--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm drawn to write about upstate New York…" description: "\"I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate Ne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg" --- # I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in… ![“I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic…” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg) > “I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uses personal experience to portray upstate New York as a microcosm of broader American economic struggles. **In simple terms:** Upstate NY mirrors national economic challenges. Key Takeaway Explore local stories to understand national issues. Themes economics regional identity dreams Mood thoughtful empathetic Type essayistic observational When to use this quote - journalism - policy discussion - community outreach Key Concepts socioeconomic analysis personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do regional economies reflect national trends? - What stories reveal hidden economic issues? A Different Perspective Local focus may miss larger systemic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-life/) [Buffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buffalo/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamer/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Girlhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girlhood/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Recurring dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recurring-dreams/) [Rochester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rochester/) [Spent Upstate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent-upstate-3615398/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Upstate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstate/) [Upstate New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstate-new-1098331/) [Upstate new york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstate-new-york/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Write Upstate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-upstate-3615397/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) [York State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-state/) ## Related quotes > [I have tender, romantic associations with upstate New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/i-have-tender-romantic-associations-with-upstate-new-york/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [I was brought up in a very small town in upstate New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pullman/i-was-brought-up-in-a-very-small-town-in-upstate-new-york/) [Bill Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-pullman/) > [I'm an upstate New York lifer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-m-an-upstate-new-york-lifer/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [Ruminants are a perfectly normal thing to possess when you live in upstate New York. It's just moving scenery. It's kind of like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/ruminants-are-a-perfectly-normal-thing-to-possess-when-you-live-in/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [Upstate New York in the middle of October. You can't get more beautiful than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/upstate-new-york-in-the-middle-of-october-you-can-t-get-more/) [Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/) > [It was the first time she had visited me here in upstate New York. It was the last time I saw her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kozlowski/it-was-the-first-time-she-had-visited-me-here-in-upstate-new-york-it/) [Dennis Kozlowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kozlowski/) > [I think the sensibilities of having grown up in Upstate New York and the concerns, the fears, the hopes of the people there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-muir/i-think-the-sensibilities-of-having-grown-up-in-upstate-new-york-and/) [David Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-muir/) > [I actually moved to upstate New York to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-holbrook/i-actually-moved-to-upstate-new-york-to-the-country/) [Boyd Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-holbrook/) > [I started a feta cheese company, Euphrates, in upstate New York in 2002.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamdi-ulukaya/i-started-a-feta-cheese-company-euphrates-in-upstate-new-york-in-2002/) [Hamdi Ulukaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamdi-ulukaya/) > [My parents were entrepreneurs. They ran a small ad agency in upstate New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccue/my-parents-were-entrepreneurs-they-ran-a-small-ad-agency-in-upstate/) [Mike McCue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccue/) > ['We Were the Mulvaneys' is perhaps the novel closest to my heart. I think of it as a valentine to a passing way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/we-were-the-mulvaneys-is-perhaps-the-novel-closest-to-my-heart-i/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [When we were kids, my favorite thing was coming to upstate New York where my family is from and hanging out with my grandparents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/when-we-were-kids-my-favorite-thing-was-coming-to-upstate-new-york/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [I used to have this fantasy when I was growing up where Princess Leia would be in the slave Leia costume and she would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogler/i-used-to-have-this-fantasy-when-i-was-growing-up-where-princess-leia/) [Dan Fogler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogler/) > [We use our parents like recurring dreams, to be entered into when needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/we-use-our-parents-like-recurring-dreams-to-be-entered-into-when/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I used to have a lot of recurring dreams about Captain Hook when I was a little kid, which I remember very vividly. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-milioti/i-used-to-have-a-lot-of-recurring-dreams-about-captain-hook-when-i/) [Cristin Milioti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-milioti/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More American life quotes > [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/) [James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'm Mexican-American, but I grew up with a normal American life. I don't have a low rider. I drive a Honda. I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/i-m-mexican-american-but-i-grew-up-with-a-normal-american-life-i-don/) [Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/) > [“The line in the sand that Carter drew along Iran’s Zagros Mountains now stretches from Central Asia through the Middle East and across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-j-bacevich/the-line-in-the-sand-that-carter-drew-along-iran-s-zagros-mountains/) [Andrew J. Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-j-bacevich/) > [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [One of the manifestations of depression for me is that I lose my will. And I thereby lose my ability to focus. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/one-of-the-manifestations-of-depression-for-me-is-that-i-lose-my-will/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I produced a play in New York that got nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best American Play.The play is called Stalking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/i-produced-a-play-in-new-york-that-got-nominated-for-an-outer-critics/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [In the decade of the 1980s, a massive and comprehensive study of religion in American life was undertaken by the Gallup organization. The results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/in-the-decade-of-the-1980s-a-massive-and-comprehensive-study-of/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Envy is the central fact of American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/envy-is-the-central-fact-of-american-life/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [A trillion dollars spent, 2,000 American lives lost - Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. But you don't hear a word about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-baumgartner/a-trillion-dollars-spent-2-000-american-lives-lost-afghanistan-is-the/) [Michael Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-baumgartner/) > [Crime and the fear of crime have permeated the fabric of American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/crime-and-the-fear-of-crime-have-permeated-the-fabric-of-american-life/) [Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/) [Browse all 344 American life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Carol Oates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-york-in-the-way-in-which-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-york-in-the-way-in-which-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/joyce-carol-oates-344_american-life_i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-yor_2824729.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My…” — Joyce Carol Oates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joyce Carol Oates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm drawn to write about upstate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-york-in-the-way-in-which-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-write-about-upstate-new-york-in-the-way-in-which-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```