This concern presents the aforementioned idea that classism is attributed to race in American society. Stigmas surrounding the black community may stem from their oppression on a socio-economic scale.

This argument presents the idea of a slippery slope, that one issue inevitably leads to another, more pressing matter. However, I believe this contributes the reputation of the city of Atlanta as mentioned above; the mere presence of homelessness alludes to issues of poverty, addiction, and crime in the city, and contributes to the negative perspective of the city maintained by many visitors and outsiders.

The efforts of positive integration mandate an intermingling of races and classes, although this statement poses the idea that isolation might better allow for the progression of lower-class individuals and families. In fact, the idea of relocation to public housing mandates the removal of these groups from their current locale.

Recent actions by local police reveal that city monitoring and control often discriminates against the poor and homeless. A recent law allowed for cops to disperse loiterers in areas such as parking garages, to contribute to the feeling of safety in the city. Suits have been filed against the city, claiming that such legislation targets homeless individuals who seek refuge in these spaces.

Many of my annotated bibliography articles addressed the presence of homelessness in the city, and its contribution to Atlanta's reputation for crime and danger. Unlike other cities, downtown Atlanta is not bustling with locals at night. Visitors and tourists are then confronted by the presence of homelessness and poverty in the city, which is associated with crime. Many of the articles I have studied propose solutions that deal with the expansion of shelters and resources available to the homeless and poverty-stricken, to keep these individuals off the streets and decrease their proximity to the reputation of the city. This essay proposes similar solutions through the process of positive gentrification.

This is an issue addressed in many of my annotated bibliographies, as poverty becomes cyclical and seemingly inescapable for so many Americans. Lower-class individuals do not have the resources necessary to procure better employment and living conditions; this is evident in our discussion on the expansion of Marta in class, and the importance of cheaper public transportation to lower classes.

This idea supports the argument made in our perspectives course that race and class are closely tied. As discussed through our study of the graphic novel Blacksad, prejudice in many places abroad is derived from class. In the United States, we have masked class with discrimination targeted at race.

As detailed in the Atlanta Business article, this is a course of action that will be utilized by the city of Atlanta once the Peachtree-Pine shelter is closed. In order to support the individuals and families displaced by its closure, the city is negotiating the purchase of low-income housing options nearby.

This descriptions of efforts by cities to diminish poverty is the same as gentrification, which has both positive and negative impacts on lower-income individuals and families. As presented by Max in class, the introduction of Krog Street Market to a certain community increased the cost of living in that neighborhood, driving out this populace.

The Atlanta Business article by Dave Williams details city plans to close the Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter, and convert the space to a police and fire facility. City officials met to vote on the action, but the council was delayed by complaints and protests from members of the community. The article catalogues continued efforts of the city to terminate the shelter’s operation, accused of “‘warehousing’ the homeless.” The shelter has in turn accused Atlanta officials to maintain agenda of negative gentrification. Ultimately, the city continues with its plans to transition the shelter, while seeking low-housing opportunities for individuals and families displaced by its closure.

The author presents an objective chronicle of the council meeting, and the members’ idiosyncratic perspectives on the shelter. However, I have read numerous articles on the closure of the shelter, and most are devoted to the perspectives of Anita Beaty and other members of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. This Atlanta Business article does not consider the concerns and arguments of this group, or the effects of the closure on the homeless population. The perspectives presented are mostly biased to positively portray the city and its council members, although the article deals with a controversial issue in Atlanta.

Although Ponce City Market is the best modern representation of the arcades, this description is reminiscent of Atlantic Station. Stratified from the clamor of downtown, Atlantic Station is a residential area that can be self-functioning. In addition to the shopping center of nice stores and restaurants, there is a Target and Publix that supply the basic necessities of residents. The culture and architecture of Atlantic Station almost discourage unity with the downtown of Georgia State, and the Station operates in its own affluent bubble.

The utility of built environments arise from the needs of the people; Benjamin's argument for built environments is that they adapt to the various interactions of their tenants, supporting the idea that our interaction with an area serve to shape our built environments.

There is no connection between the various shops in the arcades; rather, the arcades were an assemblage of stores that provided various necessities for tenants. This characterizes the evolution of a built environment here described by Benjamin, first from a place of necessities to a place of art.

Arcades, resemble the bazaars of the Middle East, which according to the New World Encyclopedia, appeared in the Middle East around the fourth century. Bazaars were a street of shops where goods and services were exchanged or sold, and preceded the modern-day supermarket. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bazaar

The article “Pokémon Go Has Created a New Kind of Flaneur” by Laura Bliss equates contemporary Pokémon Go players to the wanderers of the nineteenth century. Charles Baudelaire in 1863 coined the idea of a flaneur, a French term for those who “stroll the city streets” merely to collect observations of their environment. The contemporary app encourages players to explore urban areas and collect Pokémon at historic, cultural, and forgotten spaces of their city.

While the game encourages electronic exploration of the city, “le traineur” is not grounded in reality. Bliss admits that most players rarely look up from their phones to observe the areas they wander, which discredits their association with the flaneur. The consumers characterized by Benjamin were intentional in their exploration of arcades. French arcades supplied the needs of tenants, who perused the stalls and walkways with purpose. Benjamin even describes the role of facial expressions as a form of advertisement employed by vendors in the arcades, and the joy of consumers at these expressions. While I think the article presents a relevant comparison to our preceding flaneur, I believe the similarities are exaggerated; contemporary players are more absorbed in an electronic arcade than their actual built environments.

Here we note the impact of the arcades on the separation of public and private spaces. Arcades became an amalgamation of the two spaces, and garnered the intimacy of personal activities like smoking while making these public and communal affairs.

This observation connects to my highlight on page eleven. Arcades impacted the early evolution of advertisement; as characterized by the highlighted section above, storefronts were arranged to encourage quick and expansive recognition of goods and deals in a store. The design of the arcades was meant to slow the consumer and encourage exploration, a form of forced advertisement.

This observation reveals the extent to which built environments are shaped by convenience. This idea is prevalent in new additions to the city to improve walkability in a heavily trafficked city; the emergence of Beltline and the recent introduction of streetcars are meant to relieve the stress of driving. Spaces like the Beltline even encourage alternate forms of transportation, like biking and skating.

The cultural significance of this design must have revolutionized business across the world. A new independence from weather would allow an increase in the openness of the market. It would also encourage specialization, and the introduction of new products as vendors could sell a more diverse array of goods.

Here we note the evolution of the idea of value as something of a social construct, that it is not determined by the actual utility or composition of a good, but by the worth allocated to that good. This foreshadows the dependency of society on brand, and the development of a more materialistic society.

This statement reveals the impact of arcades on gender stereotypes. Generalizations such as the resistance and strength of men made that gender more qualified for employment as salesmen.

This characterizes the idea of attraction in the market, as advertising became the exotic nature of a storefront. Brand and class were at this time determined by appearance of a street salon.

Empress Josephine of France adorned these shawls, shipped to France from her son in Egypt. Napolean and his officers brought them from their campaigns abroad. Josephine was a trend-setter in French fashion, and despite her initial distaste for the garments, she would devote much of her wealth to these shawls in her lifetime. https://historiquecouture.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/the-cashmere-shawls-of-empress-josephine/

The instability of the Mohegan reality of home almost necessitates a physical transcription of their history; divided by migrations and further stratified by tension, oral stories would not endure like the tangible symbols of a basket. Basketry provided a secure way to maintain a sense of identity despite the tumult of white settlement.

"The Century Quilt" by Marilyn Waniek describes a quilt handed down among generations of a particular family. The poem recounts the history associated with each generation, and its semblance of heritage as well as potential to the youngest member of the family. These texts reveal a human tendency to allocate ancestry to tangible artifacts; family trees, quilts, heirlooms and baskets. Our physical preservation of the past asserts that the human identity is often largely derived from heritage, and this emphasis of lineage places a greater importance on the hope of posterity. The legacy one generation leaves with the next is its only guarantee of immortality; subconsciously, humans reproduce in an attempt to remain eternal through the endurance of their offspring and their bloodline. The Mohegan baskets are an attempt to physically bind and subsequently immortalize their heritage or sense of self for future generations. It is no coincidence that these baskets were distributed by the Mohegan community when they had lost their land, connection to a culture steeped in nature, and ultimately their sense of self.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ke4LLouM4k/UC5Psgip0tI/AAAAAAAABv8/_LLET3aBv9I/s1600/Family+Quilt.JPG

The article “Dollhouses Weren’t Invented for Play” by Nicole Cooley is about the cultural significance of dollhouses and their reflection of the established paradigms of a society. Initially, Cooley traces the origins of dollhouses to northern Europe, where the exhibit of rare and miniature collectibles served as symbols of wealth and status. Their use shifted with the progression of European society to reflect the role of women, as girls practiced management and housekeeping with the figurines. It was not until the 19th century that dollhouses assumed the childlike renown the toys garner today. A renewed fascination with dollhouses and miniatures has reached contemporary youth, especially through social media platforms.

Throughout their history, dollhouses have manifested the regulations of a society upon its children. Initially, the houses were locked upon display; this embraces the idea of public and private space discussed in Graphic Novels, especially the characterization of the home as private space. In the 17th century girls learned management of the house and its servants through dollhouses; the practice immediately associates wealth with power, and establishes clear and distinct castes in society and a strict adherence to its hierarchy. The simplistic role of dollhouses in contemporary American society demonstrates a shift in the definition of childhood, more relaxed and lenient than preceding connotations. A dollhouse's ability to reflect culture mimics the purpose of Mohegan baskets, but while dollhouses represent flexible values in a society, basketry conveys established truths of a native culture. However, they maintain similarities through the establishment of roles in society, especially the domesticated roles of women in European and Mohegan culture.

Cooley, Nicole. "Dollhouses Weren't Invented for Play." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 22 July 2016. Web. 5 Sept. 2016.

Symbolism also exists in the idea of a woven basket, where all parts are interconnected. According to the article "Traditional Native Concepts of Death," "One common theme found in many of the Indian cultures in North America is the idea of reincarnation" (Ojibwa.). Interwoven baskets embody this sense of cyclicality in nature, a reflection of core Native values.

Ojibwa. “Native American Netroots.” Native American Netroots. 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Sept. 2016.

This directly relates to the initial use of dollhouses, which allowed girls the opportunity to practice management of a household and its servants (Cooley, Nicole.). The practice of basketry defines the role of women in Mohegan society as cultural messengers.

Cooley, Nicole. "Dollhouses Weren't Invented for Play." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 22 July 2016. Web. 5 Sept. 2016.

This allocates a sense of sovereignty to daily activities, reminiscent of Confucian values. In AP World History, we discussed how Confucianism allocates divinity to the most mundane interactions, that our monotonous contact with the world is a form of idiosyncratic worship. The Mohegan baskets attempt to bring that same holiness to everyday life.

This further validates the aforementioned idea that interwoven baskets symbolize the connectedness and cyclicality of life. The emphasis of nature and its influence on the design characterizes the immensity of Mohegan dependence on nature.

The entire process of basketry, from the storytelling to the distribution, elevates the Indian culture; it allocated a sense of prestige to the customs of the culture, and garnered respect from other communities- even non-Natives.

According to "Baskets Carry Meaning," an article electronically published on a website devoted to the Oneida community, basketry helped Oneida Indians to economically adjust after their land was taken. They crafted baskets to sell to non-natives, beginning around the 1970s.

“Baskets Carry Meaning.” Oneida Indian Nation. 6 March 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2016.

The extension of communication beyond words is an idea addressed in our Graphic Novels class, where images maintain as much significance as the text. The novelty of the analysis of this text is reflected in the disdain for graphic novels and comics, and childish or unsophisticated literature.

The elaborate and obviously practiced design of the basket reveals the availability of leisure time to the Native American community. Their society has progressed beyond supplying basic necessities for survival, which characterizes an advanced culture.

Primary resource; like archives, untainted by the perspectives of others, you can view and make your own assumptions about culture and people

Are we limited by the existence of a stringent, concrete language? Are we stunted from creative communication?

The elaborate design of the basket denotes the availability of leisure time among this Native American culture; this denotes their progression from basic necessities of survival

Reminiscent of the graphic novel class, more than words can be used for communication: comics and baskets

Does the existence of concrete language stunt our ability to communicate, or find/explore new means of communication?

Annotations

Annotations

Annotations