Michael DeBiase Gabriela Rios ENC 1102H 9/24/12 Emotional and Behavioral Connection to Place Analyzing the places

he visits on a regular basis as well as the way he interacts with his environment reveals the unique feelings and attitudes an individual possesses in specific situations. After examining my cultural centers, the places that define me as an individual, I have come to realize that the places and situations I surround myself with, as well as how I respond to them, are a better indication of who I am as a person than simply by observing my lone self. Every one of these centers contains an unspoken set of rules for how to act, how to present ones self, and how to communicate appropriately with members of the centers. What truly distinguishes an individual is the way he responds to those underlying rules. Each of the places I describe on my map also holds some sort of emotional link; a link that triggers a certain feeling, or level of comfort, which arises each time I visit these places. The specific ways in which I react to the emotions relies heavily on the behavioral expectations of the setting I am in. These expectations, along with the guidelines, rules, and emotions that are present, help to illustrate the ideas and practices that make each place a defining cultural center. I first want to begin by talking about my own personal and emotional experiences at some of my cultural centers. There are a few spaces where I feel right at home. The two places that bring me a sense of safety and comfort include my home and my girlfriends house. Every time I am around the corner and approaching one of these places, a feeling of

DeBiase 2 relief washes over me because I know I have nothing to fear when I arrive. It is not only the structures themselves that bring about these emotions, but the environment altogether. Both her family and mine create a situation where everyone can interact in a casual manner and not have to worry about crossing the lines of what society considers appropriate. Lloyd Bitzer states, discourse comes into existence because of some specific condition or situation which invites utterance (4). In this case, the discourse is the behavior that arises because of the emotional response to my friends and family in their homes. The relaxed sort of behavior that I display within these places is the discourse that develops as a result of my positive emotional reaction to the situation. The way we interact with each other in response to our emotions, and in accordance with the unspoken rules, serves as a means to communicate our discourses. The two examples I have mentioned are unique to me, and I have come to realize that I am biased toward the nature of life at home for people in general. What I mean by this is that not all people experience the same emotional response when they are home that I do. There are people I know who loathe the thought of returning home even for holidays because their life at home is far from enjoyable. My best friend of more than ten years is someone in that category. He would much rather live the rest of his life as a vagabond traveling from place to place than have to deal with the daily stresses that come with living at home. For him, there is no relief when he rounds the corner a block from home. Instead he feels anxious to reach his room and shut the door, or nervous that another fight is in progress, one that he will be forced into choosing sides. He will in turn behave in a negative manner, one that develops from the thoughts and feelings he has about that place and the situations that await him. Comparing the situation that my friend is in and the situation I

DeBiase 3 find myself in, I can further see the distinction between peoples power structures in relation to their personal cultural centers. He behaves in halfhearted and reluctant manner when he is home, but I, on the other hand, always enjoy the idea of being home. Each behavioral pattern stems from its own emotional roots. There are several places that convey a very different emotional response from me. These places include the YMCA, the library, and the Palm Valley Golf Course, all of which are locations for improving myself and gaining value. In each of these spaces I have an intense feeling of dedication towards refining my skills in each of these disciplines. At the gym I focus on improving my health and athletic performance, at the golf course I work on improving my game, and at the library I work on expanding my knowledge and excelling in my academics. All three of these places impart a feeling of focus and awareness of my surroundings and my goals. The level of urgency and persistence I feel at these locations are unique to me, whereas somebody else with different emotional connections could feel the complete opposite. For example, my brother hates going to the gym now because of an injury that he suffered as a result of lifting too heavily. He had a full scholarship to play Division I lacrosse but had the offer revoked after suffering an injury that required reconstructive knee surgery. He was stunned. All of the sudden his dreams of playing professionally began to fade and a hate for anything fitness related began to develop. In his case, there is a feeling of resentment towards the very same YMCA that I love. Sometimes he will explode with anger when someone invites him to work out; this behavior is the result of deeply entrenched emotional dissonance between him and the gym. I once had the notion that everyone considered the YMCA an inspirational place, but after seeing the

DeBiase 4 emotional disconnection my brother has encountered, I now clearly understand that people can be subjected to the same cultural centers in entirely contrasting fashions. The last set of places I would like to discuss concerning a definitive emotional response includes Sierra Grille, Sneakers, and the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. When I find myself at any of these places, I feel my life being put on hold temporarily to enjoy the little pleasures that are found along the way. Upon arriving, there is a feeling of camaraderie in the air because I know all of my closest friends will most likely be waiting for me at a table, anticipating the antics to come. I trust these places; my spirits are high here. This has not always been the case though. I was once skeptical of each of these places; Sierra Grille because I feared shifting my lunchtime loyalties away from Moes, Sneakers because of the string of muggings that took place on the same block, and the Inn & Club because I am not actually a member there and ultimately have to trespass in order to gain access. These places once had me nervous to even come near, which caused me to behave in an erratic and uncomfortable sort of way. This all changed with the constant exposure to my friends discourses and perspectives on the situations. According to Barbara Biesecker, rhetoric has the potency to influence an audience [and] realign their allegiance, and this is exactly what happened to me (111). With constant reassurance that Sierra Grille is far better than Moes, that police presence was increased near Sneakers, and that I was allowed to be a guest at the Inn & Club, my emotions towards these places transformed and therefore so did my behavioral tendencies. My allegiance to my original discourses has changed because I analyzed what my friends discourses stated pertaining to the situations. This is another prime example of how there can be diverse reactions to certain cultural centers, even if the differences occur within the same individual.

DeBiase 5 Observing peoples emotional connections to their cultural centers and the behaviors that grow from these emotions has helped me to identify my biases and realize that people do not encounter cultural centers in the same way. From the stark differences in the way individuals experience their home lives, to the changes someone can face through rhetorical listening really shows how vital cultural centers are to an individuals emotional and behavioral wellbeing. When emotions run wild and opposing attitudes butt heads, new perspectives on locational significance can emerge. There is clear evidence that a shared cultural center has a distinct and unique significances from person to person. Whenever someone encounters a new environment they should observe the emotions and consequential behaviors of those emotions that are present among the members of that environment. From this their own interpretation can be formed about how, and in what ways, the specific cultural center affects them.

DeBiase 6 Bibliography Biesecker, Barbara A. "Rethinking the Rhetorical Situation from Within the Thematic of Difference." Philosophy and Rhetoric 22.2 (1989): 110-30 Bitzer, Loyd. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy and Rhetoric. 1.1 (1968). 1-14 City-Data.com. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Web. 16 September. 2012