Category Archives: Here Is New York
Response to “Here is New York”
E.B. White’s “Here is New York”, although published over 50 years ago, highlights a variety of aspects of city living that still ring true today. Although technological advances have been made over time, and neighborhoods have changed, the very essence of New York City has remained the same. I don’t believe it’s the shops that make the difference. It is the nitty gritty pieces of New York life that help us recognize and differentiate our city.
It seems as though, in the time that has passed, the bustling city life, the ever reaching skyline, and the architecture have only grown bolder. The population has changed but the parks still flourish, businesses run, and every man and woman on the street know this is New York.
While reading the book, I don’t think It occurred to me more than once or twice that this book was written in the late 40’s. His description of the city is so relevant to modern day New York City life that, without the small distinctions, it would be hard to date. New York’s tiny self sustainable neighborhoods with varieties of shops and businesses, the raging traffic hours, and the habits of the natives are simply spot on in his book.
If I’d written this book today, I’d have tried to describe the beauty of New York as it’s always been. I’d incorporate the beauty of its busyness, and the hopeful atmosphere that hangs around the corners, and try not to define this city life by jamming the book with references to modern day advertising, technology, and other things that haven’t contributed as greatly to its prestige.
Here is New York-Response
Since E.B. White’s Here is New York was written in 1948, the city “that seldom seems dead or unresourceful” (White 25) has inevitably undergone change.
White discusses how “no matter where you live in New York, you will find within a block or two a grocery store, a barbershop…a shoeshine shack, [and] an ice-coal-and-wood cellar” (White 35). If this were written today, I think the author would include different types of locations, such as the many coffee shops and convenience stores, like Starbucks or Duane Reades, that line the streets today.
I am particularly intrigued by White’s description of the different people who make up New York City. His description of the commuters as keeping the city restless, the natives as providing the city with continuity, and those seeking NYC as an end goal as contributing passion and energy, seem to accurately describe the people of New York today. I would, however, suggest that commuters today spend more time in the city than in previous years as modern transportation makes it more convenient for those living in the suburbs to reach the city quicker and stay here longer.
White also describes New Yorkers as spending the majority of their time in smaller, separated neighborhoods within the city. Although this remains true, I think people today travel a great deal throughout the boroughs for both work and leisure.
White’s discussion of race is also rather outdated. Although race remains an issue in some components of the city, White’s discussion of unequal treatment in hotels and restaurants does not seem as relevant today as it was in 1948. White celebrated the advancement of racial equality in the subways, for example, something that also does not seem as relevant today.
If this book were written in 2014, it would perhaps mention the increase in prices, such as the subway fare that was once 10 cents, as well as the increase in the city’s population. It might also mention accommodations, such as more subway lines, that are continuously made to address this growing population. Although the irritability and tension of the increasingly crowded city continue to impact New York, perhaps the aforementioned accommodations work to lessen this issue today. I also think today’s version of this book would discuss the increased police surveillance and security following such violent events as 9/11.
Although several changes have inevitably impacted the city since 1948, some characteristics White discusses remain relevant today with only minor needed adjustments.
EB WHITE RESPONSE
EB White was regarded as a visionary by many after having written “Here Is New York” in 1948. White descriptively pointed out New York’s positives and negatives, many of which are still present today. For example, throughout the book, he conveyed important social issues that plagued the city such as homelessness and poverty. Today, in modern day New York, these issues are still prevalent throughout certain neighborhoods. In terms of development, White described how in any neighborhood in New York, one could have access to anything they needed (i.e. deli, shoe store, pharmacies) all within a block or two radius from their home. This is still the case in most areas in the outer boroughs where small businesses flourish, and the less residential neighborhoods of course. White also successfully described the three types of New Yorker’s who inhabited the city then and now— the commuter, the native, and the settler.
If this book were written today, I do not imagine there would be too many changes except the rise in population and wider array of cultures. In other words, people are still rushing around, taxis are still speeding, and on 9/11 the city was shown to still be destructible.
E.B. White’s “Here is New York”
Here is New York is dated in its references to business and sights that are no longer in existence and in its mentions of prices around the city. In everything else, however, the book remains relevant. White’s profiles of the “three New Yorks” are all still significant, as is the ever-changing/changeless nature of the city, and the conflicting feelings of loneliness and belonging within a community that New York evokes. His statement that native New Yorkers don’t seem to appreciate the city in the same way as non-natives do also still holds true.
The author says that New York City is a city that is the product of the coming together of people from all walks of life and that every person brings a different thing to it. White also says that every thing in the city is critical–that even if one of these things were not present, the city would be completely changed. Although this book was written over 60 years ago, New York is still thought of in this way.
If I were writing this book in 2014, I would only update it by including current changes and additions to the city, such as the dramatic financial changes that have taken place in Greenwich Village since 1949 and the overwhelming amount of chain business that have taken over the city.
An Essay Beyond its Time – Here is New York
Who would have thought an essay that dates more than half a century would have so much relevance to a city that is constantly changing and reinventing itself? During the summer of 1948, American writer E.B. White sat in his hotel room in one of the loudest and largest cities in the world, New York City. The distractions however, did not get in the way of his creative mind from writing a timeless piece of work.
White captures every essence of the city and its people. His writing takes us on a virtual journey that takes a look at the city’s landmarks, its famous streets, and even the feelings evoked in people who are natives, who are everyday commuters, and who are immigrants. He expresses that these groups of people each offer something to the city, but it’s the settlers that give it passion. This remains true as New York is one of the most diverse cities around the world that includes numerous immigrants who have provided future generations a model of how hard work and persistence can lead to success.
While there are many positive characteristics about New York City, White takes a realistic approach and makes it clear that it is not a perfect city. Although it is a city that brings people together, it also separates people. It is a city that is in constant motion, but it has the tendency to shelter people in their own little world. Even till present day, many outsiders think the city is crowded, uncomfortable, noisy, and congested, but only the city people know that they can escape it all and still maintain their privacy.
The final sentence uttered by White sums up the takeaway and he states, ” It is a battered tree, long suffering and much climbed.. it symbolizes the city: life under difficulties, growth against odds..” Sure New York has gone through tough obstacles but it still remains the city everyone keeps coming to explore, to dream, and to be creative just like E.B. White did more than fifty years ago on a hot summer day in his hotel room. His work will continue to serve as a testimony that New York City is an ever changing, changeless concrete jungle.
Here is New York (E.B. White)
Dear Feature Writers:
Please publish your post on Here is New York and also make sure that you check off the category: Here is New York.
Prof. B.
“Here Is New York” – E.B. White: New York Then and Now
Although written in 1948, E.B. White’s “Here is New York” paints a modern picture of New York City. Aside from the references to things that no longer exist, including the book elevator in the New York Public Library, haberdasheries, and the Queen Anne, White captured how ahead of its time the city was, even during the time at which he wrote this particular piece.
There are parallels to the New York City of the past and of the present in White’s prose. He captures the essence of modern New York in 1948 by describing the fast-paced living, the various blend of cultural groups, as well as the wide array of opportunities available to residents and visitors alike. White also speaks of a particular incident during lunch when he was “eighteen inches” from Fred Stone although White never took the opportunity to speak to him. White uses this story as a metaphor for both the closeness and the isolation that New Yorkers feel on a daily basis. In 1948, New York was comprised of about 8 million people. Despite the millions of people contained in one city, people in the city do not take the time to interact with each other, much like it is today on the streets or in the subway. This is and was the nature of New York, as people are presented with various opportunities that they can chose to be part of or not. This is what White meant when he said that people can “choose their spectacle.” Everything in New York is optional unless someone voluntarily chooses to participate in it. The “city of opportunity” is available to anyone who wants to take advantage of it.
If this book were written in the present-day, there would not have to be many changes to White’s prose other than minor details. Speakeasies would become the trendy bar in the East Village and the “Consolidated Edison Company” would be shortened simply to “Con Ed.” However, the picture that White paints of New York City still rings true today in both attitude and spirit.
E.B. White Reading Response
The Here Is New York essay by E.B. White is dated by its many names of once well-known people and occurences that many younger New Yorkers today most likely do not know of. Also, many of the older generation of New Yorkers most likely do not recall those names and occurences. At times during the reading, there are some references to New York City being at times quiet, in which one is able to hear certain unusual sounds. That is not typical NYC.
The sentences that reads, “On a summer night the drunks sleep in the open. The sidewalk is a free bed, and there are no lice. Pedestrians step along and over and around the still forms as though walking on a battlefield among the dead. In doorways, on the steps of the savings bank, the bums lie sleeping it off.” This certainly is not an exact accurate description of NYC, as more shelters exist. Today, in NYC there are a sizeable amount of homeless folks sleeping on the streets, on train platforms, and in subway cars, however most of those are not drunk individuals that has a home to go to.
If I were writing Here Is New York otday in 2014, I would have to include the various ethnic groups living in the city and the surrounding boroughs at least, of the past 5 years. It would be necessary to include an inside look in the world of NYC bustling transportation system, focusing on MTA and the yellow taxi cabs. It’s necessary that my version does not heavily emphasize measurements and distances to describe what I am observing while strolling through the streets.
E.B White, Here Is New York
E.B White gives us a first class tour of New York City at its earliest peak by personifying the streets, depicting daily scenarios and going into the minds of the typical 20th Century New Yorker. If we fast forward 65 years, modern day New York has definitely seen some changes, mainly a spike in prices and people and a drop in slums and over all living space. E.B White mentions that it only cost a quarter to ride public transportation, and only $8 to rent a room in one of the newly developed housing projects. Nowadays, regular transportation costs 1000% more standing at $2.50 per ride, while the cheapest housing arrangement is unlikely to fall below the thousand dollar mark. One reason why the prices are sky rocketing is that more and more people are flowing into the city. In 1949 E.B. White estimates that there were approximately 8 million recorded citizens inhabiting the state, today there are only 8 million recorded citizens living in New York City alone. Many of which are willing to pay for any housing facility that they can find, even ones where the kitchen and bathroom share the same sink. And we thought our subway rides were cramped. With the high increase in population, space is becoming more and more limited, resulting in star bound sky scrapers, instead of the mansions that once were. The new “mansions” have been renamed penthouses and stand several floors above ground, occupying land that was long ago filled with slums. Now the only people wealthy enough to live on that land are the ones who basically own it.
Here is New York by E.B. White is a story of an older New York that is very similar to the modern New York. Replace any of the names of the stores named to modern ones and the scene is practically still the same.
In the book White writes that the tallest plushiest offices lie the crummiest slims. This is still true today as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. He wrote about it then saying that schools and hospitals are overcrowded and inadequate or underfunded as we know that they are today in 2014.
I think E.B. White captured New York’s exact lifestyle and although the times and names and faces are changed, the lifestyle is the same.
He captures the marvels as well as the faults of New York then and now. I would publish the book the same way he has except the names would be different and there would be a mention of the 1984-Orwellian police state that New York is in since September 11th, 2001.