Blog #7

In this weeks blog we were asked to answer this question... How do the writers use the landscapes of Los Angeles in their stories? Do they ccreate a distinct sense of the place? Have they given a good description of what one would experience in those locations?
In Kidnappers Bell, author Jim Pascoe refers to the LA River a few times and China Town. the reference to China Town in and of itself does not scream Los Angeles. You can find that reference in New York. The LA River reference I don't believe is still convioncing enough to be a distinctive sense of location. One could even feel as if was just a comparison to the LA River. Personally, I have lived here almost my whole life and I would not have been fully convinced of this area. There definately were not enough details for me to truly believe that the writer was describing Los Angeles.
In the story City of Commerce by Neal Poolack, I got a much better sense of the location in which he was talking about. Commerce alone is not enough to place you in Los Angeles. There are many cities in the United States that have the same name. But there are several details that he refereces that could only be a direct location near Los Angeles. Here is an example of a distinct reference to Los Angeles. 'I prepared for my meeting, in my mind, as I whipped the Acura down the 110, andthen onto I-5 as I moved through Downtown, crawling past merges like sheep on wheels being herded off to slaughter".(231) This is very typical of rush hour traffic in Los Angeles. Also the reference to specific freeways is another indication as to where you are. The writer also references malibu and Santa Monica. These are iconic beach cities in the Los Angeles area.
Although Neal Pollack did a good job at desribing the setting I feel that it was still a little too generic to be a very iconic view of Los Angeles. However He did a much better job than Jim Pascoe in his story and the lack of real references to Los Angeles.