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.”
In my opinion, the first paragraph of your draft is very specific, coherent and clear. I know what space you are going to analyze and what I should expect in the paper. I like your reference to a “large magnifying glass” to help understand your thoughts on analyzing this space. Moving into the second paragraph, I like how you not only analyzed the space, but the different ways that people get there by talking about the elevator and describing the walk down the stairs. The use of the lens in “Polk Street” was well thought out by comparing how busy it is and pointing out the replayed routines. The imagery is well constructed also, and I can really get a sense of the space you are describing. It is very well written in my opinion. My advice would be to break the second paragraph into smaller paragraphs. Consider one paragraph describing the walk down, another describing the habits of the people, and the last one focusing in on the imagery. For me, it would make it easier as a reader to follow different aspects you are analyzing in the Memorial Union third floor if you did this. In the third paragraph you talk about people then food and then back to people. Your thoughts might flow better together if you do not jump around as much. Your conclusion wrapped the paper up well.
ReplyDeleteThe description of the place is fantastic. There is so much detail and you are able to draw conclusions about what it is that those details add to the place. Your essay also has some great organizational qualities. The way you are able to incorporate your lenses into different areas of the essay make it interesting throughout its entirety. Along with the observations, I would have liked to read some inferences made from the details you see. This would add to how much the space could be analyzed; deeper than just the physical appearances. I really enjoyed the part that talked about the diversity, and that the lower level bound them and gave them all something in common. This diversity is not subject to only people though. The contrast in the activities going on there also add to the character of the place and could be something you might want to mention. What you said about the importance it plays in a student's life is also critical. Most students can relate to this and will be more interested in your essay because of it. One thing that I think would strengthen the essays focus would be to describe Mr. McTeague and what it is about him that puts him in awe. Anyone can be in amazement of the place, but is there something about his circumstances or persona that make him feel the way he does? I feel that other students would enjoy the place as well, but what part of a students life would most be affected by the lower lever.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job with your first paragraph. I definitely got an idea of what place you were talking about and what your main topic was going to be through out your writing. I thought it was clever how you talked about the process of eating or just being at the MU. It is in fact better to sit in the lower level in the cafeteria. However, when comparing your place to Polk Street maybe use more quotes from the story so that people could have a better understanding of Polk Street since they probably do not know what it is about because they have most likely not read it. Also, when you are talking about the diversity of one of the places located in the Memorial Union, maybe don't elaborate on the different types of races. I would hope that most people by now know that America is a melting pot and that we should not have to worry about racial stuff like that. Yet, the way you describe how us as college students get along may seem more interesting. You also did a great job at being descriptive and they way you elaborated everything was quite innovative. The way your described where people study find a spot that comforts them. That is a very true statement because I do that as well. I have found the spots I find most comfortable around ASU and continue to spend my time there on different days. Over all, great job on your essay. You were very descriptive and met all the requirements.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Alexis! You used excellent imagery to draw me in and keep me reading. I was able to follow the path you were describing and see all of the different scenarios playing out. It was nice to see this part of the MU analyzed, as I have spent a few hours down there myself. There was a clear direction being followed through out the paper. You had a good balance of commentary on the similarities between the works analyzed and original descriptions of the space. Try incorporating some other senses than just sight when describing the place. You describe everything around the study space as a bit of a mad house, so the contrasting transition into a calm workspace worked well. The introduction opened up the paper well, and the conclusion did a nice job of tying it all together. I also had a good idea as to what lens you were working through.
ReplyDelete-Cayla Snooke
I love you're first paragraph. I found it extremely detailed and interesting. You presented the space very well and it made me clearly imagine the space you were talking about. The first paragraph was really well written and made me love your perspective on your space. Then when you used your senses to greater visualizing the space based on what it looks like, what it smells like, and even how it sounds. Then towards the end when you talked about racial diversity and how the space was like a level playing field where people didn’t look at race or skin color but a fellow student that point, that was a great point to incorporate into your writing, but maybe you could of went into more detail about the racial equality because that in it itself could have been an entire paragraph in your rough draft. Another solid part of your paper was when you discussed why and how that space is special to you was a great ending, it provided a great detailed perspective and insight to why you selected the M.U. as your space because you wrote entirely from your own point of view which made it different and individual to you. Grading wise you met all of the requirements and your quote was awesome and completely relevant to the point you were trying to make. When you write your final draft try to tie the last 2 paragraphs to your main thesis or add it in your conclusion .Your essay was very good and I enjoyed reading your perspective.
ReplyDelete