A look into the role of the Coney Island area and attractions from its beginnings as a retreat for New Yorkers in the late 1800s to a thriving amusement park that peaked in the mid 1900s.
Abstract This paper discusses the importance of the Coney Island area historically and as a symbol of New York City. The first section deals with the rich history of Coney Island, beginning as a hotel resort for New Yorkers to visit during vacations. Coney Island landmarks, such as the Coney Island Elephant Hotel and The Iron Tower are discussed with their individual history given. The competition among New York businessmen to develop the area is also investigated, showing how rivals would fight each other viciously over the prime real estate. The paper then talks about the amusement park era and how Coney Island began to transform itself into a nationally recognized location. A section of the paper is also dedicated to the famous Coney Island Freak Show. Finally, the historical section of the paper ends with the lag in business that hit the area after World War II and how Coney Island exists in modernity as a throwback to past generations. The second section of the paper deals with how Coney Island has become a center of cultural pride for New Yorkers.
From the Paper "Coney Island represented a shift from the old Victorian mentality that many New Yorkers felt during most of the 1800s and into a new outlook of association that contained all citizens of New York City, not just the rich. The privilege of enjoyment was no longer reserved for those with money, but the low prices and massive amount of commercialism that Coney Island would become famous for would aid in the evolution of the city into becoming the representation of all that is America. In light of this optimism, Coney Island also had a darker side. Despite the cultural diversity and economic success the amusement center produced, the achievements concealed the exploitation of certain groups and the corruption that went along with the construction of such a major center of entertainment."
Abstract This paper presents "Coney Island" by photographer Harvey Stein, a colorful testimony to the gritty reality, gaudy display and incredible diversity of Coney Island. The paper discusses each section: Amusements, Boardwalk, Mermaid Parade, The Workers and The Beach. The paper author believes that by documenting Coney Island pictorially Stein keeps the area alive even though the best days of the park are behind it.
From the Paper "The Amusements section sets the scene, documenting the rides and attractions that bring the people to the place. Many of these pictures emphasize motion of the ride, with a central focus point that draws the eye. The Boardwalk section concentrates more on the people attending Coney Island and the activities that go on there, such as feeding the seagulls, McDonald's, French fries, and lovers sneaking kisses. These photos often document a sort of desperation in having fun, a feeling of the need to capture the moment before it is gone and the workweek returns."
Abstract This paper explores the way in which American photographer, Harvey Stein, portrays New York City's kitschy escape destination in his photo-essay book "Coney Island". The paper discusses how Stein uses color and subjects to put together a book which so successfully reflects the feel and atmosphere of Coney Island.
From the Paper "Instead of giving Stein credit for continuing to grow rather than fall trap to a particular style, his critics lament his progress much the same as we lament all progress and our own aging and growth away from the things we found so magical in our youth.
But Stein is a photojournalist and the story changes with the times. Stein doesn't seem interested in the story behind the scenes, but rather in that which presents itself now in the pure, raw immediacy of the moment."
Abstract This paper offers a close look at how U.S. families were learning to enjoy their leisure time in the 1890s, leisureliness being a luxury that citizens of the early and mid-19th Century, for the most part, were not able to experience. In this paper, the amusement parks of the late 19th Century are reviewed ? as to what they offered and how people responded to them. The paper also covers the events of the times, important people of the times, as a way to put American leisure experiences into historical context.
From the Paper "In the years just before the dawn of the 20th Century, America was going through dramatic cultural, social, political and economic changes. The Industrial Revolution was reshaping the way Americans worked and played; an emerging "mass culture" was creating a "cultural upheaval" ? as mentioned in the John F. Kasson book, Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century. This upheaval was driven in part by technological innovations (affordable books, magazines, photographs, lithographs, the invention of the telephone, phonograph) in communication, which opened the door to a new way of living ? for a new generation of Americans it was a distinct departure from "genteel respectability" (Kasson, 6)."
Abstract "Annie Hall", by Woody Allen, is a film that deals with relationships, the quest for meaning in life and the nature of romantic love. The paper examines the film which revolves around the relationship between Alvy Singer, a pessimistic comedian who thinks that life is meaningless, and Annie Hall.
Paper Outline:
Introduction
A Relationship is Like a Shark
A Deeper Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Just as history entails a working out of events through narrative, so also all narrative establishes an anticipation of retrospection. The natural desire of narrative for an ending is evident about two-thirds of the way into Alvy Singer's opening monologue, "Annie and I broke up and I still can't get my mind around that." Alvy gives us the ending of the story before he really gets started into the process of telling it. The anticipation of retrospection becomes clear in the attempt through repetition to understand the significance of this failed love relationship. The eruption of this thought about Annie from the midst of so much seemingly irrelevant material dramatizes the existence of latent desires and replicates in the text the tension of the unconscious in Alvy."
Tags: narrative, Catskills, monologue, Coney, Island
