Deep’n as It Come

Deep’n As it Come

Pete Daniel takes his readers into the world of the 1927 Mississippi River flood. In his book, Deep’n as it Come, he relies heavily on first hand accounts. By doing this he gives the reader a new point of view and a deeper understanding. The readers not only hear about the events but see how the people dealt with this tragedy. Most authors rely on secondary sources and paint a picture of the world through second hand glasses with a small glimpse of the reality with a sprinkling a primary sources. Daniel challenges this way of writing. Through his book he shows the damage through camera lenses, from newspapers clips and spells out the heartbreak by the words of the survivors. Daniel’s Deep’n As it Come, contributes more to the understanding of the horrible events of 1927 than typical history books, he does this through primary sources, photographs, and recounts of the broader impact of the flood.

First, we will examine his over reliance on primary sources. Daniel used primary sources as a medium to emphasize the hardships, the joys, and the overall drastic change of life the people in the Mississippi River area faced. By using first hand accounts he is able to paint not only a historical picture of the events but demonstrate the social and emotional challenges faced by these people. For example, the recount of the events effecting Myrtle Turner Staples. She was a young teenager during the flood and remembers carrying a camera with her everywhere. She states, “When I think back over those days I think of the risks we took as we walked barefooted in this high water to the Shadows on the Teche and the ride down the Bayou . . . I suppose all we could think of was fun.”# Not every one saw the flood as an adventure.

In his first several chapters Daniel’s main source of information came from first hand experiences. Although this adds to a deeper understanding of how the people were effected, his book was written several decades after the fact. People’s memories are tainted by time. In one recount he spoke to Tucker Couvillon in 1975. Mr. Couvillon tells a story about when he ventured out into the flood waters nearly 50 years prior.# Daniel gives no testament to Mr. Couvillon mental status. 50 years is a long time and the mind is given to over dramatization and a certain nostalgic feeling. Aside from journals and newspaper articles, the majority of personal accounts Daniel interviewed. With such a large time gap some of the creditability is lost.

One of the greatest strengths of Daniel’s work is the use of photographs. All the personal recollection is meaningless without some visual connection. With almost all the personal recounts Daniel places an image to connect. This adds a great deal