Is this word supposed to be capitalized?

Question

In this sentence, should "west" be capitalized?

Schlosser uses detail for everything from images of the west, to describing people, to explaining towns

Answer 1

No, in this sense it's not a proper name, but it's also a close call. If it were the "Old West," it would be capitalized.

Answer 2

i think so... coz it's referring to a certain place... ...the West...

it's not capitalized when using it to indicate a direction. "When you reach the exit door, head toward the west of the building and you'll find what you're looking for."

:p

Answer 3

Yes, it should.  When you use a direction as the name of a region, then it's a proper name.

If I say "He came from the east" then I mean that he came from that direction.  It's another version of "he came from over there."

If I say "He came from the East" then I mean he came from that region.  It's another version of "he came from the Orient."

If you want to avoid the problem altogether, you might say "images of the western world" or "images of the western United States" or "images of western Europe".

Answer 4

MVB is absolutely correct.  

Answer 5

I disagree, it is referrign to a specific place, just like the Old West...