The high contrast black and white emphasizes the play of light on the landscape and his face, which goes along with his vivid descriptions of the city.

He represents New York because he discusses the city as though he is in a personal relationship with it, as if it were a living being that can be angry with him or pleasant to him. He is able to see past the drudgery of everyday life and find beauty in the simple play of light in the city.

He uses similar language to discuss the various landmarks on the tour as he uses to describe his relationship to the city in an attempt to convey his passion to those on the tour.

New York, as any organism, must grow or it will die. But this grown necessitates a constant restructuring of  its physical manifestation, leading to cycles of destruction and creation for the urban landscape and the inhabitants.

Cruising is his definition of how to enjoy life. One meanders and observes the confusing and undulating city before them with great awe and wonder, not concerned with the actual intent, but rather what is. The grid is both the subject of observation and a limiter to the cruise, as most of New York rests on the skeletal framework of grid roads, but he feels New York could do without the grid and be much more alive.

Memory and storytelling are understood when he addresses the tour bus occupants. He uses anecdotes of famous inhabitants of the surrounding blocks to instill wonder in his listeners, give them a sense that things happened right where they are. By telling stories so directly, they almost seem like recent happenings rather than distant historical events. He talks about George Washington's visit to a church after the first inauguration as if it had happened last week.

He moans about terracotta facing on a building, orgasms at the reflected light, embraces the piers of the Brooklyn Bridge as an impassioned lover, and notes the phallic structure of the Empire State Building. This erotic interaction with architecture is stronger than anything they are teaching us here. They tell us to think about architecture in school, when we really must learn to feel. All school has done so far is numb, I hardly note the passing of weeks and even physical pain is no longer as sharp as it once was. I am in a constant out of body experience, with the world only snapping back into focus for brief moments during a clear morning or in a dirty subway making a temporary journey home in a vain attempt to scoop up the bits I lost on my way to New York.

Occupant 1:

Shoveling

Crouching

Flinging

Rotating

Oscillating

Standing

Occupant 2:

Pulling

Pushing

Levering

Cranking

Crouching

Opening

Two body motion studies of workers in a steel mill

"The panopticon, on the other hand, has a role of amplification; although it arranges power, although it is intended to make it more economical and more effective, it does so not for power itself, nor for the immediate salvation of a threatened society: its aim is to strengthen the social forces - to increase production, to develop the economy, spread education, raise the level of public morality; to increase and multiply."

Fight Club Critical Questions

            How could Foucault’s panoptic society assisted the narrator of Fight Club in overcoming the psychological problems he suffers? Could it be that instead of needing to be free from societal constraints as he desires he needs the support and inclusion of the rest of society to overcome his troubles?

            Why does the narrator turn to the desire for destruction rather than turn to others for help? He clearly knows there is something wrong, but refuses to seek help about it. Why does giving up always seem an easier option than getting help with the problems and struggles we face throughout life?

            Organized society discourages the use of physical violence as an outlet for emotion and strife, yet our current media maintains a glamorous image of violent acts. How can the two greatest forces of ideas conflict with one another? One seeks to prevent acts of violence and the other instigates them.