WP-3 Final Draft

Author's Note:

This writing assignment was unlike anything else we've done in this class.  Sure it had its similarities to the first and second writing projects in that we were required to think in a rhetorical manner, but ultimately the fact that the project had to be filtered through the medium of a letter written to our sculptures proved to be much more difficult than simply writing an essay on the devices and their purpose.  In order to give my piece some sort of flow and purpose in and of itself I chose to write my letter as a love letter.  While I may not be as madly in love with the sculpture as I may imply in the piece below, it is important to note that upon the onset of this process I found the concept boring and a trivial way to end the semester.  As our English 151H class progressed through this, the last of our trifecta of writing assignments, I began to appreciate my growth as a writer and a thinker and most importantly this project because of the difficulties it provided.  This project presented the rhetorical devices that were present in the other projects, such as lighting, but also employed new elements such as the medium of the sculpture.  The key to structuring this piece was to use the Love Letter format to move the piece along without making it gimmicky or taking away from the thesis of the arguments.  


My initial draft was actually a strong base, but was just that, basic.  My letter needed a lot of clarification and development of the points I was making in my first draft.  Specific changes I included were in the paragraph discussing the simulated movement of the object I related this to the changing perspective of natural lighting in the area.  Another smaller clarification I chose to develop further was in the transitional paragraph utilizing the TLC lyric I related the song lyric back the "Arch Falls" by adding this sentence:  "Waterfalls in Lisa’s context may seem insurmountable or beyond belief, but it is you “Arch Falls” that hopes to contradict these connotations by presenting yourself in a smaller scale version of your counterparts in nature."  A major change that I chose to add to my second attempt was to put in the last paragraph in order to form a transition between the letter and the impersonation of the sculpture.  This idea was given to me by Kelli in our peer reviews as she suggested that I do it because she felt it fit nicely into her piece and detracts from the awkwardness of posing.


A point to be made that was vastly different during the process of writing was that the peer review stage which normally consisted of having two of our classmates and our professor reading and responding initial two drafts.  For this project we only had two drafts due and only one class member read our initial attempt and also gave input as to the performance aspect of our work.  It's for this reason that there was less input given that I, as a writer, had to be careful to detach myself from my work and decide how an outsider may view my letter and what they would take away from it.


Rough Draft
Statement of Purpose

Final Draft

Dear "Arch Falls",

Since your conception (circa 1980-81) you've been sort of mystery to others and myself.  Over the past few weeks, you made the endless days in class days just fly by.  Meditating over you was a blessing that I never saw coming.  William Shakespeare once stated that "Love sought is good, given unsought, is better."  Coming into this Honors English class I never thought I'd fall in love, but "Arch", sometimes love is best when unexpected.

I've become infatuated with your every characteristic, "Falls", nearly to the point of obsession.  I realize that Bryan Hunt crafted you himself with his bare hands, but all the time and love that he poured into you pale in comparison with what I'm prepared to give you.  Still, Hunt's attention to detail is remarkable.  There are aspects of you that are very clear and explicit and then there are parts that seem to have so many different perspectives.  I love you "Arch Fall" because you speak to the carefree attitude of Mother Nature as a representational form of a cascading waterfall.

  

For a long time, "Falls", I couldn't figure out what you were all about.  The key to unraveling this mystery was concluding that your beauty lies in your solitude, away from the cliff face and river that slowly formed you.  You unabashedly offer yourself as a public spectacle.  That kind of independence is attractive these days.  

You break away from the mold of all the waterfalls that can be found in nature.  Nowhere else in nature can a waterfall be found without a stream or river providing a source or a cliff behind the falls.  There's also something ironic about your construction.  A waterfall in nature is created by water rushing over a cliff face and ends with the crashing of the water on the rocks below.  You, "Arch Falls", were molded out of plaster and formed by hand; but most importantly, you were created from the ground up in order to support the structure throughout the process.  You defy the traditional definition of a waterfall in every sense, yet that's the category into which you fit.  A rock or perhaps a branch breaching the water’s plane would, normally have formed the gap and slit you have but yet you are left with these scars with the absence of such obstructions.  Don't be ashamed of such scars; we all have some sort of past and histories, as no one is perfect.  The gaps in your cascading falls offer an atheistic value that gives you an intriguing appearance and a reflective tone.

There's a simple beauty in someone that's confident.  "Arch Falls", you are left out open in the elements.  You stand bold and tall, allowing anyone curious enough to approach you the rare opportunity to examine a waterfall from angles that would never normally be possible.  You're extraordinary "Arch Falls".  There's an air of surrealism to your photographic values. Waterfalls in nature are constantly flowing, yet once again you contradict your roots by standing still.  For a long time this left me a tad suspicious of you; how was it that a statue frozen in time and made of cast bronze could represent an object in nature made of cascading water?  It's in large part by the texture and ridges present all over your surface.  The handmade curvatures give the impression that the water is just that, water.  The lines are organic and flowing where as the structure of the rocks was rigid and sharp.  The illusion of movement is also in large part due to your all-natural lighting, the sun.  The sun’s rays shine down on you daily and illuminate for you your audiences every ridge, and as the day progresses your shadows shift and appear as if your water is falling ever so slightly.

It was the Grammy-award winner Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes of the all-female R&B group TLC that described the kind of constant, ever rushing love and passion I feel towards you in the band's song "Waterfalls".  The lyrics, "Don't go chasing waterfalls / Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to", speak towards not chasing our dreams that are simply unattainable and focusing on what's most important to us in our lives instead.  Well to me that's you, "Arch Falls".  Waterfalls in Lisa’s context may seem insurmountable or beyond belief, but it is you, “Arch Falls”, that hopes to contradict these connotations by presenting yourself in a smaller scale version of your counterparts in nature.  The fact that you are a mere 8 to 10 ft. tall rather than a 100 ft. rushing waterfall is your attempt to reach out to your audience and make yourself more relatable.  Your beauty as a sculpture lies in the details of your creation and what you represent.  As all-powerful and mighty as you may seem, you’re body is formed by free-flowing water and your presence is made known by the calming serenade of your falls careening into the rocks below.

"Arch Falls", you and I are perfect for each other.  You may not realize it yet but the fact of the matter is that I complete you.  I'm ready to fill the voids that Hunt left in you rendering you mysterious and largely misunderstood.  I love you "Arch Falls" and I know it may not be able to work out this summer; I mean let's be real here - you're bolted to the ground and the Sheldon would never let me take you to the south-side of town, but I'll be back in the fall and our love for each other will be that much stronger with time spent apart.

Before I leave this place and walk about twenty paces to the south over to listen to Brian's letter, I would like to give the greatest gift any admirer can give to their object of obsession. The age old quote "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery" holds true in our lives and it holds true now as I will attempt to win you over by assimilating myself into you as a work of art.  It is for this reason that I will attempt to fill the voids left by Hunt and to make you feel whole again.  Then maybe after this we could grab lunch or something.

Your Fondest Admirer,

Blake