Both articles were writing in difficult moments. In the article “The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01; Lost and Found” by Colson Whitehead, he is talking about how New York City is continuously changing just in front of our eyes and we most of the times not noticed. People came and moved into New York, the city that lures so many people for a better future, job education. We have many beautiful things that we do not appreciate. The bodega in the corner, people we meet later, and we find out later he/she just lived next to our door. New generations change and make NYC their own. On the other hand, the article “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation,” by John Lewis, the author is encouraged others to keep fighting in a peaceful manner the same way he was inspired by Dr. Marting Luther King Jr.  There is a guy who joins to fight for civil rights “The role is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society.” 

Colson’s article is talking about who New Yorkers made this city their land. Every generation made their own version of NYC. “Never listen to what people tell you about old New York because if you didn’t witness it, it is not a part of your New York and might as well be Jersey.” Also, how a catastrophe made him reflect that every day when we lock our door it could be the last time. Just like what happened with 9/11. To appreciate more the unique NYC in what you are living in. Lewis’s article is a call to people, to make a positive change in our environment “Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.” he did indeed until the end of his life, he did his part and he motivated other generations to do their part as well.  

When I read Colson’s article even though it was quite long, I did enjoy, because it makes me reflect on my every single day. I am living in The Big Apple, the capital of the World and I sometimes do not see and appreciated, the people in my community. Especially now in the pandemic. There is much business that is close, because the owner died or because they can pay the rent anymore. If I had known what was going to happen, my treatment of them would have changed, because I would know that I would never see them again. Nevertheless, 19 years apart from these two articles. Lewis’s powerful message is like he is passing the torch to the new generations. I admire his work and legacy. And when he is saying “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So, I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” The call is to me, and I honestly believe that our generation can write a new chapter in history. Therefore, I stick with both.  

I didn’t think these articles would move me, but they did. The writers were so sincere in their conversations that it feels natural to read their work all the way through with intrigue for their next points. Starting with Whitehead, it doesn’t matter that he wrote his article 19+ years ago, I can relate to it today. In aspects even greater than your hometown or city, people come and go, and many other things change. However, that’s okay. Accepting that there will be change and accepting that those once treasured- or not treasured enough- things can disappear in an instant, is relieving a burden off your future self. Why? The person we were yesterday knew less than the one we are today. So it isn’t wise to torment ourselves about the past, the what could’ve been or the what should’ve been. The tragic crisis, the Twin Towers’ 9/11, came unexpectedly and brought grief and sudden change. Whitehead’s attitude and proposal to the community is that it is okay to accept that there will be a new skyline. He says, “[…] let’s be patient and not judge too quickly. We were new here, too, once.” There is more meaning to this: the city we once knew, the life we once lived, was new when we arrived, too. There were many neighborhoods before the one we came to know and live in. There will be many more, and it is okay to embrace change, it is healing.

Lewis wrote about a different kind of change. Social changes, justice and injustice. It is not a recent discovery that racism and discrimination exist. Lewis fought injustice all his life, coming to a realization at the age of 15 that the world was oppressive. However, he urges his community to take action and fight for change. He stated how proud he was of the achievements he’d seen, and he hopes the rising generation will be known for destroying hate with peace.

Both messages speak of change and healing. Whitehead’s writing feels more indirect, making the reader arrive at the conclusions of his statements as they read his piece. Lewis was very direct, telling his readers what his last hopes and wishes were: “Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”

I think that both writers come from a very valid place. Whitehead had his own NYC and his own stories of change. He wasn’t forcing his point of view on the reader, but very tactfully persuading the reader with his imagery and anecdotal style of writing, as if inviting the reader to experience his story together. Lewis also grew up understanding and living the injustices he fought for. He wrote, “In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.” That is why he was in the right position to ask the next generation to do the same. Personally, both pieces resonate with me because I feel where they’re coming from, and they move me to analyze my inner-self. What am I doing today to contribute to a better future? Will I remain stuck in the past way of life, or move on and embrace changes? The whole world has been affected by covid-19 in one way or another. How will we move forward? I think it’s important to not let reminiscing on the past keep you from growing your future self. Also, everyone may not have the same beliefs, but there is something we can all think of to contribute to a better future. That is something the reader can meditate on.

Whitehead’s disposition is more nostalgic about New York City, remembering a time before.  A time before his favorite pizzeria was closed and a time before September 11th. “ But look past the windows of the travel agency that replaced your pizza parlor.” The author uses a more general tone, sharing the experiences of many. Whitehead also says that each individual experience of New York City is unique, giving a lifelike quality to it. “ And they never got a chance to say goodbye to me. I think they would have liked to; I refuse to believe in their indifference.” The author gives the city an opinion on the circumstances related to September 11th. John Lewis writes more specifically about his own experiences, of being a teenager when fourteen year old Emmett Till was murdered and hearing Dr. Martin Luther, Jr. preach non violence philosophies. “Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time.”   In  Lewis’ text his disposition is more demanding and reverent. It is meant to act as a reminder that we have a moral obligation to speak out against injustices and do our part to enact change.
In the two articles, both Whitehead and Lewis are having reflective conversations about their communities in crisis. They are two different types of crisis yet they both call for people to come together and remember the times before and how history will be written. Both of the authors are sharing their personal experiences through their own perspectives. What I took away from these two articles was the importance of a sense of home and community. Another idea that I believe is present in both articles is both a meaningful and emotional crisis that both of the authors experienced.
I personally identified with the “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation” more because of the opinion of getting into “good trouble”. I believe like Dr. Martin Luther King that we have a moral obligation to stand against injustices in our communities and use our abilities to make change. We must vote, in order to change the outcome of who is elected and what laws are made. I believe we all should care for and defend one another in our democracy.

1. Both authors are having conversations surrounding the community during a time of crisis, but each is approaching it from a different angle. The article “Together, you can redeem the soul of our nation” by John Lewis, talks about having a voice in a Black American community, leading the society today with less violence and more kindness. As well as speaking up for what you believe, not being afraid of what will happen. Lewis says that It’s about time to stop hate crime, violence, and hating others, hate will not fix anything except cause a bigger crisis, guiding with love and kindness will result in peace. Lewis is very direct about his community and approached it in a way of giving someone advice who is very young, for example when Lewis said, “While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me” (Paragraph 1). This quote helped me understand that Lewis is trying to inform the readers why he still has hope. However, In Colson Whitehead articles, “The way we live now: 11-1101, Lost and found” approached it from a very different angle than Lewis, I think Whitehead is trying to say that nothing lasts forever, things changes over time and in Whitehead article he said, “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us.”(Paragraph13). New York City is a city that will not wait, it will evolve and everyone will have a different perspective or experience from it. What is interesting about both the articles the authors wrote is that, in their last paragraphs they both end it with positive and hopeful messages but have different values.

 

1.  I think the overlapping themes between these pieces would be time, that is because Lewis talks about a historical movement that has been taking place for a long time, black lives matter, and Whitehead talks about New York City which is evolving from how people used to know and how it is now. What I took away as their “message” is to always value what you already have and value the small things in life because there will be a time when that valuable thing is gone, you would miss what you had. Speak up for what you want and believe, life’s pretty short and it’s worth it if you do not regret it.
2. The piece I found myself closer to is Whitehead’s article, that is because I liked how he started the first paragraph and progressed on by talking about his experiences or memories he missed out on saying goodbyes. To me, the piece was very realistic and something I can also relate to.

1: In the article John Lewis “Together, You Can Redeem The Soul of Our Nation”, His attitude toward his community is peaceful and inspiring. He talks about how this generation has the power to build a beloved community. He stated “Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I called good trouble, necessary trouble”, this demonstrates that he sees the positive and good side of the people in the community and believes that they can make a powerful change. At the end of the article, he stated that in the future historians will look back and see that our generation has ended a hateful burden peacefully. The article “The Way We Live Now” by Colson Whitehead, talks about how people really don’t pay attention to their surroundings in New York or possibly anywhere and we realize change once something is gone. His attitude towards the community would be intense and serious. Colson talks in his writing in a serious manner that makes the audience feel a sense of wrongdoing. He states “Go back to your old haunts in your old neighborhoods and what do you find: they remain and have disappeared..You swallow hard when you discover that the old coffee shop is now a chain pharmacy”, Colson makes feel a sense of guilt for not appreciating what we have in our surroundings. These two authors have different approaches to how they view a crisis during their own time. They both spoke differently because in John’s article he He gave an example of himself that many other people can relate to but in Colson’s writing, he gives various examples and details of New York at the time where he feels that nobody can relate to. They spoke similarly because they’re passionate about creating a change in their community. You can feel their true intentions.

2: The overlapping theme would be that in the community there’s still no change or very little change that we don’t have full control of. John Lewis is persuading people to vote and support Black Lives Matter to create a change in people’s mindsets to stand for equality. After the repeated years of no change in every community, it created a theme. In Colson whitehead’s article, he’s persuading people to open their eyes and value the last goodbyes and cherish them. His article was 19 years ago and this issue of either judging too quickly on your surroundings or not judging at all because of the lack of interest is still present. This relates to what is going on with our society today. It’s either we don’t have much interest in changing old views or we judge too quickly without understanding the full context. Also, Colson is stating that change will happen whether we like it or not. It can be good or bad change but it’s up to us to have control over that change. What I understood from both articles is that we need a reality check and seek change in ourselves so we can reflect that into our community. Appreciating our neighborhoods and respecting one another, not judging a book by its cover, can make a difference in our communities.

3: The article that I’ve found more closer to is “The Way We Live Now” by Colson Whitehead because he explains how each one of us views New York and how New York views us. I consider his reasonings to be true and something I need to work on. Not that the article by John Lewis didn’t influence or inspire me but Colson’s viewpoint of the community in 2001 is like how I would view New York today. I don’t put much focus on the buildings, stores, etc., and don’t value such things until it’s gone. Reading that article can help me not be completely selfish in certain things and cherish things until it changes or it’s gone.