Tag: Juxtaposition

ENG Project #2 Draft

New York City is known as “The Concrete Jungle” that is filled with many different sights, smells, sounds, and attractions. When people explore this jungle they get lost in all the diversity that surrounds them. Not lost in a trying to figure out where to go kind of way but more in dream-like state. Each person has a unique experience when being in the city. New York City hold a reputation of being the place of opportunity and miracles. While the outsiders of city are filled with the idea that New York City is a grand utopia, the New Yorkers that have known the reality of this city would tell you otherwise. New York City is not all city considering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx aren’t filled with the skyscrapers and busy streets. Some New Yorkers choose to live the luxurious lifestyle the city part has to offer. The others choose to live less frivolously in the lesser known areas of New York where it is more residential.  

When thinking of Manhattan most people would think extravagant, stylish, and a place for opportunity. Manhattan is the borough that is filled with the interpretation of a utopia. With a cluster of tall buildings, bold bright lights filled with ads, many known name brand stores and famous restaurants altogether it’s no wonder Manhattan gets most the attention. To most people this is a place where you would find style no only in the streets but in the people as well. The people have a more chic look that would make you think that everyone is rich and likes to spend their money. Mostly when people hear New York City they think of the borough Manhattan since it has more of the iconic landmarks that New York City is known for such as the Empire State Building, Central Park, and The Statue of Liberty just to name a few. Manhattan is the borough that is more exposed from tourism while not much attention is paid to the rest of the boroughs that make up the city. The rest of the boroughs are not really looked at to be as special even though it is the five boroughs that make up the city as a whole.

However the Bronx would be the polar opposite of Manhattan. When thinking of the Bronx most people would think poor, ghetto, and dangerous. The Bronx is filled with many lesser known small business, smaller apartments and not as much opportunity that Manhattan has to offer. The Bronx is the recognized  birthplace of  hip hop and rap music which made the image of hood that The Bronx is mostly known for. In The Bronx you could most likely get away with crimes such as speeding, stealing and hopping the turnstile at the train station. While Manhattan is seen as a place of welcome , The Bronx is seen as you can’t mess with anyone there without getting mugged or shot. Also The Bronx is known as an impoverished, neglected, and otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually troubled by a disproportionately large amount of crime.  

 In the borough of Brooklyn there lies a location that brings a feeling of juxtaposition of two boroughs that would be considered polar opposites from one another. Right where the Fulton Mall and Lawrence Street is located we have two stores known as Dr.Jay’s and Banana Republic right next to each other. Banana Republic is a store that is mainly found the borough of Manhattan. While the store Dr.Jay’s would be mainly found in the borough of the Bronx. These stores are not only contrasting in terms of the boroughs they come from but also in fashion. Banana Republic contains clothing items that portrays a sophisticated, city look. While Dr.Jay’s contains clothing that portrays a ghetto,hood look. For someone who has experienced both boroughs, it feels bizarre placing these stores next to each other given the boroughs they are mainly found in. This part of Brooklyn puts the slum area with the city area making it feel like two other worldly lands are colliding against one another.

This location shows the diversity of what New York is known for. The higher class being next to the lower class is not only shown in these two stores but is shown in the people as well. The location shows people in business suits going about their day with people dressed in hoodies and sneakers. In this location it would feel as though people with their own vision of New York intertwine and make a new vision that could expand both of their views on New York as a whole. Each individual who have visited New York City has their own experience of what New York is to them. Some people may have a fantastic experience while another person may have a terrible one or neutral. New York City is the place to expands one vision on a diverse level.      

Project #2 (Draft)

New York City is often considered to be one of the largest and most diverse cities on the planet. Its reputation consists of a luxurious and beautiful city, with opportunities at every corner, as it’s been portrayed through all types of media throughout the world for many many years. However, an actual New Yorker would know that New York is more than that. For every single individual who lives in this grand city, New York is different. Its unique to the eyes of every person who views it. Though some bask in the luxury and a higher standard of living, there are also those who work and struggle, and take refuge in the lesser known parts of New York. Any two individuals who are in separate parts of the social ladder would have a different view of the city they live in, and would most definitely see New York different than anyone who does not reside here.  Interestingly enough, there are many neighborhoods and areas where an individual can actually physically see the overlapping of social classes, where there is a distinct juxtaposition of a more lower class and a higher class. Once instance of this can be seen in a particular location by Jay Street, at the corner of Prince Street and Myrtle Avenue.

In this particular location, there are many large buildings surrounding it. These buildings are mostly corporate and business, and are made up of mostly glass and steel. The street and area surrounding these buildings are very clean and well kept. You would hardly be able to find a piece of litter or garbage. Very important people walk up and down these streets, wearing fancy business suits and carrying briefcases and such. There is also lots of construction going on in this area, as there are many projects for even bigger buildings. This gives the area a distinct smell of sawdust and burning materials. It also makes the area very loud, of course. With all kinds of heavy machinery and equipment being utilized, it would be expected. One would notice it instantly upon walking here. However, upon walking across a single street, you would be stepping into a completely different environment. Located in the same area, there is a large community of housing complexes. or Projects as many New Yorkers refer to it as. This area contrasts drastically with its neighboring place. These tenements are run down with age and are not nearly as well kept. There is lots of garbage and residue littering the street up and down, and there are also large dumpsters behind each complex, giving the area an unpleasant smell of waste. This is the “New York” that many never view, and is more a part of a lower class residents vision of the City.

What’s interesting about this particular location is the juxtaposition it holds. Its a very contrasting one, and its very clear to distinguish as well. Literally, one can see both of these areas side by side, by standing at the corner of these two streets. Its an even intersection. Its a perfect example of how New York City is different for everyone. There are individuals who live here who don’t even know that such places even exist, for they have their own view of the city, as they have seen it their entire life sometimes. Then there are those who parts of New York like this one are their entire reality, and is their vision of it. One person might be accustomed to having their morning coffee at a place like Starbucks, while another would go to the bodega at the corner. One might have memories of growing up playing in Central Park during the summer, while others remember playing in the fire hydrant with the other neighborhood kids. These types of contrasts are mostly founded on the grounds of social class. People who reside in the higher class will always have a different vision and reality than those in the lower class, especially when residing in a place like New York City. Same way those who do not live in the New York have a distinct vision of it as well, as they have only seen it through Television or other kinds of media. Though social classes is only one of the endless number of factors that contribute to a persons “personal New York” This is what makes New York City so unique to every single individual. If you were to ask anyone what New York was to them, every answer would be different. And for an infinite number of factors. One could even consider this the true definition of being a New Yorker.

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