Tourism and Romanticisation

“Meanwhile, in New Orleans” presents a romanticized view of a popular, mythologised city. While the first stanza highlights some of the unique and less pleasant features of this particular ecosystem, the second stanza takes a more colourful and social look at New Orleans. The phrase “taking tours / of their own cemeteries” (Lines 9-10) in particular alludes to the robust tourism industry in this area, and its reliance on the supernatural. Cemetery tours generate substantial revenue for the city, with many being filled out with exaggerations and embellishments to sell tickets. This poem gently pokes fun at this practice, with the dead attending the tours to hear the way the living have chosen to spin their stories. During this second stanza, the dead delight in visiting tourist spots and living a romanticized version of their lives.

This pristine image of the city is also communicated...