Category Archives: Readings

“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.

View of the World from 9th Avenue

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Saul Steinberg’s View of the Worlds from 9th Avenue published in 1976 explains how vantage points could lead you to view something with many different perspectives. This article was placed of the cover of The New Yorker, portrayed his point of view on 9th Avenue looking towards the Hudson. You are only able to see the side of buildings and streets on 10th Avenue. This is part of the vantage point that does not show what’s on the other half of 9th avenue. The illustration shows that the author has an idea on whats on the other side but it cannot be seen from this vantage point. Saul Steinberg puts the Hudson River and New Jersey together and that’s inaccurate because if you’re viewing from the given vantage point you cannot see that location. I understand by the title of the map that Saul Steinberg was trying to illustrate his “own” vantage point being on 9th Avenue. The New Yorker is an American magazine of reports, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, cartoons, and poetry. It reviews event listings that often focus on the culture of New York City.

View of the World from 9th Ave, 1976

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“View of the World from 9th Ave” shows Saul Steinbergs view of how 9th ave looks like. From looking at the map it shows what he outlined. He outlined 9th ave, 10 ave, Hudson River, New Jersey, and the oceans. It shows how 9th and 10th ave the buildings, lots of cars, and loads of people walking. The other thing that shows is that Hudson River and New Jersey are right near eachother.  From looking at the title he means that if you stand in a location high up top then you can see how all all these area are near eachother. New Yorker magazine is with all the articles, essays, lots of interviews and etc. This should be part of the cover because this shows how New York is connected to everything.

View of The World From 9 Avenue

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This map was from a cover drawing from the New Yorker on March, 29, 1976. I think this Is considered a map because it illustrated a variety of things and like buildings that are in the city specially in 9th Avenue. It also shows its surroundings. For example it shows the Hudson River, the Pacific Ocean , Mexico, Canada and even some states that surround New York City. In fact is a map but in my opinion  its a unique map  because the drawer Saul Steingber illustrated this map with his point of view. For example, if You see 9th Avenue and even 10th Avenue everything is so exact and big enough for everyone to analyze. Thus, everything that is passing the Hudson River becoming smaller and smaller. Jersey is just a narrow long line and cities like Kansas City, Texas, Chicago are smaller that 9th Avenue. Canada and Mexico are blank with only their names written on them to tell their even there. The inaccuracies of the smaller places probably mean that for the drawer maybe the places like jersey or Kansas City are not s important as the City is. Therefore, for Steingber in the point of view of 9th Avenue everything else is small and is has less significance. Its tittle  “View of The World From 9th Avenue” tells me that I could be write that the author is trying to tell us that once your in 9th avenue everything else seems less. The New Yorker is a magazine that mostly covers topics of New York City  this topic was Steinberg V. Columbia Pictures so probably they went for a picture of Steinberg because in the article Steinbergs drawing was the best or the reason of the conflict.

View of the World from 9th Avenue

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The cover of View of the World from 9th Avenue portrays how vantage points can lead you to view something very differently. In this cover, it is basically a map which has important things after 9th avenue in New York City. These important things include 10th avenue, The Hudson River, New Jersey and the Pacific Ocean. This is an illustration because these things aren’t actually visible if you stand in 9th avenue. This is also a vantage point that doesn’t show what’s on the opposite side of 9th avenue. This illustration is what the author knows is beyond 9th avenue although it isn’t actually visible. The author might be insinuating that the city blocks off many views that we would benefit from viewing. The inaccuracies in this cover is that you obviously can’t see these things from 9th avenue. I understand that the map is portraying a view from 9th avenue.The New York Magazine was an issue that had this cover at the front. It was important for this illustration to be the cover because it was discussing the case of Steinberg vs Columbia Pictures Industries.

Readings for Wednesday

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Before Wednesday, please re-read “Who Knows Brooklyn” and “View of the World from 9th Avenue” by Saul Steinberg:

On the Saul Steinberg Foundation Web site

On Wikipedia

To help you think about Steinberg’s illustration, consider how it is a map. Some questions you should answer in your post are:

What information is accurate, and what is inaccurate?

What do the inaccuracies mean?

What do you understand about the map from its title?

What is The New Yorker magazine and why was this an appropriate cover for one of its issues?

Follow-up from 9/30 for 10/2

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At the start of our field trip, I distributed a handout with questions for further reflection. Use these questions to guide you in writing your reflection of your experience today on the walking tour and visiting the Brooklyn Historical Society. Please post this as soon as possible so that your groupmates can reply in comments, since we will not have time in our next class to discuss our reactions and reflections. It was great to hear from so many of you in class at BHS today, and I look forward to reading about your experiences there and around Brooklyn.

On Wednesday, we’re going to the Ursula Schwerin Library, which is the name of City Tech’s library. It’s on the 4th floor in the Atrium building. Please meet there at 11:30 instead of going to Prof. Davis’s classroom. He and I will meet you there, as will Prof. Maura Smale, one of our instructional librarians. To prepare for this visit, please read “Who Knows Brooklyn?” by Ben McGrath. I can provide printed copies on Wednesday.

I also note that your drafts of Project #2 are due electronically at the start of class. Instead, please bring an electronic copy of your draft–as much of Project #2 as you can complete, in as presentable a draft as possible–and I will give instructions for submitting and commenting. Since we’ll be in a computer classroom, you must have your draft with you electronically to be able to upload it during class–either on a flash drive, or in your email, or another way if you have another idea.

Please feel free to ask questions by commenting on this post.

 

Cumulative Summary For “City Limits”

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In the essay “City Limits” taken from The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead, Colson expresses his idea of New York City through out his writing. Starting by the first paragraph he tells us that he was born in NYC therefore, he was ruined for anywhere else. By This he means  that like his born in NYC it already ruined the chance of him  liking any other place. For him the city is that  great that he knows for a fact theres no other place like his.

He also says New York is always changing into new things and new places but whats important  to you is how NYC is at the moment you first lay your eyes on it. That’s why you shouldn’t believe what no one tells you about the history of new York because they just telling you was THEIR New York City like not what your is. We see things as they were in our experience while others see it as they remember from their experience. His love for New York makes him see his version of New York Even though NYC is always changing it would stay the same way to you but as new people come to NYC the new places would be  their different NYC. Colson Whitehead expresses his sorrow by telling us that when places change unexpectedly you don’t get to say goodbye to them because you don’t really know when is your last time sitting on that place. That’s why is very important to remember this places before they’re gone because they are   very   important to you and is part of what makes YOUR NYC so special.

City Limits Summary

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In the short story, “City Limits”, by Colson Whitehead, he emphasizes how one persons New York differs from another persons. Every person has their own perspective on how they might view New York. Whitehead talks about the impact that New York has on people. He says that whether you were born in New York or just moved there, once you are there it will not compare to any other place. It might actually end up making your old town look small and uninteresting.  Whitehead makes a point that there is a certain moment when a person becomes a New Yorker and starts building their personal New York. This occurs the first time that you view the crazy city with your own eyes. Whether you were just a kid or an adult, maybe on vacation or there to stay, that moment is your first memory for you to begin building your own New York. Your New York is further enhanced when you start to grow attached to certain buildings, restaurants and shops that surround you. Over time these places might become replaced by others, but those memories will makeup your New York and forever will be there for you. “Our streets are calendars containing who we were and who we will be next”.  Whitehead is explaining how the city has watched us grow into the people we are today and how the city in the present will determine who we will be next. This city consists of old memories of the people we used to be.

 

 

 

Summary of “City Limits”

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In the passage of “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, he tells the story of New York. He describes NY in few words that it is the greatest city. Colson whitehead was born in NY as well and he loved this place. He says that everybody has their own version of New York and  there are 8 million cities in the naked city. We all see it in our own different ways and we starting seeing that when we first lay our eyes on it. The first instant that you lay your eyes on it, that is the first brick of your New York.  As you live on in new York you build your own New York. The things around us start changing but we still remember how they were. We see them how they were in the past. We see things as they were in our experience while the others see it in their experience or remember it that way. We might still remember the stores or other places that were replaced by new stores. There is a time when we have to say good bye it hard to do that. It is hard to see your favorite shop being replaced by a different shop or leaving you apartment building. However we realize that New York still moves on even if we are not there and that makes us New Yorker. When u realize that than you try and remember your New York version even more and try to fix city in place, your city. You remember everything of Your new York which is replaced but u still remember it the way you experienced it and saw the city  and  for you it will always stay like that. Everybody will remember their own version of it and live on but You will stay here because once you live in New York , You cant live anywhere else.