Upham Hall sits in front of Paterson Avenue looking out over large amounts of landscape and trees that sit between it and the road. The back of Upham sits in front of a large field with trees scattered across it and buildings on all sides. Signs supporting organizations, fraternities, and politicians are tied from tree to tree. Sidewalks run every which way through the field with benches and bike racks stationed along side of them. The leaves of the trees are starting to change color and fall to the ground leaving the ground littered with dead leaves.
Large windows line the red brick walls of the “U” shaped building that encloses its front field almost like a courtyard. Walking up the stairs to the center of this older building puts you inside Upham Arch. This connects the front and back fields that surround Upham Hall. This arch has an extremely grimy and old stone print floor. The walls are also made out of stone but look much more clean and up to date. On the walls are a few windows and the doors that run sideways through the arch connecting the building. Benches that are formed out of the walls line almost the whole arch way. In the middle of the bright white ceiling hangs a lone lantern that is the key factor of a popular University legend. The legend says that if you kiss your love interest under the arch while the lantern is lit you will get married.
People walk through the arch way and across the sidewalks that cut through the fields on both sides of the building going about their busy days. Some stop and sit on benches to read or do homework. Others sit down to talk with a friend or use their cell phone, but the majority walk past the building going to their next class or meeting. These are the things that stuck out to me while observing Upham Hall.
1 comment:
this is a great start and fitting use of thick description. it was also informative: I had no idea about the folklore of the lantern--really. It doesn't really mean much to me, since I am married, but I appreciated your mentioning of it here.
I think the idea of superstition on college campus is interesting. In a place dedicated to scientific observation and rational thought, all these strange superstitions persist. Funny.
The next step is to bring in a cultural aspect of what it is we are writing about. Who frequents this place...maybe what is the place's history? This arch has a lot of symbolic importance, which you have identified...what else is there? The image of the lantern is pretty significant too, as a symbol. What more could we say about it?
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