16th Arrondissement

   The Sixteenth Arrondissement has many apartments and buildings for people to live in.  It is like an urban village since this is where people sleep and then they leave the area to go work.  The atmosphere was different not as loud as a city and hardly any tourists.  There were wide sidewalks lined with trees and many places to live rather than shop after shop.  In addition, there weren’t as many restaurants.  The area still had a hint of the Paris charm though and from some parts of the area there was a view of the Eiffel Tower. 

The walk also went to the Statue of Liberty, the one in France.  It was situated on the tip of a skinny island, similar to its twin in New York.  This was the miniature model for the one in New York that the French Republic gave to the U.S..  It was to commemorate the country’s first hundred years as a nation.  I find it interesting that something the French gave to us has become such a well known monument that people from all over come to see and yet it isn’t even American.  The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of liberty though to both countries.  The revolutions of the two countries are very similar but also different.  The American Revolution was a role model for the French.  They both were fighting for liberty but the two liberties differed based on certain beliefs, experiences, and goals.  The Americans were fighting for liberty from the British monarchy and to be able to set up its own government. On the other hand, the French wanted to abolish the monarchy but also to change the whole society.  The Americans have a more individualist perspective when French consider the people together as a whole and that it is the government’s duty to help the people towards a greater good.  The two countries both hoped for liberty but since they wanted different liberty, they received slightly different results in the end.