“City Limits” is the first chapter in Colson Whitehead’s novel The Colossus of New York”. In this opening chapter, Whitehead gives a vivid description on what, he believes, it means to be a New Yorker. He describes his idea of a New Yorker as someone who “builds their own private New York” the first time they view the grand city. What he means to express with that is a person who remembers the city as they were always accustomed to. New York is ever-changing. It will forever be teared down and rebuilt as everything modernizes more and more. However, a New Yorker will only view the city as they have known it the majority of their life, as the author believes. He also gives examples of his own personal take on New York, and the “skyline” he has created from it. He describes the experience of seeing your favorite places being replaced with modern stores or new businesses, or parts of the city being torn down to make way for new things. Whitehead also gives emphasis on how important it is for a New Yorker to cherish their city for how they know it.
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I agree with your analysis on what Whitehead is providing the reader in this chapter. I think you made a solid point when mentioning a New Yorker will only view the city as they have known it the majority of their life. You should’ve added how other New Yorkers view of the city would be when coming across another person with their New York view. It would help out if you added in some quotes to show the author’s examples instead of just stating that he has examples then not offering them.