Photo Description of the waiting room in Chicago, Illinois by Jack Delano - Essay Example

Couse Reflective Essay In the essay, I was assigned an exercise to describe a photograph taken by Jack Delano at the Illinois train station. I completed the assignment and submitted for correction to which there were few mistakes that were pointed out from the lecturer. The lecturer commended me for submitting the assignment appreciating my effort in the work. However, he pointed to me that I had used some phrases and words that were not very clear. Of major concern was the lack of clear thesis statement in the first paragraph as recommended for writing such documents? He advised that it should take the format of stating the thesis in the first paragraph before embarking on analysis of the photo in the subsequent paragraphs. Subsequent paragraphs should be linked to the thesis then proceed with a clear and valid conclusion. In the final essay, I managed to make few corrections as had been advised earlier on. I reduced the long sentences that characterized the first copy to shorter but more coherent sentences. I then reduced the number of pages by one from the initial five to four. The second copy also included the reflective essay about the first work and the corrections made. I developed the thesis right away in the first paragraph although it was a little different from the first one. I then tried very much to support the thesis in the subsequent paragraphs. I then made a conclusion that reflected what had been discussed in the document keeping in mind all the corrections i was advised to make. Conclusion Comparing the first document to the final one, I realized the second was better. I also managed to learn and acquire experience of writing such papers. This exercise is not very difficult as I had thought it would be the first time I was given the assignment. Photo Description of the waiting room in Chicago, Illinois The photo represents a caption of the waiting room of the Union Station (LOC) photographed by Jack Delano. From the general look, the photo represents a caption of people waiting at the train station to probably board the train. However, from a closer look at the photo, it can be seen that the focus of the photo man was at the two gentle men standing at the foreground. The probable interest might be a case that appears to be of concern to the gentlemen as can be seen from their looks. The picture communicates a lot of information about the nature of activities and the people in the caption, however, among the messages in the picture, one is dominant. A case that is troubling the two gentle men and the others in the picture even though among the concerned parties, the two gentle men seem to be at the centre of it. This argument is supported by how the Cameraman focused majorly at these two gentlemen who by the nature of their dressing looks like police officers. They appear to be having a serious conversation that can be attributed to this suspected case. The specifics of the conversation is not so apparent, but it is likely not a social conversation as can be seen by their faces (Fleischhauer, et al. 361). A closer look at the photographer’s depiction at their faces reveals that both are not talking at the same time. The gentle man on the right hand side must be the one doing the talking. His posture is straight, and he is looking straight at the other officer at the left hand side. From this looks alone, one can guess their ranks. The officer on the right looks like the more senior one going by his facial appearance which confirms that he is older and senior than his counterpart. He appears to be inquiring about a case from the junior officer or probably giving directions. Whatever the case, it appears more serious. Unlike the other one on the left hand side who is wearing just a common police service suit only, the one on the right hand side is wearing an additional overcoat to supplement the police suit worn within. This plus the seemingly hidden police insignia on the left hand of the police coat he is wearing confirms his seniority within the rank. This makes him more concerned with the case than the other one because the back normally stops with the senior officer and hence his more concerned face. He wants answers to the issue from the junior officer. He is standing at an attention while the other police counterpart is standing at ease with hand folded further confirming he is not at ease with the issues as they are. The gentleman on the left hand side is most likely listening keenly to the words of his superior waiting to respond. The title of the picture pin points that the photograph was taken from the waiting room of a train station in Chicago, Illinois. The person or individual giving orders or the one occupying the office is not known. It might be an individual of a higher security rank such as a top police officer or a public office holder. However, it is evident that the he holds a higher rank within Police force or is a civil servant in the higher job cadre in the United States government. This adds to the need to be more concerned about any single case since such people are the ones entrusted with better services to people and nothing should be allowed to jeopardize this. A closer exploration of the photograph reveals further information to augment this line of thought. On the extreme right hand side of the photograph, common and ordinary members of the society can be seen seated on something that looks like a bench or a pew. They too seem to be whispering about something to each other. The subject of their discussion might probably be related to the issue that is of concern to the two officers. Their business here is apparently not very apparent but looks like they are either waiting to board a train or to be served. Meanwhile, the three women seated after the first one from the left side of the bench seem to be worriedly talking about a matter, which looks like the same thing worrying the officers. They are worried at the way the officers are acting and seem to be sharing their concern (Anthony n.p). One is wearing a light colored top with hands close to each other on the end of the knees. The figure next to her is wearing a dark colored top with one hand stationed across the chin. The other one is wearing a dark colored sleeveless top with thighs crossed in an easy and calm posture. They must be in an informal type of conversation probably gossiping about the issue. From the way they are seated, the lady at the right hand end with light top may be the source of the conversation considering the attention the other ladies are giving her. They are also concerned about the case also and is more (Leacock, Buckley and Prato 40). The bench they are sitting on also carries other people with unknown business. Immediately after the lady wearing the sleeveless top, a solitary figure who appears to be reading a magazine or some paper can be seen. Near the two police men who happen to be the centre of focus, is another police officer. He is standing alone facing the wall but he is most likely engaged in a particular task. Whatever task it is, the officer is seems more concentrated on it and is difficult to tell whether it contributes to the case or is just a different task all together. Conclusion Being a train station, this case might be something related to train departure or arrival or something different but related to train. The other officer at the background is most likely looking at the arrival and departure of the trains. This may concern the case. After considering all these, one may conclude that the case concerned train arrivals or departure. Probably there was a delay on train arrival owing to mechanical breakdown of the train or a problem with the railway line or any other thing but all will be a speculative work without precision. Despite every unknown things in the photo, the picture indeed conveyed the message well. Works Cited Anthony, Kathryn H. "A Quiet Revolution: Womens Public Restrooms in America." (2006). Fleischhauer, Carl, Beverly W. Brannan, Lawrence W. Levine, and Alan Trachtenberg. Documenting America, 1935-1943. Berkeley: University of California Press in association with the Library of Congress, 1988. Print. 361 Leacock, Elspeth, Susan W. Buckley, and Rodica Prato. Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print. 40 Read More