have nothing to

do with human action. On the other hand, a social disaster is directly associated with social

actions and power structures that are sometimes “invisible”.

The author quotes Neil Smith, who says that "There´s no such thing as a natural disaster".

Although the statement is a bit exaggerated, Díaz argues how it fits the case of Haiti, from the

days of the colony to the present. He affirms that it was not only the earthquake that destroyed

Haiti, but the capitalist powers that intervened in the country's economy and politics.

Finally, the author throws his conclusion: Although people tend to see Haiti as a place from

another planet, Haiti is our future. Because of economic and social inequality and climate

change, the entire world will end up in the same state of poverty. However, Haiti's social disaster

can still be interpreted as an opportunity to avoid an apocalyptic future.

Ecuador is a country that is constantly affected by earthquakes, however, the damages its cause

are much larger than those caused in countries like Japan. Due to poverty, infrastructure is not

prepared to resist the shake. This is much worse in indigenous areas than in the capital. The

prevalent climate change cause dry and eroded lands that prevent them from harvest, which is

their most important economic activity. The capital is not without problems. The periphery of the
city, where the poorest inhabitants live, is the most affected by volcanic explosions [CITATION

Día1 \l 1033 ].

Bibliography

Díaz, J. (2011, May 1). Boston Review. Retrieved from http://bostonreview.net/junot-diaz-

apocalypse-haiti-earthquake

Hanna-Attisha, M. (2019, August 27). New York Times. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/opinion/lead-water-flint.html#commentsContainer