Reading + Writing Journal for 10.18
Reading Questions:
- What kinds of purposes do murals serve? Is it beneficial to cycle out old murals and continuously replace them? How does the work of a mural add to a community and its visitors?
While I believe murals serve a number of purposes, I think there are a couple that stand out as the most important. The first, as mentioned in Kaitlynn Scannell’s article, is to provide and sustain a sense of vibrancy and community. Murals turn blank or dull spaces into something an entire community can enjoy just by traversing past every day. The second purpose I believe to be the most important would be the representation of culture they usually represent. In areas such as the Paseo Boricua and the Pilsen neighborhood, murals can detail to outsiders their cultural differences and obstacles they face without having to speak directly to them. These stories can provide outsiders with a sense of belonging and wonder which can bring empathy and support to areas such as these. I think murals should be upkept and switched out occasionally to accurately represent the growing and diverse community they belong to. (153).
For the essay:
For my first composition, it was suggested to me that I could compare my walks in my neighborhood to that of the ones I had taken in the city. I have about an even amount of walks I have taken locally as well as ones I have taken to the city, so I think this will make for an appropriate comparison. As for the readings I am hoping to include the work from a conversation we had as a class (I cannot find the article as of the moment) discussing the anonymity of being in a crowd as well as the quotes from the readings from the news articles from two weeks ago, about how citizenship is important for walkers. I can discuss how my “citizenship” compares and contrasts with each place I walked in. This quote below, I think would be an obvious choice as well, considering Solnit (?) directly compares and contrasts the ambiance of rural vs. urban walking and while I am certainly not in a rural area, I think I can at least relate these to my suburban vs. urban writing.
“The history of both urban and rural walking is a history of freedom and of the definition of pleasure. But rural walking has found a moral imperative in the love of nature that has allowed it to defend and open up the countryside. Urban walking has always been a shadier business, easily turning into soliciting, cruising, and promenading. shopping, rioting, protesting. skulking. loitering. and other activities that, however enjoyable, hardly have the high moral tone of nature appreciation.”
For the field guide:
Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to complete a lot of work on my field guide other than picking an idea. In my previous post, I had thought about making a “food” guide to Chicago, and I think I will stick with this idea but change it slightly. Instead of just writing about the food I ate, I think it would be fun to try and recreate some of these recipes at home and detail my experience/recipes. I was lucky enough to have eaten several kinds of cuisines and small treats during my time in the city, so I believe this will show a unique perspective to my project. I think I have enough recipes/dishes to cover my field guide, but I think I would like to include at least one more dish from a cuisine I have not tried while in the city.
The layout I am hoping to create:
- The overall, more Chicago Map
- Item 1: Steak Tacos from Eggsperience
- Item 2: Spaghetti from Lula’s
- Item 3: Kimchi Fried Rice from Joyee
- Item 4: Brown Butter Ice Cream from Jeni’s
- Item 5: Mango/Strawberry Smoothie from Ninja Tea
I am hoping to either add one more dish or take one off of this list, I have not decided yet.
