1. Andre Aciman talks about his ritual of going to Straus park because it reminds him of the hidden cities, what are these cities? Is it the cities from back home?
2. Is Aciman being in exile related to the idea of displacement? How?
3.  How does Aciman’s attachment to the park allow him to cope with New York?

1.How does the author’s displacement enable him to view the park in certain aspects?

2. How does the park provide emotional stability to the author?

3. How does the title “Shadow Cities” relate to our class theme of displacement? How does it relate to you?

1. As Straus Park was being demolished by a group of workers, the author felt as if his home was being taken away forcibly. Despite the negatives, the dirty wooden benches and the decaying pavements, he still finds some sort of an emotional attachment to it. Is there a place where you are/were affixed to than your actual home?
2. How would this article relate to the topic of ‘displacement’?
3. What is the significance of the title “Shadow Cities”?

-Sammi Looi

1. How can foreigners help ease the feelings of displacement with so many changes in a city?
2. How is displacement in this piece of writing similar and or different to displacement today?
3. Is the sense of familiarity and connection foreigners make with  objects and places, what helps them cope with reality and their feelings of withdrawal

-Paola Yepez

REVISED

1. In what specific ways did the author cope with feelings of displacement? Cite using the text
2. What similarities and differences does the author find between Straus Park and his home town?
3. compare and contrast ways in which your methods of coping with displacement are similar to the authors

1. Do you believe that a change in your environment or neighborhood becomes displacement? If so, should this “displacement” be considered an inconvenience or an improvement ? Example: Change of a single store you see on your way to work.
2. Why do you believe that Aciman is attached to how his city used to be?
3. How do “shadow cities” play a role in the advancement of the city?

1. Andre Aciman views Straus Park’s intersections as “crossroads to the world”, reminding him of past homes and adventures. Do you think Aciman’s yearning for the past is preventing growth or helping him cope with loss?
2. Do you think nostalgia helps you move forward or keeps you from seeing reality for what it is?
3. Does Aciman’s obsession with finding other’s displacements help him cope with his own displacement?

1. Is it safe to claim that displacement has given Andre Aciman experience and memories that he cherishes? How so?
2. What is causing the author to be unwilling to accept change?
3. What is the significance of the tittle “Shadow Cities”?

1. Aciman describes Straus Park with very flowery language throughout the piece. How do you think his use of imagery and his ability to personify the park, specifically the statue, helped enhance the plot of the story as a whole and how did it contribute to your personal understanding of the text?
2. Straus Park seems to be a safe haven for the author, as it reminds him of all his “homes” and his shadow cities. How can you relate to this and do you have a place yourself that you find reminds you of your home or homes and how they are all interconnected?
3. Do you agree with Aciman, that New York is a place where multiple “homes” and “shadow cities” intersect and if you do, how is this idea exemplified to you in your daily life?

– Kim Kazdal

Silence
In Silence we hear the start of a revolution
We hear the torment of shots being fired
We hear the children screaming, yearning to someone for help
We will endlessly hear you in Silence
We will not be discouraged
We will not let our voices go unnoticed

Silence
They try to Silence us
We say no! You will not be Silent!
They say “you’re ignorant, you’re too young to understand”
We say no!

Silence
We stand in Silence for the lives lost
We stand united,
Like individual drops of rain falling from the sky
We stand united,
We are the next storm

Silence
We will no longer stand in Silence
We will break away from the sky,
We will embody the rain
We will embody the wind
We are the next storm for the Revolution
And this is just the start

Silence
We say NO to your silence
We stand outside,
The pitter patter of the rain starts soft against the concrete surface of the earth
We fight
We fight together
The rain crashes down against the earth, hard, never ending

Silence
There will no longer be Silenced
They’re will not be Silence
There is no Silence
They will no longer Silence us

Noise
We are the Voice
We are the Change
We are the Future
We are the People
We are the Revolution
We are NOISE!!!
~ Kim Kazdal

This poem was inspired by the situation going on at the US and Mexican Border… More close to my heart, this poem is primarily inspired by the ongoing political unrest in Nicaragua.

1) How does Aciman’s displacement impacted the way he sees things?
2) In what way is New York the shadow of all the cities that Aciman went to?
3) What do you do to feel like you are home when you are so far away from it?