Berger:
— Write down (in your own words!) what the main argument is and have this sentence
ready to be read in class.
John Berger explains how humans are able to understand and think a full thought before actually saying whats on their mind.
— Write 4 to 5 more sentences that paraphrase the article as a whole.
Everyone has a little voice in their head which enables them to think something without actually saying it out loud. Berger writes multiple pages of examples where something happens and humans understand whats going on without actually saying something out loud. For example he states that humans know that the world is turning when daylight becomes night. Every day people know time is passing because the light outside however nobody says “oh its night time” everyday because we just know it is. He explains this simple concept for the first few pages and then goes into the psychology of perspectives and how different things are perceived. Time is a huge element in his writing. He explains how art is a visual documentation of history. Art is created during a specific time and place. As time passes art and styles change.
— Choose one quote that you find really important; write it down, and write a 1-sentence
comment explaining why you have chosen it. Have it handy to read in class.
“When the camera replaces a painting it destroys the uniqueness of it’s image. As a result it’s meaning changes. Or, more exactly, its meaning multiplies and fragments into many meanings.”
I really liked the page where he describes how the invention of a camera really changed how people see things. As a photographer I never really thought about how much it changed peoples perspectives. Before photos, paintings were the images people produced. Cameras are able to capture the same exact image that a painting can. However paintings take so much more time and effort to create. What really stood out to me was when he wrote “The uniqueness of every painting was once part of the uniqueness of the place where it resided. Sometimes the painting was transportable. But it could never be seen in two places at the same time.” I really never thought how special it was back then to see a painting. There is only one of them that has the exact strokes, color, and composition. You can never create a painting that is exactly the same. In photography, you can. I never compared photographs and paintings before like that and really thought it was interesting.
Smith:
— Write down (in your own words!) what the main argument is and have this sentence
There is something about living in Manhattan that makes people feel like they’ve got the world at their fingertips and can accomplish anything.
ready to be read in class.
— Write 4 to 5 more sentences that paraphrase the article as a whole.
After reading this article I have a much better perspective of why New York is so special. Zadie Smith really summarizes how New York is where dreams are accomplished and how its a blessing and a curse to live there. Living in New York is extremely hard to do because it has such a competitive atmosphere when it comes to working and being successful. However once you do accomplish what you dreamed, there’s a huge gap and feeling of “now what”. Smith describes how she pictured a beach when she felt stressed or overwhelmed. The beach is a metaphor for the stress free state of mind. She describes it as a place to imagine and unlike New York, a place where you can call it all yours and control everything. She ends the article with saying that eventually New York fades and people move on from the chaotic competitive lifestyle.
— Choose one quote that you find really important; write it down, and write a 1-sentence
comment explaining why you have chosen it. Have it handy to read in class.
“You are pure potential in Manhattan, limitless, you are making yourself every day.”
I LOVED this quote because I can really relate to what she’s saying. I grew up in New York when I was little however could not relate to that quote until about the time I started college. I remember hearing the lyrics of Empire State of Mind “concrete jungle where dreams are made of theres nothing you cant do”, however I never really felt limitless until I actually lived here again and started college. I really don’t know what it is but there is something about New York where you feel like you have everything at your fingertips and can pursue whatever dream you want. This whole article is so interesting to read because she throughly analyzes that “feeling” you can’t really describe when you live in New York.
