E.B White was a writer, born in 1899. Although he was born in Mount Vernon, New York, he moved to Maine in 1938. He often returned to his home in brooklyn, and it was here where he wrote the famous children’s books, Stuart Little (1945)and Charlotte’s Web (1952), as well as the article, Here is New York (1949). In this article in particular, White really encompasses everything that is unique about the city, and puts it down on paper. This article explains to readers what makes New York so special, and also how freedom is one of the most important qualities to have in a society . 

   “ White proclaimed that while New York is not a ‘national capital or a state capital. . . it is by way of becoming a capital of the world.’” (White 695). Here, White is stating how, although New York is not a national or state capital, it is becoming the capital of the entire world due to the fact that it is such a unique place full of diversity and success. He states, “New York is the concentrate of art and commerce and sport and religion and entertainment and finance. . . it carries on its lapel the unexpungeable odor of the long past, so that no matter where you sit in New York you feel the vibrations of great times and tall deeds, of queer people and events and undertakings. . . . I am curiously affected by emanations from the immediate surroundings. I am twenty-two blocks away from where Rudolph Valentino lay in state, . . . (i could continue this list indefinitely).” (white 696), and “ There are eight million people in the five boroughs of New York. . . The collision and the intermingling of these millions of foreign-born people representing so many races and creeds make New York a permanent exhibit of the phenomenon of the world.” (White 707). This shows how New York represents freedom as many different races are allowed to come together and live in a city of many arts and finances. By White calling New York “a permanent exhibit of the phenomenon of the world”, he’s saying that the amount of diversity in New York is one of New York’s main, unchanging, unique distinctions. Having that much diversity in the city, especially during the 1900s, was extremely eye opening for people, and it was also a huge step forward in human society. 

 White also shows here how the history of all of the many successful/famous people that have been in New York makes an impact on the residents in the city. New York’s reputation motivates residents as well as give some residents a false sense of hope that whatever the famous/successful person achieved in New York, they can achieve themselves. 

     On top of its diversity and iconic reputation, the reason people love New York so much is because of the lifestyle they attain while being there. “ Many of its settlers are probably here merely to escape, not face reality. But whatever it means, it is a rare gift. . . . I think that although many persons are here from some excess of spirit (which caused them to break away from their small town), some, too, are here from a deficiency of spirit, who find in New York a protection, or an easy substitution.” (White 698). Here, White explains how New York provides its citizens with the opportunity for change, freedom, and other opportunities (in terms pursuing a certain career, etc.), and although New York’s residents come from all different walks of life, they all seem to seek this same endless supply of fortuity. New York City also supplies its citizens with a “massive dose of a supplementary vitamin – the sense of belonging to something unique, cosmopolitan, mighty and unparalleled.” (White 701). Meaning that, along with the abundance of opportunities offered there, the experience of being present in the city of New York would be unmatched to the experience of any other city in the world, because of all of its dissimilarity in reputation and advances made in society.

   In this article, White also brings up how New York is roughly made out of three types of people; commuters, natives, and settlers. “ Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but settlers give it passion.” (White 698). This is worth mentioning because it shows how the residents in New York really are what make up the city and all of its unique qualities. Without these settlers, commuters, or natives, New York wouldn’t be as lively or iconic as it is today, or was in 1949.

   Overall, Whites article truly lives up to its title Here is New York (1949). He was extremely effective in explaining what New York is, Why people are infatuated by the city, why general freedom is so important, and what other specific qualities New York has that make it such an iconic place in our world. White says, “ It is a battered tree, long suffering and much climbed, held together by strands of wire but beloved of those who know it. In a way it symbolizes the city life under difficulties, growth against odds, sap-rise in the midst of concrete, and the steady reaching for the sun.” (White 711). Also, “ The city is like poetry; it compresses all life, all races and breeds, into a small island and adds music and the accompaniment of internal engines. The island of Manhattan is without a doubt the greatest human concentrate on earth.” (White 700). I believe that by White comparing New York city to the old willow tree, and poetry, it really leaves no stone unturned when it comes to describing what New York really is. New York is a place where it “often imparts a feeling of great forlornness or forsakenness, it seldom seems dead or unresourceful.” (White 698). It is a place where growth is easily achievable, a place where giants have walked, a place where you can find/raise a loving family in the “slums”, a place where if you “make it” there you can make it anywhere, a place full of hope and hopefuls, and most importantly, a place where you can live freely and truly be yourself. 

White, E. B. Here is New York. New York : Harper, 1949.