The City and the Suburbs - Assignment Example

Assignment Charles Baudelaire said, “The life of our is rich in poetic and marvellous s. We are enveloped and steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvellous; but we do not notice it.” Big city life is completely different from living in a suburb or outside the city. With time, the media has helped to bring about a vast demarcation between these two areas as well. There are a number of factors that divide the city and suburban areas from each other. According to popular imagination, these two regions have been classified by people as very different from each other. The city has always known to be a very exciting and fast paced place where life seems to go by in an exhilarating manner. The suburbs on the other hand, have always been characterised as places of squalor or monotonousness, where life comes to a standstill for a number of people. Most people believe that the suburbs are for old couples or people who cannot keep up with living a fast life. Popular television shows, movies as well as songs have often described the city and suburb life; most rap songs consist of growing up in the suburbs, amidst gang violence and boredom which turns a man wild. The city on the other hand has so much to offer that people do not have time to stop and think and are kept extremely preoccupied. For example, the very popular television show, Sex and the City revolves around the life of four women living in the midst of New York City and grasping every opportunity that the city has to offer them. These women have been able to portray the city as a very young, wholesome and safe place for people to be. They have made the city all the rage by displaying the fascinating parties, fashion shows, eateries, as well as the plethora of opportunities that they get because of their vicinity and love for city life. On the other hand, Desperate Housewives, yet another renowned television show, is set in the suburbs in a place called Wisteria Lane. Life over here has been portrayed to be extremely slow and monotonous and the women living on this walk slowly turn into soccer moms with not much excitement in their lives except for the gossip that soars within their lives. The suburbs are basically presented forth to be less fascinating and fabulous than cities. In the show ‘Gossip Girl’ as well, the city has been shown with a different light altogether; people are given the hope that living in the city will help them live a much better life than living in the suburban areas. The city is a very lively place to be in as compared to the suburbs as well. It is full of people and one can never feel alone or unsafe in the city. However, it does have its downfalls because sometime crime rates can take a surge due to crowded areas. A lot of people even feel congested living in places that are so full of people. The situation is extremely different in the suburbs because these areas are very quiet and calm compared to the city. At the same time, it is very common for accidents and crime to take place without many people coming to know. This makes the suburbs dangerous as well. As shown on Desperate Housewives, the suburbs are a place where one can easily do wrong things and conceal them without the police coming to know. However, in other shows like Gossip Girl, it is hard to get away with a wrongdoing within the city as there are always people to catch one’s mistakes and or inform the police immediately. Suburbs are fairly cleaner places as compared to the city because the government spends more money in keeping these quiet areas clean. Furthermore, it is very tough to keep a city clean because it is full of people and maintenance costs are very high. In the suburbs, the numbers of people are lesser and people take care of their own neighbourhoods and environments. Most people that have been living within the hustle and bustle of the city would want to spend the rest half of their lives living in the suburbs because it is fairly quieter and provides for a more calm and sophisticated surrounding. Whereas, people living in the suburbs would think that the grass is greener on the other side, and want to live within the noisy city, amidst all the action that is taking place. A number of renowned songs have been inspired by the suburbs; “Lets take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight  In Suburbia  You cant hide, run with the dogs tonight  In Suburbia  Roaming  Break the window by the town hall  Listen, the siren screams  There in the distance, like a roll call  Of all the suburban dreams” Suburbia has been regarded to be a dangerous place through this song. It speaks of a great amount of violence and squalor being spread in suburbia and through this un-cleanliness comes in the aspect of it being a perilous place for people to live in. The inspiration for this song was the film by the same name, made by Penelope Spheeris in the year 1984 where a great amount of violence was depicted in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Most people feel that the boredom that an individual is made to suffer and undergo is the underlying cause for the violence and vandalism that he indulges in. In many suburban areas around the world, the place is not safe for people to be within because due to a monotonous life that the people there lead, they tend to indulge in activities that do not benefit society at all. At the same time, the city has its downfalls too because a number of people think that the city is not a safe place to be in. Cities have been known to have the highest crime rates around the world and most criminals are able to conceal themselves well within the crowds of a city as compared to a suburban neighbourhood. On the other hand, many think that what happens in a suburb stays in a suburb. Since it is so quiet, not many people bother to check what is happening and neighbours might not be informed of each other’s lives, making it impossible to keep track of events taking place. As per personal opinion, both the city as well as the suburb has its own charm as well as disadvantages. As discussed above, the city has been portrayed to be a very fascinating place indeed; most people feel that it is very important to have an experience staying within the city, at least once in their lives. City life is very fast paced and full of high fashion and glamour as depicted in various television shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. At the same time, suburban life has been portrayed as very dull and monotonous, as well as being dangerous and dirty. However, the main thing is that one can never really differentiate between a city and a suburb because both places have their own merits and have a different level of living altogether. Both areas are similar to each other in their own ways; where a city might have a quiet resemble a suburb, some suburbs may be full of the hustle and bustle of a big city life. The difference thus lies in the rhythm of the place which is ultimately created by the kind of people living there. The city and suburb thus differs on a mere matter of perspective of different people. Suburban life according to a number of people is more tranquil and something to enjoy for older people during their retiring period. In the movie ‘Juno’ as well, both sides of the city and the suburb was shown; Juno lived in the city whereas the parents that she gave her baby up to lived in a sophisticated suburban house. They claimed that raising a child in the suburbs helps to mould the child into a calm and composed individual because there is enough personal space as well as a fresh and clean environment to live in, away from the city squalor. However, at the same time, other people might differ and say the exact opposite thing; the city may provide a wholesome experience to people because of the million opportunities that it possesses. Living in the suburbs means living far away from the city and thus access to a number of important places of visit in the heart of the city becomes tough. In conclusion, both these areas have their own beauty as well as banes. People need to find out which place they are best suited for. Some might prefer the city; however some might go in for the suburbs. This entire choice should not be based on what a television show has to offer because many a times, they do not provide what the individual wants. The reason that these shows portray the city or the suburbs in a particular manner is because they are paid to show them that way. Some people might like to live in a quiet environment full of fresh air and a good surrounding; it is possible to find such a place within the city as well, and not just the suburbs. Thus, it is completely up to a person’s personal perspective and outlook as to what kind of a place is best suited for him. Read More