English 162W
Prof. Dominique Zino
May 3, 2011
Vincent Chen
Essay III: A Mapleton branch of Library
In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, library is a public place for all neighbors who
would like to study and search information on purposes. There are different branches of
public library locate in various places in Brooklyn community that convenient students,
inhabitants, workers and children. The Mapleton branch is one of librarys I visit the most
and it is considered my mythical space and freedom. The Mapleton branch began on June
1934, when, due to popular demand in the community, a local library opened on 20th
Avenue. Less than a year later, the branch library opened in a former storefront on 18th
Avenue, with books and staff transferred from the former Astral Branch. On September
1955, a new branch was designed by architect George Boehm and this large new library
accommodated a staff of 12 and a collection of 34,600 volumes. As today, the branch
operates with a much larger staff and collection. Also, it serves several public schools and
yeshivas; like the busy, multiethnic neighborhood consists of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews,
Russians, Italians, Asians, Pakistanis, Poles, Latinos, Arabs and other nationalities. In
order to serve this diverse community, members of the branch staff are able to provide
service in a total of thirteen languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin,
Cantonese, French, Spanish, Italian, Albanian, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Hindi.
Inside of the Mapleton branch, there are two floors which serve in different purpose
for all patrons. The first floor includes all the studying materials, books, newspapers,
magazines, computers with internet access and etc for all adults and teenagers. The
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second floor has all the reading materials, computers and playground for children and
their parents. Those two floors satisfy people in different needs, but they are meaningful
to me and I feel my own spaciousness and freedom at this particular place. According to
the conception of Spaciousness and Crowding by Tuan, he mentions that “spaciousness is
closely associated with the sense of being free. Freedom implies space; it means having
he power and enough room in which to act” (52). The library provides me quiet spaces
where I feel relax and enjoy my reading and studying. Without noises and others’
interruption, I feel free in my spaciousness even though there are many people who
sitting or walking near me physically in this public library. The feeling of isolation, I
don’t have at home that my parent always bother me, is like a freedom that I beg for in
my daily busy life. Mapleton branch is my experienced place I have explored on the way
of getting rid of my depressed, pressure and anxious that I have encountered from school
and home.
The story of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka reflects my feeling of spaciousness.
Kafka tells that Gregor Samsa is a young traveling salesman who hates his job. Gregor
needs the job to pay for his father’s large debt after the collapse of his business and he
provides the nice apartment and income for his family as well. However, things change
for Gregor in one day morning that he denies to keep working when he wakes up. He
loses his job because he doesn’t show up in time at the work. It gradually turns himself
into the form of insect and stays in his bedroom with all weird behaviors. Gregor bears all
burdens of debts and he works so hard to keep a standard life for the family, but he loses
his freedom and space. Only in his room, he begins to recognize the space which belongs
to him; “He was lying on his back, which was hard, as if plated in armor, and when he
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lifted his head slightly he could see his belly: rounded, brown, and divided into….” (302).
It reveals that Gregor thinks about the needs he wants besides serving his family. At the
he is going to work, his physical body refuses to do so because of his mind telling him to
stop. Outside of the bedroom, Gregor is playing the role of an employee to work for his
boss or a son to supply the family, but he is never being himself to think about own space.
It represents to me that library is the place where I recognize my own space and freedom.
I need to do all my parents and relatives’ favors and working hard for achieving a better
grade for the school projects and homework. Every time I sitting in the library, my body
seems doesn’t allow me to get up and leave at the close time because I transform into the
special form which is not mine to keep working for others. Being isolated is significant to
find my space; “Solitude is a condition for acquiring a sense of immensity. Alone one’s
thoughts wander freely over space” (Tuan 59). Tuan also indicates that a person should
feel free and more space when he or she stays in a particular place without others’
distraction.
I believe that a crowding place is not considered limited spaciousness. Tuan points
out that “Spaciousness and crowding are antithetical feelings. The point at which one
feeling turns into another depends on conditions that are hard to generalize” (51).
Obviously, a physical crowding place means to somebody with only small room,
however it is not the same to others in some circumstance. I can tell a public library
where there are many people walk in for reading, researching and inquiring information,
plus there are many shelters are being occupied for books. On the other hand, I can feel
more space in necessary crowding; “When people work together for a common cause,
one man does not deprive the other of space; rather he increases it for his colleague by
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giving him support” (Tuan 64). Sometimes I can feel more space even though I share the
same table with others in library when both of us are reading. I think occupy or take over
the whole table doesn’t mean enlarge my space, but sharing the same object which other
people who having the same need is more important as well as developing my feeling of
spaciousness psychologically. In physically, a library is a limited space that offers people
even smaller spaces or rooms than in any other place. From Tuan’s idea, limited space
doesn’t always mean that a place will be crowded, and a vast location is not considered
high spaciousness. It represents the feeling of my spaciousness I desire from the library
that frees me mentally better than in my house.
In contrast, Charlotte Perkins Gilman points out different conception of spaciousness
and crowding by the story of The Yellow Wallpaper. It is about a married woman who
suffers in her mental illness and her husband, John transfers her to reside in summer
house in order to cure the illness. In the room of summer house, the woman feels anxious
and uncomfortable to the yellow wallpaper surround her. She feels being trapped in the
room because the yellow wallpaper represents many undesirable eyes of woman holding
her. However, she figures out tearing off the wallpaper is the only way to regain her
freedom and space that she can creep around the room as she wants. The woman
absolutely frustrate toward the yellow wallpaper post in the room. She needs to destroy
them in order to free herself; “The wallpaper, as I said before, is torn off in spots, and it
sticketh closer than a brother-they must have had perseverance as well as hatred” (439). It
reveals that objects, yellow wallpapers in the room are not meaningful to the woman
associating with space and freedom. In my opinion, I have found all the books and
reading materials in the library are defined as personal space and belongings. They are
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significant to me enlarge my space and place. By reading various sorts of books, I can
feel free from all issues and problems that I always want to escape. “All human beings
appear to have personal belongings and perhaps all have need of a personal place,
whether this be a particular chair in a room or a particular corner in a moving carriage”
(Tuan 32). This shows individuals depend on some objects and their belongings to look
for a space and place. Comparing to the woman who hates the yellow wallpaper, I
depends on books surrounding me to indicate that library is my space and place what I
pursue for.
By traveling to Mapleton branch, which far away home and school, it creates physical
space for me. I believe that movement can explore personal’s freedom and direct to
certain location for space with a distance; “Movements are often directed toward, or
repulsed by, objects and places” (Tuan 12). Tuan reveals that movement is essential to
reinforce individual to escape and move forward looking for their space in certain
location. The distance gives the sense of physical space that individual feels a space is
created and everyone should feel be apart from everything else. This idea applies to me
that further distance I make away from my home the more spaces and freedom I can feel
physically. Also, Tuan mentions that “Physical environment can influence a people’s
sense of size and spaciousness” (54). I have pressures and anxious from school and home
that impacts on my freedom and space have being invaded. I don’t feel anything that I
can control or make my own choice, but following or obey to other is like a solider to do
whatever command he has. If I am in the library, it is different environment that I can feel
I am alive and I am not a doll doing someone else favor to achieve his or her goals.
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In my situation, it is similar to Doris Lessing’s To Room Nineteen. Lessing mentions
that Susan supposedly has a wealth life with her family living in a big white house that
she feels her space and freedom. Being a good wife and responsible mother is what she
desires to maintain all her possesses. However, once her husband has other woman,
everything is going to be changed in Susan’s life. She feels despair and bandage to be the
same role of wife and mother to the family. In order to pursue her freedom and space,
Susan decides to leave the family and rents a hotel room, room 19th, where she finds her
freedom psychologically without any bothering and interrupting from other people. Even
though a hotel room is not big enough as the big white house she used to live, it gives the
feeling of spaciousness and freedom for Susan which she does not have in her own house.
At the time I have the same feeling of bondage and emptiness as Susan does who only
taking over all the obligations and responsibilities for the family, escaping is only choice
to gain my freedom and space; “Susan takes the train into Richmond and sits alone in it
for an hour or two” (536). It shows that making a physical distance far away home is a
way to make Susan feel more space and freedom in her own life. I have sense of physical
space when I run far away my home to library like Susan’s.
A particular place is individual’s space where he or she can feel happy and
comfortable. Susan believes a hotel room where she can get rid of all duties of the family
and she can be freed from pressure and bondage; “Fred’s Hotel could afford the freedom
for its visitors where no questions were asked” (541). As I stay in library, I have no
pressure and bondage like what I have at home. I can do what I like and nobody is going
to interrupt me. There is more spaces and freedom to me if just stay in limited room in
library.
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Mapleton branch of library is a place where I maintain my space and freedom. It
represents people’s space and freedom as well as it serves in the community. Thus, most
people who experience and decide to go to library are the evidences to indicate the
meaning of it. There are many ideas and concepts that Tuan has identified to understand
how different characteristics of people discern their particular spaciousness. In general,
“Sounds, though vaguely located, can convey a strong sense of size (volume) and of
distance” (Tuan 14). When people feel depress and frustrate with the noise when they are
reading and studying, they don’t feel their space and freedom. In this circumstance,
library is represents space and place for those people who need a silent place. Without
outside interruption, people will feel more spaces to accomplish everything they need
than somewhere else.
On the other hand, Mapleton branch is a mythical place to those individuals who
have different beliefs of religion. Since there are many different ethnic of residents,
students and inhabitants have been lived in community, the library has more than one
language server offer to its neighbors who needs help as well. It is convenient to those
people who speak their native language and communicate them with understanding their
traditional societies. “In the mythical space of traditional societies the idea of center or
“middle place” is important” (Tuan 99). It analyzes that Mapleton branch is the middle
place for whole community which people are willing to visit as one important place after
work and school. They recognize that library is intimate place where they feel
comfortable and familiar to stay and resolve their issues and problems.
There is another way to view library as mythical space; “Mythical space is an
intellectual construct. It can be very elaborate. Mythical space is also a response of
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feeling and imagination to fundamental human needs” (Tuan 99). As I mention that the
construction of library contains two floors which serve children and adult. Its design
offers the helpful service to particular person in appropriate category. Like the Liberians
who works in the children section, has specialist knowledge and skills to response and
explain to children and teenage with their problems in most simple and understandable
way. For the adult section, the Liberians requires more advanced skills and are familiars
with most recent information to help with those complicate and tough question from
adults; like college students, worker and etc. The library is able to deal with all problems
from all people and being responsible to them as well.
To understand individuals’ space and place, an environment is important to associate
with proper construction that fulfills their needs and desires. Tuan classifies this idea in
the chapter of Architectural Space and Awareness and he mentions that “The built
environment, like language, has the power to define and refine sensibility. It can sharpen
and enlarge consciousness. Without architecture feelings about space must remain diffuse
and fleeting” (107). This shows that individuals who live in the community that
environment is aware them to recognize and understand the architecture feeling of space.
Library is considered an architectural space where those individuals living in the
community who have figured out that they have the same language speaker to talk with in
this public place. It allows them to recognize and communicate with each other sharing
the feelings, emotions and sensations. The library is like a new home for small group of
people who like to join together and provides private life for any of them inside of the big
world.
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If library can be considered an architecture space for individuals, it also can be an
intimate experience of place according to Tuan. Tuan points out that “Intimate places are
places of nurture where our fundamental needs are heeded and cared for without fuss”
(137). When most people are experienced with library, they feel it is a place where they
can learn and study as well as looking for resolution of their problems. Children, for
example, they can borrow books and read in the library that improve their knowledge and
practice their skills of reading and writing with various advanced educated materials.
“Place is a pause in movement. Animals, including human beings, pause at a locality
because it satisfies certain biological needs” (138). Library is a place for all children and
adults who come in either doing homework or looking for individual’s needs after school
and work. It provides people a nice and clean environment to serve in different purposes
in their daily life. They can take a rest without rushing home for studying or reading, but
having extra time to accomplish what they want.
Some visible places infatuate people and record their memories about the past.
Those places are always important to people because they have special meaning to them.
This concept can be indicated in Tuan’s chapter, Visibility: the Creation of Place. He tells
that “Many places, profoundly significant to particular individuals and groups, have little
visual prominence. They are know viscerally, as it were, and not through the discerning
eye or mind” (162). Mapleton branch is located in the intersection of 18th avenue and 60th
street in Brooklyn. It is only one library in the neighborhood and close to the elementary
school, high school and most of residents. The structure of library is slightly like each
side doors of the pentagon that people can recognize it when they pass by; “To the local
people sense of place is promoted not only by their settlement’s physical circumscription
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in space; an awareness of other settlements and rivalry with them significantly enhance
the feeling of uniqueness and of identity” (166). As the library is particular place that
students and residents who goes to school and live in this neighborhood will easily to
identify the valuable existence of it. It does not only exist in the area, but it is significant
and convenient to everyone who satisfies with the needs.
Mapleton branch is the place where I can find my space and freedom outside of the
world. According to the concepts and ideas from Tuan, I can distinguish the meaning of
the space and place as well as understanding the stories I have read. From the stories of
Metamorphosis, The Yellow Wallpaper and To Room Nineteen, I find the similar and
difference to compare my feeling of spaciousness in library. In the meantime, library is
not only considered my space and place. It is also for other people who need their
spaciousness. With Tuan’s point of view about the perspective of experience in place and
space, I can clearly understand that library is significant to most people needs in various
ways to escape their pressure and anxious for a new environment which provides their
freedom and space like what I desire. I can define what kind of place is considered my
space in physical and psychological. A limited space can be my space if I feel
comfortable and satisfy with my needs, but occupying a large space doesn’t mean more
space I have when I feel a lot of pressures and despairs.
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Works Cited
Tuan, Yi-Fu. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minnesota: the University
of Minnesota Press, 1977. Print.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper” An Introduction to Fiction.eds X.J.
Kennedy & Dana Gioia.
Lessing, Doris. To Room Nineteen, New York: W.W. Norton, 2000. Print.
Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis” An Introduction to Fiction.eds X.J. Kennedy &
Dana Gioia.
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