Doc Roldan’s Blog: Writing on Writing

As a former floorplan drafter I found the article to be particularly interesting as well as accurate. When designing a new mall a drafter has to create a certain flow and elegance that will capture a shopper’s eye and wallet, much like how Disney’s main street does.  One major feature in the design for Disneyland’s main street is the use of spaced out and decorated intersections, which become centers of social and economic activity. The decoration and layout places a tourist in a state of euphoria where they are more willing to spend.  If it worked for Disney, then it can be applied to a mall. It is very interesting how a person’s surroundings affect their action, and Disney understood this very well. /Martinez,Sergio

Richard Francaviglia describes how the mall today reflects that of the architecture and design of Disney’s Main Street. Disneyland is a perfect world outside of reality where people leave their responsibilities outside of the Disneyland walls. Disneyland’s Main Street becomes an emulation of the outside world. It represents a magical town with no flaws. Modern malls follow this design in that people leave their cares out in the mall parking lot. They follow a set route within the mall, going store to store in a controlled environment. The mall becomes Disneyland, or rather a perfect reality outside of reality.

The idea alone is laughable…  I will admit that malls seem to be our consumerist society’s excuse  for culture, but what a poor excuse it is!  In my opinion, culture is a mish-mashing and blending of different peoples and ideas through time to the point where a whole new set of values has spawned its fresh face. With that having been said, how in the world can a mall, a building which can be built more easily and quickly than some lego-sets, bear any resemblance to a place of culture. And if it does, I don’t want to be a part of that half-assed culture. -Anthony

Simon’s interpretation of the modern-day mall is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Through various well-written examples, Simon is able to compare the malls of today to the gardens of the past. I personally liked his comparisons of the mall to a labyrinth garden, as a mall’s architecture prevents the shopper from exiting as much as possible. I also liked his comparison of the “kitchen garden” to the modern-day food court, among many others. I enjoyed this piece also because it compared the mall to something that would resonate among many today as archaic and tiresome. Although Simon spends much of this essay comparing the malls to older garden styles, he ends it on a more serious note, which I agree with. He states that the mall is in one way not like a garden at all, as it stimulates thoughts of commercialism, and not  those of intellect or the beauty of nature. He correctly states that the malls do not stimulate any sort of intellectual thought, as opposed to the aristocratic and grandiose gardens of the past. Although many are used to the current malls, one suggestion might be to make a more comfortable and soothing environment, in order to stimulate both commercialism and intellectual thought. / Neel Joshi

Richard Francaviglia’s comparison of Disneyland to the mall is executed perfectly. The comparison between the structures, the light, the security, and the concept are directly related. It is genius, what Walt Disney created so many years ago, and how the mall today emulates his dream. The structures of both the mall and Disneyland are the exact same. The parking of the car and the walk to the destination is symbolic of leaving behind reality. Both places are meant for escape from the “real world.” Once in the places, other problems do not matter, everything seems perfect, and all seems well with the world. The use of light is very similar as well; Disney used light so that Disneyland could be experienced the same way during the day and at night. The mall works the same way, regardless of what time you go to the mall, it still looks the same. The use of security allows those who travel to these places to feel safe and secure, so that nothing gets in the way of their experiences.  /Elizabeth Stein

In this passage, the mall is portrayed in an extremely positive way.  I do believe that most people live for the mall because that is all some people ever do, shop.  However, i disagree with the reasoning behind the mall being called a “shopping center” instead of a “selling center”.  In the passage it states that this “indicates clearly that the wishes and desires of the shopper take priority over those of the seller.”  I feel that today, the employees arent actually interested in pleasing us because it makes them feel good, they just want to get paid for performing well at their job.  It may appear that they enjoy making us happy, but our feelings and desires are not a priority over the sellers.  Whether we want to believe it or not, people are selfish and ONLY want the money and they’ll do whatever they have to do to get it in the end.

In this particular article, the mall is portrayed as a diverse cultural meeting place where various types of people are able to engage in several different types of activities.  Not only is a mall a shopping center, but a place where people feel comfortable socializing, eating, or even relaxing.  It becomes a place where no person is rejected and can have the pleasure of browsing through the stores, courtyard, or foodcourt.  The idea of a mall may have started out simple, but it has now prospered into a lucrative center with numerous activities to partake in.  It fulfuills the need of people in many different ways by offering abundant resources at each location.  Not to mention, with shopping centers well-developed neighborhoods tend to follow, movie theaters often arise, and other desirable attractions to make the location even more appealing to those that live in the area and also those who visit the site occasionally. Guettler

Is the mall a sacred place? If it is a sacred place, then most men dread its holiness. Women, however, seem to appreciate its lighting, live trees, greenery, and water pools. Jon Pahl, the author of the passage, states that these things are more than pretty things to look at; they are symbols of spirituality. It is also interesting to learn details about the architectural history of the malls. Now, I do believe the writer went overboard with his comparisons. Although he presents valid information about the history, visual elements, and social benefits of the mall, he bases his own “holy claims” on his individual preferences. Basically, he sees the mall as a sacred place because that is how he wants to see it. If someone else were to think of the mall as an educational place he could also base his arguments on his own personal and biased views. I appreciate the literary quality of this article but it surely fails to deliver an effective message because of its poor analogies between the realm of the holy and that of commerce. (Garcia, Erasmo)

I think the author created some valid points on the subject of a mall being a refuge. It is certainly true that one could retreat to a mall in order to get away from possible problems elsewhere. I’m sure a lot of people go to malls to do just that. Lewis also talks about different age groups and their relation to his theory. For instance, the author states that the elderly find the mall to be a place where they can meet up with old acquaintances and create routine schedules to fill their time with. For teens, the mall is a place to get away, avoid school, and avoid parents. I don’t necessarily agree. I think the author used very generalized conclusions when it came to the teenagers.

From the beginning of the article Farrell tossed out facts and figures to support his opening statement, “Malls are an American cultural phenomenon.” I thoroughly enjoyed reading the evidence of his claim. I was also amazed to see the analogy he made between malls and art galleries. I think he made a few good points on that aspect. Also, the statement made about airports beginning to look like malls is totally true. I’ve personally observed the same in many different airports. However, as I read on, I began to see that perhaps Farrell put a little too much meaning on the effects of malls. For example, when I go to the mall, I don’t ask myself “What does it mean to be human?” like Farrell asserts. In addition, I believe people do not need to know how to read different cultural texts in order to understand shopping. Overall, the article was interesting to read.

In this passage written by James J. Farrel, he explains how malls are the centers for American culture.  Although I never actually put any thought in this I must agree with the author about how we can find so much American culture at the malls.  For example, Farrel mentions that our society is shaped by the powerful institutions of commercial capitalism.  Which in a sense, leads to what 200 years of American capitalist ideals and our culture.  Malls are for anyone and everyone, from old to young, kids to adults, gays and heterosexuals, and to each the mall is a different place with different views to perceive it.  For a struggling single mother, the mall may be a place to find the best deals and for the rich and famous, the mall may be to just pass their time faster.  So in all, the malls are culture oriented centers for all Americans to enjoy themselves and also a useful resource.

Jon Pahl describes how the mall can appeal to many people for other reasons beyond shopping. His views seem accurate in saying that the mall can be very captivating with its lighting, water pools, and live trees. He goes on to write that these attractions are more than pretty things to look at; they are symbols that encourage spirituality. I find it hard to see how he ties religion into the picture, but I guess that just demonstrates the many varying reasons that people visit the mall. It is interesting to read about the architectural history of malls being designed as temples, especially when the majority of us tend to go to the mall purely to shop. I am aware that many people, including myself sometimes, go to the mall to hang out, but was shocked to read that some people go to the mall to pray. In conclusion, I think that Paul is a talented writer, but his views are slightly controversial. Lynn Denblyden 

Simon argues that a mall is like the ancient gardens from the earlier centuries. This is only true in the sense that people admire what is in the enclosed area. I disagree that the architectural structure and the meanings behind them of a garden are alike the ones of a mall. Gardens are known for their beauty and design. Even though malls have beautiful products in the stores it does not compare to the beauty of arrangements of flowers that a garden is supposed to display. When Simon says that people looked at flowers in a garden and now people pay to smell like them should show that gardens and malls are completely different. / Arielle Schwartz

William Kowinski describes the mall as being a kind of sickness that makes people feel “feverish, their eyes glaze, their stomachs tumble, they fall down, and they throw up.” I found this being an odd accusation in the fact that the mall affects me in a completely opposite manner. The mall has always been a place of sanctuary for me, a place I could flee from my tribulations.

Kowinski conveys the story of how she began to feel the symptoms of mallaise after she consumed a coffee at a restaurant in the mall. I think these symptoms could be from the coffee itself. Coffee sometimes makes a person feel like they have a fever or can give someone high anxiety with the caffeine rush.

Even though a person suffers from being lost or out of place doesn’t necessarily mean they loathe the mall. They should identify human beings are meant to adapt. Everyone feels lost or alone at one point in their lives. Get over it! The mall can be an enjoyable experience if you know your limits.

In Rossner’s version of Cinderella, the stepmother attempts to persuade the reader Cinderella was portrayed more innocent than she actually was. In Disney’s Cinderella, she was an innocent girl that was forced to do chores for her nasty stepsisters, wear dirty rags, and have no possessions of her own.

I think the stepmother is still the deceitful and evil lady that was depicted in Disney’s Cinderella. This story of hers is her way of clearing her name because she is part of the upper class, the class where women care so much about their appearance. In the fact that she says Cinderella’s own mother wouldn’t have wept over her is pure wicked. No stepmother that plans to love their stepdaughter would ever say something like that.

It seems as if the stepmother was not only trying to clear her name but her daughters’ as well. More than once she mentions how beautiful her daughters are. Comments like these make me ponder to the thought of her true meaning. Is the stepmother really trying to tell people of how Cinderella really is or is she trying to make herself and her daughters out to be something they are not?

This article is well-written and very accurate. The feelings that people get while in malls can sometimes make one feel sick. Many of the symptoms William Kowinski listed of this self-created disease have crept over my body many times. The inability to relate to others is a serious issue to me. My friends are always asking me to go shopping with them and I have to make up excuses of why I can’t go because I become annoyed with the choppy, meaningless conversations that occur while attempting to shop for whatever it was you went to the mall for. Which brings up another issue and sypmtom: dismallcumbobulation. This is my most severe symptom of Mallaise. Once stepping foot in the mall, the point of my trip and the list in my head vanishes as I find more and more things that I would love to own. This leads to a ridiculously long trip to the mall, and difficulty leaving it due to the fact that I cannot remember exactly which spot my car is parked in. Thanks to car alarms, I am able to locate my car and escape this grasp of Mallaise.

This passage compares the shopping mall to a religious place, stating that its architectural history dates back to the design of temples. The author states that the mall is a place of unity where all people come together. He observes the behavior of shoppers and recognizes that the mall is not a public place, as may be the primary assumption, but that it is privately owned and operated. The passage organizes the purposes of mall visitors, stating that while forty percent do not intend to purchase anything, only ten percent actually don’t. The author also notes visual symbols commonly found in malls are water, lighting, and greenery because they encourage a spiritually evoking experience. Men commonly dislike the mall, whereas women revel in its possibilities. The author himself states that he enjoys the mall for its possibilities beyond purchases.

Jon Pahl’s article on malls was a very interesting view on mall culture as being sacred. The explanations he gives are somewhat shocking, how the malls are built to resemble a temple. Most of us think that going to mall is to go there and shop. Still many others go there for more than just shopping. As said in the article some of us go there to hang out or to even pray. Some malls have so much there that we don’t need to even step out of them for the whole day. The further analysis that Pahl gives changes my views on how the mall can be a sacred place but still raises questions that most of the insight given to him is biased. I do see where the author is trying to link the mall to religion but in my own view, that is going a little too far. The mall is still only a place that people go waste their time or to buy stuff, unless he is inferring religion is a waste of time. / Tony Nguyen