My City: Troy

James Weldon Johnson captures my beliefs in his sonnet "My City". His use of rhetorical devices creatively conveys his point that the city life is far superior to the beauties of nature. Even though he questions whether he'll miss the "smell of flowers" or "singing birds", he decisively chooses the city's "sights and sounds" when he has to "sleep death's endless night".

Troy has a population of approximately 81, 500 people and it seems rather dismal when compared to Manhattan's staggering population of 1,602,000. Even though the size of a party doesn't determine how fun it will be, a large amount of people in one place ensures that you are never alone, albeit maybe still lonely even surrounded by people like in "The Weary Blues" when the singer croons "ain't got nobody in all this world... but ma self". Also, it promises the atmosphere is always charged with possibilities. For instance, everything in Troy is closed by 8 pm and the suburban houses have been locked, with their porch lights on, by 9 pm. It's boring. But at 10 pm in Manhattan, the night life is just waking up. True, our cute little city does have more nice city-maintained parks and pretty nature trails, but I would gladly give it up for "the thrill that comes from being of her (Manhattan) a part".

Times have changed since Johnson, but city life is just as rambunctious and beautiful!

 <- Manhattan!

<- ... Troy...