ENG 2150 Gimme Shelter: the spaces we live in

Jackson Heights is currently the neighborhood I reside in and it is pretty clear to a new set of eyes, that this neighborhood has no dominant ethnicity.  Jackson Heights is a complete collage of languages, cultures, ethnicities, religions, and overall people.  You can walk the 35 blocks that is Jackson Heights and encounter little villages from around the world.  There is a predominantly Middle-Eastern area, as well as Colombian, Dominican, Mexican, Greek and African-American areas.  The biggest question is how did such a neighborhood become such diverse and cultured community.  I will be looking at the history of the neighborhood as well as look for trends that determine the cultures living in Jackson Heights.  Recently there is a wave of Asian-Americans newly residing in the community, which brings the question of what attracts different ethnicities to the neighborhood.

The area of Manhattan that I would like to write my final paper on is the Upper East Side.  The Upper East Side stretches from 59th Street to 96th Street and between Central Park and the East River.  The reason why I would like to write about the Upper East Side is because I live in the Baruch dorms which is right on the boarder of the Upper East Side.  I have experienced the area multiple times by walking around and seeing the neighborhood. As I was doing some research I have concluded that what I would like to talk about is how, in the past, the Upper East Side was thought of as an area where only wealthy white people lived.  I would also like to add how the neighborhood is now and how it has evolved over the years.  Using the sources discussed in class, I believe that I will have no problem finding the information to support my thesis.  If any of you have anything to add or mention, please do, I’m all ears.

Bushwick is beautiful. There is no doubt about it. After living in this neighborhood for almost twenty years, I have come to this subjective conclusion. Beauty can be found in her people, her history, and her current culture. In my paper, I will attempt to explore the history of this neighborhood, especially in the last 100 years. I will research and explain the past, current, and future demographic trends. I would like to look particularly at this neighborhood in terms of it’s real estate as well. Why are costs rising? What will happen to the current residents? Where are the future residents coming from? To determine where Bushwick is going, one must know where it has been.

My final paper is focused on Long Island City, Queens. Besides its convenience of getting to either Manhattan or Brooklyn quickly, I want to discuss how it became known as “cultural center of Queens.” I want to do that in a step by step format arguing that Long Island City it attracts a new generational and more modern form of art. This, in turn, defines its vibrancy and why it is such a landmark of Queens.

Although I have an idea of what argument I want to make, I don’t have firm idea of how to word it and put it into a thesis. I feel also that this idea should take more of a stance. There are plenty of information and articles tying Long Island City to art. I also want to add how it has commercially developed and attracted businesses because of its growing resident population.

Right now I am toying with plenty ideas, but have to find a way to narrow it down to a firm argument.