Sunshine And Shadow Analysis
New York: Sunshine and Shadow The “Sunshine and Shadow” section of the New York Documentary series by Ric Burns was certainly named for a purpose. Right at the start of the documentary section, it is made clear why the contrasting themes of sunshine and shadow are appropriate for New York in 1865. In the “Gilded Age” of America, there were two components of life in New York City. There was the image that was made visible to the general public and outsiders, which was the extreme wealth and expansion going on in the city at the time. This portion of the city is representative of the “sunshine”, symbolizing success, visibility, and fortune. Secondly, there was the latter part of life in New York City, the seemingly masked and forgotten aspect
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The film did a good job of starting off explaining the contrast in wealth in the city during the time period, explaining the massive expansion and development of infrastructure that was occurring in the city at the time. It then moved on to the true happenings of the city at the time, which was the appalling poverty that plagued roughly half the city. The film was set up for a certain shock value, and it certainly demonstrated to the viewer the severity of the situation in the city. The documentary then went into further detail, thoroughly explaining the causes of the difference in wealth in the city. It did a very good job detailing the major events that explained the incredible wealth in the city at the time, such as the corruption and expansion. The documentary explained how places such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park became stages for outsiders to see the scale on which wealth differed in the city. I believe that the best part of the documentary was the portion explaining and going into depth about the tenements and poverty in some parts of the city. It showed images that helped viewers translate the situation that they’re being told about into real images and events. I believe that Ric Burns did a great job representing the Gilded Age of New York City, and the “Sunshine and Shade” aspect of
The film did a good job of starting off explaining the contrast in wealth in the city during the time period, explaining the massive expansion and development of infrastructure that was occurring in the city at the time. It then moved on to the true happenings of the city at the time, which was the appalling poverty that plagued roughly half the city. The film was set up for a certain shock value, and it certainly demonstrated to the viewer the severity of the situation in the city. The documentary then went into further detail, thoroughly explaining the causes of the difference in wealth in the city. It did a very good job detailing the major events that explained the incredible wealth in the city at the time, such as the corruption and expansion. The documentary explained how places such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park became stages for outsiders to see the scale on which wealth differed in the city. I believe that the best part of the documentary was the portion explaining and going into depth about the tenements and poverty in some parts of the city. It showed images that helped viewers translate the situation that they’re being told about into real images and events. I believe that Ric Burns did a great job representing the Gilded Age of New York City, and the “Sunshine and Shade” aspect of