Jiake Cao Professor Monaghan English 108 23 March 2013

City Space and Country Space

The world is big and people living in different regions. Some people living in urban areas and some others living in rural areas and countries. I think the life in city different from the life in country. People in city live more comfortably in comparison to people who live in country. In this paper we will discuss the differences between city space and country space on the basis of the information provided in the two essays and also from relevant personal experiences.

Joyce Carol Oates described the house where she lives and also provided a clear picture of the other houses or abandoned houses in that region. Oates spent his early childhood in desolate fields, woods, and creek banks near her family's farmhouse in Millersport, New York. There are abandoned houses, barns, silos and corncribs found near her farmhouse. Also her farmhouse is separated from an empty house by fields of spiky grass, across outcroppings of shale as steeply

angled as stairs. There are many other houses found in that area and people live some houses and some others are abandoned or semi-collapsed. On the other hand, Edwidge Danticat who lived in a six-story brick building in a cul-de-sac off of Flatbush Avenue, in Brooklyn, described that she spent his childhood in the city. Also she said that there was a subway station for train beneath the building. Danticat expressed concern about the non-functioning of elevator regularly and as result she had to walk along the steps in order to reach his house. This is a very difficult task for the city people to walk along many steps for reaching their house or apartment. But in country side there is no need to walk for lengthy steps in order to reach the house as much high building are uncommon in the country. Additionally, Danticat heat and hot water weren't always on for her house and it shows that without hot water city people cant take bath or taking bath is difficult for them. But the people of country side do not bother about it in general. They are comfortable with taking bath with cold water as sun provides hotness for them.

Oates well described the difference between house and home while narrated the structure of houses in country place. House is a structural arrangement of space, geometrically laid out to provide what are called rooms, these divided from one another by verticals and horizontals called walls, ceilings, floors. Houses are constructed both in city places and country places. But the houses in city places are

far bigger than the houses in country places. This is because people from country places migrated to city places and for this densely populated place more houses are needed in limited area. Whereas, in country places there is enough land available and no need to make tall building because of the presence of less dense population. All houses are a not homes but all homes are houses. Home is place where people live peacefully with all available facilities. But sometimes in a house all facilities may not be available for peaceful of living.

In country places abandoned houses are commonly seen in some cases. Oates talked many times about abandoned houses near her living place. Abandoned houses are jealously guarded; even prized possessions have become mere trash: windowpanes long ago smashed, and the spaces where they had been festooned with cobwebs, and cobwebs brushing against your face, catching in your hair like caresses. So these houses are not worthy to sell. On the other hand, most of the houses in city are not abandoned as high population needs more houses and no house will remain unutilized. The city houses are made more beautifully in comparison to country place houses. Abandoned houses are responsible for the fever, the bliss, the abrasions, the infinite distractions where as tall houses in city places are less likely to attack such diseases.

Danticat narrated an incidence of fire in apartment 6E. One day when Danticat was watching afternoon cartoons, the incidence of fire took place where an African-American mother and her two boys were living. The neighbors reported to the firemen about the incident and immediately fireman came in to tackle the fire. Also an ambulance came suddenly and took the two babies to the hospital. The things in the apartment were burnt completely and for a long time it remain vacant until they repaired it. Since it happened in a city, again someone came and occupied that apartment. Oates narrated a similar incidence of fire in country place. Since the houses are made up of wood and other flammable materials, they were completely damaged because of fire and for a long duration of time bad smells came from that burnt house. Also it was difficult to repair those houses as completely damaged.

Additionally, the economic and social situations of city places and country places differ from each other. People in city places earn more money because of better opportunities and they are economically sound. People in country places do not get better opportunities to earn money and as a result most of the country people are not economically sound. When we talk about social status, country people are more helpful than city people. This does not mean that city people are not helpful. An example of helpfulness can be seen from the fire incidence in the

apartment. The neighboring people helped to call the firemen and the ambulance and this is a great help for the woman whose apartment caught fire. Also during the fire incidence in the country place, all neighboring people helped to control the fire.

Therefore, we can conclude that city space and country space are not same. City space is filled with dense population where as country place is not. The migration of population from country place to city place increases the population of city and accordingly apartments are constructed. But in country places, independent houses are seen because of less dense population. It is observed that the city people live more comfortably in comparison to the country people.