So, I’m sitting here watching the Oscars, and I think to myself, “Gee, the richer always seem to get richer as the poorer get poorer, huh?” Seeing Anne Hathaway and James Franco all dolled up severely conflicted with the images of rags limply hanging off emaciated bodies I had lingering in my imagination after reading. But anyway –
I agree with Liz about Foner’s point about romanticization. It is extremely difficult to determine the validity of historic accounts when fact and opinionated-select memories intertwine. We experience this ourselves; when retelling a story that had emotional significance to us, how many times do we stretch fact and exaggerate the truth? This warping can be done to positive and negative memories alike; hence, the romanticization of Old World neighborhoods and the ignorance of Five Point’s benefits happen.
Anbinder’s descriptions were extremely vivid and grotesque. The explanations of freezing winters, sweltering summers, nauseating odors, poor sanitation, wimpy shelters, rampant diseases, overcrowded residential spaces, high rents, and unrelenting noises are incredible… in a bad way. That being said, I enjoyed reading his excerpts more than those of Foner and Pritchett. I guess my morbid curiosity would be naturally attracted to the idea of “slumming.” While reading that specific passage, I thought immediately of reality television, like Rebecca. It’s true – humans are naturally curious when it comes to the misfortunes of others, because it makes us realize, “it could’ve happened to us!”
Lydia Maria Child’s words from her work Letters from New York still resonate with me now: “Will the millennium ever come!” Well, it certainly did. And we have most deifnitely come a long way since the horrid conditions in the 19th-20th centuries; subways continue to make economic expansion possible, and toleration for those of foreign lands continues to grow as colors further mix together. Pritchett stated that “Brownsville’s second-generation did better than their parents, but only by a little” (32). Although this may be true, I think that even the slightest improvements meant the world to New York residents then. It proved that development was possible, and success would eventually come.
