Please add your summary as a comment to this post. Use the handout from class to help guide your drafting of the summary.
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Telling Brooklyn Stories:
English Composition I
ENG 1101, section 5381
Prof Jody R. Rosen
Fall 2011
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In the reading “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, he goes deep into detail about his view on New York City. Colson’s main point in City Limits was to show his audience that every New Yorker shapes his or hers skyline and neighborhood. As Whitehead stated on page two, “That Canal Street used to be a canal. That Bryant Park used to be a reservoir. It’s all hokum.” The quote above shows how one makes their own private city before their eyes. As the reading goes on, Whitehead explains how he made his own skyline. For example he said for him the Met Life building will always be the Pan Am building to him. Everything else before or after his time might as well be another country to him, or as he says “Jersey”. The reading was Whitehead reminiscing and holding on to those memories. City Limits does certainly have a sarcastic tone as he tries to put other towns down by displaying the greatness of New York. The time period of his New York seems to be the 1970’s because he includes the Checker Cabs. Imagining his descriptions of New York also makes me feel like I am in the 1970’s.
In the story “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead talks about New york and how it goes through continues change over time. He also talks about how he remembers New
York for example he said “The Canal Street use to be a Canal” he also said that the Met Life building will always be the Pam Am building to him. This shows that in his mind there is a different New york. He was also showing how great New York is by calling New jersey jersey an not giving i its proper name. In the story his is surprised with all the change that New York has been through and still has old memories of it that he doesn’t want to let go.
The passage from city limits written by author Colson Whitehead is basically about New York and the many changes it goes through with time. He also talks about how he remembers certain area’s of New York when he passed by there or lived at that certain neighborhood. The passage is written sometimes in a sarcastic tone and includes a lot of metaphors. He writes your New York is only the New York as you remember it so you can’t really talk about Bryant Park used to be a reservoir cause you never witnessed it or for him the Met Life building will always be the Pam Am building cause that’s how he remembered it. He says that New York is build up of many skylines of our old neighborhoods and our new neighborhood and will keep growing with each passing moment. The overall message you can truly can get from this story as New Yorker or not is that New York will always change with our without us. And when it changes we have to just keep changing with it that’s only of course if your a New Yorker.
In the story name, “City Limits by Colson Whitehead”, the author and Narrator himself describes his perception about New York he knows. The story expresses a message that living in this very city can revolutionize you because in the reading the author mentioned in line saying, “That Canal Street used to be a canal. That Bryant Park used to be a reservoir. It’s all hokum.” This statement tells that the author hears much nonsense from people about New York being this, being that however he didn’t listen to their babbles and the reason was he cares about what he sees for himself now about the city limits. However, he also doesn’t like the fact that city being alter every single time, “Thousands of people pass that storefront every day, each one haunting the streets of his or her own Ney York, not one of them seeing the same thing.” Moreover, according to author’s perception about New York tells us that it doesn’t matter what we see today in this city, who knows tomorrow it will have something brand new, and therefore many of us going to visualize is what’s stuck on our head from yesterday about this city.
Colson Whitehead’s “City Limits”, from the Colossus of New York displays an interesting take on ones own view and creation of New York. In a very passionate and sometimes what seems to be a bit dramatic manner Whitehead uses such an immense amount of imagery so that you can feel and see his New York while without even noticing your also uncovering your own. Oblivious to history he disguards any tales of New York before he came to know it as “Its all hokum.” He goes on to later say “Never listen to what people tell you about old New York, because if you didnt witness it, it is not apart of your New York and it might as well be Jersey.” Whitehead tells his tale by taking you down memory lane and blatantly puts New York on a pedestal while all others places just dont compare. Whitehead’s story is one a real New Yorker would enjoy and should definitely read.
“City Limits” by Colson Whitehead tells about a New Yorker who uses sarcastic ways to describe his view of his New York. In the reading Whitehead says “Never listen to what people tell you about old New York, because if you didnt witness it, it is not apart of your New York and it might as well be Jersey.” Which , I agree with , because if I didn’t witness it , how do I actually know if it’s true. Overall, I enjoy the way Whitehead dramatically talks about his New York and in a way , he makes his readers feel as though you are living his New York rather then your own but only for a second.
The excerpt “City Limits” from the Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead describes the perception of the author of New York. He explains that each New Yorker builds its own New York City based on the time they came here. He uses sarcasm to come across with the idae that if you didnt witness it it is not part of your New York. in the quote “History books and public television are always trying to tell you all sorts of “facts”about New York.That canal street used to be a canal. That Bryant park used to be a reservoir. Its all hokum” he shows by quoting the word facts and tellin us not to believe what history tells us his point that New York is a city that is in constant change therefore, everyone builds its own private city based on their experience and what they witnessed.
From the excerpt in “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead you can tell that the author loved memories. He felt like you should cherish memories such as places and things because one day they wont be there. In the excerpt he starts by describing his “New York” the way he remembers it. He encourages his audience to realize that New York is always changing and it is important to remember as much as possible because once where something was something else will come and replace it. Neighborhoods, trains, pizza shops all apart of New York he see’s no place being like New York. Everyone has their own opinion of what New York is, every individuals perception of New York is different and that is what he is trying to say in this part of the book.
City limits by Colson Whitehead is a story that defines New York city. It tells readers about how new York city was years ago and modern day new York. Whitehead tries to persuade readers into appreciating the things they have by stating “Cherish your old apartments and pause for a moment when you pass them. Pay tribute, for they are the caretakers of your reinventions.” He tells a story about the memories in new York city and how people shouldn’t always believe the things they hear about New York from history books or documentaries. He says “Never listen to what people tell you about old New York, because if you didn’t witness it, it is not a part of your New York and might as well be Jersey.” Meaning, in order to truly believe something you must first witness it. By telling the readers about the past and what new York use to be like, he tries to remind us about how we sometime neglect the things we had. For example, discovering that an old coffee shop is now a chain pharmacy or five stores is replaced by a travel agency makes us feel a certain way because of what we had is no longer there.
In Colson Whitehead’s “City Limits”, from The Colossus of New York, Whitehead describes how he views New York. His definition of a true New Yorker is one that can look at a store and automatically see what was previously there; where what you previously saw is what you still see now. In his point of view everyone has a “private New York”, which is all of your experiences in New York, and the way you get to know the little things about it. He states how in the early 70’s, he started building his New York on the Subway. “I started building my New York on the uptown No.1 train. My first city memory is of looking out a subway window as the train erupted from the tunnel on the way to 125th Street and palsied up onto the elevated tracks.” Whitehead then states that documentaries will always tell you New York’s history, but not to believe it because if you didn’t witness it and its not part of your “private New York”, then it does not pertain to you. He says, “History books and public television documentaries are always trying to tell you all sorts of “facts” about New York.” Then he says “It’s all hokum.” Whitehead talks about how the places that you once knew and loved and how when they’re gone you don’t even realize that you have neglected them. He states that we never get to “make proper goodbyes”, because we never know when it’s the last time that we’ll see something. Whitehead also talks about how New York knows you better than you know it. He says, “The city knows you better than any living person because it has seen you when you are alone.” Whitehead states that “our streets are calendars containing who we were and who we will be next”. This quote is showing you how your city shapes you into who you are and who you will become. City Limits has a very sarcastic tone, as he describes how TV is always trying to tell you facts about New York and those facts are false. It’s sarcastic because what they tell you in documentaries is true, but from a person’s point of view it’s not true because you never witnessed it.