How to Survive the Snake Revised Essay #5

In Alabama, and in many other areas of the United States, the presence of a snake causes fear in the minds of those who come in contact with him. A look back into our history reveals that the snake was the evil creature that beguiled Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As we read in Genesis, the snake was sentenced to crawl on his belly because of the evil way he influenced Adam and Eve. Whether it be a real snake crawling on the ground that you can see, or a demon that you hear about in church that you can not see, Bible Belt Alabamians fear this evil serpent. This paper will deal only with the snakes you can see.

Snakes show up everywhere in Alabama. They can be lurking in your shrubbery, in your barn, on your walking path, around your pond, in your canoe, in trees, and even in your house! I remember a story about a shopper in a fabric store. She was plundering through a deep box of fabric (sold by the pound) and was bitten by a rattlesnake hiding in the bottom of the box. To make matters worse, it is a common belief that when you see one snake you know others are close by. It is the accepted way of life in Alabama to kill any poisonous snake you see. You can shoot him, mow over him, run over him with your car, cut his head off with a hoe, or throw rocks at him. ( These methods of death are the most common in Alabama). The tactics you use depend on the time and place you see the snake. I recommend all of them.

On a hot summer’s day, two of my friends and I headed out to beautiful Lake Martin for some fun and sun. The day haunts me still. Little did I know that a serpent would be waiting to join our picnic. As we eagerly unpacked our car, the crystal blue water beckoned us to jump in. Lunchtime came, and we decided to lounge on the shoreline with our feet in the water, while we enjoyed a variety of sandwiches, chips, ice tea and coke. As I eagerly ate my meal, I felt a vibrating sensation under my “booty”. Little did I know that “johnny no-shoulder” was waiting to crawl from under the rock I was comfortably resting on. As quickly as the blink of an eye, a large cottonmouth moccasin slithered by my leg that was dangling in the water. It felt like a hosepipe touching my leg. My eyes caught sight of this venomous monster, and I screamed loud enough to awaken my dead ancestors that fought in the Civil War. Mr. Cottonmouth turned and looked me square in the eye. It was as if he wanted me to know that I had escaped a deadly bite only because he chose to allow me to live another day. As this monster gave me one last look, I can still imagine the frenzy that my friends and I would have been in when trying to save my life from a monster already carrying out the sentence of God’s wrath. Why did I survive? A divine intervention from a higher being could have delivered me from the sting of the viper’s fangs, or maybe it was just luck.

That was the day I realized that I must know how to survive the bite of a poisonous serpent if I were an unfortunate victim. As I studied the ways to react, I came to the following conclusions on how to survive the bite of a snake. First, always respect the creature that God has cast a spell on. If you are respectful and still get bitten by the viper, you should remain calm and get yourself to the nearest medical treatment facility. Remaining calm is easy to say, but hard to do. As your heartbeat races, the poison of the viper will travel throughout your body at a very fast pace. The calmer you are the better your chances of survival. Haste in getting to the Doctor is most important. Don’t wait, go immediately. The trip will be much easier if you have someone to drive you there. To prevent a snake bite death, do not go camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or any other outdoor activity during the warm months when the snake is still active, unless you have a partner that can give adequate care to you in case of an emergency. The snake is a cold-blooded creature that will hibernate when the temperature drops below the point where he can survive. This will allow you to participate in outdoor activities in the winter months in Alabama and not be afraid of encounters with Mr. Snake. When you arrive at the medical center after being bitten by a snake you will need to be able to identify the type of snake that bit you. It is of utmost importance that everyone becomes familiar with the snakes of the area. There are several snakes found in Alabama that posses hemo-toxic poison. This poison will attack your blood cells and could result in death if not treated. Snakes that posses hemo-toxic poison in Alabama are rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins ( a form of cottonmouth). One should also be able to identify the coral snake. The coral snake venom will break down and paralyze your nervous system. A rule of thumb to remember in identifying this small, but deadly snake is “red touching yellow will kill a fellow”. This refers to the markings on a coral snake.

Look up the snakes just mentioned and study their coloring and markings. You will need to be able to inform the Doctor of the type of snake that bit you. Guess work can lead to death. When you arrive at the hospital or medical center, you can be given anti-venom that will kill the poison of the snake bite . This anti- venom has been grown within the blood of horses, and it can bring on allergic reactions, but hopefully not.

Where the snake bites you also makes a difference. If an artery is pierced by the snake’s fangs death is a strong possibility even if you get medical treatment. Other things not to do include: never cut your body in an effort to drain the poison, never place restricting bands or tourniquets above the wound, never drink alcohol, never put ice on the bite, and again, never panic.
In order to survive the bite of a snake you should follow the steps presented in this paper. Be prepared, and you can survive----to fear the reckless and ruthless guile of the serpent as he waits to destroy your world.