New York’s Faith Lies In Our Hands
After reading Cynthia Ozick’s The Synthetic Sublime, from Quarrel and Quandry, an instant connection to E.B. White’s Here is New York struck me. Both literary masterpieces exemplify the pulchritude of New York City. They both center around the wide array of unique locations and describe the scenes of Concrete Jungle with figurative diction. However, Cynthia Ozick’s piece is quite different for many reasons. One major difference is that Cynthia Ozick focuses a lot on the future of New York City. She continually expresses her wonderment on how the city will transform and how the different locations will be many years from now. She represents her curiosity through overt rhetoric, asking her readers if New York City will really ever change. In her opening remarks, she mentions, “An essay is a thing of imagination” (946). After reading her work of art, I felt that this statement really contributed to her thesis; her thesis being question that asks “Will New York City, with its overbearing charm and vivaciousness, really ever transform into something new?”I think this is a question that will remain unanswered and the Only time will be the deciding factor. Also, I really like the line, “New York will never leave town. It will never sink into a desert waste. Catapult us forward a thousand years and we won’t recognize the place; yet is certain to be, uninterruptedly, New York, populous, evolving, faithfully inconstant, magnetic, manmade, unnatural – the synthetic sublime (947). Her mentioning of the title in this major line is ingenious and contributes to the piece as a whole because even though she is unsure of what this great city will become, she expresses her strong belief that New York will retain its elegance and glamor.
Another evident difference was that Cynthia Ozick’s piece focused more on the various beauties of New York City, while E.B. White’s piece was more realistic about New York City. Readers can definitely witness this difference through the opposing tones and diction. Ozick really centers on a more lively, frolicsome tone about New York City. I’m not saying that E.B. White doesn’t do the same thing, but I believe that White took a more realistic approach to New York City’s “good vs. not so good” aspects. For example, in White’s essay, she consistently goes off about how amazing New York City is, and once she starts to get to the end, she gradually shifts her position into a more stern tone and mentions that New York City does have its downside, such as poverty.
The diction within Ozick’s piece is undoubtedly voluminous. I noticed that almost every other line utilizes descriptive adjectives to create an everlasting charm on the readers about New York City. She definitely does a solid job in representing the amazingness of New York. I really enjoyed the line, “Uptown’s glamor drive is more domestic” (950). She starts alluding to readers about the diverse setting of the Upper West Side, saying that one can find the best restaurants and cafes there. I like her use of the word “domestic” because it represents that the location has a very homelike feeling and has the effect of making people feel relaxed and comfortable. After reading this line, I thought of a cozy, sophisticated coffee shop in New York City. Here’s what I thought of:
The line, “New York ambition has changed its face,” (959) really jumped out of the screen and connected to my personal values Ozick mentions how in the past, success and power usually applied to middle aged people. Nowadays, the ambition and drive in New York City is retained by the youth. Today, I see so many young people, ranging from their late teens and early thirties, that are so successful and spontaneous. In regards to business, art, fashion etc, a multitudinous amount of youthful people are coming out from underneath their shadows and giving New York City a name. New York City is renowned for its innovation and I believe that many young people today spark the fire for that innovation. I’m really inspired to contribute to that innovation, so this line had some influence on my moral values. After reading this line, this picture really stood out to me:
At the end of her writing, she mentions the different immigrants that will venture off to New York City one day and leaves off with multiple questions. Her last question, “Will they think our outworn thoughts, or imaginings we cannot imagine” (961) really contributes to the effect of her piece because it represents questions that no one will ever know the answer to now. I guess she’s trying to relay the message that thinking about the future is a great thing, but we, as New Yorkers, should focus on the present and continue to add onto the vivacity and vibrant energy of New York City. New York’s faith lies in our hands.
