Hand 1

Wesley Hand
Professor Malvin
English 115
17 September 2015
My Los Angeles
Many people perceive Los Angeles to be a magic place full of movie stars and famous
people, but this perception is only held by those who have never been here. This city puts on a
persona that the city is only for the rich and famous, and this may be a tactic to attract people to
the city. A majority of the people residing in Los Angeles who uphold the image of money and
fame, are really those who have neither, and only flaunt their money do to social insecurities.
People from all around the world save up their entire lives to get enough money to move out to
Los Angeles and fulfill their hope of being a movie star in the city so well known for its film
industry. Although for most this dream becomes a harsh reality when the get here and realize the
false image theyve been fantasizing of is really only a hoax in order to draw people to Los
Angeles.
An exert of Writing Los Angeles, by Capote titled Hollywood descries a young
African American girl named Thelma saving up for many years in order to pursue her dreams of
becoming famous in Los Angeles. While on the plane the girl speaks to the main character about
her work in the film industry and how she has a job lined up for when she arrives. Our main
character then lies to the girl telling her that she is also interested in the films, although she
mostly does this to entertain the girls image of the city. This situation goes along with the idea
of people dreaming of moving to this city and instantly becoming stars, whether or not this may

Hand 2

be true. We can also look at the idea of the citys persona compared to other places. The main
character lies to the little girl in order to uphold the person the town puts on, that being that
everyone there is there for the film industry. I find this idea to be one of the largest myths, due to
the fact that Los Angeles is mostly an industrial area. Although the city has parts dedicated to
film making most of the city is uninterested with that industry.
Gary Snyders work titled Night Song of the L.A. Basin does an extravagant job of
exposing the unseen divisions among class in the city. He compares different income classes to
different animals in the food chain and even Greek gods. The lowest of the ranks being the small
working mice making the least amount of money, then to the mice natural predator the hawk
who makes a little more than hem. The highest rank being the gods, those who strive and work in
this city and make it big. These people would be making more money than anyone and
considered superior in all ways. This division is very evident to those who roam the streets of
Los Angeles, even the visual differences among class are evident. Those who make more money
choose to spend it on flashy things to show off their wealth. People who make less money, the
mice according to Snyder, are also very apparent. Usually these people are driving in less
expensive, more beat on cars and they appear to wear clothes that are inexpensive. Although the
classes are divided by geography and activities, there do appear to be interactions between them.
Snyder states that the gods of Los Angeles tosses a handful of meal (Snyder 711). This
statement refers to the rich pesos donating to the less fortunate in order for them to feed
themselves. Snyder speaks only of this crossing of paths for the two parties, and shows us this is
the only interaction the mic ever have with the Gods.
I too have personally witnessed the fowl personas people have of the city, and have even
had these stereotypes in my head. Before I lived here in Los Angeles, I imagined the city as a

Hand 3

place full of famous stars whom causally walk the street. This is a persona I shared with not only
my family, but the rest of the people who do not live here. This idea of our city is all around the
world and convinces people to dream their entire life about coming here in hopes of becoming
famous. For my instance, I was moved here by my family simply for the industrial work. The
ideas I had of the town quickly diminished, much like the girl from Capotes piece. Once the girl
reached Los Angeles she realized the town was somewhat of a hoax. She even went on to say it
dont look correct, referring to the dreary parts of Hollywood and the lack of stars on the streets.
(Capote 352)
The social division of loss angles has always confused me, contrast to Snyders simple
explanation. Most of the people I see roaming the streets of Los Angeles in expensive cars and
flashy clothes usually are not worth anything. The rich persona people display, I believe, has
become outdated in todays society. The people of todays Los Angeles have no desire to flaunt
their money, as it usually ends up getting them in trouble. These people can be seen in
inexpensive khaki shorts and a polo shirt, and drive pretty simple cars. This may be because they
realize the use of their money to show off to the less fortunate is really a waste of their hard
earned money. On the other hand, the poorer people are the ones who tend to purchase things in
order to diminish those below them. Due to their internally feelings of in-superiority, they feel
they need to put down those below them by flaunting what little money they do have. Although
my interpretation of todays social division may very well be wrong, this is how I have come to
understand the city we live in.

Hand 4

Work Cited
Capote, Truman, Writing Los Angeles Hollywood. Los Angeles California: Library of
_____America, 2002. 350-362. Print.
Snyder, Gary, Writing Los Angeles Night song of L.A. Basin, Los Angeles California: Library
_____of America, 2002.710-712. Print.

Hand 5

Personal Letter
Dear Professor Malvin,
This essay in particular was one of the easier essays I have written, but only due to my
natural enjoyment of writing about Los Angeles. Although this city is my adopted home, I take
much pride in the city I live in now. This essay started slow for me because of my block on what
topic to choose. I did find myself gravitating towards the persona and social division this city has
and enjoyed explain the topic from both angles. I believe my stronger points would be that of the
understanding of the idea outside parties have of our city, as I was one myself. This allowed me
to recognize the realizations people have when they reach this city and to also claim this as my
home. The LRC visit helped me reevaluate my writing and also receive a vital second opinion on
my views. I greatly enjoyed this assignment and how it opened my eyes to the city and even the
world we are living it.