Suki Kim’s essay, “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits” reveals the cruel truth  she faced as she went from riches to rags emigrating from South Korea to Queens, New York. From birth, Suki Kim was raised to live the luxurious life as a millionaire but everything suddenly became dark when one day her father had become bankrupt. This triggered a sudden move to America since bankruptcy was punishable by a jail term at the time. Although they were able to find a house owned by A Korean family, it was a challenge for her to change her princess-like mentality which included chauffeurs, maids, and governesses. She also learned the term “Asian” which she found quite offensive because yellow skin reminded her of the Forsythia flowers that represented the lower class when she was still in Korea. She realized the major difference in cultures between America and Korea when she noticed the formalities in Korean classrooms versus American classrooms. Indeed, Americans were deemed much more lenient and liberal when she saw a couple french kissing during class while the teacher was completely ignored. She began to become aware of the difference in classes even within her own Korean ethnicity when she found out that the wealthier Korean students didn’t go to public school in queens and most of her fellow Korean ESL students were all those who would’ve placed in lower class if they were still in Korea. Overall, Suki Kim has lived through the hardships and challenges that she faced as she transitioned from rich to poor. Moreover, this experience has taught an interested yet cruel reality of the division between classes.

“Where I’m From” by Willie Perdomo is a beautiful personal poem that expresses both the highs and lows of one’s neighborhood. Instead of showing pride throughout the poem, the author uses a rather special way to show his feelings toward 110th Street and Lexington Ave. At first, it starts off with a fresh breeze coming through the windows but immediately turns bitter when he mentions a barking German shepherd and screams of a woman being abused by her husband. The tone throughout the poem is as if everything that seems horrifying compared to the norm is actually quite ordinary where he lives. Perdomo skillfully describes the outrageous events of police invading homes to heartlessly kill innocent families for the heck of it and a little boy spitting out a razor but having to get a number to wait extremely long hours as if it wasn’t even an emergency. The detailed descriptions of these events stir a certain feeling of anger and disgust. However, the author turns the whole poem around with a hint of sweetness and expresses the small moments of happiness such as his niece stopping in the middle of the street to tell to notice the stars in the sky. It just may be that Willie Perdomo is showing us that what he loves about where he’s from is the beauty hidden within all the ugly.

Nelson George’s “Fort Greene Dreams” tells a story that reveals changes brought to his life through the experiences in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It all started when he moved from Queens to Brooklyn while publishing the Simmons profile. As he put it, “the end and beginning of two eras for me” was how he felt with the new beginning in a different neighborhood. During the first few years, he discovered the close proximity to Manhattan which brought him to picturesque parks, streets lined with thick trees, late night shows, and the convenience of the subway. He also had a “disposable income” that allowed him to enjoy life in a spacious apartment and entertain women with wine and vinyls. Though gentrification, crime, and drugs were huge problems in the neighborhood, he described 1985 to 1992 to be the most important years of his life in terms of his career flourishing and his works being more well known. He found the Fort Greene had its up an downs and that was what made it such an inspiring area to develop himself in. All in all, Fort Greene provided a beautiful, creative environment in which he grew to appreciate and helped him to define his success.