...B We’ve all encountered it. The hustling and bustling, the streets and avenues filled with the cacophonous symphonies, and the city nearly busting at the seams with people. You stand there on the sidewalk filled with awe and taking it all in while your sides are being assaulted by the passers-by and their elbows. Sometimes it seems quite hopeless to make someone notice you and send a smile your way, because while you acknowledge people they don’t acknowledge you. They’ve all grown accustomed to the oblivion that comes with big city life, or rather the feigned state of oblivion. We may all get drawn to it thanks to numerous movies and TV series romanticising it, but in fact adjusting to the big city, where things are getting lively, is somewhat of an acquired taste. This is some of the things that Siri Hustvedt emphasises in the essay “Living With Strangers”. Siri Hustvedt begins her essay with writing about the “culture shock” she is met by when she first moves to New York City. In her hometown in rural Minnesota it was a custom to greet everyone that you walked past even if you didn’t know the person. The most important part of the greeting when passing by someone was to actually speak the word “hi”. “When I moved to New York City in 1978, I quickly discovered what it meant to live among hordes of strangers and how impractical and unsound it would be to greet all of them.” (p. 1, l. 6-8). You will quickly realise that you need to adapt to the new environment and follow the...
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...Popular Girls by Karen Shepard – Text Analysis What is the result of a spoiled girl living in the city that never sleeps, absent parents and her father’s credit card? “Popular Girls” tells the story. “Popular girls”, the title really hits the spot. And what do I mean by this? Well it’s actually quite simple. The story revolves around five, or maybe six, girls living in New York City, which is the richest city in the US, doing everything in their power to be popular. And how do they do this? Well as I said everything they possibly can. Even though they only attend tenth grade, they have become so affected by the big city life that their sense of reality has completely disappeared. They have one thing in mind, and that is becoming older and until that happens, they are doing what they can to at least seem older. They go drinking, they do drugs and they throw themselves at older boys, sleeping with them. The text in itself is pretty hard to analyze because of the structure of the text. The first three pages is basically an environment description which is very confusing. An environment description of the girls lives. How they live and how they go about living. With every third of fourth word being a brand name, the reader fast gets ahold of the idea that, these girls are very aware of how they display themselves to the public. With almost all the attention being put on the girls posh lives, it is easy to miss the subtle contrasts in the text. There are a few times, where we...
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...I got my acceptance letter to ----, that meant that I would be officially moving to Miami in the fall of 2014, ironically the first thing my dad did when telling him the good news was to go out and buy me my own can of mace. I guess I had never considered the high crime rate before my acceptance, I decided to do some research concerning the matter. O Pish Posh! named Miami the 8th most dangerous city in the country, and also claimed that though the amount of crimes in Miami is low compared to the other cities that the article mentioned, the city more than makes up for it by having one of the highest crimes per square miles; Miami averages 500 crimes per square mile. The authors of the article ended the section on Miami stating “Miami has a large number of robberies, reporting about 494.4 robberies per 100,000 people. This is four times higher than the national average,” which leaves a bad impression on others. From the information above I guess I can understand why my dad bought me a can of mace, why my nana almost had a heart-attack from being so worried, and why I am never allowed to get gas anytime past 6:00pm without the companionship of at least one of my roommates. During the time of collecting research, I realized that Miami’s crime rate and my personal experience from living in Miami for a little less than year now are on two completely different spectrums. Yes Miami is a big city, and yes Miami has crime… What city doesn’t? Although Miami appears to be extremely dangerous...
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...The city where I live When you say “ my native town” you think of a place in our planet which is either connected with your birth or a memorable event on your childhood. You usually remember your friends or your first love. But I think that a city can be truly consider yours, if it has left a long-lasting impression your soul. Every tiny part of your heart is connected with your town and you do not regret that there has remained an important part of your soul. Many people spend their entire life in the same place, go along the same streets, see familiar buildings, city views, communicate with the same people without thinking how strongly accustomed they have become to their city, how close they are. Cities can trace the fate of its people, silently observe and keep in the memory different events. I believe that every city is a living system, a complete organism in which various processes occur and above all the citizens are an integral part of this complex system. Each city like a person has its own history, its own individual character, its foundation and traditions. There are cities where people can carry out their dreams and aspirations. People aspire to these cities, hoping to find themselves to determine their appointment and change lives for the better. It often happens that the city welcomes guests who soon become relatives. But sometimes it happens quite differently, a city, especially a large one doesn’t accept strangers doesn’t give a chance and an opportunity...
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...known very well. I will attempt to convey the style of each artist as if I was the artist themselves by giving a first person view by depicting a self-portrait that will inform the readers of the composition that consist of color scheme, space , shapes and dimension of the piece. I will define in essence the self-portraits and what it means to me as an individual. So therefore from this point I am Don Julio and my style of painting is very similar to that of the renaissance era. Born in 1494 a young German artist living in Germany, I was trained originally by my father I was a natural born goldsmith after some years I migrated to Venice Where I improve my skills as a painter. My father while in Venice stayed eighteen months to enjoy the artistic delights of the city. He was impressed above all by the aged Bellini. A young man by the name of Albrecht Dürer, who later on became one of the most outstanding figures in Renaissance Germany during my time. However my achievements enhanced among the city and its originality in many differing fields of art. I very early in my artistic career was introduced to his extraordinary self-portrait at the age of twenty-two, in Louvre. So I begin to work on one of myself, as young man with dishevel blond hair, wearing exotic red headgear and lavish robes, I stared moodily from the canvas at what I just painted. I never knew that it would be one the first example in history of an artist presenting himself as an eye-catching figure of dramatic...
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...arising from experience… “There's no such thing as civilization. The word just means the art of living in cities.” ― Roger Zelazny, The Great Book of Amber Couple of day before the trip, I have been wondering of how a busy-free, smoke-free vicinity would look like. Remorselessly, after an hour of our ride, treasure hidden from the mountains welcomed us in amazement; the sounds of fresh air carried by the green leaves of hope and the golden sunrise peeking behind those mountains of resources. For they cook gold in their pots, they eat plenty of gem thus progressing in terms of their lifestyle but sustaining their culture in the modern times. The journey was indeed indefatigable! The thing is, I am already acquainted with the Bago Culture: we practice most of what they do, their dances are quite similar to what we do in Igorot tribe. However, I was moderately stunned when the performers started to speak “kankanaey” which is our language too. My presumption was that because the tribe came from the amalgamation of the Ilocano and Igorot, their language will not follow. It was then that I realized that they, too, speak both Ilocano and Kankanaey. Thus another picture was added to my storage as regards the culture which I thought I am totally aware of, I got it all wrong. It was a priceless encounter and indeed knowledge-and-wisdom-craving activity. When one is living in a city, some of their ways may appear odd and unusual. Nonetheless, the people in the community is doing...
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...Cause and Effect Of Moving Back To Pittsburgh After living in Atlanta, GA for 13 years, what made me move back to Pittsburgh, PA? Atlanta had wonderful weather, a city rich in African American culture, and a lively atmosphere. Pittsburgh has weather that sucks, very little African American culture and the overall feeling in the city is one of depression. So why would I move back? Well I moved to Atlanta 13 years ago after meeting my ex-husband online. The excitement and allure of a new city, new opportunities and a new life are what caused me to leave my home city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Well if I loved Atlanta, why did I come back? The marriage, to say the least didn’t work out. My ex-husband was abusive, controlling and an all-around tyrant. Also, I missed my family. Lastly, I had lost myself and was dying to find out who I was again. I met my ex-husband in a Yahoo chat room. I had just graduated from business school and had a three year old daughter. He was able to conceal many things while hiding behind a computer screen and Yahoo screen name. When I moved to Atlanta in October of 1998, I was under the impression that we would have a lucrative life, filled with kids, beautiful homes, cars and a comfortable lifestyle. That was not the case. Within a year of being together, I was no longer allowed to work, was suffering physical, mental, emotional and financial abuse and too scared to leave. I missed my family in Pittsburgh so much over the 13 years that...
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...live with your father), not knowing what kind of life she was sending her to or that she had never met my niece step mom. My Aunt was under the impression that Trina was going to be alright; upon arriving in the big city (CHICAGO) she was very excited and overwhelm; by her being from the south she had all kinds of ideas about the north. Trina was seven year old when she relocated to live with her father, during the time she had live with her mother she had live a shelter life and church was the basic of the upbringing. To say that she grew up fast and learn more than a seven old year was supposed to learn at that time is an understatement, Trina stepmom was having children back to back and Trina was the one who took care of them while the adults of the house went to work, missing school was a normal thing for her because she had to stay home and watch the children. Being eight of nine at the time a person would think that a child at her younger years would be outside playing jump rope or hop scotch with her friends, but a normal life for Trina was none existent. Normalcy for her was washing diapers and fixing baby bottle, she was missing home her mom and sibling like no-other ,she just wanted to be normal again, but the fact that her father was too proud to send her back to her mother under the circumstances. As the years pass by she adjust to the life that she was living and was growing and developing in...
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...Culture is the essence of life; living the majority of my life in the United States has taught me the differences and similarities of Mexican and American cultures. Since both of my parents come from Mexican heritage, my roots align more with the Mexican culture. Therefore, I have learned the essential values of the Mexican culture from my parents, such as language and behavior. My appreciation for both cultures has come from all the experiences I have gathered from living in El Paso the majority of my life. Although I have spent the majority of my life All of my years living in the United States, I find myself abiding by traditional Mexican values. Due to this I have been able to differentiate the values and norms of both cultures. One aspect...
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... Lots of people talk about society, but are they sociologists? No they are individualistic thinkers. They talk about individual people and cases instead of the group. Individualistic thinking at Universities: Professors award individual students with grades based on their ‘individual’ merits. What would the SOCIOLOGIST ask? Do some students have to work to earn money? Do some students have to spend time commuting to campus (no dorms!)? Do some students have family responsibilities.? Do some courses/majors have more generous grading procedures than others? Why are there more A students now than there were twenty years ago??? When and Why did sociological thinking begin? SOCRATES: “An unexamined life is not worth living!” In the 18th Century, life was nasty violent and short. How can we make a better society given that people are self-seeking? How is social order possible? THOMAS HOBBES: The Social Contract It is necessary for some people to give up their individual freedoms so that we can have peace and order in society. JOHN STUART MILL: The purpose of Liberal Studies at Universities “The object...
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...El Paso is the place I’ve called home for the entirety of my life. What has surrounded me was always the same city, the same places, the same weather, and almost the same house for the 17 years I’ve been alive. The only change in surroundings I have experienced was when I moved to a new house, but other than that, family trips were my only gateway into seeing beyond the mountains of our city. Most people that I know have come from almost every corner of the U.S.A., from California in the West to New York in the East. Out of all the 19,354 cities in the U.S., it’s an amazing thought that I’ve only known El Paso. Soon, however, this will change. As graduation approaches, a student fresh out of high school has to know where they are going to go....
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...Gilgamesh Passages Tablet I The tablet I passage from line 1 to 28 are significant because it talks about how he (Gilgamesh) was granted powers and with these powers such as knowledge, Anu granted him the totality of knowledge of all (line 4) describes how Anu the father of the gods gave Gilgamesh the power of knowledge. He built the city and raised its walls in all it magnificent splendors. He carved on a stone stela all of his toils, and built the walls of Uruk-Haven (Line 9-10). Also look at the wall which gleams like copper (?), inspect its inner wall, the like of which no one can equal (lines 11-12). These text describe the walls and how the city Uruk was built by a mighty being like Gilgamesh. This at the end describing the city and certain thing built by Gilgamesh such as the Temples, Gardens, and the league (probably referring to the ocean or body of water). Another passage from I is the 3rd passge from which the people of Uruk prayer to he gods. This passage shows how the people of Uruk don’t enjoy Gelgamesh as a king due to how he treats his people for ex. Gilgamesh does not leave a girl to her mother (?) The Daughters of the warrior, the bride of the young man (line 5-6). Gilgamesh is all powerful so no one can challenge him and he deemed as a bad King as how he treats his people like wild ox. The people get fed up with the treatment and they pray for the gods to make him his match (a zikru). All this so explaned in line 7 of the next passage. (Let them be a match...
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...Traveling from Iraq to the United States What would a person do after finding out that he or she must leave their hometown city cause of its threatening situations? I was absolutely astonished when my family and I received the breaking news on a delightful morning. The outline of the news states that we must leave Iraq as soon as possible as a result of its inconvenient conditions. This stunning message has left my parents with a remarkable impression on their faces. After a few days of long discussions and arguments my parents came up with a satisfactory solution. My parents clarification was to leave Iraq immediately and to proceed our life in Syria with a chance of exception in the UN (United Nation). The year 2007 was a significant and emotional time for my family and I leaving Iraq and beginning an inexperienced life in Syria. My family and I spent an entire night packing up the luggages with memorable household equipment and winter clothes. It was six o'clock in the morning when my parents woke my siblings and I up because it was time to lock the house down. As we began walking toward the minivan, our family members had constantly approached us with their pleasant hugs and unforgettable kisses. I could not believe my eyes that this was...
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...us back into a city that only exists in our impression. It was a quaint and elegant city, probably put up in ancient times. He illustrated in his poem that nearly all objects in this city are handcrafted —“the hammer, the pigment around the city” — with an emphasis on the natural beauty. It is this beauty that made its residents simple and hard-working individuals; it is this beauty that showed its respect for nature, and attracted butterflies to linger around; and it is this beauty that is worth remembering. According to Baker, the emotional path to the city is vague, which probably implies the modern life in which industrial and commercial elements everywhere have drifted us further away from memorizing such a city. But no matter “how hard the shadow is trying to block us from seeing anything else,” the era of simplicity is worth memorizing and respecting. After reading several of his poems, Baker spent some time talking about his experiences on composing poems. First and foremost, it is important to give a clear definition on the subject we try to emphasize through poem. In other words, we should understand some basic concepts of poetry writing beforehand. For example, as his previous poem shows, the main task for a poet is to define such a quaint city and then picture it in his mind so that he can start “conversations” with these objects and gain inspiration. “The hammer” is quite simple and humble, which is consistent with certain characteristics of the city mentioned in his...
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...Cheyne Brown Rachel Stevens Writing 121 7 October 2014 How Charles Simic Might Approach Vivian Maier’s Photography Imagine a black and white photograph overlooking a New York City street circa 1953. The Chrysler Building dominating the background skyline, you notice a group of commuters waiting on an El train platform looking down below as people congregate near shops and restaurants lining the street in the foreground. This might be an adequate insight into a Vivian Maier photograph. Although accurate, the description feels lifeless, and lacks the amazing nostalgic detail Poet Laureate Charles Simic might put on it. Simic, the author of the essay “The Life of Images” might ask himself questions like: “Where are the commuters going? What is the group of women doing by the hardware and appliance store?” Maybe Simic has eaten at Joe’s Restaurant (large signage in Maier’s photograph), and that brings back a flood of memories. It wouldn’t take him long to weave a detailed story about what these people in the photo were doing, or even conversations they might be having. Simic writes, “A photograph…, where time has stopped on an ordinary scene full of innuendoes, partakes of the infinite” (576). I feel Simic would approach Maier’s photographs the same way he approached Berenice Abbott’s photos, referenced in “The Life of Images”, breathing life and imagination into them. First I should give you a little background on who these three people are. Charles Simic is a writer, most...
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