Walking in the City - De Certeau

1.   What doe de Certeau mean when he says, when a person sees Manhattan from the 110^h floor of the world trade center, “his elevation transforms him into a voyeur. It puts him at a distance. It transforms the bewitching world [. . .] into a text. [. . .] It allows him to read it; to be a solar eye” (92).

De Certeau means that when a person is on the 110th floor of the World Trade Center, he automatically becomes someone who is all seeing. In which, he becomes the storyteller. Everything below becomes a "text" that can be manipulated in however which way the "author" or "god" wants to manipulate it into. The transformation that De Certeau is alluding to would be the experience, in which one would feel very different being in the crowd.

2.   De Certeau states that “urban life increasingly permits the re-emergence of the element that the urbanistic project excluded” (95) and “spatial practices in fact secretly structure the determining social conditions of social life” (96). Explain these statements and discuss how they relate to the title of this section-- “From Concepts to Practices.”

De Certeau's statement refers to concepts of the mind and the actual practices of these concepts. Urbanistic projects may relate to the formations of cities and how the formation follows a certain structure. Although they follow these structures, the actuality of this concept in action or in "practice" may not appear to follow the structure at all. In a perfect world, these concepts, when put into practice, will turn out exactly as it was planned, but because our world is not, there are unforeseeable  consequences. The practice of one space directly affects the conditions of the space, which then, creates the quality of life. This all can be related to Style Wars, in that the graffiti became a concern due to it creating social conditions that was deemed improper by many. Signs of graffiti have direct relations to areas with high crime rates, as well as undereducated children and low income families. This becomes a city wide problem, as it degrades all forms of quality living.

3.   What is “the Chorus of idle footsteps” and why can’t “they be counted” (97)? Refer to the notion of “tactile apprehension and kinesthetic appropriation” in your answer (97).

In "Walking in the Cities," De Certeau mentions how pathways are formed by people and how these pathways are created by the "idle footsteps." The chorus of idle footsteps are the footsteps of the pedestrians. This mass of people are all walking to their own destination. They cross into each other's pathways, which creates these "shapes" of space. Although the footsteps of many create different pathways, these pathways cannot be counted because of the different types of "footsteps." Everyone moves in their own way with their own purposes. These pathways are then erased, while new ones are created on top of these old paths. Therefore, "this causes it to be forgotten."

4.   De Certeau maintains that walking creates “one of these ‘real systems whose existence in fact makes up the city” (97).  What does this mean and how does it relate to his assertion that, “The act of walking is to the urban system what the speech act is to language” (97)? What is he trying to establish by saying this?

Walking creates the urban system, like speaking creates a language. This basically means that a urban system would not exist without the existence of people walking and creating pathways throughout the space itself. Similarly so, language would not exist if people did not speak. A city is created because humans walk with purpose. This becomes the only reason why a city exists.

5.   Why can’t walking be “reduced to [a] graphic trail” such as you would see on a map or urban plan, according to de Certeau (99)?

Walking varies in diversity. Maps allow only certain pathways to travel by, which is limiting compared to real life in actuality. People have the ability to travel through "loopholes." Space is never defined the same by people. For example, a map of a small town may include the fences of the backyard of homes. If one were in a hurry, he might jump the fences instead of taking a recorded route, like the sidewalk. Walking can never be simplified to maps because they cannot predict all the choices of the pedestrians.

6.   What does de Certeau mean by “the long poem of Walking”  (101).

Walking can metaphorically be compared to a poem. In which poems are known to be complex with allusions, ambiguities, personal interests, etc. Walking is similar to poems because everyone interprets it differently, just like the poet had his own intentions. The intentions were probably based on the cultural impact at that time, personal matters, as well as social impact. Walks have their own stories. They are also determined by the same general ideas.

7.   De Certeau defines two “pedestrian figures” through which “rhetoric of walking” (100) is created: synecdoche and asyndeton. He notes that synecdoche “expands a spatial element in order to make it play the role of a ‘more’” (101). On the other hand, asyndeton, “by elision, creates a ‘less” opens gaps in the spatial continuum, and retains only selected parts” (101).  Explore and explain these terms and relate them to de Certeau’s larger argument.

     A synecdoche takes one idea that is part of another idea, while a asyndeton takes a separated idea and joins them, which creates conjunctions. This is similar to the creation of space, in that space can be joined or separated into islands. Space creates stories that are created with  a combination of social practices that it symbolizes. This would mean the space itself and what people do in that space creates stories. These stories can be connected to other stories or can exist on their own.

8.    De Certeau argues that the proper nouns which mark a city (naming streets, buildings, monuments) once were “arranged in constellations that heirarchize and semantically order the surface of the city . . .” (104) .  However, even though these words eventually lose their original value, “their ability to signify outlives its first definition” (104) and they function to articulate “a second, poetic geography  on top of the geography of the literal . . . meaning” (105). Explain what he means by these statements.

     This relates back to what De Certeau had said about pathways created by people and how they cannot exist after they are overwritten. New stories are created over these geography. After it is overwritten, they become something else. Although the names are the same, they have entirely different meanings than when it was first named. They create order in the moment. Each name systemizes where each space belongs, but over time these names of streets and avenues begin to lose its meaning. Which is interesting because these meaningless names give meaning to people who travel in the moment. They look to these names to create their own meaning.

9.   Explain de Certeau’s statement that “places are fragmentary and inward-turning histories, pasts that others are not allowed to read, accumulated times that can be unfolded but like stories held in reserve, [. . .] encysted in the pain or pleasure of the body: ‘I feel good here’” (108). How does this fit into the larger argument about the “habitability” of the city?

Referring to the stories that are created, De Certeau mentions that places have records of stories, but because these stories are only known in personal terms, they become these taboo stories that cannot/will not be seen by others. They turn to individual history to each person who have lived in the very moment. They become the very stories that are held in reserve, only to be released when told. Each space encrypts certain feelings that intertwines with these hidden stories. This connects the habitability of the city to the idea that space that is intimate and personal becomes the only place habitable.

10. Explain the following quote, which occurs in the final paragraph of the essay: “the childhood experience that determines spatial practices later develops its effects, proliferates, floods private and public spaces, undoes their readable surfaces, and creates within the planned city a “metaphorical” or mobile city” (110). How does this statement fit into the argument as a whole?

     Nothing is stable. Because of this, spaces are ever changing and they become this idea of a  mobile city. Pathways determine stories, but they erase and overwrite. Just like signs define space, but lose its meaning and create new ones over time. The mobile city represents the ever-changing space that we live in. We can bring this city anywhere we want and create new stories within it. The only thing that will destroy it would be the only thing that is out of our control, time.

Mind Map

PAGE 92

• Pedestrians and the voyeur

PAGE 94

• City Creation
• Urban/Spatial practices

PAGE 91

• Vision above all. Like the gods
• Rome and New York. Past and the future.

PAGE 99

• Maps and graphic systems

• Walking=Urban Spaces and Speaking=Language

Page 103

•        Names and Symbols/signs
•        History of the space

Page 105

•        Habitability
•        Memory
•        Mobile City

Style Wars

I think its interesting how the directors used film techniques to show both sides to Style Wars in the sense that the film depicts both stories. With two opposing groups, we are able to clearly see the situation, as well as the pros and cons of the issue. The documentary alternates between the stories of the graffiti artists and the politicians and parents of the artists, which in way really does prove the whole situation to be a "style" war. In one situation, one of the teenage boys was explaining why it was important to tag his name "all city," while his mother was sitting right next to him. The mother obviously had a disapproving opinion. Where her thoughts agreed more with the mayor of the city, in which, graffiti, then takes on an entirely different meaning. Graffiti, to the artists is their own art form, similar to calligraphy. Names, styles, and drawings become one artists' culture, but to the authorities, it is vandalism. Graffiti with negative connotations, imply a life of crime. It degrades the living system of one place and creates a negative atmosphere for the city. The colliding views show an interesting interception between the black and whites, and forms a gray scale, in which the viewer becomes the judge in seeing what is art and what is vandalism.

Using various film techniques, we as viewers, are able to take a step into the time period where graffiti art was at its peak. I think one of the more interesting techniques was the director's choice in filming the daily lives' of the graffiti artists. In which, Tony Silver, shows the culture at that time for graffiti artists. Hip-hop dance was a big part of the culture, as well as rapping. Depicting scenes where the artists gather around  to have dance offs and rapping sessions show the culture and the standards of living for this group of people. Graffiti, then takes on a new meaning. It becomes more than an art form. Graffiti becomes their culture, their way of living. This opens up new questions on the "blacks and whites" of graffiti. There is truth in what the mayor says, but there is also truth to what the artists say. Graffiti cannot be simplified to vandalism, but it also cannot be fully considered an art form. It is not in form itself, but in the act, that causes indifference in society.

Source: Photo

Final Essay

           During the 19th century, the Western Expansion preoccupied the minds' of most Americans. After the acquisition of the Louisiana territory, American nationalism was at its peak as all of America scrambled throughout to turn the belief in Manifest Destiny into a dream come true. This directly resulted in the Transcontinental Railroad, which became the perfect solution to join the West coast and the East coast. During one of the greatest movements in history, Robert Grainier, a character in Denis Johnson's novella, lives on the Western frontier while experiencing this historical movement in terms of De Certeau's Spatial Stories. Michel De Certeau's Spatial Stories reinforce the definitions of words we may use every day, but may not understand the true meaning behind. There's a fine line between certain words that calls for the need to specifically differentiate one from the other. A clear example would be the words "space" and place" or "frontier" and "threshold." Although both sets of words have similar context, both are of different origin and define completely different subjects. Even words that must exist with its counterparts like how each "frontier" consists of a "bridge" is clearly explained in Spatial Stories. De Certeau's Spatial Stories act as a guiding vessel in the employment of the overarching concepts of the spatial stories explored in Train Dreams. In addition, the questions of what is a space, place, threshold, bridge, and frontier can be proven by Johnson's text, which allows for a better overall understanding of what Train Dreams and Spatial Stories is about.

De Certeau defines space as an area where the existence is created by the activity that defines it so. The definition of place is the establishment of space. Therein place only exist after space is created and recreated over again with the same purpose in mind. Such that Grainier’s home would represent something that is a “place,” while “space” would be that of the entire town of Moyea Valley. In that the daily activities of the townspeople would create what a “town” is. Space can contain places, but in theory, it space is the creation of place. An example would be how Grainier can live in Moyea Valley, but the Valley itself can change due to external causes. Although the valley can change, the location in which Grainier chooses to live will still be his home. An example in the novella would be when Grainier’s cabin burned down, even though his cabin is gone, the concept of home is not. As long as Grainier rebuilds this cabin on the same plot of land and resumes doing “home” activities, it will still remain as a definition of home. This applies to space, too. Grainier had participated in various locations throughout the novella to aid the development of the railroads. Each location he had worked on would be considered as one of De Certeau’s space. This is due to the fact that each space is occupied for different reasons. His occupation as a logger, for example, led him to occupy a forest. In that moment the forest is still a forest, but once it is cleared, it becomes another space. Because they are occupied only for the moment, they are interchangeable. Thereby abiding De Certeau’s law of space.

If there exist a difference in space and place, then there is also a difference in frontier. In which frontier is usually confused as a simple border separating two different geographical regions of space.  Through short stories, Johnson confirms De Certeau’s explanation that a true frontier is not just a border that separates, but also a bridge between two unique spaces. Thus one space can and only will exist when both frontiers and bridges exist. This can be proven throughout Train Dreams in the series of events in Grainier’s life. The definition of what is human only exists because there is also a definition of what is not. In reference to Train Dreams, there exists normal people like Robert Grainier or Kootenai Bob and the rest of the townspeople and there exists animals, like the wolves and the wolf-girl. Through this intangible frontier, there is a bridge. Because of the separation, there is also a link in between the gap. Without humans, animals would not be considered animals. Without animals, there would not be humans. Therein it is necessary for a bridging between both characterizations for the formation of a frontier. Another example would be the existence of the individual. There can only be a “self” if the opposite of “self” (everyone else) exists. Grainier becomes a unique character, not because of his past sufferings, but because of his unique mentality. In an abstract sense, Grainier has his own “self” and becomes this individual because no one else has the same outlook as him. An example would be Claire Thompson. Both she and Grainier were widowed within a few years of marriage. Although both experienced similar tragedies, both deal with their situation uniquely. In which Grainier wallows in his past and Thompson moves on towards the future. Each character deals with similar experiences in their own unique way. The bridge between these two characters would be the death of their significant other. The frontier that exists would be their mentality in dealing with the actual situation. Even in the internal battles within the self, Johnson clearly outlines that there is the existence of a frontier, as well as a bridging between the gaps of the two differences. Grainier battles with the differences of reality and fantasy repeatedly, throughout the mini novel. In which, he has recurring encounters with the ghosts of his past. In the near real life encounter with the ghost of his wife, he reinvents her last moments in the cabin long after she dies, yet he is able to picture the entirety of the event in a realistic manner. In Grainier’s fantasy, he cannot separate the difference between reality and fantasy. This illustrates the underlying message that Johnson tries to recreate, in that there is a fine line that a frontier creates. This frontier divides, but presents the opportunity for a bridge to form between two different concepts with similar ideas. Similarly so, Grainier also stumbles across another man who may knowingly or unknowingly battle with reality and fantasy. Mr. Peterson had reassured Grainier that his gunshot wound was the result of his dog shooting him in self-defense. In reality, the occurrence of such event is not very likely. Even Grainier who can be a bit of a simpleton, questioned Peterson’s story. The question of what is real and fake can only exist because of the “frontier” that exist. This frontier can only exist when the bridge that defines what is related also exists. In this situation the relationship between truth and lies establish this bridge. Truth is related to lies in that they both are the counter definitions of each other. Therefore, reality is directly proportional to truth, just as lies are to fantasy.

          In terms of frontiers, bridges, spaces and places, the subject matter of threshold comes into question. Thresholds can be defined in many different ways. The definition that usually comes to mind is any place or point of entering or beginning. In De Certeau’s definition, a true threshold is any occupiable transitional space. This can be applied to Train Dreams. Tangible thresholds would be the land reserved for the Western Expansion. Because of the concept of Manifest Destiny, each space was kept in mind as a space for transition. In that a place that was once a forest may be cleared to form a space, in which the loggers will occupy. After all the trees are chopped down, the space can perhaps become a place for railroads to pass through. Because of this establishment, it can also lead to the development of a town due to the settlers that may build their homes in the surrounding area. The possibilities are endless. The infinite potential illustrates how malleable this space is. Therein creating the idea of a threshold, since the space is so flexible, it is always in transition.

Through each story a little more of the Valley of Moyea is uncovered. We begin to see the Spatial Stories that De Certeau speaks about through Train Dreams. In which, we are then able to understand the distinct definitions to the words with similar context, such as the words, space and place. Not only the similarities of words are explored, but also words that represent opposites like frontier and bridges are brought into the light. The creation of such distinct spaces, places, frontiers, and bridges, allow for the existence of thresholds. Using Train Dreams and the stories told within the novella, we were able to differentiate and categorize each story to assemble a distinct definition with clarity.

Source: Photo

Draft 2

           During the 19th century, the Western Expansion preoccupied the minds' of most Americans. After the acquisition of the Louisiana territory, American nationalism was at its peak as all of America scrambled throughout to turn the belief in Manifest Destiny into a dream come true. This directly resulted in the Transcontinental Railroad, which became the perfect solution to join the West coast and the East coast. During one of the greatest movements in history, Robert Grainier, a character in Denis Johnson's novella, lives on the Western frontier while experiencing this historical movement in terms of De Certeau's Spatial Stories.

            Michel De Certeau's Spatial Stories reinforce the definitions of words we may use every day, but may not understand the true meaning behind. There's a fine line between certain words that calls for the need to specifically differentiate one from the other. A clear example would be the words "space" and place" or "map" and "tour." Although both sets of words have similar context, both are of different origin and define completely different subjects.

            Michel De Certeau's Spatial Stories act as a guiding vessel in the employment of the overarching concepts of the spatial stories explored in Train Dreams. These concepts include the difference between space and place, as well as an understanding of how thresholds are defined in Train Dreams. And in between these space, place, and threshold, what are frontiers. Through these analyses, we can better understand the text and the message Johnson is trying to articulate.

De Certeau defines space as an area where the existence is created by the activity that defines it so. The definition of place is the establishment of space. Therein place only exist after space is created and recreated over again with the same purpose in mind. This can be seen in Train Dreams throughout the novella in both literal terms and conceptual terms.

Such that Grainier’s home would represent something that is a “place,” while “space” would be that of the entire town of Moyea Valley. In that the daily activities of the townspeople would create what a “town” is. Space can contain places, but in theory, it space is the creation of place. An example would be how Grainier can live in Moyea Valley, but the Valley itself can change due to external causes. Although the valley can change, the location in which Grainier chooses to live will still be his home. An example in the novella would be when Grainier’s cabin burned down, even though his cabin is gone, the concept of home is not. As long as Grainier rebuilds this cabin on the same plot of land and resumes doing “home” activities, it will still remain as a definition of home. This applies to space, too. Grainier had participated in various locations throughout the novella to aid the development of the railroads. Each location he had worked on would be considered as one of De Certeau’s space. This is due to the fact that each space is occupied for different reasons. His occupation as a logger, for example, led him to occupy a forest. In that moment the forest is still a forest, but once it is cleared, it becomes another space. Because they are occupied only for the moment, they are interchangeable. Thereby abiding De Certeau’s law of space.

With this concept, home can be seen as something stagnant and unchangeable, whilst a town is fickle and ever changing. Just as there is a definition for “space” and “place” in literal terms, there is also a conceptual distinction in “space” and “place.” Grainier’s character lacks mental development throughout the entire novella, thereby characterizing his internal mind as a “place.” Compared to most of the other characters throughout the series of short stories, Grainier does not cognitively “grow up.” This can be seen in the dialogue between his wife, Gladys, and him in the beginning of the story. In which, he asks her how much does his four month old daughter know. Through this dialogue, one can assume Grainier’s mind is one of a simpleton. Not only that, but he does not strive for change. In the scene where Elvis Presley, the King of Rock, passes by on a train and waves, Grainier metaphorically misses his appearance. This indicates Grainier’s inability in keeping up with the ever-changing world, as he obsesses over his wife and child’s death. Abstractly, this would also characterize the other characters in town as a “space.” In that each character changes. Dealing with similar woes as Grainier, the colorful characters that Grainier meets appear to be more dynamic. In that each character has their life changing moment, yet each has the ability to move on. William Coswell Haley molested his niece when she was 12 and left town shortly after he discovered that his brother beat her to death. Although a heinous crime, Haley was able to move on and physically live his life, albeit with underlying guilt. This goes for the widow Claire Thompson, whose husband had passed away in the previous summer. Although a short marriage, it was a marriage nevertheless; she had picked up everything to leave Montana for Idaho. Similarly so, Eddie Sauer, an audaciously brazen character with a playboy past, ironically pursues Claire Thompson and asks for her hand in marriage. Each character lives to move on, yet Grainier is stuck in the moment with the ghosts of his past. Thus Train Dreams, prove De Certeau’s concept of space and place, where each is distinctly different in its own rights, although the connotations of both are very similar. Johnson’s text reinforces these concepts in a literal sense, as well as a conceptual sense.

If there exist a difference in space and place, then there is also a difference in frontier. In which frontier is usually confused as a simple border separating two different geographical regions of space.

            Through short stories, Johnson confirms De Certeau’s explanation that a true frontier is not just a border that separates, but also a bridge between two unique spaces. Thus one space can and only will exist when both frontiers and bridges exist. This can be proven throughout Train Dreams in the series of events in Grainier’s life.

            In a literal sense, the definition of what is human only exists because there is also a definition of what is not. In reference to Train Dreams, there exists normal people like Robert Grainier or Kootenai Bob and the rest of the townspeople and there exists animals, like the wolves and the wolf-girl. Through this intangible frontier, there is a bridge. Because of the separation, there is also a link in between the gap. Without humans, animals would not be considered animals. Without animals, there would not be humans. Therein it is necessary for a bridging between both characterizations for the formation of a frontier. Another example would be the existence of the individual. There can only be a “self” if the opposite of “self” (everyone else) exists. Grainier becomes a unique character, not because of his past sufferings, but because of his unique mentality. In an abstract sense, Grainier has his own “self” and becomes this individual because no one else has the same outlook as him. An example would be Claire Thompson. Both she and Grainier were widowed within a few years of marriage. Although both experienced similar tragedies, both deal with their situation uniquely. In which Grainier wallows in his past and Thompson moves on towards the future. Each character deals with similar experiences in their own unique way. The bridge between these two characters would be the death of their significant other. The frontier that exists would be their mentality in dealing with the actual situation.

            Even in the internal battles within the self, Johnson clearly outlines that there is the existence of a frontier, as well as a bridging between the gaps of the two differences. Grainier battles with the differences of reality and fantasy repeatedly, throughout the mini novel. In which, he has recurring encounters with the ghosts of his past. In the near real life encounter with the ghost of his wife, he reinvents her last moments in the cabin long after she dies, yet he is able to picture the entirety of the event in a realistic manner. In Grainier’s fantasy, he cannot separate the difference between reality and fantasy. This illustrates the underlying message that Johnson tries to recreate, in that there is a fine line that frontiers creates. This frontier divides, but presents the opportunity for a bridge to form between two different concepts with similar ideas. Similarly so, Grainier also stumbles across another man who may knowingly or unknowingly battle with reality and fantasy. Mr. Peterson had reassured Grainier that his gunshot wound was the result of his dog shooting him in self-defense. In reality, the occurrence of such event is not very likely. Even Grainier who can be a bit of a simpleton, questioned Peterson’s story. The question of what is real and fake can only exist because of the “frontier” that exist. This frontier can only exist when the bridge that defines what is related also exists. In this situation the relationship between truth and lies establish this bridge. Truth is related to lies in that they both are the counter definitions of each other. Therefore, reality is directly proportional to truth, just as lies are to fantasy.

In terms of frontiers, bridges, spaces and places, the subject matter of threshold comes into question. Thresholds can be defined in many different ways. The definition that usually comes to mind is any place or point of entering or beginning.

In De Certeau’s definition, a true threshold is any occupiable transitional space. In Train Dreams, this definition is broad and can be defined in a physical sense, as well as in a conceptual and mental fashion.

In the physical sense, tangible thresholds would be the land reserved for the Western Expansion. Because of the concept of Manifest Destiny, each space was kept in mind as a space for transition. In that a place that was once a forest may be cleared to form a space, in which the loggers will occupy. After all the trees are chopped down, the space can perhaps become a place for railroads to pass through. Because of this establishment, it can also lead to the development of a town due to the settlers that may build their homes in the surrounding area. The possibilities are endless. The infinite potential illustrates how malleable this space is. Therein creating the idea of a threshold, since the space is so flexible, it is always in transition.

In a conceptual threshold, there exists a temporal threshold that is affected by the mentality of one person. In which, the transitioning space is the progression of the novel through miniature stories. Although each story exists in its own realms, there is a transition in time to each story. These gaps are the thresholds that lead Grainier to each person. These are the Spatial Stories that De Certeau speaks about. Each story occupies a space in Grainier’s mind. The transition between these stories becomes the threshold of time, but they exist uniquely to each person. In that each occurrence of an event would apply to each person differently. The mentality of each person would affect the temporal threshold that is created from one event to another. This transitional realm is abstract in the sense that it can be affected by the mind in the moment, just as well as it can be affected in the past and the future. A temporal threshold caters to the person’s thoughts. An example of the existence of the temporal threshold would be Granier’s perception of the wolf-girl. Peterson had somewhat convinced Grainier that the wolf-girl was equivalent to that of a demon in the beginning of the novel. Towards the end of the novel, he encounters this wolf-girl. Upon the first-hand confrontation, he recognizes her to be his daughter, Kate. He had believed that she had escaped from the wild fire that had caused Gladys’s death. He immediately comes to her rescue. He brings his daughter into his cabin and fixes a splint on her leg using his own clothes and a stick. The cognition of Granier proves that there exists a temporal threshold and a mental threshold that cross-fade. The existence of this threshold allows for his perceptions to change from being afraid of something unknown, to immediate affection for the very same thing he was once afraid of. This threshold can change depending on Grainier’s future experiences in this matter. If he happens to gain more information on the wolf-girl or new information in general, he could possibly change his perception due to the accumulation of new ideas. Thereby creating a temporal threshold because it is always in transition as well as a mental threshold in that the mentality of one person is affected by the sequential events in life.

Through each story a little more of the Valley of Moyea is uncovered. We begin to see the Spatial Stories that De Certeau speaks about through Train Dreams. In which, we are then able to understand the distinct definitions to the words with similar context, such as the words, space and place. Not only the similarities of words are explored, but also words that represent opposites like frontier and bridges are brought into the light. The creation of such distinct spaces, places, frontiers, and bridges, allow for the existence of thresholds. Using Train Dreams and the stories told within the novella, we were able to differentiate and categorize each story to assemble a distinct definition with clarity.

TRAIN DREAMS & DECERTEAU SPATIAL STORIES - OUTLINE

- TOPIC: SPACE, PLACE, THRESHOLDS/TRANSITIONS, PATHWAY

               - DE CERTEAU and the definition of what space and place is: space is defined the bodies inside

Frontiers here act as the transitional space where it eventually stabilizes and turns into an official place. A place is something that is stable. The people there act specifically and according to.

                              - EXPANSION TO THE WEST

                              -DIFFERENT PLACES. HOMES. SCENES.PEOPLE HE MEETS/THEIR BACKGROUNDS.

-HOW SPACE ALWAYS CHANGES. A STANDING THRESHOLD. DEPENDING HOW PEOPLE USE THIS AREA?

WHAT IS A TRUE THRESHOLD? WHAT ARE THE THRESHOLDS IN TRAIN DREAMS? HOW ARE THE PEOPLE IN GRANIER'S TRAVELS INVOLVED WITH THRESHOLDS?

 WHAT IS SPACE? WHAT IS PLACE? HOW IS EACH AREA DEFINED AS PLACE/SPACE?

-DOES A CHANGING SPACE CATEGORIZE AS A THRESHOLD?

                              - Minor Questions - How did they build the western expansion? How/Why did                                    they choose the pathway? How do pathways cross?

                              - How were the people affected? How did they change the space they                                               occupied?

                              - WEST meets EAST. transitional/Moving systems are the thresholds.

                              - Moving systems act consciously creates a place

-Train Dreams. Spatial Stories. How the West expanded. How things change. The historical lost of each space.

               -HOW DOES SPACE MAKE PEOPLE BEHAVE? - Forced to interact and cooperate to create this                railroad.

               - How does the hardship during the western expansion affect the personal life of Robert Granier and how does this draw connections to space and place?

               - PATHWAYS/THRESHOLDS. AREAS THAT ARE CLEARED EX FOREST. (For the purpose of building a             path to connect to the ends together)

- Manifest Destiny -

"That westward expansion was greatly aided by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and passage of the Homestead Act in 1862. That act provided free 160-acre lots in the unsettled West to anyone who would file a claim, live on the land for five years and make improvements to it, including building a dwelling."

-THE CULTURAL ASPECTS - Racism. DID IT AFFECT THE SPACE/PLACE

-Juxtaposition to show analysis. (Small stories) The man and the dog. Granier and land. Etc.

-Story progression

               -The American Dream and Western Expansion

               -His own dreams. The spaces created.

-Other specific moments...

Focault's Docile Bodies and Architectural Related Studies at Pratt

The space I chose is one of the freshmen dormitories on Pratt’s Campus. The Cannoneer court is designed in the most efficient way possible. In that there are two sides to the dorm, one mainly for the girl population and the other for the male. Both sides have access to the other side through the main lounge, workroom, and the lobby. Upon entering the Cann (as we call it) one will turn left, turn right, or walk up the stairs to the next level. In this journal entry, we will be focusing on the second floor of the Cann, particularly the girl’s side of the hall and the spaces that intersect the hall. With 22 rooms down one hall, there are approximately 44 girls living on one side of the second floor. These girls all share one bathroom at the end of the hall and a workroom along with a main lounge with the whole building.

Through the spatial organization, one can infer that there are only two directions to go to. One is to the communal restroom and the workroom, while the other is to the lounge and exit. Through this organization, there is no other space for the residents to wander off too. The narrow path down the hall suggests that it is not a place for communication. The horizontal pathway only allows two directional movements. If one must communicate in a comfortable manner, it can be done through the workroom or the lounge, which are on either ends of the hall. In this hall, there are many rooms. Each room is spaced approximately five to ten feet away from each other and is accessible only through the doors in the hallway. The placement of each door not only allows for each person to have equal amounts of space within the vicinity of the room, but it also exacts control over the residence. This idea is similar to Focault’s theory on how repetition and partitioning will break down collective dispositions and create useful space, as well as create equal standing among all. No one person has power over another. The shared lounge space and workspace are to encourage communication between those that live in the same building. Although communal restrooms are an inconvenience, it promotes communication because of the forced interaction with your neighbors. This enables freshmen students to create strong bonds with those who live in the same floor. With so many students living in the same hall, security is definitely a concern. Each door is equipped with its own lock system. Similar to Focault’s discussion about Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, the lock system, even if it is not actually in use, act as a barrier between the shared space and personal space. It provides legible boundaries, in the sense that not one person will enter another’s room, even if they know that no one is occupying the room at the moment.  There is a blind trust between those who live in the same place and share the same space. Residential advisors live on either end of the halls. This employs the idea of ranks to keep the population in control when needed.

Docile Bodies - In Relation to “Spatial Stories”

Questions:

Through the reinvention of one space, there is a distinct social dynamic that it recreates, in the sense that each “place” now manipulates the “space.” If such dynamics can be recreated numerous of times in different institutions (in the military, in school, etc.) how can this be manipulated in relation to different environments? (Especially in an environment where distinct rules have been previously set.)

In the process of the manipulation of society, how is order defined? In the way that society has social levels, what makes one person greater than the other and how does his status guarantee his ability to change the order of “space” to a more definitive “place"?

Source: Fancy Restaurant, Casual Starbucks, Obedient Class, Crazy Classroom, Casual Cary Grant, Cary Grant in Suit

"Spatial Stories" and "Tintern Abbey"

Human interactions, within certain realms, are the architects of place. Proven by Michel De Certeau’s “Spatial Stories,” human interactions with their surroundings have a direct proportionality to the actions associated to one place. Such that the stories inspired are the determinants of the activities in a space. “Tintern Abbey” becomes William Wordsworth’s vessel in the exploration of the two spaces that exists within one place, which proves that the only true boundary in one place, is the boundary of time.

In Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey,” the existence of time is essential as it is the boundary that allows for the existence of two separate spatial stories in the exact same location. Through De Certeau’s text and Wordsworth’s poem, one can decipher how the boundary of time came to its existence. De Certeau stresses the difference between space and place. In which, space is defined by the “vectors of directions, velocities, and time variables,” as opposed to place which is defined by the “elements” that create it and transforms it into something with distinct qualities that make it “proper” or stationary. Through De Certeau’s definition, “Tintern Abbey” would comprise of two different stories of unique spatial experiences that act in two separate time periods, yet occupy the same location. These stories juxtapose against one another. Wordsworth begins with, “FIVE years have past; five summers, with the length/Of five long winters!” which indicates that he has just recently revisited Tintern Abbey. Although he has returned to the same location, it is obvious that this experience did not parallel with his past visit to Tintern Abbey as a child. In which, he states, “For I have learned/To look on nature, not as in the hour/Of thoughtless youth.” Indicating that he has in fact evolved with time and that he has since then learned, “Of elevated thoughts; a sense of sublime/Of something far more deeply interfused.” Within these stanzas, it is obvious that Wordsworth has achieved the form of existence through De Certeau’s definition of “space.” He exists in these two different spatial stories as a different individual in the same place, twice. In this story he is weathered by his experiences in the cities and towns, which in turn transformed him into a different person with newfound appreciation for Tintern Abbey, as opposed to the younger him, who was naïve and only saw the beauty of Tintern Abbey on a surface level. Time creates two legible boundaries, in the sense that one space is occupied by the younger naïve Wordsworth and the other is taken by the older sophisticated Wordsworth.

De Certeau’s “Spatial Stories” on short narratives, further proves that Wordsworth exists in two spaces, yet in the same place due to the boundary of time. Although boundaries usually apply some form of segregation, De Certeau’s “logic of ambiguity,” allows for the “bridging” between the gaps of two distinctive spaces. De Certeau uses a short narrative to point out the fact that, although boundaries are created, it does not necessarily mean that the place itself is divided. In the narrative about the architect who filled in the spaces in a fence to separate space, De Certeau reveals that even through boundaries, therein exists a path. Through this “logic of ambiguity” one can infer that, even though Wordsworth’s adult-self and child-self exist in different dimensions, there is a bridging that occurs in the boundaries of time. Similar to, “The door that closes is precisely what may be opened; the river is what makes passage possible… the picket fence is an ensemble of interstices through which one’s glances pass,” De Certeau outlines the fact that these boundaries form actual pathways. In these indefinite zones, there is ironically a definite form of transition from his childhood-self to his adult-self. In the boundary of time, there exists of the time period, in which Wordsworth was forced to interact with the outside “towns and cities.” As stated, they have only successfully given him “hours of weariness.” Through these experiences in the real world, he has gained knowledge to successful appreciate Tintern Abbey on a different magnitude. On another note, the short narrative on the architect further proves that the difference between two distinct spaces will each be treated differently in the sense that a new space created receives a new set of rules because of its “theater of actions.”  Similarly so, a new space created will form different interactions, which is proven in Tintern Abbey through the division of time in spatial terms. Therefore through De Certeau’s “Spatial Stories,” one can infer that the boundary of time is the boundary that is created in Wordworth’s “Tintern Abbey.”

Through De Certeau’s “Spatial Stories,” one can conclude that the boundary of time created in “Tintern Abbey” is the result of it creating two spaces in one place. This boundary that exists within one place, also abides De Certeau’s “logic of ambiguity.” Through these definitions, the boundary of time is strengthened, which clearly supports the existence of Wordsworth in the two spatial realms with the contrast between the “now” and “then,” as well as a transition from childhood to adulthood.