The Island of Manhattan is connected to its boroughs through several bridges. Among these bridges of New York is the Brooklyn Bridge which catches the most of attention from natives and from visitors alike. This famous bridge was built between 1869 and 1883. It took fourteen year to build. The mind and driving force behind the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was John Roebling, a German immigrant who had worked for the Prussian government as a bridge and road builder. He launched the idea of building a bridge across the East River after he had taken a ferry across the river that ended up stuck in the ice. He would never get to see the bridge he had designed: he died after crushing his foot in an accident. The son of John Roebling, Washington Roebling, took over the leadership of the project. That day, May 24, 1883, about 150,000 people crossed the bridge. A lot of work was then involved to build such a magnificent bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge became a National Historic landmark due to the fact that it was the biggest bridge in the United States at that time.
There have been many poems written about this famous bridge and I am sure there will be many many more. Vladimir Mayakovsky, a Soviet-Georgian by birth, wrote a famous poem “Brooklyn Bridge” during his travel to the United States in 1925. Vladimir Mayakovsky was one of those poets who were inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge. He saw the Brooklyn Bridge as a “conqueror presses into a city”. It, in fact, connects Manhattan with New York’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, and represents a symbol of powerful beauty.
I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of times before, yet after reading such an inspiring poem “Brooklyn Bridge” I decided to do it again. It is almost 129 years since the Bridge was built! As soon as I “set foot on Brooklyn Bridge” some inexplicable power of joy embraced me. Likewise Mayakovsky compares his experience of entering the bridge with a “crazed believer enters a church”. He was absolutely stunned by the Brooklyn Bridge; in fact, he was “drunk with glory” and “eager to live”. Through his writing it is obvious that the alluring emotions took over him. He was absolutely full of joy and inspiration.
The Brooklyn Bridge represented for Mayakovsky the gates to the City; he was able to “gaze at New York through the Brooklyn Bridge”. It was absolutely inspiring for me as well to be able to stand at the “Brooklyn end” of the bridge and enjoy the magnificent view of the City. Also, being in the middle of the majestic bridge I realized how lucky I was to stand in the middle of our “contemporary world”. Everything seemed to me so reachable, with the alluring Statue of Liberty on my left and the Manhattan Bridge on my right. Being able to have the East River under the bridge gives even more power to the greatest creation of the 19th century – the Brooklyn Bridge. To Mayakovsky the bridge was “quite a thing” as a matter of fact he actually wrote this poem while standing right in the middle of the Bridge, which shows how inspired he was.