January 24, 2015 - 00:01
- Rank the five locations in order of where you felt happiest.
Glass Staircase, Labratory in Park, English House, Morris Woods, Campus Center Parking Lot.
- What influenced your comfort level? Why did you rank the locations the way you did?
Most of what influenced my comfort level was whether or not there was a sense of familiarty, peace, and control. In the glass staircase in Dalton, I felt powerful, like nothing could touch me. I was free to observe the walkway and the people walking in front of Thomas, into Denbigh, coming through the arch. To be behind glass and be able to observe people in their natural state, going from point A to point B, probably without knwoing that I was there, made me feel almost regal. It was almost as if I ruled the school. I also felt comfortable in the organic chemistry lab in Park, because I spent 4+ hours every week in there last semester. Walking back in there, and seeing it empty made me feel as thought the lab was waiting on me this whole time I was away. In the lab, I'm in control of my own fate. Whether or not I completed an experiment was almost always on me. So when I walked in the lab again today and saw no one, it felt like the lab was calling out to me, like it wanted me to just do something, anything. I felt needed. The next palce i felt most comfortable was in English House. I would've ranked it higher if it actually looked more like a home. But, first off, I really enjoy the fact that English House is called 'House' and not 'hall' or 'building.' The title itself made me feel comfortable. Even though I've been in there a couple of times before previously, I still felt like I had been deceived a little. The only part that resembled a residence was the office area. So the comfort for me did not come from the actual building itself, but what it had the potential to be, a cozy, warm house like my own. I didn't really feel that comforable in Morris Woods simpy because I still feel fear when I walk out there. The ground was unstable. I felt like something could jump out and attack me at any time. The patches of green felt unnatural and like they were hoping to be noticed. I really didn't like Morris Woods simply for the fact that I didnt feel like I had any control over what could or could not happen to me in that moment. Lastly, I felt least comfortable in the Campus Center Parking Lot. I went out there tonight, when it had already begun to snow and there was about a 1/2 inch of snow already. Looking around, I felt like I was in a horror movie. The lamp posts were in the shape of a square missing a fourth side. Since the lights were on, the snow appeared almost like a wall, that you would run into unless you turned around. You couldn't see it until it had fallen just under the light and reflected light in your direction. It was peaceful, but I felt uneasy. Also, since my dorm was less than a 500 ft away, I really just wanted to go back inside and be dry and warm.
Rank the five locations in order of where you felt plants were happiest.
English House, Morris Woods, Glass Staircase, Campus Center Parking Lost, Laboratory in Park.
- What influences the comfort level of plants? Why did you rank the locations the way you did?
I think plants would simply like anywhere that they can fluorish and reproduce. I think the plants felt most comfortable in English House because it seemed like a warm, cozy, and happy place. Sunlight can come in through the winter, the plants are able to feel warm, and would (probably) be watered by the people who come in and out of the building. I ranked Morris Woods second in place of English House mostly beacuse of weather and the uneasiness I felt when I was out there. It just seemed so lonely and empty. Even though plants probably would like to be around other plants, I feel that the loneliness, warmth and care a plant would experience in English House woudl trump over the cold and wet conditions outside. I ranked the glass staircase second, because it can receive a lot of sunlight and fluorish and be admired from the outside. The plants in the campus center parking lot around the Office of Prehealth Advising were covered with snow and just looked miserable. Almost like they were poorly treated animals in a circus. I didn't see any plants in the Orgo Lab in Park, so I simply assumed that they wouldn't be welcome due to gases produced and the need for cleanliness that a plant could potentially not contribute to.
I think similarities between where plants and humans feel most comfortable would be warmth and an ability to thrive. However, since I do not know much about plants, I think they might be a little less picky about where they are, as long as they can live. In contrast, I feel humans have a lot of needs and feelings that can vary from individual to individual. Because of this I think humans need a place where they feel familiar, safe, and a sense of control.
[Do your answers to these questions change, if the comparison group is other-than-human animals..?]
My answers would definitely change if the group were other animals (or even other people) because I based where I felt comfortable on my own experiences with each place. Some animals need space to roam and be free, while I would be fine being confined to the orgo lab for a day.