Monthly Archives: September 2015

Neighborhood Pitch: SOHO

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The neighborhood of Soho reminds me of a commercial sector in the city in which I was born. I visited the neighborhood’s stores and commercial sectors and the aesthetics and overall atmosphere of its surroundings and the structure of its streets, along with the large and small shops, brought to me memories of the commercial sector in the city in which I was born and spent my childhood in: Medellin, Colombia. This is the main reason why I liked Soho and chose to write my stories on the neighborhood. A second reason is my desire to learn more about the neighborhood’s history and the roll it plays in fighting to fix issues of major importance to Manhattan and its residents.

I want to focus on issues that are relevant to New York City as a whole, and then I plan to compare Soho to other neighborhoods in Manhattan in terms of degree of involvement in such issues. One example of an issue that I am interested in is the homeless problem and the recent rise in homelessness in New York City. What I am most interested in seeing is what is being done in the neighborhood of Soho about this problem, which affects all neighborhoods in the borough of Manhattan. It is interesting to compare the Soho filled with tourists spending thousands of dollars on expensive clothes by day, with the Soho doing its part to fix the homeless problem in Manhattan by night.

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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The writer does give us very much of Robert Shelton’s personal history, but it’s extremely important here as it gives us, the readers, an idea of where he’s coming from and ultimately, his intimate connection with the Domino sugar factory. His personal history is a nice touch to this article, it makes it very personal and real.

The narrative is essentially Shelton’s relationship with the factory and its neighborhood, and how much everything has changed since he started working there, culminating in the now abandoned factory housing a huge sculpture, indicative of the artsy population that has taken over the neighborhood.

The lead, “Robert Shelton had never seen the floor of what he always called the sugar house until the day this spring when he returned to the Domino refinery.”, is a great sentence that leaves the reader begging for more. “Who is Robert Shelton, why has he never seen the floor of the Domino refinery, and what is his place there?” is what I’m wondering when I read this lead. It’s not a hard news lead that reveals all the important information at once, but works well in this piece.

The nut graph doesn’t appear until much later, “He was talking about “A Subtlety,” the massive sculpture by the artist Kara Walker, a sugar-coated homage to African-American slave women and to the slave laborers who built the 19th-century sugar trade.”. The author explains essentially why we need to read about Robert Shelton and the refinery, with his point of view being slightly Shelton’s side, as a reader, I found myself rooting for Shelton.

 

Neighborhood Faces Query

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As a security guard at Lenox Hill’s Ramaz School, Dwight Johnson is constantly surveying the neighborhood. The Ramaz Upper School, located on 78th street between Park and Lexington Avenues, sits directly on the northernmost border of what is considered Lenox Hill.

For the past nine and a half years, Johnson has served dutifully as one of the school’s main security guards. He provides not only security for the children attending school, but also a friendly face to say goodbye to as the students go home for the day.

At his post, Johnson is extremely vigilant on 78th street, and is well aware of many of the happenings around Lenox Hill, especially at nearby Lenox Hill Hospital, a hotbed of activity.

Johnson is also extremely in tune with the more mundane aspects of Lenox Hill, which can be the most telling of any possible conflicts. He knows the routines of the residents he sees everyday, like when they leave and return from work, at what time they walk their dog, and whether or not they accompany their children to and from school.

He also knows the general atmosphere of the neighborhood at any given time, and can easily tell if something interesting is happening or about to happen. If anyone is going to reveal a current conflict in Lenox Hill, it’ll be Dwight Johnson.

Neighborhood Faces: Dave Carlson

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In the many times we walk around our specific neighborhoods, no matter how big the size of our luxurious and filthy metropolis is, we may continue to see the same familiar faces. Each face a life, and each life a story. Local “homeless” man Dave Carlson resides on the street corner of Third Avenue between Twenty-Sixth and Twenty-Seventh Street, right next to the Subway restaurant.

In his fifth year as a street resident, and that is meant to be taken literally, Dave is the face that everyone sees on their way to and from work, just as long as you’re a Kips Bay resident.

Starting his life as a soldier fighting wars overseas, he is greeted with cold shrugs of New York. “I had no more family and no more friends when I came back home,” Dave says as he is sitting down on his milk crate he carries with him, looking down at his hands. However, he has found friends from continuously living in his non-literal street address. He is greeted with warm hellos and offers of blankets, shirts, socks, scarves, mostly everything that the residents can give him.

“The winters are harsh, so I try to get as many clothes as I can. I have this suitcase with me, so i can store my clothes. I’ve been to all the homeless shelters, but my clothes and belongings always get stolen from me, so it’s better if I stay on the street.”

Regardless of fact or opinion, Dave Carlson has not even been threatened to move out of his residence, unlike many unfortunate New Yorkers in the past.

 

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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Does the writer give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history?

The writer does give us more than Shelton’s personal history. We dive into a string of historical visuals laid down by the author that illustrates the history of the sugar factory and also labor workers.

Describe the narrative of this profile, the arc of the story.

We are taken through Domino’s refinery from birth to death, and also the evolution of blue collar work/workers in association with the sugar factory and how the market of goods (ie: sugar and high-fructose corn syrup) can alter the ways of living.

What do you think of the lead? Where is the nut graf?

This anecdotal lead does a great job emphasizing the size of the sugar sphinx and also to compare it to the size and remains of the Domino’s sugar refinery. As for the nut graf, I believe it is the fifth paragraph, where Shelton says, “I can never come back here again.” The reasoning why is because this opens up the story as to why Shelton can never come back there again, and exactly why Shelton has such great memories of a sugar factory that he would miss it that dearly.

What about the author’s point-of-view?

I believe the author shares sympathy with Shelton. Here is a man that lives for his work, and after twenty years he would continue to sweat through his socks and battle through the harsh New York winters. Vivian Yee made it in her best interest to cover Shelton’s history as a Domino’s worker and also dove into his personal life a bit.

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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“2 Jobs at the Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat,” by Vivian Yee is a well-written and descriptive piece that touches the reader emotionally. As an author, Yee writes the article in a way that provides readers with good knowledge of her subject and manages to keep her opinions objective. She profiles Robert Shelton, a worker at the Domino Sugar refinery, providing the reader with personal insight into Shelton’s life, experiences, and feelings towards the changes that are occurring in his world. The narrative includes descriptive language, facts, and anecdotes that detail this man’s career and hours of devotion in a sugar factory in Brooklyn. The lead begins in a dramatic way with its powerful visual description of Shelton having never seen the floor of the sugarhouse in all the 20 years he’s worked there. The nut graf is then found when the author describes the closing of the installation and states, “In a borough convulsed by change, perhaps no set of buildings carries as much symbolic freight as the Domino complex…” The Sugar Factory was more than a job to Shelton it was his life. This piece incorporates important quotes from Shelton that describe his sorrow, appreciation, and memories, as he mourns its closing and ultimate destruction of its legacy. This article achieves to connect with the reader because it’s not just an article about Shelton’s life and career, but it provides information on the sculpture’s success, purpose, process of sugar formation, and mention of future plans for the space. The author also provides a detailed account of how the heat from the kilns affected Shelton and his everyday life. The profile sums up Shelton’s background, what his parents were like, his daily schedule working 3 jobs, and what his life is like today.

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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Does the writer give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal story?

The writer definitely gave us more than Robert Shelton’s personal story. The writer goes into telling the readers background about the factories, like which ones were gone and what they were replaced with. The article also gave me an insight on how important the factory was to not only Robert Shelton but also others who took great passion in working there just like him. While reading, I felt like I was reading a novel rather than an article. The writer incorporated the skills of writing a novel into his article, he gave the characters/sources emotion which made me, the reader, more understanding to not only Robert Shelton’s personal story but also the other workers who were affected by the replacements of the factories.

Describe the narrative of this profile, the arc of the story.

The narrative of this profile is Robert Shelton’s personal life because although the article goes into telling us more than his personal life the the story always comes back to him. Anything mentioned in the article made a relation back to Shelton.

What do you think of the lead?

I think the lead of the story definitely built that connection between the reader and the story, It made the article much more relatable.

Where is the nut graf?

What I believe to be the nut graf of the story is the paragraph that starts off as “By June 1999, when the International Longshoremen’s Association began what would become a 20-month strike…” on the bottom of page 3. The reader falls into realization of the serious damage done to the workers because of the closure of these factories which before ending the article reminds the reader of what the article is trying to point out.

What about the author’s point-of-view?

The authors point-of-view is that many people have suffered and their lives have changed because of the closure of these factories. The author shows sympathy in wanting to not only write this article, but also creating that connection between the readers and the people incorporated in the article.

 

Neighborhood Faces

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For over 30 years, Gil Dominguez has served as owner and lead pharmacist at Buckley’s Drug Store and Compounding Center, found in Englewood’s downtown district. Buckley’s has been around for over 80 years, successfully helping Englewood residents as well as people from near towns. Dominguez has become a key figure in the community and that’s why I decided to profile him. His job is a family run business where he works with his wife and son. Dominguez was heavily influenced by his aunt who was a pharmacist and his father-in-law who owned a pharmacy in Cuba. He works everyday to help the welfare of society with their basic needs and prescriptions. I would like to know more about his business, what a day at the job consists of, and what problems he faces in his industry. Something unique about Dominguez is that he is able to get to know his customers on a personal level, recognizing each person by name. This personal relationship is only possible because of Englewood’s tight knit community and his small local business.

Dominguez has seen the city change and knows what issues it faces. On a business level, he finds the traffic and insufficient amount of parking on Palisades Avenue to be an issue for his customers. From our conversation, he told me he grew up in Manhattan, however after being in Englewood for so many years he can say that he likes the suburbs better. He enjoys the small town feel and the diversity it brings. For my media component, I thought it would be nice to have audio clips as well as pictures of him and the pharmacy.

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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Does the writer give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history?

The writer does give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history. He uses Shelton’s background to attach some history to the sugar factory. His experience gives us insight on the events that occurred during it’s era and as to why the sugar factory has such a significance. Describing his personal experience makes the readers feel as if they are a employee of or resident nearby the sugar factory.

Describe the narrative of this profile, the arc of the story.

The arc of the story is described using our 6 senses. Shelton describes his experience by using our sense of smell and our sense of sight to. By using our sense of smell he explains the smell of burned marshmallow coating your every breath. He uses our sense of sight to help us visualize the factory’s surrounding area and how it has changed. From having the sugar factory, knitting factory, the soda factory, and the shoe factory to having condominiums and lofts in the area. The sugar factory also has a dark past in relation to slavery and African American culture but he feels it is a misconception because he even jokes that he was paid well. He believes the sugar factory has significant part of Brooklyn history and believes the sphinx should be preserved.

What do you think of the lead?

The lead made me curious on what the story might be about becuase I personally don’t know if jobs in sugar factories still exist in America today so it did suggest that it was going to talk about something that took place a long time ago.

Where is the nut graf? What about the author’s point-of-view?

The nut graf starts when Mr.Shelton states “Once this is down, years from now, it’s going to be forgotten…Like everything else.” The author’s point-of-view is basically reflecting Shelton’s experience. She is very objective of what has replaced the the sugar factory now.

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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In the article, “Two Jobs at Sugar Factor, and a Lump in the Throat,” the writer does give us a little more than Robert Shelton’s personal history. She tells us a little about the history of the sugar factory and its status before proceeding to summarize Robert Shelton’s work history and his addition to the factory. The writer starts the narrative of Robert Shelton’s life by starting with where he grew up, and then going on to describe the evolution of his work history. The writer works primarily around Robert Shelton’s career as opposed to his personal life and experiences since those tie in more directly to the factory and its current events.

The nut graf of the article is the seventh paragraph at the bottom of the first page of the article. I feel that the writer feels that even though a job at the sugar factor was not glamourous, since she notes the “clumps [of sugar] at least a decade old” on one of the metal beams, she feels that the workers there had a rich experience in that people such as Robert Shelton still have fond memories of working there and have built relationships with their supervisors and coworkers.