Morlyan 1

Mari Morlyan
Professor Malvin
English 114B
February 20, 2016
Beauty of the Beach Skylight
People from all over the world come to visit L.A.s beautiful landscapes, but one thing
L.A. is primarily known for is their exquisite beaches. When someone mentions L.A. the first
thing people think about is the beach because it is a great place to view the sky, enjoy the
sunlight, watch the sunset, and appreciate the wonderful L.A. light. In Lawrence Weschlers
piece L.A. Glows, he explains how the Los Angeles light brings people to California and once
its seen they search to see this light once again. There are millions of places in L.A. to see the
skylight in its various forms, however, these forms of light can best be seen on the beach where
there is nothing obstructing the glorious view of the L.A. sky.
When someone goes to the beach for a whole day, the first form of skylight they admire
is the sunlight, because they can experience the different elements of the sun. When first going to
the beach, the sun is super bright and is directly on people while they are in the cold ocean water
and playing volleyball on the burning sand. In California its always hot, so the beach is a perfect
place to go enjoy this sunlight and to cool off at the same time. Then the day will go on and the
sunlight starts getting dimmer as people lay on the warm sand feeling the air getting cooler.
Finally from a bright yellow the sun goes down to a hint of orange and starts to slowly set. Going
to the beach for a whole day will make someone want to come back so they can witness the
change of sunlight once again, and that may not be able to be seen clearly from anywhere else in

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L.A. except from the beach. In L.A. Glows, Weschler explains how people come to California
because of the L.A. light, David Hockney maintains that the extravagant light of Los Angles
was one of the strongest lures drawing him to Southern California in the first place (666). Not
just any place in this world has this incredible light people love and according to Weschler,
Hockney was one of those people who were drawn to this special light. The beautiful elements of
the sunlight are one of the many reasons why people come to the L.A. beaches. This is the one
place where these different forms of the sun can be seen clearly. For example, people drive to
Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice, and to many other beaches no matter how far the drive is just to
witness this change in the sunlight because it is so magical and vividly viewed from the beach
horizon.
L.A. is also known for its breathtaking sunsets and what better place to watch the second
form of the skylight than the beach. The day slowly comes to an end and the skylight changes to
an orange/pink color and one can see the sun starting to set. The ocean is also the main reason
why the sunset looks so magical at the beach. It looks like the sun is being lost into the ocean
horizon and the clear view of it looks like a work of art. Its not the same watching the sunset at
any other location because there are all these distractions around people that may draw them
away from seeing the sunset, and how can they enjoy the different elements of the skylight when
they are at home all day, driving, or just being blocked by buildings. When going to the beach
there is nothing blocking the view from seeing the gorgeous sunset. Weschler felt the same way
about the L.A. light as I do with seeing the sunset at the beach. He explains how he was watching
television and saw the light of L.A. and started to tear up because he has been looking for this
light for years. He informs readers about his love of the sunset by telling his wife and daughter,
Its that light! Thats the light I keep telling you girls about (666). He lives somewhere else

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now and was shocked that he finally saw the light he has been telling his family about and now
he finally gets to show them what his whole excitement was about. After witnessing the sunset at
the beach people might not enjoy watching the sunset anywhere else. At the beach all someone
can hear is the waves crashing into the shore and their peaceful mind, but anywhere else in L.A
they will hear engines running, cars honking, construction, and all other kinds of noises. Every
time I go to the beach Im filled with excitement to see the sunset just as Weschler was excited to
finally see the light he was waiting to see for years.
After people have spent their whole day at the beach, they will have witnessed the
sunlight, the sunset, and now its time to see the stunning moonlight of the night sky. Its dark out
at the beach but there is still light since it is given to us by the moon. Its never pitch black at the
beach as it is out on the streets and thats because the moon shines onto the ocean water and the
reflection of the moonlight gives the beach a nice glim of light. Weschler interviews a colleague
of his, Zirin, about the clear view of the L.A. sky and Zirin explains, On the other hand, go out
to the Santa Monica palisade and gaze out over the cool water. Its completely clear and distinct,
clean out to the horizon (668). Zirin also believes that the beach has a clear view of the ocean
horizon and skylight at any time of the day. The moon can be hidden when at home or driving,
but at the beach it is right in front of our eyes. For instance, I was at the Santa Monica beach with
my friends last week and when the moon was out we looked towards the pier and we were able
to see the pier perfectly because the moonlight was shining on it. The unique part about seeing
the moonlight clearly from the beach is that someone can get to look at the surroundings around
them at night and still see the vivid beauty of it as seen during the day.
Some people might disagree with my argument that the sunset is best seen in the L.A.
beach and argue that it can be seen just as well in any other city. Hawaii is surrounded by water

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and most people can clearly see it from wherever they are. That doesnt make it as special to
view because its a daily routine. However, in L.A. everyones view is a building or oncoming
traffic, so going to the beach once out of the month and viewing the sunset is a special moment
because people here rarely have the time or opportunity to view it clearly.
The way Weschler fell in love with the L.A. light is the same way I fell in love with the
beach skylight. The various forms of light spoke to me and made me appreciate L.A. a lot more
since I got to find a place to see the light change from a bright yellow, then to an orange sunset,
and finally to a clear mystical light vividly with nothing blocking my view. People all over the
world dream to come see this breathtaking skylight and those living here have the opportunity to
see the light clearly but they dont. I suggest people to go to the beach for a whole day and
absorb these various forms of the skylight because it can speak to their feelings, help them relax,
and they will be able to appreciate this wonderful L.A. light even more. Im sure after spending
the day at the beach viewing the skylight, people will end up going back quite often since they
are now aware of what happens in the L.A. sky while at the beach.

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Works Cited
Weschler, Lawrence. "L.A. Glows." Ed. David L. Ulin. Writing Los Angeles: A Literary
Anthology. New York: Library of America, 2002. 666-76. Print.

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Authors Statement
Ever since I was little my grandparents would take me camping by the beach every summer and
we would stay at a campsite right next to the beach. I would be out on the beach all day
experiencing the different forms of the sunlight. My favorite part was when I would be able to
see the sunset right from my trailer which was facing the ocean. This experience in my life
inspired me to write this essay based on the beach skylight.