Reflections and Emotions in Civil Engineering: Eiffel Tower - Research Paper Example

 Reflections and Emotions in Civil Engineering: Eiffel Tower Dreams and personal desires play a fundamental role in determining the future of an individual’s life and tend to mold their aspirations toward career. Since childhood, art has always been a personal passion and I have pursued it in virtually every one of my disciplines from education to creative thinking and expression. In my high school years, I first began to develop an appreciation for civil engineering as an art form by conducting numerous research projects about various civil projects that had left a lasting impression on many different societies. From Roman building development in early history to some of the most magnificent architectural structures known today, through this research I discovered the beauty behind civil construction projects and their lasting contribution to the betterment of the human condition. All of these factors are what drew me toward a visit to the Eiffel Tower so that I could explore my emotions and passions for civil engineering and experience a part of cultural history. Aesthetic design and art relates directly to my observations to many important pieces of civil engineering. My trip to Paris exposed me to the intricacies of the Eiffel Tower which has stood as a cultural symbol for well over a century, and has built a thorough impression on the social consciousness of global society. Through design and structural integrity, the Eiffel Tower expresses both ingenuity and the heart of the human spirit. The gleaming black curves and architecture took me to a level of emotional awareness that I had not experienced in a long time. Made of puddling iron construction (Patel, 1), the tower’s simple frame is elegant yet menacing. From the top of the tower, the view was inspirational and I felt personal connection with the other civil engineering projects built around the tower to enhance its cultural and landscape beauty. This experience was significant because it reinforced my emotional need to be a part of something much larger than myself. One of the most memorable experiences was sitting at the top of the Tower, looking down at the passing people who wanted to experience its magnificence at the social or cultural levels. A few discussions with several individuals reinforced how much the tower meant to them at the personal and emotional level, expressing that it meant freedom and liberty. Using some of their ideas, I was able to take my civil engineering talents and, while standing at the top of the tower, put down some of my ideas about how to create another, similar tower that could have comparable lasting meaning on the French people. By looking down at the picturesque landscape, seeing the magnificence of the lush forests and complementing civil engineering projects associated with the view, I envisioned a new type of tower that could inspire the hearts of society all over the world. My drawings helped me to connect with my civil engineering background and I felt genuinely satisfied that I could better contribute to the social and cultural well-being of French citizens by designing a new structure that symbolized new concepts in global relationships and diversity. My inspirations included a marble museum attached to the new tower that might depict images from modern society, such as news broadcasts, that linked the human heart with community spirit. It was at this moment, more than any other in my life, that I was able to firmly secure the importance of civil engineering as a career in order to leave my personal mark on the world. I know that civil engineering projects, especially those constructed with abstract, aesthetic appeal are some of the most admired pieces in the world and I felt legitimately honored to be able to visit one of the most respected architectural structures in the world. Upon moving down the elevator, back to the parks below, I was surprised by a foreign woman who had been crying as she stood with another older woman. Though I could not understand what they were saying, I could tell that she was impressed with the building’s design and her experience with being on top of this famous architectural icon. For a moment, she smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smile back as we seemed, at the empathic and spiritual level, to completely understand that we had both been awestruck by the tower, its history, and its amazing beauty of design. It was the first time in my life that I felt a genuine connection to global society and realized that I could use my civil engineering prowess to make a real difference in people’s lives. I almost felt as if there was a spiritual guide that had brought this woman into the elevator with me so that I could find an important forum to express my own creative and altruistic ideologies. I realized during this Paris trip that structures such as these tend to inspire the imagination and are built as testaments to the ongoing scientific, artistic and mathematical expertise of today’s civil engineering groups. To call the tower an eyesore today is comparable to being labeled sacriligious by the Paris community (historyofthings.com, 2).The Eiffel Tower brings forth personal sensations of human accomplishment and fire the imagination, both culturally and emotionally. Back on the ground, I again turned to admire its ingenuity and beauty and I felt a very strong connection with history and being part of something that is personally liberating and valuable to my soul: Civil engineering. It is my desire that through civil engineering I can bring the same type of cultural enjoyment that this field demands while also giving back to society in a way that is positive and meaningful. Though I certainly understand that not all civil projects provide room for personal expression and artistic creativity, I hope to find the more abstract concepts or designs associated with the field that can complement my appreciation for artistry and my ability to objectively consider realism in civil engineering. My personal experiences with these engineering giants remind me of my place in society and help me to define myself as an artist. Culture has provided numerous examples of projects or structures that complement artistic elegance, and I expect to design even more which create lasting outcomes that are congruent with my artistry values and support the professionalism that a career of this scope should display. Culture is significant in the real-world civil engineering environment, because these values will likely be appreciated and present many different opportunities for advancement and recognition. My Paris trip reaffirmed I that it is my responsibility, through engineering, to bridge any cultural gaps that might exist in society to help people find a common purpose. Majesty and beauty should always be included in civil engineering and it still, to this day, remains my passion at the emotional, spiritual and psychological levels. If I could thank the Eiffel Tower for what it inadvertently has done for my life, I most definitely would do so. My visit to Paris showed me a different side of humanity that was akin to joy. Though I certainly never saw this crying foreigner again, the impact that the tower had one her has given me a totally new direction in career planning and goal-setting that probably would not exist today without her inspiration and emotional openness. This remains the most thrilling experience of my lifetime and is one that I will always remember each and every time I draw up a new civil engineering project design with community and culture in mind. Bibliography Historyofthings.com. “The history of the Eiffel Tower”. Viewed April 2, 2010 at http://www.historyofthings.com/the-history-of-the-eiffel-tower Patel, M. “Eiffel Tower”. Purdue University School of Materials Engineering. Viewed April 2, 2010 at https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/AboutUs/GotMaterials/Buildings/patel.html Read More