City vs Country John Fisher Professor Barbara Monaghan September 2013 Week 3 Paper 2

What is the difference between the country and the city? There are a lot of differences between them and after reading both essays it is very clear what those differences are. For Danticat and Oates the country and city both have dome similarities, but major differences.

First off, in the city, Danticat did not know all of the information about all of the deaths that occurred while she was living on Flatbush Ave. Most of the people mentioned in the story ended up dying, the result of the deaths were unknown and what happened afterwards was a mystery to her. I heard that the childrens mother would be prosecuted for negligence and child abandonment. I couldnt help but wonder,(Westbury Court) When she got older, reality started to set in for her, and Danticat found out that they all died for no reason at all. On the other hand, Danticat had many neighbors that had different situations going on in their lives. She really did not know many of her neighbors very well. She knew most about the people around her and that she had a personal connection with. Danticat did not know what exactly was going on all of the time, but most importantly, why things happened in her neighborhood was her question. Another difference between the country and the city is. Danticat did not know all of the people in her apartment complex. The only people she sort of knew were the People on her floor. She did not know anyone on the floor above or below her apartment unit. She did not even know anyone that may have lived in the building next store. Weather it be another apartment complex, house, or store. Danicat grew up in a working class neighborhood, where people had typical 9-5 jobs to pay bills, with a lot of crime around. For instance, where Danticat lives it is a melting pot neighborhood. There are Haitians, African Americans, and Latino families. With every different ethnicity, there are also different religions, and beliefs people have. To compare, the country is a small town and Oates knew everything because rumors spread quickly. She knew exactly what was going on at the Weidels because firstly they were not too discrete when it came to certain things. For example, the killing of their

dog, Slossie. Mr. Weidel shot Slossie in the defense that she was getting old. The shot did not kill her, but put her in pain and misery. Slossie dragged herself beneath the Wediel house to die. Mr. Weidels Sons drag Slossie out from beneath the house, and he stratlled her and shot her a second time. Joyce was always hearing rumors as to what the Weidel family was up to. The only thing that she did not know is what happened to Mr. Weidel, after the fire, he was arrested and the fate of Weidel was unknown which is what everyone believed. (Oates 1995). Oates only had one close neighbor and only knew of her troubles. In the country Oates knew everyone in town because it was so small. Everyone knew each others name and where they lived. No one had any issues with anyone else because of their peaceful, non-stressful work in the fields. Everyone also shared a common interest of farming. People were able to talk and make conversation with some one who could relate on a topic without feeling left out. In the country it is a quiet, airy feeling. There is never someone disturbing the peace unless something must be terribly wrong. You can also get up in the morning to a quiet, and calm scenery. Everyone is just neighborly. There are a lot of farm animals, and homemade meals, a one-room schoolhouse, and everything that just says Country life. Oatess town is mostly made up of people that have the same beliefs, and practice the same religion. Joyce also refers to some of the people in her town as White trash. Oates grew up in a working class town as well, but with a low crime rate, not including the Weidels of course. The city it is very loud and claustrophobic. There is somewhat of quiet time during the middle of the night when about half the city is going to sleep. There is traffic and people causing a ruckus outside. Nobody has the time to say hello to each other, because

people in the city are always on the go. It does not even seem that they have free time, let alone time for their family. If a misfortune were to happen in the city, such as a fire, No one would reach out the victims in the fire as much as someone would do in the country. In the city, if your home burns down, neighbors most like will grieve for you, and feel bad, but majority of the time, they most likely wont welcome you into there home, because you did not know each other that well enough. In the country, your neighbors would come rushing over to help you and assist in anyway that they possibly can, because there your neighbors, and thats what they do. In the end, The City life and country life are both very different from each other. The spaces in both towns are use differently as well. To expand on that, In the city, there is never a field of corn, being grown by a farmer. Any vacant space being used in the city is most likely used to build a complex, or even sometimes a skyscraper. While in the country, space is used to grow crops of corn, and make bundles of hay. Both have there positive and negative view points. Every person has a preference as to where they would like to settle down and live. Weather it be the quiet, rural countryside. Or the hustling city that never sleeps. Reference Page Danticat, E. (n.d.). Westbury court. Retrieved October 19, 2013, from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ve d=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fenglish.basd.k12.wi.us%2Fmocarski%2Fc

ollegeenglish%2FWESTBURYCOURT.rtf&ei=xYhiUrqgK8HCywHNnoDYAQ&usg =AFQjCNFy7xbfGmwRggMd1JrUqF6a7tQUaw Oates, J. (1995, October). They all just went away. The New Yorker. Retrieved October 19, 2013, from http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1995/10/16/1995_10_16_178_TNY_CARDS_ 000373438