But there is also an accumulation of kindness in these stories and a sense of community and history. I am always touched by “The First Day” and the hopefulness of the mother who gets her child ready for the first day of school — and the dreams that she has that her child will have a life enriched by books and learning. Jones has an obvious affection and regard for single parents — look at his first story “The Girl Who Raised Pigeons” and the young father (just your age!) who rears his young daughter with the help of an extended family of neighbors. The hopes of a single mother resurface in “An Orange Line Train to Ballston.”

And why was “Marie” the last story in the book?

“Lost in the City” is arranged roughly from childhood to old age. The last three stories are about people at the end of their lives. And the young man from Howard who recorded Marie’s memories? Perhaps that is the role of Jones himself.

If I were to pick a favorite among the fourteen stories in this book it would probably be “The Store.”

Good thesis statement: Barack Obama’s life took a new direction when he transferred from Occidental College to Columbia University where he took his studies seriously and decided to dedicate his life to community service

Bad Barack Obama had an unusual path to the nomination of the Democratic Party.

Good John McCain went from a life of selfishness to one dedicated to public service after his incarceration in the Hanoi Hilton.

Bad John McCain is a war hero.

IN THE THESIS STATEMENT YOU STICK YOUR NECK OUT AND TAKE A STAND. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PROVE IT.

Let’s take Chinatown as an example: Thesis One: Washington, DC’s Chinatown has the world’s largest Chinese arch and many Chinese restaurants, but its name is largely historical. In reality, commercial development, including national chains and the Verizon Center, has displaced the residents, Chinese and otherwise, making the area a homogeneous, Disney-fied version of its former self with none of the vibrancy and cultural authenticity of the Chinatowns of San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York. Thesis Two: Until the mid-1990s Washington, DC’s Chinatown was a run-down, dangerous area of abandoned buildings and Chinese restaurants. The opening of the Verizon Center made it a desired destination for residents of the entire area and attracted lucrative national retail chains, residential housing and nationally ranked theaters, while still retaining a charming vestige of its historic ethnic designation. Which one is true? It depends which one you want to prove. Do you see the difference? Take another crack at your thesis statements and bring them in with your outlines on Thursday. alp

Edward is an acquaintance of mine and he lives in an apartment on the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. He is a reclusive man whose interior life is more vivid than most people’s exterior lives. He is quiet, shy and loves routine. His only friend, a woman of 90, died last summer and he often spoke of her with great fondness. “She brought me a cake when I first moved into my building,” he once said to me, “so I had to be her friend.”

When he moved to DC from Arlington four years ago his visits to Lil became once a year, at Christmas. He always referred to that as “going over the river” as if it were a great distance. Lil’s husband Floyd died a few years ago, but Edward kept visiting Lil and he wrote to me, “Floyd was not there, but we enjoyed the presence of his absence.”

Edward P. Jones has been hailed as one of the most important writers of the twenty first century. Enjoy this article.

Washington Post Edward P. Jones

The first story is about a man who lives in the famous Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan and creates art using  orange masking tape.

Or is it art?  Some see beauty in orange tape strung between telephone polls — and others see a public nuisance that should be removed.

What is art? Is it simply in the eye of the beholder? Is it art if it’s called art? Do critics determine what is and what is not art?

Watch the story and decide for yourself.

Is it art?

The second story relates to our discussion in class on Monday. Taleen’s paper is about  the C&O Canal;  I mentioned that she might approach her topic as an example of an obsolete  industrial relic that was repurposed for recreation. Many places are reassessing the remnants of their manufacturing past (railroad tracks, old mills, bridges, canals) and putting them to use as hiking trails, bike paths, museums, or parks.

New York City’s Highline Park opened last summer. The Highline’s elevated railroad tracks  had been abandoned for decades.  I visited last weekend and was really impressed by the way the designers echoed, but did not imitate, the tracks that used to service the Meatpacking District. The park uses some of the old architectural elements, but also introduces new ones. So, for Taleen — and everyone else — vicariously experience the Highline. Scroll down in the article to see the short video.

Article and video about The Highline

San Francisco and Pittsburgh offer another model. Both have embraced and maintained archaic forms of transportation (in San Francisco’s case the cable car and in Pittsburgh’s, the funicular) and made them symbols of civic pride.

(To the right: The Highline before renovation. Below: The Highline after renovation)

But what are the larger implications?

It is illegal to print currency of any kind in the United States.

This currency is not taxed and institutionalizes an underground economy.

What are the implications for businesses who accept this currency (Glut Food Coop in Mt. Ranier is cited as an example).

Does it really create a better sense of community as its proponents profess?

What about competing currencies (the Potomac vs. the Anacostia dollar)?

Is this just a Ponzi scheme — benefitting those who “invent” the currency and failing those at the end of the chain?

In history what has happened to these currencies (think about the early history of paper money in the United States — issued by states rather than the feds)?

Is it really an alternative currency if it is based on the dollar?

You decide. Scroll down to the story and listen.

WAMU story on alternative currency, the Potomac

In other words, the writer put the film in context.

Try to distance yourself from your chosen film (or book) and see it as you would for the first time. Note its strengths, but also its flaws. If need be, pattern your review on this one from the New York Times (and others on this class blog).

I have said many times that the review is deceptively difficult. For those of you who choose to re-write your first attempt, good luck!

Here is the Times review. New York Times Amelia Earhart

I have asked you all to find the “so what” factor in your third and fourth papers. This article is a perfect example:

There was a lovely article in the New York Times on February 21 about a subway line that occasionally “sings” the first few notes of “Somewhere” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Wide Story. It is the slimmest news story — not everyone hears the song, but it haunts those who do. The article is beautifully structured and surprisingly well researched. The writer interviewed the subway conductor, the subway engineer, an electrical engineer, Bernstein’s son, and Bernstein’s protege (and now professor of musical theory in North Carolina). Plus he added information from an interview with playwright Tony Kushner from New York magazine. Pretty impressive for such a short article.

Notice how the writer weaves quotes into his story.  (We spoke about that in class today.) The opinions of his subjects “ground” the story and make it more substantial. And yet, the article is not weighed down by quotes. Quite a feat for such a short piece.

And then there is the “So what?” factor. I think the “so what?” of this story is the romance that can be found even in a huge city — even on the subway.

So give it a read.

The Subway Sings Somewhere

As I mentioned in class, I have been collecting postcards — both blank and written on — for many years and my collection is in the hundreds.  It includes hand tinted ones from the turn of the century and modern ones that are in 3-D. One of the things that is fascinating about postcards is their public/private aspect. They are meant to be read by the recipient, but they have no shield for privacy. Few would feel guilty about reading the message in a postcard. Reading a letter, however, is a clear violation of privacy. The postcard no longer takes the place of the telephone, as it once did. Some people write on every square inch of the back of the card and others confine themselves to the old standard “Wish you were here.”

I thought that the postcard exercise was an interesting one. What is the role of the postcard in the age of e-mail? Why do we still send them (at least I still send them)? And why do we want to keep them? There is still something haunting about getting a postcard — perhaps the feeling that even for a few minutes you, too, were on the same journey.

Read the article about Walker Evans’s post card collection from the New York Times.Walker Evans\’s Postcards

In class the Post Secret project was also mentioned. Visit that website. It’s fascinating.Postsecrets The secrets revealed (mostly on the front of the postcard in the form of a collage) are funny, sad, poignant, and heartbreaking.

The second interview is a subject about which you may be more familiar. Google executive Marisa Mayer is at the peak of her career at Google. Instead of reflecting on her life, the interview shows a woman with relentless drive and ambition. Compare the rhythm of the articles — the first is reflective and leisurely; the second is as driven as its subject. But in the the interviewer had an enormous amount of information before the interview and was able to ask well-informed questions — as evidenced in the subjects’ thoughtful answers.

Notice, too, that the interviewers are virtually invisible. There is no evidence of the questions asked (“And then I asked Ed Koch what he has on his tombstone.”), only of the answers given. This is exactly what you should strive for.Interview with Marisa Mayer of Google