Tag Archives: andres zapata
Protected: Father Joseph F. Lorenzo of Soho, New York: Leadership in Times of Change
Highlife-Lowlife: My reaction to Joseph Mitchell’s “Joe Gould’s Secret”
What do you think of New Yorker editor Harold Ross’s calling Joseph Mitchell’s profiles: “highlife-lowlife” pieces?
I can break down the “highlife-lowlife” statement by looking at the highlife part as a representation of the quality of Mitchell’s work, specifically the detailed story-telling that describes the subject’s background, lifestyle, and overall life events.
The lowlife part of the description, represents the fact that Mitchell, presumably, spent time with this individual who drank and lived almost in the streets. Mitchell was a highly skilled writer, and with this particular profile he went against conventional beliefs of what it means to get an education and develop a career in one’s area of study.
To conclude my reflection on the story, and on Harold Ross’s statement, I note that Joe Gould’s profile strikes me as a vivid, entertaining piece of writing that almost resembles a novel, and I think this high level of quality in Mitchell’s writing contrasts with the “lowlife” characteristics of Joe Gould’s life, which, whether real or fictional, is the source of the story.
Neighborhood Backgrounder: Soho
Demographics: According to 2010 census data, Soho’s total population is 14,432 with male and female population almost even in percentage. The female population makes up 50.9% and the male population makes up the remaining 49.1.
12,198 of Soho residents are white, making them 84.5 % of the population. Asians make up 9.2% of the population and the rest is made up of African Americans (2%) and other races. Fun fact: as of 2010, there were 6 native Hawaiians living in Soho.
-Infoshare Database.
History:Soho was initially a neighborhood full of production factories, the, artists were attracted to the area’s big spacious empty lots. Clandestine living was big until the city addressed the problem back in the 1960’s. Today, most art galleries have moved to, mainly, Chelsea. Soho, of course, is famous with tourists because of the large commercial area with the chain sores and smaller businesses.
Contemporary Land Development: The city council is currently funding the re-construction of the Soho Square park. NYC Parks is currently providing basic information on the progress and the estimated funding is, according to NYCgovparks.gov, is between 3 million and 10 million dollars. This information was last updated on the website on September 28, 2015.
Neighborhood Faces Query: Father Joseph F. Lorenzo
Father Joe is a pastor at the Shrine Church of Saint Anthony of Pauda, located just south of Houston Street in Soho. I am interested in Soho’s role to help out the poor and homeless. Father Joe’s initiatives such as the JoyJ initiative to hand out coats and pillows to the homeless is the type of activity I am interested in because it shows how one person, through the leadership he has by being a pastor of the church, drives members of a community towards a common goal.
I am choosing Father Joe for this profile article because even though today many people do not view “the church” as a significant force for positive outcomes in the world, it is interesting to see the positive actions a church takes to improve or help relieve, issues and conflicts in its community on a local level.