“[I]t may be that a crowd at a particular moment of history creates the object to justify its gathering.”
In this quote by Jennifer Egan, she suggests that crowds have the power to shape reality and create meaning for themselves. The act of coming together as a group can lead to the creation of a purpose or justification for their gathering. This quote highlights the influence and impact that collective group dynamics can have on shaping beliefs, values, and actions.
In today's world of social media and viral trends, the quote by Jennifer Egan - "[I]t may be that a crowd at a particular moment of history creates the object to justify its gathering." - holds particular relevance. In an age where groupthink and online mobs can quickly propel certain ideas or movements into the spotlight, it is important to consider how the collective power of crowds can shape the narratives and beliefs that gain traction in society.
In her quote, Jennifer Egan discusses the idea that a crowd can shape the reasons for its gathering based on the circumstances and motivations present at that moment.
As protests erupted across the country, it seemed as though the crowd was creating the object of unity and solidarity to justify its gathering, just as Jennifer Egan suggests.
When considering the quote, “[I]t may be that a crowd at a particular moment of history creates the object to justify its gathering” by Jennifer Egan, one can reflect on the following questions:
“And it may be that a crowd at a particular moment of history creates the object to justify its gathering, as it did at the first Human Be-In and Monterey Pop and Woodstock. Or it may be that two generations of war and surveillance had left people craving the embodiment of their own unease in the form of a lone, unsteady man on a slide guitar.”
“Then tell them, faintly, 'I heard screaming'. Men with a history of violence live in fear of retribution.”
“That we have some history together that hasn’t happened yet.”
“I felt no shame in these activities, because I understood what almost no one else seemed to grasp: that there was only an infinitesimal difference, a difference so small that it barely existed except as a figment of the human imagination, between working in a tall green glass building on Park Avenue and collecting litter in a park. In fact, there may have been no difference at all.”
“I haven’t had trouble with writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly. My first drafts are filled with lurching, clichéd writing, outright flailing around. Writing that doesn’t have a good voice or any voice. But then there will be good moments. It seems writer’s block is often a dislike of writing badly and waiting for writing better to happen.”
“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. I clutch at Dad's arm: "Why are they doing that?" "They're collecting moonlight," Dad says, and I remember: it's weaker, but we use it.”