Category Archives: Commentary and Critiques

Battle in Black and White

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Amy Fox’s piece “Battle in Black and White” was similar to the Bagli piece in many ways.  We are seeing another case where housing becomes difficult for groups in a minority race. In her article, Fox talks about the challenges veterans and people of color faced when trying to live in Stuyvesant town as well as relocate when they were driven out of their current apartments. Bagli’s piece focused on the high rent prices that were driving out the current residents and making it challenging for relocation. Through these two articles, it is clear to see that they emphasized how challenging it was to relocate for minority groups. Fox backs up her point of view by analyzing and reporting on the stories of her past, while Bagli uses the current situation at hand in order to get her point across. I really enjoyed Fox’s piece, because she gave the reader an inside look on her family tree. The bravery of her grandparents to try and integrate Stuyvesant Town years back was truly remarkable.

The Deadly Choices at Memorial

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The visual opening was a careful decision that Sheri Fink used that instantly draws the reader into what she has to say. She follows the dark and powerful introduction with some historic context that sums it up for the reader. By selecting certain visuals – the grisly tableau, the decisions made and the amount of corpses taken out – the writer is able to take the narrative in the direction she desires. I think that Fink effectively drags the lede, and follows each point thoroughly to lead the reader into her most important facts that help shift her story: more people were involved than originally understood. It is evident that the writer had time to do research, and for anything she could not get, she acknowledges that they were not available for comment: a slick way of portraying that the topic is still sensitive and people are not comfortable commenting. She questions the medical ethical decision, and is careful not to take a bias, unveiling the story behind what happened in the hospital, and allowing the reader to decide what was right in the situation. Nonetheless, Fink reveals facts without overloading them into the readers mind. By using other voices, it’s evident how Fink feels about the decisions made in the hospital that day.

AJ Liebling

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Critic Philip Hamburger has described Back Where I Came From as a “love letter to the City of New York.” Do you agree or disagree? If so, how and why does Liebling express his views? What techniques does he use as a reporter/writer?

 

I agree that Back Where I Came From is a love letter to the city of New York. The style that Liebling exhibits is very much like the pace and lingo of a New Yorker, and he admits to not having anything other than his New York roots to turn to. Many of the things he mentions about the city, whether it be the undertaker or tummler, Liebling describes people that make up the New York culture. Its sense of timelessness makes it something that can be referenced in todays society, even though the piece was published in 1938.

By describing people through their routines and how they associate with other people, Liebling is able to draw the description that allows him to describe characters that define New York City culture. The people he writes about are more than just their name and their niche in the community; they are all symbolic of what makes New York City so busy and rich in culture.

Battle in Black and White

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The Stuyvesant town that Amy Fox reported on is considered a nobel area to live in. There were Post World War II efforts to provide affordable housing, but a lot of tenants did not want to allow the blacks to ruin the appeal of the neighborhood, and a conflict seemed to arise from the country’s involvement in the Cold War. Black tenants were flagged as communists, giving more incentive to evict them and increasing the blatant racism that was occurring.

In Charles Bagli’s reporting on Stuyvesant Town, the reference back to 2006 highlights the problem with eviction in 2006, and what the new owners had done to the neighborhood, a reference to the Stuy-town that Fox had reported on in reference to her grandparents and their struggles to not get evicted. Now, it seems as though preserving affordable housing is the main agenda, after years of the town trying to protect its value and aesthetic. The meaningful integration that was once lost, as reported by Fox, seems to be on the horizon, and more is being done to protect those who need affordable housing to live in New York City.

In both pieces, obtaining affordable housing in New York City is difficult because of everything being done to improve the city. While it seems as though more incentives are out to protect those with affordable housing, the rules and regulations to obtaining these homes is difficult. Bagli highlights this issue with statistics. Fox used the anecdote with her grandfather to show how long the issue has been unresolved.

 

American Girl

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What is the theme of Ta Nehisi-Coates’s profile?

The theme of the profile circulates around the idea that Michelle Obama embodies true American values and goals. The writer touches on Obama’s history and childhood to show that she has American culture deeply rooted in her from her humble beginnings.

Is there an overarching narrative?

The article starts with Obama’s beginnings in order to show the reader that she comes from a humble background, just like most of us. The writer includes information on the black population in Chicago as well as information on blue collar working families.

What surprises Coates about Michelle Obama?

Coates is surprised by how open Michelle Obama is about her past and how real she is in her speaking. She does not try to smooth over anything, and states exactly how she feels.

How does Coates conceptualize Michelle in the context of his own background growing up in Baltimore?

Coates notes in his piece that Michelle has not been negatively affected by racial and economic issues around her area. He sees that Michelle Obama’s family was able to remain stability even through hard times and is admirable of how unaffected she is of negative happenings. Coates believes that Michelle Obama is very fortunate, and has prospered even though hard times, making her the embodiment of American goals and values.

 

Battle in Black and White

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Both Fox’s and Bagli’s pieces tell how Stuyvesant town housing is inaccessible to different groups of people.

Bagli’s piece explains that the pricing situation of the apartments is the main factor that is driving out minority groups because they cannot afford to stay in the area. This is interesting in that Stuyvesant town was specifically oriented towards housing minorities, but is instead pushing them out of it. Fox’s piece discusses the way that Stuyvesant town was meant for low income families and veterans, but did not include black families. Black families were even excluded even if they were war veterans.

Both articles touch upon the problems faced in the housing industry in which raising rent prices makes it hard for families to maintain stable homes and forces them to move out. What separates the two writers is that Bagli’s focus lies mainly on present issues, while Fox chooses to look back into the past to remind readers that this has been going on for some time.

Invisible Child

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  1. Criticism that her last name was omitted.
    1. I feel that Andrea Elliot omitted Dasani’s last name with good intentions of keeping her anonymous since her story is one that is hard hitting and touches on many private aspects of her life. However, it might have been useful to use a fake name to further conceal her identity since Dasani is not a common name.
  2. Story ran too long.
    1. I do feel that the story ran too long. Even though there were a lot of details to cover about the daily aspects of Dasani’s life, it would have improved the piece if it was shorter in length to keep it interesting for readers. Some readers may not have enough time to read all five sections of the story, even if it is extremely well written.
  3. Times did not disclose the extent to which it was involved–months of following her every move.
    1. I think it would have been a good idea to disclose just how long it took to get information on and to construct the piece. It would allow other writers to see the dedication that it takes to truly uncover a story and give it justice through writing. It definitely seems like Andrea Elliot took a long time of shadowing Dasani to get the full story, but we will never be able to assume just how long.
  4. Not enough attention to the polices and politics of how homeless people are treated in New York City.
    1. I do not feel that this was a large issue in the story since it was a profile of the personal life experiences of a single girl, Dasani. Polices and politics are great information to include to strengthen the story. However, since this was not a conflict piece based on homelessness in general, it does not affect the quality of the profile that there was not a large focus on polices and politics.
  5. Risk of relying on a single story. Did it become a caricature of larger and more complex issues.
    1. I don’t believe that this story creates a caricature out of larger and more complex issues. It is a story meant to be a profile of a single homeless girl and the aspects of her daily life. Elliot did make sure to include both sides of the story to avoid any biases in her story. She showed Dasani in a light that shows that Dasani is actively trying to bring herself to a better living situation by trying to do better in school and not accepting her situation.

A.J Liebling

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Critic Philip Hamburger has described Back Where I Came From as a “love letter to the City of New York.” Do you agree or disagree? If so, how and why does Liebling express his views? What techniques does he use as a reporter/writer?

I agree with this view because Liebling’s fondness of New York is evident through his writing. His description of the people of NYC, the streets and how every day is different in the city shows how much he enjoys it. As a reporter I noticed that Liebling uses descriptive language to provide the reader with a visual of what New York City is like. He also tells us how the city has changed, and follows a timeline to let the reader know what he’s experienced in NYC during his time here.

American Girl

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What is the theme of Ta Nehisi-Coates”s profile?

In this piece, Coate offers a unique perspective on Michelle Obama by providing her background, along with context on her view towards America’s racial stance.

Is there an overarching narrative?

Although the main purpose of the article is to explain Michelle Obama’s dynamic cultural views, it does so by introducing a larger historical context of black cultural views, and it’s dynamic nature as racial integration proceeds.

What surprises Coates about Michelle Obama?

As Coates puts it, “In all my years of watching black public figures,
I’d never heard one recall such an idyllic youth”. Essentially, what surprised
him was the unconventional perspective Obama displayed; relatably offering
the perspective of an average American.

How does Coates contextualize Michelle in the context of his own background growing up in Baltimore?

Coates relates Michelle Obama’s experience to his own childhood by discussing the perspectives they had with relation to “black” as a culture. While Coates experienced his own culture explicitly in comparison to his white peers due to the racial integration in Baltimore, Michelle Obama was surrounded by a uni-racial neighborhood, and only knew of America’s multicultural nature as a concept.

Black and White

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Fox’s story takes on a very personal style, as she tells her grandparents’ story　of a pursuit and struggle for racial equality in the housing market. In Fox’s piece,　the injustice in the Stuyvesant Town community is a matter of race.　The story more recently released by New York Times is told in a more objective voice. Displaying　specific statistics and figures, this piece focuses on the socioeconomic struggle　for fair housing.
Both pieces tell the struggle for, and triumph of, justice in the community.
When combined, these two stories also show the dynamics of the housing
situation of Stuyvesant Town over the years.