ENG 1101: Composing Abstractions

When you have a city with such diversity it is subject to change.  My experience in New York city has told me anything can happen at any time.  There a millions of people in this city all so it’s a pretty busy place at almost any given time.  Mumford stated “a special framework directed toward the creation of differentiated opportunities for a common life and a significant collective drama.” referring to a city similar to New York. This city does offer many opportunities for individuals families and tourists and I believe that’s what a city should be about. Cities are subject to change and new York city has developed through many ups and downs all over.  E. B. White stated “New York blends the gift of privacy with the excitement of participation”. I agree because being in this city not too many people give an impression of happiness. Although this city finds various was to bring people together to participate in activities such as parades and sport events. Not to forget that we are in a city violence tends to occur and everything is perfect. This urban area has large differences with the suburbs around ranging from population and opportunity to the element of surprise and diversity.

Unphotographable Moment #4

This is a picture I did not take of the little boy sitting at the end of the sofa, laughing to his hearts content at the brown, fluffy dog who was standing on his two back legs and hopping.

Unphotographable Moment #5

This is a picture I did not take of the woman in the train station; wearing high heels and running to catch the train; her long, straight hair flying all over the place and and her red, long coat flowing outwards as if she were superwoman.

In sum, a city like New York is a melting pot. Society is slowly becoming more homogeneous as time passes. Unfortunately many people like E.B. White states that New York offers the gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy. This may be true but this is not always the case. Many people leave the country side and small towns to have city commonalties and corporations. Lewis Mumford states in “What is a City?” that good behavior is called urbanites because it found mostly in cities. Cites maintained the love and good will of one man towards another than any other place have. Well this is maintained other things are dissolved and a melting pot is formed Poe gives examples of this in The Man of the Crowd. He observes a group of people and there was nothing distinctive about them. They were undoubtedly noblemen, merchants, attorneys, tradesmen, and est. all together in one group. That is essentially what New York City is a large group of people from deferent backgrounds and social class living in one place in harmony.

This is a picture that i did not take of rat in the subway his fur was wet and grimy his eyes could have pierced  steel the odor was less than pleasant it smelled like rotten garbage. If you listened closely you could hear the sound of each breath he took as he sniffed out his next meal.

This is a picture i did not take of an infant who had been taking out of the sink where he was playing with water. the child screamed with terror as his mother gently removed him from the sink water splashed everywhere the screams were ear cracking if you turned away you would have thought a terrible event have had taken place.

           Mumford’s What is a City, and Man of the Crowd by Poe both exemplify two different interpretations of the city. What is a City describes and portrays life in the citty when the concept was first starting out. It basically portrays how it is not everyones ideal and how chaotic it can be. Man of the Crowd focuses more on the type of people there are and the different streets. Poe defines city life as a place where there are lots of variety. From my experience city life can be a positive or a negative thing. The city isn’t perfect and still has flaws however it is an experience worth having. The city is crowded and often there will be people who are not others might expect there to be. The attractions and landmarks in the city offer a time of amusment and relaxation. The city portrays both negative and positve aspects and are both required to make life in the city what it is.

                                  Unphotographable moment 4

               This is a moment I was unable to photograph. I am on the train when a couple of men enter. They start to perform dances and tricks on the train using the poles and other objects as part of their act. The most amazing part was that they manage to also perform their complicated stunts without bumping into any passenger.

                                Unphotographable moment 5

             This is a moment I was unable to photograph. Playing handball at the park with some friends on a normal sunny day. The usual tourist bus comes down the street as one of the people playing handball hits the ball very hard. The ball bounces off the wall and lands right on the tourist bus and it stays there as the toursits continue on with their tour.

We all know that a change brings positive and negative consequences. According to the article “What Is a City”, the author explains the different aspects that affect a city. He describes what a city is becoming to; a city full of materials things, with a social environment and diversity of objects that people must take to improve their lives and how the people’s reactions are toward these; things that people are using daily and perhaps they cannot ever let these things go away from their side. ; For instant, a person needs to take a train to go to a place or goes to a library to research any important fact through history. It could be hard to believe but this new sophisticate generation is required for people, as the idea mentioned in the article that “today we must treat the social nucleus as the essential element in very valid city plan; the spotting and inter-relationship of schools, libraries, theaters, community centers is the first task in defining the urban neighborhood and laying down the outlines of an integrated city”. In my opinion, a city is becoming to be something more commercial with plenty business than a place to live. In addition to this, we also are part of it, as the article “The Man of the Crowd” describes that people are influenced by the changes that a city presents. Even here in New York, the city that never sleeps. I can say that I considered myself one of the reflections of this city; for example, when I moved here with my family my life changed drastically. I became a busy man because of many factors such as working and studying at the same time in order to pay my bills and to become a better person. It is weird, but time here goes fast and sometimes it brings negative effect to people, but I am trying to do is to manipulate this time and use it the way I want. I really like both articles because they showed me the way of how a city and a society are presenting radical changes and progressing day by day.

In Here is New York, E. B. White describes his feeling towards the New York City and its changes. He recalls several scenes when he first visited New York. When White came back to New York, it was a different experience because things have changed. I can sympathize with White in some cases. It was for pleasure the first time I came to visit New York. When it was decided that I had to move to New York, things started to change because I thought there would not be any difference. The city where I grew up is different from New York City. The smell and taste really make a huge difference. As Mumford describes in “What is a City”, he states “limitations on height are now common in American cities”. In contrast, there is no skyscraper in place I came from. Even though there are some large buildings, they are not comparable to Empire State Building. According to Poe in “The man of the crowd”, London defines what a crowded city is. Poe assures that individuals can feel isolated even they are surrounded by a crowd. There are times when I walk in Manhattan, I feel alone. The lack of friends and family members in New York City drove me into loneliness. In essence, I personally prefer “The man of the crowd”. This work describes me as an individual who lives and feels the isolation in the noisy and crowded New York City.

I’ve read all three passages and I found that that they all speak fondly about the constant changes of New York City and what causes a city to change. I think that as life goes on and technology becomes more advance New York City will be seen as an ideal spot for those advances to expand because its such a lively place. I think what makes New York City a extraordinary place is obviously its enhances in technology and the ability to combine those  improvements with art to bring life. The museums, parks, statues, department stores, and restaurants all draw life to New York City. If these advances never existed I think New York City would have been one of the most platitudinous places in worldwide.