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Take the F

After reading Ian Frazier’s article “Take the F,” I feel he is discussing his own life. He discusses the subway and the Brooklyn area in the reading. He refers to his memories of being in the subway as a kid and how he is embarrassed when people talk about their lives to him. Yet, people who live in the Brooklyn area are supposed to be unique? He also spends time talking about being in New York City. I feel that Mr. Frazier is trying to make an argument for not living the privileged life of a white male living with his parents in New York City. One thing I appreciated about this reading was how vivid the author was. He detailed each occurrence and his experience in great detail. In the reading, for example, he describes his experience on the F train. He also uses metaphors, such as “rotting away” and “broccoli in a meat grinder.” Ian Frazier attempts to make an argument for his readers (page 171). Then in the narrative, the author mentions the Brooklyn neighborhood. For example, the author says, “On summer days, the park teems with sound; the high note is range, and the bass is idling or racing automobiles.” People bring lawn chairs, badminton nets, and coolers, and then they grill. “Charcoal smoke wafts through the neighborhood,” (173). This was yet another quote that was both intriguing and significant to me since in this phrase the author describes the Brooklyn area or the inhabitants of Brooklyn. This was especially important because Ian Frazier is living in Manhattan, and readers get a glimpse into what life is like for Brooklynites. I appreciated that he took the time to write about his neighborhood. I felt like he was trying to make an argument for not having a privileged life similar to one of these guys in New York City. Although Ian Frazier tries to convey this argument, it’s hard for me to really get into his reasoning behind his argument. He states “You can go at it from the perspective of that you don’t need any special privileges,” (171). For example, he does describe privilege and what privilege means in the essay.

Work Cited

Ian Frazier “TAKE THE F”. The New Yorker, 1995.