Showing vs. Telling

Andrew Murray
ENC 1102/Sec
January 25, 2010
Andrew.murray@knights.ucf.edu
The Land of the Unknown
(518)

Peering into the realm of the Libra Community at the University of Central Florida, one would notice that one dormitory triumphs over the rest. Rising four stories high into the sunny Orlando sky, Flagler Hall greets its guests with superficial salutations. However, the naive daily visitors are beguiled into believing that Flagler is the paradise of all the land, not knowing the ongoing antics and surprises that plague everyday residents.
It is 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Just a mile down the road, restaurants are in full swing as customers sit to enjoy a fresh, warm first cup of coffee to start the day. Families gather for breakfast and cherish each other’s presence. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the first floor of Flagler Hall is quiet and placid as if an F-5 tornado had immediately blown through just several minutes ago. The spacious pod area has turned from organization of two tables with four chairs tucked meticulously around each table into a pandemonium of overturned furniture and pieces of furniture mysteriously disappearing. Three red couches somehow dwindled down to one lone green couch. To top it off, crumbs of various foods are scattered throughout the carpet as if a chef was sprinkling grated mozzarella on top of a pizza. The walls where sparkling, flamboyant decorations and hand-crafted posters once stood were now bare simply plastered with disheartening white paint. The only question one can put together is, “What on earth could have happened the night before.”
A young third grade boy named Alex sits at his desk in a quaint classroom surrounded by his other classmates as they follow along in their textbooks. His older teacher, dressed in a business suit unlike most teachers, monotonously lectures a math lesson to his students in a dull drone voice. As he turns the page he discovers a mysterious beige envelope which reads “Happy Birthday Alex” in dark bold writing. Immediately, once the envelope is opened, balloons in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears escape and colorful fireworks ignite, lighting up the entire classroom. Alex and his other classmates, and even the classroom hamsters, are appalled and amazed at the splendor of the phenomenon which interrupted the lesson. Consequently, the students from inside that ordinary classroom transition to the magical world of DisneyWorld. Accompanied by the Pirates of the Caribbean, Alex and his friends, donned in pirate apparel, celebrate a birthday with the help of the enchantment of DisneyWorld. The end of this thirty second commercial concludes with the announcer saying, “Celebrate your birthday at Disney parks.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFTV29CJd3o&NR=1
After using the showing vs. telling techniques for both the advertisement and place on campus, I found it to be much easier to write about the place on campus. Having said this, there is more of a three dimensional feel to it. On an advertisement there is only so much that you can write about describing it, while on campus you can add sensory details that you actually experienced, which is why the advertisement was more difficult.