In her article Zadie Smith shares with us her perception of the life in a big city in the USA and thus shares her worldview, in general. She pays special attention to the concept of happiness in a large city, which consists in finding your place in the speedy busy world, finding “your beach”. This idea has evoked a certain image in my mind, which I would like to share:
It is an example of a quiet place in the middle of a business centre, which serves as a metaphor for a person’s harmony and inner balance. No matter what happens around you and which events enter your life and try to crash it, you should always have a peaceful place in your soul and mind which will make you happy regardless of the circumstances. In the modern world this idea is valuable as never before. The following excerpt from the article “Find Your Beach” made me think about this picture:
“Here the focus is narrow, almost obsessive The pursuit of happiness has always seemed to me a somewhat heavy American burden, but in Manhattan it is conceived as a peculiar form of duty” (Smith).
Another idea presented by the author of the article is image of a city, where each person finds his or her way in life. The city is described as a source of power and energy which each person can utilize for his/her aspirations – to become a writer, an actor, a director, a businessman. Any goal can be fulfilled in this city and any ambitious project can be realizes. The author presents the image of a city of opportunities, which has evoked the following picture in my mind:
The paragraph which made me think about it is the following:
“Even if my Manhattan productivity is powered by a sociopathic illusion of my own limitlessness, I’m thankful for it, at least when I’m writing and the moguls building five “individualized” condo townhouses where once there was a hospital” (Smith).
Works Cited
Smith, Zadie. "Find Your Beach." The New York Review of Books. N.p., 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 July 2016.
