Daily Archives: October 29, 2013

“Reading Lucy” by Jennifer Egan

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This essay is about a girl named Egan who talks about her friendship with a friend named Lucy in the beginning of the text. But after actually reading the whole passage we find out that it was not a actual friendship they had it was just a experience told by Egan which looked so real. Egan was doing a research near the navy yard in Brooklyn where she found out about Lucy. Lucy used to work at the same place for almost 2 years. Egan somehow got interested in knowing more about Lucy where she decides to read her to do lists, letter etc. Lucy had an affair Alfred where both of them loved each other. Unfortunately they could not see each other because they both worked at different locations. Brooklyn Historical society actually had copies of the letter which were exchanged between the two lovers. Egan got so into knowing about Lucy that she chose learning about Lucy over her research. Even though she did not get a chance to meet Lucy she felt like she was with her in the 1944. She also tried to find Lucy’s relatives so that she gets to know her better. In conclusion, this shows how someone can get attracted or attached to a person just by reading some true words which comes directly from the heart.

“Reading Lucy” by Jennifer Egan

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Jennifer Egan’s essay, “Reading Lucy” from the collection Brooklyn Was Mine conveys Egan’s relationship to Lucy Kolkin and how it develops throughout letters written by Lucy to her husband Alfred Kolkin. At the begging of the essay Egan talks about two month friendship she had with Lucy Kolking until Lucy decided to move to California. Later on in the essay we understand that by that she meant that she spent two months reading Lucys letters to her husband that joined the navy on 1944. This relationship developed because Egan was doing research on a novel  she was writing about which was about a woman who worked in Navy Yard during World War II and she came up with Lucy who also worked at the navy yard for almost two years. To help her research  she decided to read the lecture notes lucy had when she took shipfitting school. While she examine the notes she noticed lucy did to-do lists just the way she did so it intrigued her to know more about this woman. Therefore, she decided to go to BHS to read the letters BHS had archived from her when she used to write to her husband. Jennifer Egan spend 2 months reading this letters and she got so into lucys life that she felt she was there a with lucy back in 1944.  Even if she didn’t get the chance to meet Lucy it was like if she already knew her by the emotion lucy put in those letters to her husband. At the beginning when she said she got to know lucy until she moved to California she meant that that was the last time she got to read lucys letters because lucy went to live to California to be with her husband, so obviously the letters stop at that point.

Reading Lucy

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This text is about the author’s relationship to a woman named Lucille Kolkin. It analyzes their relationship and what each of then got out of it. The author decides to learn about history to a primary source. She befriends a woman who lived and was part of the time period and topic she is researchig. Jennifer Egan decides to physically learn about history. She learns through letters and stories told and written by Lucille herself. At first, the authors relationship to Lucille is strictly about her finding things out for her book, she Is reading her memoirs to learn more about her topic. The relationship changes after he discovers that Lucille passed away, she begins to actually realize that she was a good human being. The more and more she reads, the more she is interested on Lucilles life and the less she is interested in her topic about the navy yard. After she reads all the letters, you see how much that time meant to her, it was a form for using her time an learning more about history and discovering the life of this woman whome she finds particularly interesting. She begins trying to find living relatives to discuss her life more thoroughly, trying to find something that’ll keep her connected to Lucille in some way. In the end, she realizes it is time to let go if this wonderful journey she has had with letters that made her feel as if her and Lucille where physically connected.

“Reading Lucy” by Jennifer Egan

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“Reading Lucy” by Jennifer Egan

how does the essay represent Egan’s story of how she learned about history?

From the start of the essay we believe that Lucy is a co-worker or co-researcher in the time about the essay is written. However, as we progress further we see more and more to disprove this.
Now this was mostly due to the fact that I did not see when the essay was written, somehow i avoided the entire left side of the first page. So for the first few pages I was under the impression that they both lived at the same time. However, that was the point of the essay, to show an overlap of the past and present. There are many differences in the modern world than in 1944 but there are also similarity. Both had families and careers that they pursued. The resided in similar areas and the streets were the same. Both were very outgoing and outspoken. However, the greatest difference was time. The history that the writer learned is not the kind that you will find in a text book. But a select kind that can only be seen from the eyes of those that were there, in their personal memoirs and letters to people that they share a bond with. The writer seemed to be in a trance whenever reading Lucy`s letters, the writer would be transported back to those early years of 1944. But the magic of the letters faded away when the writer looked up Lucy and realized her life would come to an end. It dispelled the entirety of the letters that were filled with life, joy and laughter. The lesson is clear, do not skip to the end of any good story.

“Reading Lucy” by Jennifer Egan

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Jennifer Egan develops a strong relationship with Lucy. One day she was doing research at the Brooklyn Historical Society on the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II and she met a lady name Lucy. Lucy worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a mechanic in the ship fitting shop. Jennifer decided to do research on Lucy since she worked at the place she is researching about. Lucy married a man name Alfred Kolkin and they both worked in the Navy Yard but at different locations. They would write letters everyday to each other and the Brooklyn Historical Society had copies of it .So Egan requested to get them and she got them and she began reading them. That’s how her relationship started with Lucy. Reading her letters made Egan understand Lucy better and how much she and Alfred loved each other. As reading through her letters Egan learns that Lucy dies and then Egan looks up information on Lucy’s obituary. At the end she reads one of Alfred’s letter and he had a lot of plans for Lucy when they would see each other and was full of excitement and joy.

Project #2 – Brooklyn Bridge

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My location for Project #2 is the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the place I chose because it is a place in Brooklyn that you should absolutely see and visit if you haven’t already. The Brooklyn bridge sees a lot of activity during all times of the day, and is also one of the biggest structures in all of the five boroughs. To get to the Brooklyn bridge from City Tech you have to head north on jay street toward Tilary street, then you take a left  on Tilary street and walk down that block until you hit the Brooklyn Bridge.

I noticed a lot of different things while I was walking there like a park in which lots of kids where playing basket ball. I also noticed a merging of old in new in the area like new buildings mixed with old town houses and it really drove home the fact that Brooklyn to me is both old and new. The mixing of old and new houses really gives the area around the Brooklyn bridge and even the Brooklyn Bridge itself a good juxtaposition. The bridge and cars are juxtaposed in the fact the bridge being so old and the cars being so new and more technologically advanced, it just makes the contrast between the two things stand out a considerable amount. Another juxtaposition in the area is the bridge itself compared to the surrounding houses, stores, and parks.

There are brand new condos by the Brooklyn bridge and they really stand out next to the Brooklyn bridge. Some of the businesses around the Brooklyn bridge as well are juxtaposed because one of the stores around the Brooklyn bridge was a Radio Shack and that store sells technology that would have never been around in the time the Brooklyn bridge was built, like cell phones, and computers. There are also a lot of instances in which the surroundings of the Brooklyn bridge can’t be juxtaposed like a lot of the buildings are still very old but they’re trying to modernize the area more. When I visited the Brooklyn bridge and the surrounding areas there were a couple of quotes from our readings that really stood out to me. The first was From a reading we did in class called A Literary Visitor Strolls in from the Airport by: Charles McGrath and he says “Maybe we’ll feel better when we get to the Brooklyn bridge.” and its true I did feel a lot better walking around and then finally getting to the Brooklyn bridge and looking at just how cool it really is up close. Overall I really enjoyed doing this project as it made me see Brooklyn in a way I would have never seen in the first place.

Project #2 Brooklyn Bridge Park

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My location for Project #2 is the Brooklyn Bridge Park. I chose this as my subject because it is somewhere that you should visit while in Brooklyn. It has a lot of activity and also provides a great deal of culture in Brooklyn. To get to this vibrant location, I took a left onto Jay St. upon exiting Namm Hall. After getting to the end of the block that our college is located on, I ran into Tillary St. While waiting for the crosswalk light to change, I noticed a park caddy corner from where I was standing. This park seemed to always be in use. Whether it was one person doing pull-ups on the monkey bars or a group of 15 kids playing a game of basketball all at once.This makes sense considering all the academic locations nearby. Intermediate and college alike. As I continued further, I passed many more college campus locations. Some for City Tech. There was a church on my right that always seems to be filled with light, literally and figuratively. This seems hard to find nowadays. Maybe it’s because I am not around at the right times, but this church seemed to be very lively with loud choir music; clapping; and honestly, pure joy. I am not the most religious person, but this is something that could sway me to be a born-again christian.

As I trudge along a street that now seems to be dying down a little considering that is where the bridge lets out and there isn’t much room for industrialization of any kind; I think to myself how twisted and tangled the roads are because of all the outlets, entries, and one-ways. Thinking historically, I would say that this very same area at one point had probably just one road that was two-ways and one entrance/exit to the bridge. This is speculation of course. When i finally get past this mess of intersections and lack of cross-walks I am happy to have survived. This makes the rest of my trip that much more fulfilling. I had just gone under the Brooklyn Bridge, but there seems to be another overpass just before the York St. subway station. It looks ordinary looking directly at it but as you pass through, on either side it says “Yes.” Very artistically written and it seems to be a juxtaposition of emotions, because one side is very colorful and full of life, while the other is  plain and black and white. Still they relay the same text, maybe just different messages. This reminds me of a quote from “Fort Greene Dreams”, by Nelson George that reads, “The New York Times was among the many publications that profiled the area, making Fort Greene synonymous with a “Brooklyn Boheme” vibe.” When i see art like this in the most unlikely places, it makes me remember how artistic Brooklyn is. Even though many can take it for granted, it is still noticed by even the most prestigious of magazines.

I take this thought with me as i continue down Jay St. Once I pass through York, I notice a huge contrast between the street itself and the store fronts. This is a perfect example of a juxtaposition. Everything lining the street seems to be brand new. From the grocery store to  the high-rise apartments. The street itself though, is very old. Laid with brick and very unsteady, even to walk on, it still has the old railroad tracks embedded. I am especially aware of this fact because I do deliveries in my car through that area and I can almost feel the shocks in my car giving out due to the turbulence. Eventually, I reach the water and cannot continue further. I decide to go left knowing that to the right is project housing and the Brooklyn Navy Yard which I am already familiar with. When I make that left onto John St., there are big warehouses and what looks to be empty spaces even though that is hard to believe considering the popularity of the area. I happen to know that a lot of the seemingly unoccupied buildings have some office space or even large apartments because I deliver pizza to them. This is quite the juxtaposition. As I walk past a large glass enclosure with a brand new carousel inside, I can see the park on the horizon. It is very beautiful. Green and bright with a playground for children and usually many activities and fundraisers going on. In my eyes, this is the ultimate juxtaposition because of all the brand new landmarks being over-shadowed by arguably the most historical monument in Brooklyn.

In the essay “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, he says, “Go back to your old hauntings in your old neighborhoods and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared.” Looking up at the bridge from the stand-point of the park, I wonder if a man who had grown up in the area and returned many years later would recognize the space the park takes up. He may say to himself that nothing looks the same and it is a brand new landscape from the one he remembers from his childhood. He may even look across the water and think that the New York City skyline looks very different, but all he has to do to see a familiar site is to look up. The Brooklyn Bridge hasn’t changed for well over 100 years. Because of its historical value, it will most likely stay the same for as long as it is stable and usable. Even if they do have to repair or re-do the bridge, I believe that they will keep the same look and style because, to me, it is the face of Brooklyn.

Summary – 10/28/13

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Since it was a double session for both classes, we observed other students give presentation including myself. We learned about many places and their historical background. After everyone finished giving their presentation. We were informed about how important it is to register for you classes for the spring semester. Professor David explained of the importance to plan ahead, to think of what classes you are required to take, and what classes not to. He explain we should review the classes we want with our advisor. After that announcement, we were told, the students that went up today for presentation should go check on Openlab to check out their video of how they did in their presentation and to afterwards fill out their informative speech self evaluation. The students who didn’t bring those sheets in weren’t going to receive back their grade for their presentation. We were also told by Professor Rosen to make sure we answer one of the 3 question she wrote and to answer in a summary. We have to read “Reading Lucy”, at the end Professor Davis said, it would be a “good idea” to start reading chapter 9.

Ready Lucy

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Brooklyn is home to thousands of people and through out the ages, people have been coming and going. But, no one knows how people interacted. Today, we have the latest technology and we can send a message to someone on the other side of the planet, and they will receive within seconds. Back then, it was all about writing letters.  Ready Lucy, by Jennifer Egan, is an excerpt from her book “ Brooklyn was Mine”,  and in this excerpt, Egan recounts the time she was doing research for her new novel. One day, while doing her research, she meets a woman by the name of Lucy and to her luck, Lucy use to work in the Navy during WWII. She began getting to know Lucy and she continued to learn more about her romance with a her husband named Alfred through letters. Letters, because of the period in time in which they lived in, was the only means of communication they had. Within these letters, Egan learns about most the time Lucy spent in the Navy. These letter were private and it held details of the time period for example, Lucy would write “Negro” instead of African American when talking about her friend, indicating that Africans Americans were still not an equal member of society. Lucy an Egan are not related in any biological form but Egan did notice some similarities they had, for example, their to-do list looked exactly the same (22). They’re relationship develops as Egan reads through Lucy and Alfred’s corresponding letters that the Brooklyn Historical society had. As she read through this letters, Egan conveys their story in chronological order and for a vast majority, only reads Lucy’s letters to Alfred. One of the main reasons she did that is because she was working on a novel about a woman who worked in the Navy, not a man. Near the end, Egan reads one of the letters Alfred had written back to Lucy. In the midst of all of this discovery, Egan is aware of one fact: She knows that Lucy dies in the end. Egan has moment of revelation and contemplates for a moment about the life was back then and how it its today. Egan ends on a light note with her reading Alfred’s letter that were full of optimism and perpetual livelihood. Alfred had many plans that involved Lucy and he wanted to be there to enjoy every single moment of them.