The two readings “The Brooklyn Bridge” by Phillip Lopate and the prologue section of the book “Brooklyn Bridge: Fact and Symbol” by Alan Trachtenberg have such similar words and sentence yet they are so different from one another, they each have their own way of depicting the Brooklyn Bridge and her glory.
Lopate uses history in his writing, he tries to convey to the audience the experience before the bridge itself, the hardship and the turmoil that presented itself as the bridge was being build. Lopate basically stated its foundation and reason why it exists. He later went on to state and prove that the bridge is more then just a bridge to many. It can be the obvious, a method of transportation but also a romantic place or a place to get away from our everyday troubles. The beauty that the bridge withholds and also the beauty of the view, it makes us wonder, as the audience, why haven’t we seen this before last time we were there. In a way it intrigues readers to visit the place with this point a view that Lopate has installed in his words. He as well uses fun facts about the bridge, its history on how over twenty workers had fatal accidents over the course of her construction. The fact that the creator of the bridge died before it was even consulted with everyone. Later his son would take over but he as well died before the project was finished so his wife finished the project and it became the Brooklyn Bridge. A well celebrated monument that still stands today.
On the other hand, Trachtenberg just describes the Brooklyn Bridge in the prologue of his book. He uses imagery to convey to his audience everything that is around the bridge itself as you walk across it. The benches, the promenade, the balcony, the view down to the traffic or the bay or even lady Liberty herself on the skyline. This section gives us a witness account to the bridge as someone crosses it, very well detailed but with an insight that we all deserve instead of wondering why the cables are there? what is the purpose of this? etc.
