Monday, March 31, 2014

Midterm part 1



Visual Qualities of The City and The City
China Miéville’s The City and The City shares the stories of two very diverse group of peoples.  Living in the same geographical space, but remaining unseen to each other, The City and The City presents the situation of two cities existing in the same place, each city’s inhabitants fully aware of the other, only they never see or interact with the other.  The City and The City’s main protagonist, Inspector Tyador Borlú, has an encounter with the two cities before beginning on his adventure solving the murder of an unknown women.  Before even thinking that breach, illegal passing between the two cities, had been committed and was a logical explanation to the crime, he witnesses an elderly woman standing off in a side street.  Only “She was not on GunterStrász at all, and [he] should not have seen her” (12).  Miéville establishes early the gap that has existed between the cities through Tyador’s vision.  The cities, while existing in the same space, are entirely different.  Years of civil unrest between the two eventually led to the separation of them.  Now experiences like Tyador’s are rare as the cities governments and the breach keep the two culturally diverse cities apart and hidden from one another.
The two cities are named as Besźel and Ul Qoma.  While being developed around the same time, the two cities could not be more different.  Besźel resembles an eastern european city.  It has a democratic government that is highly corrupt, and is looking towards receiving aid from the United States.  Ul Qoma on the other hand belongs more in the middle east.  It is a communist state with an above average economy, mainly due to the fast growth in technology in the city.  What was once operating at a 19th century level, Ul Qoma made the jump to 21st century technology in only matter of years.  The styles of government begin to play a role in the visual appeal of the city as leaders of each city try to enforce their own agenda on the city.  
Besźel is a rather visually unappealing city.  There is nothing to stand out, most buildings are around a hundred years old, and the sense of architecture is bland.  The buildings are more so standing for their practical use rather than to be a work of art.  Few antique building Besź styled buildings stood, buildings with steep roofs and many-paned windows.  However these were mostly factories or warehouses, and barely used to full potential.  Down on the streets Besźel is an outdated boring city.  The people of Besźel wore “fashion-less fashion,” (18) drab cuts and colours that characterize the clothes of Besźel.  The cars were much older.  They have smoother designs, but are running on outdated technology.  Few newer, sleeker car can be seen on the streets but most are owned by government officials and businessmen on their way to find facts and make money.  
Ul Qoma is a much more defined city.  Here the architecture plays a part in the city’s atmosphere.  Upon Tyador’s arrival in Ul Qoma, “[he] can just make out the architecture of Ul Qoma itself through the enormous gates” (132).  Right through the gate lies the Temple of Inevitable Light, a massive building with fantastic architecture that welcomes everyone who enters into Ul Qoma through Copula Hall.  Tyador’s entrance into Ul Qoma was an experience of new and foreign light, illuminating the world he’d only seen in pictures for many years.  Cars in the city are far newer than Besźel, they are sleeker, more modern, and better have better technology.  The city of Ul Qoma is also different in the club districts of the city.  Besźel’s districts are run down and dirty, Ul Qoma’s are draped in “Ul Qoman Neon” (47).  The city of Ul Qoma is overall just a brighter and filled with more light throughout the day than Besźel.  
One of the main differences between the cities are the colors.  In both cities there are certain colors illegal in one while heavily used in the other.  One such color was “Besźel Blue” (53) one of the colors illegal in Ul Qoma but could be found everywhere in Besźel.  
The entrance to Ul Qoma also helps visually show the state of the city.  The border in Copula Hall has guards on both sides form their respective cities.  Only the guards for Besźel are simply men in booths checking paperwork, the Ul Qoma guards are dressed in full police gear, and were “weapon-wielding” (132).  This is a commentary on how the government plays a role in the visual appeal of the city.  Besźel’s dysfunctional government created a new branch to man the border, where as Ul Qoma utilizes the police force.  People going from Besźel to Ul Qoma or vice-versa can easily tell the state of government control over the citizens in the city before even entering the city proper.  

Since tradition has now become law, the practice of unseeing has led to two very diverse cities.  Both grow at different rates, reliant on the government of the cities to push for progress.  Thus two separate cultures have arisen in Besźel and Ul Qoma.  Their visual appeal directly linked to the style of life in the city.  The City and The City masterfully shows how two cities can become so diverse from one another even thought they share the same geographical location.

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