Project 1 Reflection: Analysis

In my opinion I thought that Project one was a bit difficult. Although there were some parts I did really well on, there were also some key parts I really struggled with.

            The part that I found the easiest when doing the project were the observation notes and describing my “place” in the paper. I found it really easy describing the bridge and using all the little details to really paint a picture in the readers mind.  Then came the analysis part and that’s where I truly struggled. Describing the place was easy but then after finding all the hidden meanings and going beyond the simple details was where I got stuck. I didn’t understand how to put into words exactly what I thought every little aspect of the bridge meant or what it symbolized. It took me a while to finally go more into depth with these descriptions and find these inner meanings and what exactly each part signifies.

            I learned that writing an informative analytical essay isn’t as easy as it seems. It takes a lot of thinking and brainstorming to make sure you know what everything means and to get your perspective or point across to the reader. You have to first understand what you are talking about before you can try and teach someone else to see what you see. This project taught me that you can’t just spend a few hours writing a paper in this format, it takes a lot more time and a few extra reads to make sure you have the concept down. Next time I will definitely take more time in writing the essay and definitely take into consideration my classmates comments, when I know that they are only trying to make my paper that much better and give advice.

            I am not really sure if I included enough analysis from what was asked of us. I tried my hardest to look beyond the simple descriptions and more into what each one signifies but I still found myself stuck and as if I was repeating myself. In the future I plan on hopefully taking even more detailed notes and observations to give me a lot more to work with. Even though I had 4 pages of notes I still felt as if I ran out of things to talk about and that if I would have taken more and been even more detailed as I was that I wouldn’t have necessarily ran out of things to talk about.

            This project taught me that looking through another lens like the authors we were assigned can really alter ones perspective. I thought the lens we were able to use gave us more to talk about and to relate to but also proved as back up for why we felt something meant what we think it means.

New Observations of a place: Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: ASU Bridge

What are the intended functions of the place?

-to connect north campus to central campus

-to walk across

-an overpass on university

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

-It’s ASU related

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

-escape from the crosswalk

-professional

-clean

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

-through footprints maybe

-dropped gum

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

-Not that I know of

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

-need to be cautious of steps you take

-aware of the people around you

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

-anyone has access

Who owns the place?

-ASU owned

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

-High value

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

-Information on the ASU website, but doesn’t explain the hidden messages that one could experience

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

-Not as nice and new as it was once built, changing with time due to its increase in age

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

-One might trip and fall on their way up or down the bridge

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

-built many years ago

-not much evidence of the past

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

-It’s the only bridge on campus

-it’s similar to any crosswalk because of all the people crossing at once, but excludes the cars crossing over

What questions do you have about your place?

-Why isn’t it painted to represent ASU colors?

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 place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

-The number of stairs is unusual. It’s painted plain colors but suggests that it has a professional status compared to the other building surrounding it.

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

-I will need to make sure to include the location.

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

-You could use angles from afar, such as looking at the place, then an angle of actual being on the “place” and then another angle describing the feelings one might experience while being at the place.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place 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.)

-There is always people constantly walking over the bridge in one direction or the other so its easy to come in contact with many people. However depending on the amount of people you’re with, one might be silent walking along by themselves where as a group of people are all talking amongst themselves.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place 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?

-I must include the shape, color, surrounding objects, smell and feelings generated when crossing the bridge. The description of my place can paint a picture in the mind. I want the dominant impression to be surprised after being told the many different meanings this place can hold.

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 place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

-I already knew it was a bridge connecting parts of the campus. I found the shape, color and sounds at different times of day while crossing very interesting, as well as the feelings it generates.

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

-How does the bridge make you feel before crossing/after crossing?

-What do you most often hear while crossing?

-Do you prefer to take the stairs or ramp on your way up/way down?

-Do you find yourself looking over the ledge once on the top?

-How do you feel once making it to the peak?

-Do you catch yourself looking down on your way down?

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

-It has information on the ASU website, with little information and brief details.

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

-I used a lot of imagery to describe my place. A recurring idea that kept coming up was the idea of power that the bridge suggests and gives while at the top.

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

-The thing that interests me most about the bridge is everyone’s reaction and how different yet similar they all tend to be. I think the thing that will interest the audience the most will be the different perspectives to look at the place and all the hidden meanings one might see when looking at all the aspects of the bridge.

Project 1: Observation Notes of ASU Bridge

Observation of the ASU Bridge

• Tall
• ·      Steep
• ·      Connects north campus residents to the center of campus
• ·      Located in Tempe
• ·      Silver railings on each side
• ·      On the north side of the bridge there is 3 palm trees on each side
• ·      Crosses over University
• ·      Busy street underneath with cars constantly going underneath
• ·      See down palm walk when walking on it towards the center of campus
• ·      Overlooks beautiful scenery
• ·      Lots of plant life surrounding it
• ·      New green grass on the north side
• ·      One large lamp post on either side
• ·      Stairs designed by a chiropractor to place the least amount of pressure on the lower back and legs
• ·      Lots of stairs
• ·      But why does it have to be so tall? Is it to fit all types of transportation underneath it like the large buses? 
• ·      Made of cement
• ·      Flat ramp next to the stairs on each side of the bridge
• ·      Why have a ramp? To give people the option of taking the stairs that day if they’re too tired?
• ·      What does the bridge truly symbolize
• ·      Bridge is an entrance to the northern part of palm walk
• ·      Sidewalk on either side of the street allowing for pedestrians to walk underneath it
• ·      Brings shade to part of the street as cars drive underneath which can give an instant of relief from the painful heat in the middle of the day
• ·      Has the ASU symbol on the center, signifying that its part of the campus and an important or famous feature of the school
• ·      Gives students an easy way to get from their dorms to their classes
• ·      Appreciative scenery once at the peak of the bridge
• ·      Seems as if there is always at least one person crossing over
• ·      There’s a moment of relief once at the peak
• ·      Cement support underneath each side up to the sidewalk
• ·      The railings are angled to make it difficult to sit or sand upon the ledge
• ·      Sun shines perfectly on it in the middle of the day suggesting that its more powerful than it seems
• ·      Gray colored with cement stairs and ramps
• ·      Walking down either side of the bridge takes concentration to avoid tripping and falling
• ·      On buy days some people walk slower than others making the walk up the bridge feel much longer
• ·      It’s a way of avoiding the crosswalk and traffic by crossing the street
• ·      Leads right into palm walk and access to many of the classes on campus
• ·      Has bike racks on either side to place bikes
• ·      Enough room along each side to walk with bikes up and down the bridge
• ·      Why didn’t the designers of the bridge choose to paint it a color representing one of ASUs colors? Is there a theme with this street that its crossing over where it had to be kept the gray cement color it was made out of?
• ·      Always cars driving through making it somewhat noisy at all times
• ·      Doesn’t seem as tall from the base but once at the top suddenly feels much taller
• ·      The cement on the stairs and ramp is very rough
• ·      Maybe it’s to make sure its not slippery when wet and rained upon?
• ·      When the sun hits it just right it seems to reflect a lot of light in the morning
• ·      When at the top it looks down university from either direction
• ·      At night its lit up by the small lights on the inside of the railing all alon it
• ·      The lights at night make it very calm to walk up and down
• ·      At the top of the bridge it seems as if more common noises start to fade and the sound of cars driving underneath is all you can hear
• ·      Walking the bridge always seems to make it feel hotter outside than it really is
• ·      More shaded towards the side leading to central campus because of the many green trees on either side
• ·      Arch shaped
• ·      Does the size of the bridge symbolize anything?
• ·      Small pole at each end of the bridge
• ·      What is the significance of this pole?
• ·      Is it to show that there is separation of the stairs and ramp?
• ·      Normally people go up the ramp and down the stairs
• ·      Some people chose to take the stairs both ways
• ·      But then there’s a lot of traffic with people when certain people cause to go in different directions than with the flow of traffic
• ·      Some people have to take the ramp both ways if they are walking a bike
• ·      How many people use the bridge daily?
• ·      Do people find it more useful than others?
• ·      When walking down either side of the bridge people tend to look down at all times, is this to make sure that they don’t fall?
• ·      Some people skip stairs because their legs are longer and walking down the steps one at a time cause them to walk slower
• ·      Why is the ASU symbol white?
• ·      The bridge is very clean for the most part
• ·      Not a lot of trash laying around along the edges of the railings or at the very top
• ·      People walking alone across the bridge tend to be very quiet compared to others waling with a friend who seem to talk more on the way down than the way up since usually the walk down is a lot easier than the walk up
• ·      The bridge symbolizes connection
• ·      During the week there is a constant flow of people walking up and don the bridge
• ·      At night you hear the cars driving and the crickets chirping