Summary of Lower Level MU

The place that I chose for my first writing project is the lower level of the Memorial Union. The lenses that I chose to use for my paper were Frank Vanclay's "Place Matters" and Frank Norris' "Polk Street."I chose these lenses because like in “Polk Street,” there are a lot people interaction and people moving around in this unspoken routine. It is also similar to Frank Vanclay’s “Place Matters” because the MU is a “special place” for each and every person that chooses to eat here or study here. When I first step foot on the ASU campus, I was shocked at how big it was and the minute I needed to have my lunch, I walked through the MU doors and realized that depending on where I am in the building each space has its own personality. The top level is all business and I would feel comfortable eating up there. The middle level is full of action and I knew that nothing would get done in here, if I stayed in there. Finally, I’m at the lower level and realized that this was the place that I could eat comfortably while studying or doing homework. To most people this would not be the idle place to go and study, but the ambience in allows for people to feel comfortable and get a lot done while still maintaining its appeal for people interaction. With both the “place” atmosphere and the constant movement and routine of people, I was able to incorporate the lenses to show that the MU is a great place to go hang out or do something productive.

(About the picture... I don't have a real good camera phone and although it takes pictures, I cannot upload them to my laptop. So I had to use one of the school pictures of the outside of the MU cafeteria. I hope that is okay.)

http://www.asu.edu/tour/tempe/mu.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

To T. Hilts Essay:

Right off the bat I already like the place you chose. Being active is a great way to stay in shape, but also allows you to feel powerful in your own body. Makes you feel like you are in charge. But what I notice about your paper is that there are a lot of grammatical errors. Some errors you can get away with like the comma before the word “but” while other you cannot. Go through and read you paper again, slowly, that will help you see what is written in the essay and not what you see in your head. When writing a draft it is okay to make those mistakes as long as they are corrected by the time you turn in the assignment.

For the most part I liked how you wrote it. You told me what it was like to be the spectator, the athlete, and the coach. You told me what it was like when there wasn’t a sporting event and what can be done there. Being outdoors is a great place to study and do many other things. You used two different lenses and you used them accurately, but you should probably elaborate more on the two lenses. Where you mentioned them is where you should add a little more oomph to the paper. You have the lenses, but it would really help if you added more analysis to the lenses. That is the main thing, so if you added more to it I’m sure you will get a high grade.

Your essay made me want to go there, and that is what you want your paper to do. You described it during a game, outside of a game night, and just as a leisurely day. You have a strong paper, all you have to do is just add the lens analysis and it will make it even better.

NICE JOB!

To S. Weston’s Essay:

I love your introduction. It brings a personal quality to the paper and I enjoyed the little vignette about your childhood.  You grab the readers and make them want to read this paper. You have a knack for writing my dear sir. It is very imaginative and creative. The fact that you chose this place over a different place shows how much talent you have with writing. Being able to pick a place like this and make it fun to read about is a gift. I read this as if I were reading one of my leisurely books and that’s saying something because a book or in this case an essay has to grab my attention or else it is hard to get into and continue to read it and like it, but yours certainly did. Now as for the other portion of the writing assignment, you didn’t mention any of the authors. In order to get a full grade you need to at least name one of the authors that you are using to write your lens. In order to make your paper even better, you need to infuse your knowledge and what you see of the laundry room through the lens of an author that we read throughout class and explain why you chose that author. By picking an author or several authors, you are not only going to paper that much stronger, but you are going to get an even better grade. And who doesn’t want that. For the most part I really can’t say anything bad about your essay, other than that one factor missing, you have a well organized, well thought out, and interesting paper.

Lower Level of M.U. Cafeteria Spectacles

Lower Level Memorial Union Cafeteria Spectacles

            Having a place of your own is very important to have, especially if you need a good and decent environment to get work done. This is where you can feel comfortable to sit there for hours and get a lot of work done or just to relax. A great place to do that is in the lower level of the Memorial Union Cafeteria. If we were to grab an enlarged magnifying glass, we would see an array of colors, people, sounds, and smells that brings the outside world into a little area of the M.U. Cafeteria. This combination of wide open windows and secluded darkness makes for the perfect ambiance to do anything you set your mind to. You just need to know how to use this to your advantage and make the most of it.

You walk into the Memorial Union Cafeteria and you get your food. Now you have to find a place to sit. The best place in this building to sit is in the lower level of the M.U. cafeteria. There are two ways to get into the lower level of the M.U. The stairs or the elevator. You decide to go down the stairs. You head towards the stairs and you see the little window squares and the shinny wooden hand rails as other people dart down the steps like in the people in the Polk Street by Frank Norris. All are in a rush to get things done or meet up with friends. Going down the spiral stairs you take one or two steps at a time trying to get to the lower level as fast as you can, hoping that you find a place to sit and go about your business. As you are walking down the swirling gray step towards the lower level of the Memorial Union you are hit with the sight of clustered people on couches, people talking to one another, people eating their lunches, and people studying. Just like McTeague, I find myself fascinated by the people gathered here. Every day at lunch time the same routine occurs where the students eat, talk, and study. There seems to be an unspoken routine or schedule that the students follow. The same groups of people will sit in the same table, the people with electronics automatically popping them out and looking for outlets to hook them up too, the people that eat the same thing everyday come here. It is comforting that people seem to be at ease here and allowed this little area be a big part of their lives, whether they know it or not. The lower level of the Memorial Union Cafeteria is consistent of tons of windows on the left side with maroon colored couches and little tables for people to work. On the right side of the lower level area there are tables for people to eat. It also has lavender colored walls and grey and white tile floors and tables. Some of the tables have hard maroon colored chairs while others have cushioned seats. As you continue to the cushioned seats you see vending machines and there is also a hair salon/barber shop area. There are dizzying carpets on the left side of the room with the same tables, but with comfier chairs. There are stairs with tiny square windows on the far said of the room. A meeting room also called the Union stage, to the left that can be closed off with a large curtain divider. Black and white snapshots are hanging on the wall of the right side of the room. On this side there are a lot of windows that let in tons of light in and allow you to have enough light to study. The walls are white which makes the light from the windows a lot brighter, which is why is sit on the left side of the room that is always a little bit darker and cozy, at least for me it is. On the right side there are circular patterned sofas, maroon sofas, and yellow-green couches. But this side is usually taken really fast. There are vending machines that sell sodas and energy drinks and bathroom on either side of them. The ceiling is fairly low and this is one of those times where I am glad I am short and makes me feel bad for people that are tall.

People are everywhere. It’s usually noisy. The noise varies depending on the day it is and the amount of people, but it is always loud, just in different volume levels. And there is always the smell of food. The smell of pizza, burgers, and everything else is imbedded in this room. For some reason it doesn’t smell bad. It actually adds the character of this place. I can usually smell the coffee from a mile away and I love it. With all of these smells coming together just make this a better environment to do work and eat. I see different kinds of people surrounding me and I like the diversity. Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and many more sit with each other and that is a welcoming sight. People getting along and not caring what you are, that is an amazing thing to see. Just like Frank Vanclay said in “Place Matter,” a place needs to be occupied to have meaning; it needs to have a purpose, it needs to have character and that is what this place has. With all of the action that is constantly happening in there, it just shows that this place has meaning to a lot a people. And an even better thing to ponder about is that, all these people probably don’t have much in common, but because they come here, now they do.

The students are studying with large textbooks that have really small print and stuffed binders, three inches to five inches thick with notes. Some people are on laptops, like I am. I see them on Blackboard looking at their homework assignments or on Microsoft Word, writing papers for a class. Some just play computer games to pass the time until they have to go to their next class. A good majority have ear buds or headphones on to drown out everyone else’s conversations. There are tables filled with four or five people taking about a class or gossiping about the weekend or a date they had.

I see this part of the M.U. building and I am glad I found a nice and comfy place to eat my lunch and do my homework or study. Not many people get to find a place like this. It takes people forever to find just the right study place. Some people stay in the sun, some people sit by a tree, but as much as I like to be outdoors, I don’t like to be in the sun and heat. Finding this place and finding it fast was very important, well at least to me. I like to feel comfortable and this is where is can feel most comfortable at.

The important thing to get from having a special place is that you have to be comfortable in it. Not many will agree that this is the best place to have your lunch or to even study, but in here I notice that people pretty much leave you alone if that is what you want. You can sit at a table, all to yourself, and get a lot of work done and that is what is important. Whether you see the world in awe like McTeague, always seeing everything and enjoying it or you don’t see much in the world or your surroundings, it doesn’t matter, just as long as there is a place that you can go to by the end of the day and say “I feel like I belong here and I am comfortable here.”

Writing Organically and Notes

Mesa Trail

Mary Austin’s Mesa Trail describes the trails through the American Southwest. It starts out with a description of a trail. It starts out with a beautiful description of wildlife and flowers. From the “twilight hills” to the “bitter lake.” It is better to go horseback riding while the horses are trotting and jigging through the trail. The little animals on the trail are lizards and birds and many more. The Indian go riding through the trails and after awhile the landscape starts to change. They start to see many different kinds of plants and shrubs off of the trail, most have names given by children in the land and have never been renamed. The main purpose for this vignette is to describe the damage that human activity has done to the land. It seems to be picking ate the damage done by the new ways of living like sheep herding. With the new ways of life the land has changed. It was once a vivacious land but now it is over used and the beauty as it once was is not all there. But there are still places out there that have not been touched by the hands of people.

Polk Street

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/St.JamesSt.-Montreal_-1910.jpg

Frank Norris’ Polk Street is about a man that is fascinated by a street called Polk. The man’s name is McTeague. This man likes to spend his time people watching. He is usually watching the people on the street that go by his window every day and every hour.  The street is always full of people running errands or heading off to work. This place has a repetitive schedule to it.  He tends to watch how people go about their days. From his window he sees store and shops and lots of people all about, doing their thing. There are factory smells and tons of sights to see. Everyone is busy doing something. On week days starting at seven o’clock the newspaper boys and the workers come out heading to work and they are all carrying the tools that they need.  Between seven and eight people are hurrying to eat their breakfasts and get to work. While the workers are going off to work, the children are heading off to school. Soon they are gone with the exception of the stragglers, rushing to get to work or school. At eleven o’clock the housewives come to spice things up. Gossiping and making others run around like little pets. Around noon it’s a mixed array of people, not that interesting but they are still keeping the street busy. By four it is time to go home. Six is suppertime. And by eleven at night the activity is done, until the next day where it happens all over again.

Place Matters

Frank Vanclay’s Place Matters is about having a “place” to call your own. Having a place has meaning. When a person has a place, there is a reason why that person has made this place there special “place.” A list to think about when having a place would be to “tell stories, creating and recreating, revising and adjusting, confirm and reconfirm, and affirm and reaffirm” can help with having a connection with a place and sharing it with others. A place needs to have human interaction to be considered a place. If it does not have history, if a story cannot be told from it, if there is no comfort from this place… this is not a place. A place has to mean something to have any connection at all. Without this connection saying you have a place is just a lie. Having a space allows you to make more history by having people over adding to the collection of “place” you have on this Earth. Everyone needs a place.

Chapter 14 – Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is not something you want to do… EVER! It doesn’t help you if you take someone else’s idea and it will only get you into trouble. So try to avoid plagiarizing. There are two different types of plagiarism, one is unintentional and the other is intentional. There are four big unintentional plagiarism uses. “First, writing a quote but neglecting to include quotation marks. Second, when people paraphrase, they still have to cite it. Third, thinking it is your idea when in reality it is not so it is like a war between your ideas vs. the source. Fourth, is neglecting to cite your paper (Palmquist 522).” Its okay to use other sources (just as long as you give credit to the people you are using the source from).  Intentional plagiarism is when you intended to cheat and use another person(s) work and pass it as your own. By doing this and if caught you are subject to severe penalties and punishment. The main point is that plagiarism should be avoided at all cost.

Writing with a Lens

Using a lens can be difficult, especially when you’re used to writing about what you think. But there are advantages to writing through a lens. It can help people incorporate other peoples (authors) ideas into your own by making it seem like its being said from another person. It is still a little confusing. I understand what is being asked of me and I understand the concept of what I need to do, but I can’t seem to be able to mix my thoughts with the authors. But from taking the notes on I seem to be looking at my surrounding in a different way.  I have stated that I like to people watch and this first essay allows me to do so and it helps me see my surrounding better. I like to see things in a different way, although it is hard for me to put in words, I like it. Since I am not writing through my own lens it is a bit harder, but when I see example in class it helps a lot. With the example from class I can better understand how to write a lens. Or at least I hope so.

Writing Project #1 Worksheet                                                        

Your Space: Lower Level of the Memorial Union Cafeteria

What are the intended functions of the space?                       

Ë The intended functions of this place are to eat, study (with technology or textbooks), socialize (at meetings or with friends), and apparently rest (sleeping people on couches).

What overt messages does the space send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

Ë It sends messages that people can use the tables and chairs for any number of reasons. It just sends a message that people can eat, spend time socializing or doing something productive.

What covert messages does the space send (i.e., hidden messages)?

Ë The hidden messages would have to be that this place is in constant motion. People coming and going. It is also a place for people to get things done while they eat. So maybe a place for fuel and rest.

Have previous users left traces behind in the space?

Ë Yes, people have left traces behind. They will leave trash or little water marks on the table. Some people leave their things unattended to go to the restroom (sometimes they ask people to watch over their belongings) or get something to eat.

Has the space been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

Ë Yes it has. I think the primary goal was for students to have a place to sit and eat, but now people stay in the same spot for hours eating, doing homework, or socializing. People don’t just sit, eat, and leave. So other people are forced to find another place to go.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

Ë Some students tend to speak their own languages with their friends. Some go to the same spot everyday at the same time. So people sit alone, while others sit in big groups. Some people have technology and are listening to music or are on their laptops doing something. Some people are very quiet and others are very loud. It just depends on which group a person belongs to.

Who has access to the space?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

Ë Everyone has access to the MU. It’s just a matter of finding a place to sit that is a hassle.

Who owns the space?

Ë Well, technically ASU does, but the students and the faculty use it a lot more. So ownership is a “shared” place.

What is the space’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

Ë The space’s value is definitely for monetary purposes. There are many restaurants there and people get their food there. But for the lower level view, it is a place to be inside and do something productive, until the next class.

Are there official representations of the space (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the space as you experienced it?

Ë Yes, they have a website on ASU. It has pictures, but not of the place that I am talking about. It has windows on the left side and a meeting room on the right.

Is the space in transition, a changing space?

Ë Yes, people are constantly walking in and out. Standing or sitting. This place is in constant motion.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the space?

Ë I listened to people’s conversations and they worried about class, grades, relationship, etc. Those were the only conflicting or tense things I saw and heard.

What is the space’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

Ë I’m not sure of the history, but it looks fairly new.

How does this space differentiate itself from other spaces?  What other spaces is it similar to, but how is it different from those spaces?

Ë I noticed that people like to eat or socialize outside. So the difference between spaces is the A/C and closer access to food. The similarities I would have to say a different building but I’m not sure.

What questions do you have about your space?

Ë Why did they pick that specific furniture? Why do people sleep there? Why are some of the tables on what looks like enlarged stairs? Why are the windows so big?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your space?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

Ë Something unusual about the lower level is that it is broken into two sides, separated by a little walk way. The left side is surrounded by open windows and paintings on the white walls, while the right side is darker with cream colored walls and has carpet. I like the contrast between the two sides. I think the ordinary thing about the lower level is that there is always a group of people around. It is always full of people and noise, which I think is ordinary.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the space in order to situate readers?

Ë I will need to include where it is on campus.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the space, what angle(s) might you use?

Ë I might use another person’s accounts.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the space or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

Ë I sat with a person I didn’t know because there wasn’t a table available and since she had room I asked to sit with her. She mostly did her work on her laptop and so did I. I listened to people in other tables and noticed that a lot people like to talk to one another and that they are nice. When I was sitting alone and I had a spare chair people asked for it politely and I gladly let them have it.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the space?  What potential does your space have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

Ë This place smells of food, has lots of sound coming from the tap, tap, tap of the keyboards, or the headphones. The space is pleasant to look at and doesn’t have any outrageous colors and everything is clean to the touch. I would use imagery, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, and many others. I would include the things I heard and the things I experienced. I want the dominant impression to be that this place although gets busy with people coming to and fro, it can be a nice place to get things done if you need a study space or want a good view while you are eating.    

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this space interesting?  What did you already know about it?

Ë I like to people watch and here I get the chance to see how people of different backgrounds interact with one another. All I knew was that I could find food there.

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the space in order to better understand it?

Ë I would ask them why they like coming to this spot. What do they do while they are here? And what they like about this spot?

Do additional research.  Does your space have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

Ë Yes, it does have an online component. Going to the website to see if they have any facts I could use.

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your space?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

Ë I see that the same people come to this spot. My surroundings are of that space paints a picture to those that haven’t seen it. The discrepancies would have to be that I didn’t interact as much as I would have liked.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

Ë The most memorable thing about this place is that you can finish a book without any distractions. You can study in peace and finish a lot of homework. You can eat your food and you can occasionally trust the table over to watch your things while you get more food. The place itself is interesting, but I find the interactions between people fascinating. I think that this would interest my audience.