Project 1 Reflection:

     In reflecting on Project 1, I considered what I did well on and what I didn’t do so well on.  For Project 1, our assignment was to observe a place where ASU students frequent and analyze it so the reader and vision the place you are writing about.

      When starting the project I choose the Light Rail Station on Veterans Way as my location. Some problems that arose when writing this paper was getting good observations. This was due to my choice in location. I also had trouble putting my thoughts on what I saw and how to describe them “on paper”.  Being so descriptive that as the reader read my paper they could feel like they were actually at the location is one element that I will need to work on and adjust for my future papers. Also I would say I need to work on the structure of the paper and getting the main idea across in a clear and concise manor.

     As when anyone has problems they also have some success. One of the good things in my paper was I feel like I  did everything I was assigned to do.  For the assignment, one of the tasks assigned was to use a lens from a selected author and reference them in our paper. I feel like I accomplish this because I would take what the author was saying  and how they view places and interpret them and relate it back to my location.

     While writing my first project for this class, I learned many new things that will later on help me with my writing.  For example, one thing I learned that I used in my writing, I learned from class is some of the basics like punctuation. I also learned what not to do like: telling tangential stories that go away from the location that I am talking about,  to speculate what people are thinking, not to quote a lot, and don’t list observations.  Another writing element that I learned that will help me in my future in writing was how to do an analysis. I feel like I skimmed the surface of my analysis and could have gone deeper so that is just something I can improve on for my future writing.

    Finally, my work on my paper for Project 1 will helped me develop and improve my writing that I can become a better writer. As a Secondary Education Major and wanting to pursue a career as a teacher I will have to be well versed in writing styles and technics for weather I am grading papers or writing a paper for the students to read or do homework based on, so by learning observation and analysis styles of writing I can be a better teacher.

     All in all I feel like a did a good job on my first project for my English class. I learned some new things and how to improve my writing and what not to do in my writing that in the end will help me succeed throughout college and into my career.

Second Set of Observation Notes

Observations #2

• different feel at night
• different people ride at night ( people who have the night shift or more sketchy homeless people an druggies)
• still takes the same amount of time for the light rail to get there
• lighted but still pretty dark
• more of the light rail officers come to check passes at night
• everyone keeps to themselves at night.
• would recommend reading or something similar to keep you busy and for the time to pass by faster
• less amount of people on the light rail at night
• less people means more room for you to sit by yourself
• hardly any cars on the street making you feel all alone 
• hardly anyone at the station waiting for the light rail 
• announcements on the speakers still tell when the light rail is coming 
• scrolling screen still scrolling

Analyzing a Place Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: Veterans Way Light Rail Station

What are the intended functions of the place?                       

    The intended function of the Light Rail Station is a nice, shaded waiting place for riders going on the Light Rail.

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

      The message that the Station sends is that they are very informative by communicating through voice of speaker system and scrolling screen. They also are very informative through signs and directions on tickets machine.

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

       The hidden message at the light rail station is that they are making it a nice and safe way of transportation with the calming colors and clean environment.

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

        Just like any other means of public transportation there are people that could care less and vandalize or leave there trash but with the Light Rail still being somewhat new, the matiness is still keeping it relatively clean so there are no traces of previous users.

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

      The Light Rail Station has only been used as a waiting station for the light Rail.

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

       The social custom I observed was that you allow either the elderly or disabled or someone who needs a seat more than you, you give up your seat for them. 

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

     Everyone has access to the Light Rail Station it is a public place.

Who owns the place?

     Since the Light Rail is public transportation, the city owns the Station.

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

      The Light Rail Station has some monetary value because the ticket machines.

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

        The Light Rail has its own page on the Valley Metro Website and there are brochures that give real photos of the stations and the rail and does give the light rail an actual depiction of it.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

         The Veterans Way Light Rail Station is not in transition it is completed but down the line they might expand the station or make fixes to what is there now.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

         There are no conflicts or tensions at the station.

 

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

     There is no evidence of the places history because before the station was built it was just a road.

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

      The Veterans Way Light Rail Station is very similar to the other Light Rail Stations but what makes this station different is view of the campus and “A” Mountain. No other station has a view like the Veterans Way Station.

What questions do you have about your place?

       What made them choose the number of seats? What made them choose the that particular setting of the station?

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?

     What is interesting about the Light Rail is that it brings different types of people together and then on the other side, the light rail station is just the same as the other stations.

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

       Some background information I will need to get is technical detail about the actual light rail.

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

     I could tell about the station from the Light Rail drivers point of view or a matiness workers point of view.

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.)

      I did interact with people at the Light Rail Station. I can talk about my experiences on the Light Rail for examples going to the football games.

    

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 want the dominant impression people get is that the Light Rail Station is a nice, safe place for people to wait for the Light Rail. The potential use of sensory images is sight and hearing.

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?

      What I find interesting about the Light Rail Station is that the people who ride the light rail are not who I thought would ride it. I didn’t know much about the Light Rail Station before going there and riding the Light Rail.

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?

    Why did you choose the Light Rail rather than he bus?

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

    The Light Rail has its own page on the Valley Metro Website. I can also go to the Transportation Center and there they can give me information on the Light Rail.

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?

      Nice and safe environment.  A place is not a place without the people.

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

      The most memorable part of my subject is the people who are waiting at the Light Rail station. I feel like my audience would connect with the people who ride the Light Rail and interest them.

Observation Notes for Project One

                                                                                                   

•  

Observations of the Light Rail Station near Sun Devil Stadium:

• Light Rail comes around every 15-20 minutes. Five minutes before the Light Rail arrives an announcement comes over the PA system telling you it will be arriving in 5 minutes. Similar announcement is made at 2 minutes before the trail arrive. Female voice that is calm and pleasant to hear is the announcer.
• Scrolling screen located above the sitting areas of station tells when the
• Light Rail will be arriving  and it also gives the date and time.
• Students going and coming to campus
• Pay for ticket- go up to ticket machine and there is a touch screen that gives choices that the person can choose on what type of ticket they want to purchase or to rescan previous bought tickets. once you select if you want to buy a 1 ride pass, a 2 ride pass or an all day pass you touch which one you want with you finger. The next screen that comes up asks if you to buy 1 pass, 2 passes, 3 passes, or 4 passes. Select which one you would like and another screen will appear wanting you to select what type of payment you want: Debit/Credit or cash. Touch which one you want. If you chose to pay by Debit/Credit, directions appear on the screen. If you choose to pay cash there is a slot next to the screen below the slot for your debit/credit card, and a coin slot next to the cash slot. push your card or cash or change into the slots and on the screen will show that the ticket is printing and below the screen your ticket and/or receipt will print out and you grab it and can go onto the light rail
• Student u-pass: you just put your U-pass card up to the orange pad on ticket machine and wait 3 seconds for a “ding” and you can go on the light rail. quick and easy.Cheap.
• It might seem easy to go onto the Light Rail without paying but you really can’t. There are Metro officers that get on and off at different stations that go up and down the light rail asking people to give them their tickets so they can scan them and check to see if the person did in fact pay for their ride and not just go on. On the ticket it stamps the date and time and how many rides the goer has bought.
• Quiet place, nice and shady to protect riders from the bright sun
• Easy place to study/ do work on light rail or at station
• Friendly nice people. Not the typical homeless people that you think will be on it. People going to work or school or home.
• Drops you off right on campus, convenient for going to class everyday or on game days drops you off right by stadium( don’t have to pay for parking)
• Clean and cold water fountain for thirsty
• Crowded around 4-5 o’clock (rush hour) so there are hardly any places to sit so it is mostly standing but there are plenty of handlebars to hold onto ( and you want to, drivers tend to go pretty fast and the slam on the brake and the turns get a little bumpy)
• Sitting area at station made of metal but they are somewhat comfy painted a light mint green/blue to be calming and stand out and match the colors of the actual light rail
• On the Light Rail there are plenty of seats on the light rail. There are too two set of three chairs can be folded up for wheelchair handicapped. Also there are 5 sets of two seats facing forward or backwards. And a couple of seats on the side of the light rail. Throughout the light rail is full of handle bars above the seats, on the seats or by the doors.
• He seats have somewhat of a cushion and are nice to site on for a period of time. I would not recommend to sit on them for hours on end but for a short period they do the job.
• There are hanging bike racks for riders to put their bikes. The rider must be able to lift their bikes above their heads to put their bikes up and get their bikes down, and there are seats next to the hanging bike racks so the riders can sit next to their bikes.
• Riders can also choose not hang their bike and either stand with it against the wall or sit with it in a seat with plenty of room for other riders to walk by and sit near.
• Seeing students get on light rail reading their textbook or working on their papers before going to class
• The Light Rail’s windows are tinted so that sun does come through but it is not blinding you.
• Air conditioning is throughout the Light Rail so even though you might be waiting outside for it for 15 to 20 minutes, once you get on it it is nice and cool.  It is even cool when its packed full of people and 112 degrees outside.
• There are plenty park and ride parking lots located at some light rail stations

Image:

"West Side Light Rail Project Gets a Green Light." RENTCafe Rental Blog. N.p., n.d. 

        Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.rentcafe.com/blog/cities/phoenix-az/west-side-

         light-rail-project-gets-a-green-light/>.

An Analysis of an Image: Nylon Magazine Cover

 

  At a quick glance of the September 2012 cover of Nylon Magazine, you see the typical fashion cover with a pretty actress (in this case Glee star Lea Michele). But if you take a deeper look and analyze this cover, every little detail from the top she is wearing to her nail color was for a specific reason. To lure someone in and purchase the magazine.

Nylon Magazine

  When first looking at the cover you see a pretty girl sitting on the floor. We must then look closer at the image. Why did they choose her to be on the cover? Wonder why did they choose to have her hair down with cat ears on? Why not put her hair up and away to showcase her face? Why does she have no shoes on? Does she even have pants on?

   Let’s take this one detail at a time. We ask ‘Why did they choose this girl to be on the cover?’ and we can assume that she has a new show coming out and Nylon wanted a current person that people know. So since we know why they choose this actress to be on the cover, why does she look the way she does? Answer: Nylon Magazine wanted to make the innocent television star look mature and sexy yet still innocent, so they let her hair down and teased and curled it giving her a sexy look then they put cat ears to make her look playful and innocent. Next we look at her clothing. The magazine most likely dressed her in the oversized sweater and thigh high sock to once again to show her as innocent with the big warm sweater that is fashionable, that goes all the way to mid thigh and yet mature with the socks that go just below the sweater showing a little skin. They also place Lea sitting on the floor with her arm stretched out in an alluring position. We finally see with her arm stretched out, we notice her nails. It is assumed that Nylon choose the dark nail polish because Nylon is an edgier fashion magazine so it is obvious they choose a dark edgy nail polish.