Shadow Cities By Andre Aciman

539 Words2 Pages

Each time someone goes somewhere they profile the area they are at. While visiting a place, people subconsciously take mental notes from observations around them. Andre Aciman likes Straus Park because it brings back memories not because he actually likes the place. Andre Aciman focused on himself at Straus park and the memories it brought back up for him. Andre Aciman is a lost man in New York City. He does not adapt to change, the key of loss, easily. Shadow Cities portrays a profile essay by Andre Aciman providing background information, giving excessive detail, and providing a first hand point of view. In this story, the specific setting is Straus Park which is a beat up park that is home to drunks, addicts, and homeless people. It is not a welcoming place to be. Straus Park was being demolished, this was a hard thing for Andre Aciman to process since this place had so much. …show more content…

Andre compares Straus Park to other countries around the world and how different ideas have different meanings for him. The fountain in Straus Park resembles a fountain found in Rome. The silent stand still in the park reminds him of Rome, and all the places tourists know of there. Whenever Andre sits on the benches he imagines all the different places he could go. He taught abroad in Rome, he didn't appear to like Rome and did not think that it was the same way he imagined. He could never appreciate or understand New York unless he mirrored New York to other cities. Even though he does not actually go to these palaces he provides imagery and we get to visualize what he is

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