Sidewalks vs Woodruff Park

I agree with the majority of the other people that commented. I thought that The Uses of Sidewalks- Safety was dull and way too long. The author could have easily said what she meant to say in half the time. There is a big difference between repeating a point for emphasis and just putting in extra fluff. Although I did not enjoy Jacobs' writing style at all I did agree with the point she was trying to make. Sidewalks do say a lot about an area. If a sidewalk is wide shows that it is inviting for more people. If it is old and worn it shows that it has received a lot of traffic over the years. When home for this weekend I took a walk around my neighborhood and looked observed the initials and handprints embedded in the pavement back when the sidewalks were originally installed. These personal mementos of years past show that the sidewalks are traveled by a lot of kids and families.

In contrast I really enjoyed Davis' essay. Her essay exhibited a lot of passion which made it a much easier read than the first essay. Her word choice displayed her emotions for the topic and make the reader interested in her topic. Showing a reader your emotions allows you to be much more persuasive. I agreed with her point of view on the issue of the park. It is horrible to think that a city could so easily abandon it's less fortunate citizens and call them "the cancer" of society. And Davis is correct when she says that if make the park uninviting for one group of people you unintentionally make it unwelcoming to the rest of the community. What good is a park as a decoration to outsiders when the people who call that area home can't even put the park to good use?