Description of the Reel Walker Restaurant - Good Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

Description of the Reel Walker Restaurant

Constant murmuring, clinking of cutlery and pulling of chairs are only interrupted by momentary laughter and conversation. It is a peaceful, late afternoon, perhaps three of four. There not too many people in the room, certainly not the noisy white-collar crowd from the across the street, who’re mostly here at lunch hour. Men in dusty overalls, visibly tired because of their quiet disinterest and subdued conversation, huddled on two corner tables, possibly had a meeting moments earlier. Some lady sat across me with a handbag on her laps drinking coffee, mostly thumbing through a thick glossy magazine, but did not show interest in either. There are two tall flowerpots stood on either side of the main door, as if in an ancient Egyptian tomb, just as quaint as the carved wooden signage right at the door bearing the establishment’s name, which I have never cared to commit to memory. I know it is a restaurant though, the kind that is quaint, affordable, peaceful, mostly peaceful, but with decent meals that I have always cherished.
I like coming here on my own, but still feel slightly feel guilty to bring, or find familiar company. I never look for company here, and frankly, I do not trust the crowd here. The great windows were closed, and instead, the whirring fans on the ceiling swept cold air down, cutting through the already cold and crisp air. On warmer days, it can be stuffy, but today it does not, or perhaps it I cannot notice. It does not feel comfortable, but the waiters here seem to prefer it. They sat two tables down lazily, their eyes glued to television screen at one high corner of the room. The room is on the first floor of an old and barely maintained building with high ceilings, high windows, a large chandelier at the centre of the room and three great pillars, several visible layers of paint and waist-high skirting boards.

I chose to give a vivid description of the restaurant that I have been several times and about which I am conflicted because it is not classy or even hygienic, but which I found peaceful. I felt that the qualities that draw me to the restaurant would give me positive and unpleasant things to write about. In order to create a positive description of the restaurant, I chose to place the reader in the room with me, deliberately omitting negative aspects. I chose to concentrate on the peaceful, laid back and nostalgic tone that the place affords me. I also avoid omitted details of the room being in an old building or poorly maintained. I also used similes and metaphors to convey my message. For instance, I state “two tall flower pots stood on either side of the main door, as if in an ancient Egyptian tomb”. I wanted to identify the place with the quaint marvel that ancient Egyptian tombs are famous for.
While I took care not to lose the serenity of the place in the details, in order to bring out the unpleasant aspects, I highlighted the slight embarrassment that I feel bringing company to this place. I hoped that this statement alone would help portray the fact that this hotel is not classy or decent. I would have guessed that the nature of the clientele would have given this fact away, but in the second paragraph, I deliberately wanted to be less subtle.
I also paid considerable attention to the sentence structure and mechanics mainly because I wanted to preserve the main message in the writing. For instance, repeated words to create an emphasis. At some point, I wrote that the restaurant is “quaint, affordable, peaceful, mostly peaceful, but with decent meals”, to ensure that the emphasis is on the peaceful air that the establishment gives. I also structured my sentences in a way that similar details will be in the same sentence, as against being in multiple sentences. In describing the room, I write “ the room is on the first floor of an old and barely maintained building with high ceilings, high windows, a large chandelier at the centre of the room and three great pillars”

Reflection

This exercise forced me to notice the world around me, which I have always thought that I knew. I have been going to this restaurant for months now, but I have never cared to look at the people and things around. For the first time ever, I was forced to not only observe, but to bring to life everything that I observed. It is not easy, at least not as easy as I had previously thought. Further, I found that my opinion was deeply subjective. I could easily have written a very different description about the place, and so would everyone else. Ultimately, however, it is the overarching feeling about this restaurant that came through the work.