Neighborhood Profile Draft

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An average day for Kyle Blidy consists of rising early at 5:00 A.M. and thrusting himself into the hustle and bustle that is New York. Kyle’s first task of the day is his commute from his neighborhood in Astoria to the the LoMA academy in lower manhattan.

Kyle’s primary occupation is as a teacher at the LoMA academy from 8AM-12PM daily, and additionally works as a teacher’s assistant and after-school tutor at the St. John’s Preparatory High School (which is only a few blocks from his apartment) every other afternoon.

“Teaching is something that I always had a passion for, ever since I had my first chemistry class in High School, and saw my first laboratory explosion. This explosion metaphorically sparked a revolution in my intellectual interests. I have taken on the career of education so that I can share my passion for chemistry with others Kyle is certified to teach chemistry and mathematics at any school in the state of New York, since his graduation from NYU Steinhardt’s prestigious teaching program (ranked third in the nation for pedagogy, according to the Princeton Review). “As much as I’ve made it my goal to try to help every student get an equal education, I must admit that it is easier to teach students at the elite St. John’s Preparatory High School versus the students at the under-served, predominantly-minority student, LoMA academy. It really just has to do with available resources, funding, and student motivation for success. Unfortunately, the school system in New York is greatly disparate in regards to the above, and the struggle I endure at LoMA is enough to drive me out of there. I plan on working to secure a tenured position at St. John’s Preparatory High School in the near future.”

In addition to Kyle’s all around superior experience at St. John’s Preparatory High School, it moreover takes the cake in terms of convenience. Kyle’s commute to St. John’s Preparatory High School is far less than that for LoMA. St. John’s is only a few blocks away from his apartment building, in the comfort of Astoria. In order to get to the LoMA, he must commute by subway, which as Kyle appropriately argues, isn’t exactly free.

“It’s something that’s convenient for me since taking the subway beats driving any day! ” He says when asked about his commute. “ Not only is it cheaper than driving, but I don’t need to engage in that crazy hassle of finding a parking, which by the way is virtually impossible. It really isn’t so bad managing without a car, since the subway is just a block from my house and the trains come like every five minutes. Commuting by trains, believe it or not, may even benefit me at times, since it gives me extra time to look over my notes for my lessons before I begin my day teaching.”

As positive as Kyle’s commuting story seems to be, he does admit that there are some drawbacks to living in Astoria. One of the challenging experiences he has faced is having to deal with large crowds during the prime-time of day. He explains that sometimes rush hour makes it hard for him to even score a tiny corner of space in the train for his travel to the city. Kyle also comments that due to Astoria being quite densely populated, you often smell unwanted scents from people around you, and this includes not only ethnic cuisines, but even lingering marijuana. Kyle complains that the marijuana problem in his building is so bad, that the smell seeps through the walls and ceilings. Fortunately, this is a problem Kyle explains will end soon, as those few tenants who break the illegal-substance laws are currently undergoing an eviction from premises.

Kyle Blidy has lived in Astoria for his entire life with his father, Peter Blidy. More recently, they expanded their nuclear family, and got a cat, Catherine “Cat” Blidy. Peter Blidy has owned his apartment building for roughly 25 years, and has been working to modernize and improve the estate since the day he inherited it. Peter and Kyle’s home is located conveniently off of Astoria’s very busy 30th Avenue, where the many bus lines, parks, bodegas, hair salons, and of course, the N and Q subway lines are located.

“I walk outside my door, and there’s all these different types of people, it’s almost as diverse as Manhattan. And food? I can eat a different type of food every day of the week. Mexican, Italian, Greek, Egyptian. . . you name it!” He adds that he’s grateful for the 24-hr Queenie’s Fried Chicken that’s on the same block as his apartment building. “This place is convenient for those late night ‘snack attacks’,” as he phrases it.

 

When asked if he would ever consider moving elsewhere, Kyle shakes his head and answers with a simple, “Never.”

Invisible Child Commentary

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 I believe it was a good decision to withhold Dasani’s last name as well as that of her family for protection purposes. In the story, Dasani spoke about the rivalry between her family members in the projects and the unexpected fights with people that could occur due to her family’s temper as well as her own. I agree with not including Dasani’s last name because of the potential harm it could’ve caused her or her family.

2) I didn’t mind that the story was long because I was so intrigued. I was able to really learn about Dasani, her family, and get a firsthand experience look into what life at a homeless shelter is long. Yes, it may have run long, but I personally would not criticize it because I genuinely enjoyed everything about this story.   3) Again, I believe the time was not disclosed due to safety reasons. There is a certain boundary that has to be kept with such delicate situations. You’re dealing with someones life, not just another report.

4) I feel like this shed a lot of light on how homeless people are treated in New York City. Yes, this may have been an extreme scenario, but who is to say that other homeless people in the city don’t go through this and more ?

5) Not everyone can really go into depth as to what life is for a homeless family the way Andrea Michelle did. I truly enjoyed her piece, and it left me wanting more. I can only hope we get an update piece soon because I truly opened my eyes to the extreme circumstances homeless people are forced to face.

Please comment on these criticisms and add your own criticism or praise.

Dasani response

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I don’t think that leaving out the last name was detrimental to the quality of the article. Her first name alone was empowering enough and held enough metaphorical value for the writer to really help the reader understand how unique Dasani is in her circumstances. The last name would absolutely have to be included for a news article but for a feature with the amount of research that was done and the time it took, including a last name is not quite as important as her story and its relevance to a more national scale issue.

I disagree with the critique that the story ran too long. The writer dissected on one angle of the bigger issue of homelessness and tied it to the different aspects of Dasani’s life, so every part of the story held a different value to the authors angle and the extended perspective strengthens the article. The information is not repetitive and the main idea of the story continues to be the reoccurring theme of all the parts to the story.

Again, like the last name, I think disclosing the time involved and the months following her is information that makes the story go on a tangent. For a more concrete news article, all statistics around the situation are vital, but for a feature article, it’s not necessary when all the other information points to these conclusions.

Focusing on more politics and policies on how homeless people are treated would have broadened the angle that the writer was pursuing, and I thought it was wise that the writer chose not to include more information. Doing so allowed the writer to focus on their angle with more depth and because the angle was specific, the shift in focus in the articles from Dasani to the issue at hand where all empowering and smooth.

The constant shifts in focus were what kept the entire story so engaging. It kept giving readers something else to gather before they were shifted from Dasani to something related to her circumstance. Fort Greene being a gentrification gem to the Auburn family residence, change in community exemplified through different streets being paved differently on Myrtle, Bloomberg “homelessness more enjoyable” to rats in Dasani’s room. This is a style I see a lot with authors I read like Junot Diaz and Dave Eggers, with the constant shifts holding value in how the reader receives the information.

I think that the article had the potential to be a middle ground for understanding larger and more complex issues. The shift of focus gave the reader perspective on how the larger scale issues and decisions effected the smaller scale issue of Dasani’s life. However I don’t think the article was exaggerated and I think the very specific focus helps exemplify the issues going on.

Draft

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The thought of living near a cemetery probably wouldn’t be someones first choice, but for   most Throgs Neck residents it’s the ideal place. Like Nicole Perrino, who went from a small town in Virginia to still finding some of home in Throgs Neck. Between the quiet walks down the street to the small town feel of greeting the local business owners and residents. Nicole who was use to the country life, where things were closed by the time the street lights came on to moving to the Bronx a borough like no other, she took a leap. Within that leap and shift of lifestyle she experienced different parts of the Bronx. As she moved around from Parkchester, where the merge off the highway brings in so much traffic but there’s a nearby Macy’s which is so convenient for many people. Then Castle hill a residential area to now Throgs Neck which is more like a home away from home. Growing up in Queens for some of her life makes Throgs Neck the most convenient. But aside to Throgs Neck being so close to Queens, Nicole enjoys the culture walking down the street and there is the smell of the freshly baked Italian bread and far along you see the nice small crowd at the outside seating area of the Havana Cafe having some lunch.

Invisible Children

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I think Elliott did an excellent job of profiling Dasani. Her last name was omitted for her protection, as she is not only homeless but a minor. The story was long, but was necessary to fully show the dimensions of this young girl and her family. If Elliott had added in more information on politics and policy, it would take the focus away from Dasani. I believe it did become a caricature of a more complex issue. By focusing solely on one person’s story, the reader is able to get a greater understanding of what goes on in the life of the homeless. By focusing on Dasani, we get a broader picture of what other homeless people’s lives are like. I personally began to think about what talents others may have that aren’t fully used because of the circumstances of homelessness.

 

Elliot really shone a light into the life of a person who otherwise would have been ignored. As the title of her feature suggests, homeless children are often not thought about in society but are a major part of homelessness. This feature gave us a detailed look into not only the living conditions but the talents and hope of this young girl. It allowed us to see homeless people as just that. Homeless has a large stigma and people who are homeless are generally categorized as that, and not by any talents they may have. It was refreshing to see Elliott show these sides of Dasani and her family instead of focusing on the homelessness.

Invisible Child By Andrea Elliot

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I don’t think the last name being omitted should in any way hinder what people think about the story, however should be taking her privacy into consideration. The last name not being a part of the story did not take me away from what I thought about the story and or take me away from the character herself. When someone is allowing you to tell their story and something their still trying to figure out and having to share that with the world, you then fall into a compromise with that person’s life, they gave a hand in showing their self therefore you don’t take an arm. Showing every single bit of who she is I think it just snatches her identity from her.

I am actually glad the story ran as long as it did, it let me into her world and after every part I just wanted to read more. I was dreaded the story ending, every part just left you wanting to know what was next and brought you to a place of thought with not only her but other homeless people.

The extent of the story did not have to be known upfront and that was the beauty of the story. As you read the story it gives you hint as to what time of the year it is. It went from the first day of school, to christmas, to birthdays.

I think because she did her research before hand she did not focus on the general story, although it is not every homeless persons story it just goes to shows how bad things really are when your homeless. The only problem is not only having a home but the circumstances you have to settle for and the constant daily struggles day to day. The story is about Dasani but for example the conditions of the homeless shelter is not something only she had to deal with but every other homeless person in the shelter or the day to day dangerous situations.

Relying on the single story is what built the interest in the story, if it was a general article I wouldn’t have been as glued to the story as I was.