Values in the City as Viewed by Different Authors - Essay Example

number Number of words (2,765) Values in the as viewed by different This essay attempts to show that modernization of New York City and other huge cities in general, promotes some values while undermining others. Different authors express their opinions about the changing values in the New York City. Ann Doughlas in her book “Skyscrapers,airplains and airmindedness (the necessary Angel)” talks about different values in the society. With regard to political values, she says that America was positioning itself to be the world’s most influential economy (Douglas 196). Thus, urbanization and modernization were seen as important strategies to rise to power. Aesthetic values are seen in terms of modern architectural designs including skyscrapers of the time, the invention of elevators and advancement in the air travel industry. Different US cities also started competing for supremacy in terms of infrastructure. These developments led to culture shock among many. Many buildings, including those that stand to date were built (Douglas 212). Houses were built using different designs to suit the requirements of their owners. All these contributed to a transformation in the way of life of the people. It influenced the performance of the economies and the social life. The author emphasizes economic values. During the time, people were not concerned about money. Money was in profusion. Nonetheless, the author questions the manner in which economic values contributed to the fall of social values. She uses many other examples throughout the text. The modern city has the young as well as the old generation. Due to changing values, the younger generation usually finds it hard to cope. There are challenges in bringing up children in the modern city. Similarly, young people find it very difficult to adapt to the changing values. Sometimes, modernity obsesses them, and they become unruly. The author brings out the positive and negative aspects of the modern society. Finally, the author puts into question the idea of generational change. The old societies seem interesting to the eyes of the young generation of the time. The young people are so obsessed with modernity and the deficiencies of the old generation that they look questionable. The author feels that there ought to be a smooth transition between one generation to the next, not one generation accusing or blaming the other (Douglas 216). For the author, this would constitute ideal social values. Chapter I of Henry James’s work “The American Scene” states that when everyone joins the city, he gets an impression a good impression of it. The New York City offers an excitement and amusement that is unmatched (James 1). First, what amuses a person who comes to the city is impressed with the aesthetic values. The author cites the ease of getting things done, availability of energy, the abundant quantity of everything, the availability of monetary resources, and splendid light. We are also told of nature and science meticulously working together to produce a beautiful city. Nature refers to the trees and flowers planted in the streets in an orderly manner. The author also writes about the psychological values. Immense opportunities make people generally happy and contented. The psychological values are also manifested by the availability of entertainment options (James 1). The city in itself is an expression of things done lately and currently. This implies the city is a reflection of modern values. Nonetheless, the author agrees that the city does not impress him in some matters. Although he agrees that the sense of the scene is thrilling, commanding and charming, he feels there are some deficiencies in other values. He agrees that no single item of the romantic or picturesque scenery contributes to an overall beautiful effect. The social values are lacking, basically because of the huge population (James 2). There is noise and rush everywhere: on the land and in the air. The author feels like every space has been extravagantly used, leaving people with almost no space to enjoy themselves. Buildings and artificial water bodies are over planted everywhere and anyhow. The author talks of a multitudinous life in the city, meaning everything is beyond measure. The millions of New York inhabitants invade all space available, and the large skyscrapers cannot hold them. It is a social dilemma (James 2). There is ferocity all over the city which contributes to an evident disorder. The city is characterized by consummate humdrum commonness. The crowds are always rushing, pushing against each other. Crowds move in a dense mass with confusion that is carried to chaos; this is inconveniencing for anyone. The life is challenging for any perception and any intelligence. The city experiences a jumble of sounds and objects that make it hard for visitants and inhabitants to have relief, dignity and meaning for quality life (James 6). There is a mixture of quality and quantity in the city. Still regarding the social values, there is a certain degree of alienism in the New York City. There are native inhabitants who feel a considerable sense of belonging. On the other hand, there are ‘settlers’, who feel like they are aliens in the city. They find life virtually unbearable. Most of the newcomers work for the natives. Those with possessions feel better and more complete. Those who are struggling have to work hard to try and own something. The aliens work to recover their confidence and regain lost ground. The modern city comprises the young and old generation. Owing to changing values, the youthful generation usually finds it very hard to cope. There are challenges in bringing up children in the modern city. The youth find it very difficult to adapt to the changing values. Sometimes, modernity obsesses them, and they become unruly. The author brings out the different aspects of the modern society. There is a political aspect in how the resources are distributed in the city. Political values are also expressed when those who do not have surrender and consent to the orientation set by others. The poor have to work for the rich, or ‘meet them’. Possession and dispossession is the language used to describe what life is like in the city. The aspect of dispossession haunts many city dwellers. The idea of giving space for the rich is also evident, for instance, people have to give way for moving objects. The haves of the city can afford the luxury associated with their wealth. They can as well enjoy the sweet and whole sense of national consciousness (James 7). This shows how economic values, particularly in monetary terms, are important for city inhabitants and visitants. Chapter II discusses how there is no escape from the ubiquitous city aliens into the present and into the future. The most they have done is to visit the city and find skyscrapers and other developments. The author says that if the aliens can escape, they can only do so into the past. The tall buildings are grossly tall and grossly ugly as they have failed of a pleasant chance of marked consideration. The dignity of many inhabitants is compromised by the need to have industries. The main aim of setting up these industries is to make a good thing out of them (James 8). Here, the author is worried about how economic values can be detrimental to social values. Chapter IV discusses the unintended and unconvincing expression of the New York City. Even after tall buildings are erected and trees and flowers planted everywhere, there is a need for maintenance. This pertains to the aesthetic values. Here, the author calls to question the general insincerity of the modern effects. He wonders why modernity should pose a challenge, whereas it is seen as the ultimate sense of perfection. There is insincerity in the effect of the sky-scrapers. As a result of modernity, there are serious infrastructural issues in the city. Finally, the author puts into question the idea of generational change. The old societies seem interesting to the eyes of the young generation of the time. The young people are so obsessed with modernity and the deficiencies of the old generation that they themselves look questionable. The author feels that there ought to be a smooth transition between one generation to the next, not one generation accusing or blaming the other (James 11). To the author, this would constitute ideal social values. “Echoes of the Jazz Age” by F. Scott Fitzgerald discusses various value systems in the city. He talks about the age of miracles, when things in the city happen almost automatically. The city is characterized by the effects of art. The city experiences an age of excess. Besides, it is an age of satire (Fitzgerald 1). Everything seems different fo people, particularly the visitants. Aesthetic values are accentuated by the modern designs and infrastructure. According to the author, the city comes of age when time comes. Political values are accentuated in this work. After attaining a considerable degree of economic freedom, there is a feeling that theirs is the most powerful nation. The feeling of self assurance is expressed here: “Who could tell us any more what was fun and what was fashionable?” This is a statement of self-assurance. It is also a statement that expresses neglect for the conventional, respected values. The society is reorganizing itself after the effects of the European War. Here, the author brings in the importance of political values. Social values are defined by the prevailing novelty. The invention of automobiles, for instance, seems to define the social status of young people as early as 1915. Unchaperoned youth discover the mobile privacy that comes with owning an automobile. Young people of smaller cities discover how ownership of property comes with freedom and social status. As the society, especially the youthful generation starts to look at social values in terms of material possession, other values are suppressed (Fitzgerald 1). Fitzgerald questions the social values when he mentions that the generation of the time is the wildest of all generations. Girls of the time dramatize themselves as flappers. The young generation does not seem to care what holds the society together. They act on their own. They do not want to be told. The writer notes that the girls of the generation had had no morals or taste. The young people never seemed to care about the Jazz Age: they had created a culture of their own. The author writes, “…it became less and less an affair of youth” (Fitzgerald 2). Another aspect of social values is when people do things together without caring about their age. The author says that all men, young and old, “joined the dance”. It was now a time for the young and old to do what they liked (Fitzgerald 3). The author uses this text to criticize the breakdown of social values that came with the growth of New York City. The reader can see how the old and young people of the author’s generation dropped their conventional values and adopted new ones. By 1926, the general preoccupation with sex became a nuisance. Unlike before, the women started to demand their sexual rights and discuss about it. This was unlike before when the man was everything when it came to sex matters. Fitzgerald accentuates the value of freedom in the modern city. Americans started wandering more widely – they were headed for Persia, Russia, Central Africa and Abyssinia. Freedom is seen in terms of the economic aspects - as travel across countries is a costly affair - and the social aspect. Women are allowed to negotiate for sex (Fitzgerald 5). In addition, the author emphasizes economic values. During the time, people did not worry about money. Money was in profusion (Fitzgerald 5). Nonetheless, the author questions the manner in which economic values contributed to the fall of social values. He uses many other examples throughout the text. The book titled “Catcher in the Rye” by Jerome David Salinger addresses important values of a city. Holden Caulfield, a school dropout who is just seventeen is used by the author to show how ‘phony’ people become with the advent of modernity (Salinger 21). Holden is chased from school because of contravening important societal values, this time being school rules. As the society progresses, new set of rules, usually less strict, are created. The set of rules come with punishments. Social values characterize the modern society. The modern city is composed of the young and old generation. Due to changing values, the younger generation usually finds it hard to cope. There are challenges in bringing up children in the modern city. Similarly, young people find it very difficult to adapt t the changing values. Sometimes, modernity obsesses them, and they become unruly. Holden brings out the phony aspects of the modern society (in this case, New York City). Economic values are reflected by the headmaster whose affability is dependent on the wealth of the parents. This shows the value of money during that period. Holden’s roommate scores higher with girls than him. This is because the roommate uses sickly-sweet affection. This stresses Holden because during that time, convincing a lady was considered an important value. Just as Holden leaves his childhood behind, the city was also growing and advancing in terms of social, political and economic values (Salinger 34). When Holden decides to go to the New York City, he checks into a hotel as his parents await him for the holidays. Here, the author questions the deficiency in social values. He is supposed to join his parents for the holidays, but he breaks the rules. At the hotel, he observes the behavior of the "degenerates" in the hotel room. He has to struggle with his sexuality as the girls at the hotel want too much sex (Salinger 35). Here, we see freedom and degeneration of social values. He struggles to keep his virginity. This shows how, even with the changing social values, there were people who chose to abide by the social values and norms. The city is filled with people who ask for and do what they want without limitation. Holden realizes that ladies do not want to converse when they have other intentions. It is a big city with free people. Finally, when Holden and one girl go to a room, all the girl wants is sex for money unlike him: he just wants them to talk. Infuriated, the girl leaves the room. Holden pays the girl, though (Salinger 36). Here, we see the author’s description of economic values. People as young as Holden were willing to prostitute for money. The city is filled with the young and old generation. Due to changing values, the younger generation finds it extremely hard to cope. There are challenges in bringing up children in the modern city. Similarly, young people find it very difficult to adapt t the changing values. Sometimes, modernity obsesses them and they become unruly. The author brings out the negative aspects of the modern society. When Holden goes back home, he visits Mr. Antolini, his former English teacher, who gives advice on life and a place to sleep. The teacher unleashes a psychological quote. He tells Holden that a mature man aspires to live humbly for a noble cause while an immature man desires to die for a noble cause. After serving Holden with cocktail, they go to sleep. Holden wakes up to find the teacher patting him in a suggestive manner: the teacher is homosexual! Holden leaves the place confused and uncertain (Salinger 36). He wanders the city during his last afternoon. The teacher’s actions are used by the author to demonstrate the breakdown of social values in the city. This happens despite the advancement of philosophical and psychological values. The four authors, Douglas, Fitzgerald, James and Salinger, clearly demonstrate that the modernization of the New York City promoted some values while undermining others. Ann Douglas discusses the advancement of technology around cities and implication on values. Francis Fitzgerald associates the growth of cities with the fall in moral standards and social values. Henry James discusses the dilemma of modernization with respect to New York City. Jerome Salinger talks about degeneration of values in a modern city brought by people being obsessed with the demands of modernity. Works Cited Douglas, Ann. Skyscrapers,airplains and airmindedness (the necessary Angel). n.d. Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. Echoes of the Jazz Age. New York City: C. Scribner, 1931. Print James, Henry. Collected Travel Writings: Great Britain and America. New York City: Library of America, 1993. Print Salinger, Jerome David. The Catcher in the Rye. London: Penguin Books Limited (UK), 2010. Print. Read More