A Safer City

Jeff Rider

Blog #2

         The conflict and violence in Baltimore has led to an extremely high rate of murder in the city. Erricka Bridgeford and Ellen Gee are members of the community who took an aggressive stance with the ultimate goal of having a murder free city for one weekend. Throughout this past weekend, I read several poems that have deep connections to the efforts of the Baltimore Ceasefire which took place this past August. It is possible to make a positive change in Baltimore if people come together as a city and celebrate life. 

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark,” Aylmer is a bright scientist who is married to a beautiful young woman named Georgiana. The two live happily together however one minute detail about Georgiana causes the two individuals to grow further apart. On Georgiana’s face, lies a small birthmark in the shape of a hand, which Aylmer stresses greatly over. This natural mark is the only flaw that Georgiana has yet Aylmer still declares it must be removed. Throughout the short story, Aylmer’s obsession with the mark ends up costing Georgiana her life. This is similar to the situation that Bridgeford and Gee faced in Baltimore in the aspect that both Aylmer and the two women obsess over the negative details of an otherwise beautiful being. Although they both may be obsessive, after further observation, it is evident that Gee and Bridgeford were seeking out a positive change compared to Aylmer’s negatively obsessive change. The city of Baltimore went through an attempted 72 hour Ceasefire of which the goal was to have 3 days free of murder. Although the ceasefire was originally successful, around 40 hours in, a man was shot and killed thus breaking the ceasefire. The dedication of the two women led to the City coming together and making a positive change. Ellen Gee described the first day of the Ceasefire as extremely peaceful and she noted that the air in Baltimore felt different. Although seemingly unsuccessful, Gee and Bridgeford show how determination can change the culture of a city.

         Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” tells the story of a mentally weak woman who is put away in an old room to recover. This old yellow room, in which she is told to heal, only causes further madness and the woman is not allowed to contribute properly to her family. This old story portrays the idea that women were not equal with men. Gee and Bridgeford broke this idea that women are limited compared to men and they made a positive change in our world. Errika Bridgeford spoke about the ceasefire and said that numerous people from different walks of life spoke about the ceasefire and were thankful they did not have to worry about be killed for 72 hours. Their courageous work led many people to believe that change was possible in Baltimore.

         William Wordsworth ‘s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” the narrator is delighted at the pleasant and peaceful daffodils, which do not have a care in the world. I believe that if Bridgeford and Gee were to examine this poem, they would say that the natural way is a way of peace and happiness. Gee spoke about this saying that no person is born a murder and that everyone should have the opportunity to live in peace. Through hard work, Gee and Bridgeford were able to bring more daffodils and more peace into the city of Baltimore.