- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
I also found Colson whitehead’s article to be more interesting to me and gravitating because I felt like I missed out on the experiences of New York by not appreciating my surroundings etc. I agree that an overlapping team is involved with time because John Lewis talked about how he was afraid of being killed because he’s black and now it’s the same thing. In Colson’s article, he explains that time keeps going with or without us and we don’t realize it until it’s too late. Overall, I like your analysis of both articles.
Hi Afiea, I appreciate your pointing out how New York City is almost personified in its evolution. This city is everchanging, we see new shops taking place of old ones constantly. Neighborhood demographics are ever-shifting. I’d have loved to have heard you dig a bit deeper into the end-places that the articles arrived at. You. mentioned their conclusions having similar messages but different values- what are some examples from their conclusions? Just something to consider! Great work, everyone.