ENG 2150 Gimme Shelter: the spaces we live in

I will be writing about Soundview, more specifically Clason Point located in the South East Bronx. The history of this area is quite intriguing because it has gone through a significant transition in the past century. Clason Point was once predominately constituted of wealthy white inhabitants. The area was a summer home and vacationing destination filled with cabarets, theaters, country clubs and trolly’s cars transporting the upscale to and fro. Clason Point then built an amusement park and became known as the “Coney Island of the Bronx”. As the years passed the population became a predominately low to middle class area. I would like to explain how this transition has come about and due to the transition the image of the community has lost its regality and been acquainted with crime. Crime is associated with this area because the outer districts of the Soundview area is filled with. However, the Clason Point section is a very quite and calm area. The point of the essay is to explain that the lowering of the economic setting of an area does not lower the quality of its inhabitants. The Clason Point area maintains the same awe to its new inhabitants as it did as “The Coney Island of the Bronx” to the previous gentry.

The military and all its branches are highly advertised, so much so that we are subconsciously influenced by them. The messages and symbols they portray create the blasé effect on the individuals witnessing them by means of repetitive imaging. Through display of guns,force, power, and bravery we become desensitized to the true nature and reality that war is. War is brutal, frightening, and filled with loss. The advertisements however, exemplify the military as a prestigious and honorary role. Although this is true and the members of our military are held in high respect,the mass public subconsciously grows to support efforts of war without regarding its tragedies. We become so accustomed to the military as being a “force for good” we forget that many  detrimental things happen to our soldiers and by them. We are conditioned to believe war is “cool”. As exemplified in the photo, most individuals would say they see an “epic” or “awesome” capture of the armed forces. Few individuals would say that they see a terrifying, dangerous or sad capture despite these soldiers are in an open area susceptible to enemy fire, mines, or another type of attack. We don’t recognize the wrong that can happen instead we see these images so readily in the news, ads, television, and video games that it’s seriousness is minimized. We loose the trepidation that war should often impose because of the way it is represented in daily life. War becomes simply a game, because we are so distanced from it and it is represented solely in its lime light and hardly ever in its atrocities. Therefore we become blasé and unflappable in our views of war, it simply becomes an everyday thing.

“The Raven” Read by James Earl Jones

“The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe is the first work that crossed my mind in relation to William James’ “Stream of Consciousness”. The protagonist of the poem is first  shown to be on the cusp of sleep whilst studying ancient literature when he suddenly heres a noise at his door. In his dreary state, the tapping at his door reminds him of the sadness his heart held for his lost love. This memory strikes fear in the heart of the protagonist and he tries to calm his emotion through rationality that it must simply be a visitor. To support the rational thought he is trying to subdue his fears with he moves to answer the door, when upon doing so no one is there. He utters then his lost loves name and it is echoed back to him in the silence. This sends his emotions further into a frenzy because his rationality has failed him. He then hears the tapping again and then believes the noise is coming from his window. He tries to rationalize the noise as being the wind and not his lost love “Lenore” entreating him from the beyond. When he opens the window a raven flies in and perches itself above his door. The protagonist smiles to himself because reason has once again took hold and the cause of the noise was nothing more than the raven. He speaks to the bird voicing his previous ridiculous fears. To his surprise the utters “Nevermore”. This intrigues the protagonist and he marvels at this trying to combat his drifting mind. He reasons that this raven learned the words from a person whom was wrought with a grave countenance. The bird answers his thoughts with “Nevermore” and he is taken aback and begins to think that the raven was answering him. Upon further conversation with the raven the protagonist deems that the bird is not simply a beast but a demon. A demon or entity sent to further laden his heart with sadness for his lost love.

This poem relates to “Stream of Consciousness” because it exhibits the many points that James’ was detailing in his work. As explained consciousness is personal, which in “The Raven” is exhibited by the memories of “Lenore” that the tapping and raven reverberated to the protagonist. The idea of consciousness as being a “stream” or consistently moving is exhibited through the protagonists dialogue with himself and the raven. His thoughts are ever fluctuating, trying to reason with occurrences of the night. Lastly,  there is also the exhibition that thoughts are entwined with emotions, for the protagonist of “The Raven” feels sadness, fear, and loss throughout his reasoning with  what meaning the raven holds. He at first rationalizes it as being the cause of the noise and takes no other meaning which makes him joyous and light hearted towards his ridiculous thoughts that it could have been Lenore knocking at his door. However, the thought of Lenore as being the source of the sound was filled with the emotion of fear. His interaction with the raven  brings back this fear because he thinks it is sent from a unworldly entity.