Extra Credit - qarrtsiluni

As I looked around on qarrtsiluni, one of the first things that caught my eye was http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/12/05/grandfather-on-god-and-richmond/. I was so excited. I’m from Richmond, Virginia, the place described in this piece, so immediately, I read through it. This piece of writing brought so many images to my eyes. I have been to every place described in here, so I immediately thought of my home. Richmond is so beautiful, and this writer did such a fantastic job capturing its beauty.

The next thing I was drawn to was http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/11/11/the-key-of-joy/. It originally stood out to me because it was sheet music, and I absolutely love music. I’ve been playing the piano for almost 14 years, so it is very important to me. This piece of music was absolutely beautiful. I loved being able to sit and listen to the music while reading it on the page. The woman singing had a gorgeous soprano voice that hits notes I can only dream of hitting.

I saw this beautiful photograph, http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/10/24/qran-study/, and stared at it for a good five minutes. I am so intrigued by different religions. I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school my whole life, and grew tired of it. I always wanted to learn more about different cultures and their beliefs. It’s such a lovely photo; the mood is so simple and serene. I love how he is so immersed in his religion and prayer, which is something I aspire to someday when I find what is right for me.

Sometimes, I find that writing is hard to catch my eye. I don’t really know why this certain piece stuck out, but it did. http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/09/28/truth-about-margaret/. I particularly enjoy the last stanza, where the narrator discusses how old people can still see beauty. I absolutely love finding the beauty in odd or peculiar things. I believe beauty should have no standards and the way some people define beauty is too close-minded. Therefore, I adore how the old woman thinks someone, who usually isn’t considered beautiful, is beautiful.

Finally, after much searching, this picture (http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/06/13/prisoner/) stuck out at me. It’s so poignant. When I look at the statue, I see despair and loneliness. As I read the comments, I love what one particular poster said, “’Waits and waits….’ with the ellipsis. The poet’s last words don’t end the poem; it’s kept open.” It gives almost a slight glimmer of hope for the figurine, which is the visual depiction of the poem.

Self Evaluation

I have always loved the arts. It has been a passion of mine for years. So, coming into this English class, nothing seemed new to me. I have been to many different art museums, and I have seen tons of musical performances. However, I have learned how to express my opinions of different types of art through my writing. This class definitely helped me learn the different events Penn State offers around campus. I never even thought about going to a poetry reading before I took this course. However, now I know that Penn State offers them, and it is something I can see myself attending.

I never considered myself a good writer – I always figured I had other talents. Because of this class, I feel like I can better express my arguments in my writing. I learned a little about the different appeals in high school, but I never used them as much as this class. Also, in high school, we spent more time reading and analyzing novels and different pieces of writing than we did actually writing. This class better prepared me for the different types of papers I will have to write in the rest of my time at Penn State.

I will definitely take away a lot from English 15S. I learned more about writing than I ever did in high school. Thanks Sheila for being such a fabulous teacher! :)

Sheila's Reading (event)

Let’s be honest, I’ve never been to any sort of reading by an author, and I’ve never had anyone read something they have personally written to me. Walking into class Thursday morning, I had completely forgotten about having someone come to our class to talk and read to us. I was wondering what we would be doing that morning, because I didn’t receive our usual email detailing the events occurring in class. However, I was delighted to hear that my teacher would be reading to us – not only because it meant that I would be done with my outside event requirement, but also because I was truly intrigued to hear some of Shelia’s writing. I had thoroughly enjoyed her memoir when she read it to us in class one day, so I was interested to see what the morning would bring.

The first thing Sheila mentioned was that she had never read these particular works to anyone before. I thought that was pretty cool – we were the first ears to hear these writings. She began with a lyric essay titled “Self Portrait with Roller Coaster.” I think this particular work was my favorite out of all the ones she read to us. I loved how she used the theme park to allow the reader to get to know the young girl, who turned out to be Sheila. During the question and answer session, Shelia told us some silly stories about an amusement park she went to as a young girl. I could tell that the memories from those places are fond for her.

I also enjoyed the single happy poem Sheila read us titled “On Maui in Praise.” I thought it was hilarious how she described why the poem was happy – “because everyone is getting some!” It was a very interesting story, with her parents walking into the ocean fully clothed. I definitely like how Sheila writes about her family. I feel like I know so much about her life.

Overall, I really enjoyed having her read to us in class. I had no idea there were so many different types of poems, and she read us examples from many different kinds. I enjoyed each story and poem, and I’m very glad that Shelia decided to share her writing with us.

SRTEs

Hey Mrs S, I just filled out my SRTE form! Love, Sarah :)

We Are... Not What the Media Thinks.

I purposely waited until after Thanksgiving break to complete this assignment, because I knew that being away from State College would allow me to clear my head about the scandal. Back home in Virginia, I didn’t think much about the situation – no one really asked me about it. As I re-read my writing from class, I don’t feel as involved or upset about it anymore. I still have my opinions about what happened, but I have come to a point of realization. I understand now that we don’t know all the facts, so it is not possible for me to form a legitimate and informed opinion about the scandal itself. However, my anger mostly stems from the media’s portrayal of the university.

Personally, I believe the media has been the worst part of this whole scandal. Not only has it made the whole situation worse, it also has left a lot of people misinformed. Many people that had talked to me via the Internet when the scandal first broke were convinced that Joe Paterno had committed the crime or that he was the one who walked in on Sandusky in the locker room. From what is said in the grand jury report, Coach Paterno was only told of the incident. Because of his supposed lack of action, the Board of Trustees fired him after he announced his retirement effective the end of the season.

The night he was fired I could not voice my feelings in words. It was completely unexplainable the emotions I felt. My father attended Penn State, so I have grown up knowing who Joe Paterno is. I was the little girl dressed in the cheerleading outfits and the Penn State apparel. I watched Paterno coach football games each fall on television. Penn State had a perfect image in my eyes; having it tarnished was almost unreal. When I found out he was fired, I was angry and sad – filled with many different emotions. I knew Downtown would be crazy, so I went to the riots.

Contrary to what the media published, most of the kids downtown were there to watch the few crazy students. Yes, a van was flipped over, and yes, fireworks were shot and light poles were shaken. The riot wasn’t just a Penn State thing; riots happen everywhere. I remember a local university near where I live rioting after they lost a March Madness Final Four basketball game. Similar shenanigans occurred, and the police used pepper spray, like they did here. However, I’m not saying that the riot is something Penn State students should be proud of, but I don’t think it should be such a big focus.

On the night of the riot and the following days, clips of the event were on repeat on every news station. No one could get enough. Every newscaster was criticizing the behavior and generalizing it to make it seem that every Penn State student participated. The candlelight vigil, however, didn’t seem to make it on the news. I think that is what upsets me the most. The media is only out there to make money, so they have no probably sharing only the bad side of situations. They made the actions of one man and a few, stupid college students seem like the actions of an entire university. I just hope that people, including future employers, understand that those people don’t define Penn State.

In the Heights (event)

Back home, I always attended the many touring Broadway performances that ended up in the local theatre. When I found out that In the Heights was to be showing here at Penn State, I was ecstatic. So, on October 18, 2011, I went out with my floormate to see the musical. The first thing I noticed was how poorly designed the Eisenhower theatre was! There was no middle aisle in the orchestra section, so there was no escaping to the restroom in the middle of the performance.

However, this was not a problem for me, because our seats were located on the end of a row. As the lights dimmed, a man came out and welcomed us to the show, mentioning that one of the members of the ensemble was a graduate of Penn State. The set was a section of a street in New York City, with a little bodega, owned by the main character Usnavi. The opening number, performed by Usnavi, uses a mixture of many different types of music, including rap, hip-hop, and latino. I was very impressed with how well the different varieties of music were integrated. The entire show used a mixture of the Spanish and English language. Thankfully, I took Spanish in high school, so I was able to understand most everything that was said in the language. However, the show did a really good job about making the language understandable even for non-Spanish speakers. Almost all of the songs contained a little bit of Spanish, but by using the context and the emotion of the actor, almost anyone could figure out what the Spanish words meant.

One of the best things about this show was the amount of energy each and every cast member had. The show was constantly moving, and not once did I feel bored or like the show was dragging. The cast had a lot of impact on the energetic mood. I could tell every performer loved what they were doing and was having a blast. My absolute favorite character was Sonny, the cousin of Usnavi. Sonny is a young boy who works in Usnavi’s bodega. He was hilarious the entire performance. Perhaps I enjoyed Sonny so much because both the character and the actor, Robert Ramirez, reminded me of someone I knew. However, his comedic timing was perfect. I especially enjoyed the scene where he asked out Vanessa for Usnavi.

Overall, this musical was one of the best I have seen. Compared to the Broadway musicals that I have seen in New York City, this version of In The Heights was spot on. Everything from the set to the acting was right on key and absolutely wonderful. It felt like I was in New York throughout the whole performance. Every one of those actors had the potential to be on Broadway. I would highly recommend the show for anyone, especially if you love theatre.

"Another Show"

Throughout my life, I have been exposed to the many aspects of theatre. I’ve seen more performances than I can count. I’ve participated in many shows, both on stage and backstage. Because of this, going to see Kiss Me, Kate with our class was not a big deal to me. Honestly, I probably would have gone to see the show on my own. I have seen many different varieties of live theatre, from high school productions to local theatre to Broadway. Each is unique in its own way. Obviously, Kiss Me, Kate did not compare in scale to a full Broadway performance. However, the show was, in fact, one of the better college performances I have seen. I had high expectations for the show, simply because I knew that Penn State had a fairly good theatre program.

The show lived up to my expectations. The set was creative, and it looked very professional. The cast was phenomenal. I looked through the program and saw that seniors played the four lead roles, so I attribute their talent to how long they have been studying to earn this role. I only had one problem with this show – it was very long. Perhaps I was just tired, but towards the end of the second act, the play just seemed to drag on. Mostly, it is not the company’s fault for the length, just the author of the original musical.

I am a big fan of almost every musical. I absolutely love music, so watching characters express their feelings through song makes sense to me. Some of my favorite musicals include Grease, Wicked, Cinderella, Singin’ In the Rain, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. I like all types of musicals – ranging from recent hits to old classics. While I had never seen Kiss Me, Kate before, I knew it was a popular musical from around the 1940s. Overall, it was pretty much like I expected. It was mostly a love story, with some funny scenes in between.

Though I was unsure as to how I would feel about the musical numbers, I was pleasantly surprised. I have never been a big fan of songs from older musicals, because I tend to prefer the big spectacle of modern musical. However, one number from Kiss Me, Kate caught my eye. I really loved “Too Darn Hot.” It was very enjoyable and a great opening number for the second act. Everything, from the red lights to the jazzy music to the intense dancing, is exactly why I love theatre. The energy from the actors filled the theatre, and it really showed through their performance.

I have not read or seen Taming of the Shrew, but I did have a general knowledge of the play. I had seen movies that were loosely based off of Shakespeare’s work, so I knew the general plot of it. Knowing the general plot of the play definitely helped me understand the plot of Kiss Me, Kate a lot more clearly. It was also funny being able to pick out the similarities between the two shows.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time seeing Kiss Me, Kate. Now that I have a general idea of the quality of Penn State’s theatre, I think I will definitely attend more of their shows in the future.

We Are ... Number 1?

After finishing this podcast, I had mixed emotions towards it. When first hearing the recording of the young people in the neighborhood and their antics, I originally was upset. I felt embarrassed to be from Penn State, where apparently street signs are ripped down and girls hike up their skirts to publicly urinate. Not being much of a partier, these images baffled me. I’ve always assumed that acts like these occurred, but I never was truly confronted with them. However, as I continued to listen to the podcast, my original feelings changed. The initial shock of the drunken images went away, and I remembered that all schools party.

Where I am from, there are many universities nearby. One in particular, located in the city, is not far from my high school. I had older friends attended there, and from their stories, I can safely assume that their parties are extremely similar to Penn State parties. I can honestly say that I think the images presented are an appropriate portrayal of college parties. College does have other important aspects to it though, so I do not agree that it is a suitable portrayal of Penn State University as a whole. We have much more to offer than just good parties.

The ethos are especially weak when intoxicated students are allowed to speak. This makes sense, however, because being inebriated doesn’t allow for much credibility or reliability. For example, when the two drunken young men were asked about the stop sign, they first lied about how they acquired it. However, the interviewers seemed reliable, as they used facts and significant sources, including interviews by Graham Spanier.

Pathos were widely used throughout this podcast, but the most significant moment for me was the topic of death. Bringing up the subject was important though, because it is the most serious consequence of drinking. Describing the young man’s night and how they found him made me sad, but the most touching was having his friend speak. Listening to him talk was moving, especially because you could hear the shakiness of his voice. Imagining the pain he was going through after the death is challenging.

As for logos, the interviewers did a good job. As I previously mentioned, they used clips from Graham Spanier’s interviews, which reflect clearly how the university feels about drinking. It allowed listeners to hear how the entire university feels about it and not just hear the silly stories about the “awesome” parties. Also, by having clips from people in State College who participate in the events allowed the piece to make its case. Hearing explicit examples of people who participate in these acts makes the issue much more understandable and known.

Issues of definition are shown throughout this piece, from the small and silly definition of a “fracket,” the jacket you wear to a frat party, to the important explanation of “pre-gaming,” which is where people drink before they go out. The latter is important to explain to the listeners so they can better comprehend the podcast. As for the definition of Penn State in this piece, I don’t think it explicitly defines the university negatively. The piece offers many sides to the university, from explaining the outrageous behaviors of the drunken students to the opinions of the President and the school. After finishing this piece, I didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed to say that I study at Penn State. We were just used as an example, out of many other universities, to present the issue of drinking and partying.

Prompt 3

On a chilly Thursday evening, my floormates and I decided to venture downtown and grab a late dinner. Despite it being a school night, many students were out and about on College Ave. Talking with my friends, the three of us decided we needed a restaurant that was fairly inexpensive and with pretty quick service. After contemplating, we decided upon Baby’s Burgers and Shakes. I had heard many raving reviews of this restaurant and let me tell you - those reviews were true! Baby’s is a small 1950s style diner. The waitresses wore saddle shoes and black 1950 dresses. The walls behind the bar were lined with kitschy signs describing their delicious coffee that “even they drink.” We were seated in a tall red booth with a small, personal jukebox filled with hundreds of oldies songs. After browsing the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted – a milkshake. Everyone I talked to raved about these milkshakes. I now understand why. Baby’s serves the most delectable milkshakes. Every sip of the oreo milkshake tasted wonderful. Served in a tall, clear glass, this shake was perfect. Not too think and not too think, this milkshake slurped perfectly through my straw. It was perfectly chilled and it tasted better than any other milkshake I have had. It was definitely worth the $4 I spent.

Prompt 2

I’ve never been a “museumgoer”, so I didn’t enter the Palmer Museum with many expectations. Honestly, I was more excited for this visit because I knew we would not have class on Thursday. The Palmer Museum of Art surprised me. I spent a lot of time wandering around and taking everything in. I couldn’t decide on a piece to blog about; there were so many different options! However, I finally settled on a painting that stood out above all the other pieces.

Bibutsu painted by Ed Paschke (1982) stood out above the rest. Painted oil on canvas, this large painting used lots of cool colors. There was no red and very little orange or pink used. It consisted of mostly blues and greens. Close ups of two green men were featured, and both had a faint outline surrounding them. The man on the right fades towards the bottom of the painting, while the man on the left wears a very sharp suit. The green of the men and the white suit contrast the dark blue background. This painting was very abstract, and the artist used a lot of horizontal lines.

In 1982, computers were starting to become household items. Apple had been invented, and IBM computers were fairly popular. At this point in time, televisions had been around for about 30 years. Paschke created this painting in an age where computer usage was rising and technology was becoming more and more important. Using the horizontal lines reflects the age that the painting was created in. The lines give the painting a “technological” feel, almost as if it were a computer or television screen. I think that Paschke was commenting on the era and how the strong usage of computers seemed to be changing the world.

However, while I admired this painting, I certainly did not feel happy, but I didn’t feel sad either. The painting sort of had a gloomy feel towards it. I almost felt like I was watching television or using a computer, so I didn’t feel a truly distinct emotion. This relates to the comment Paschke makes with his painting. Because I didn’t feel a certain negative or positive emotion towards it, it leaves this painting in a limbo. Paschke leaves it up to the audience to decide whether or the new usage of computers changes the world in a good way or a bad way.

Ed Paschke lived in Chicago, Illinois most of his life, and earned both his BFA and his MFA from The School of the Art Institute located there. Later in his life, he became a professor of art at Northwestern University. These facts allow the audience to see Paschke as a credible artist – he had good training and a successful career using his artwork. Many of his works of art are located around the world, including: Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Hirshorn Museum in Washington D.C., Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA, and Musee d’Art Moderne Nationale in Paris.

Bibutsu makes a claim about the use of technology in the late 20^th century. The title “Bibutsu” means “two buddhas” in Japanese. This is presenting the question of who or what we consider the “buddhas” of our life with the increased usage of technology.

As for my overall experience, I certainly did not expect the Palmer Museum to be like that – it was much larger than I expected and had more artwork than I expected. As I said previously, I am not a museumgoer. Walking around a big room reading signs has never been interesting for me. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my first time at the Palmer Museum of Art, though, if I ever went back, I would need a guide to help me along.

Source: Http://www.edpaschke.com

Prompt 1

I have never thought of myself as a good writer. Throughout high school, I considered myself mediocre – writing without talent and without any strong desire to do so. However, my small, all-girls school challenged my writing. The fall semester of senior year English consisted of creating a senior narrative, something we could use for college essays if we so desired. My first weakness – I used my narrative for EVERY college application. I somehow wiggled my way into making the essay fit for every question on every application. I had no interest in writing any more than I had to. That’s so bad! Don’t get me wrong, the essay managed to mostly work for each university, but I definitely could have written something to better fit each question. I just could never motivate myself to create something new. So that’s my first weakness – no motivation. However, coming to Penn State, I knew that my lack of motivation was something I definitely wanted to improve.

Each year throughout high school, we were assigned research papers. These papers pretty much were the worst homework we could ever receive. All of the girls dreaded the springtime because we knew that soon we would be bombarded with notecards and outlines. I was always very consistent with my due dates and research. Therefore, I consider my organization an important strength to my writing. Keeping organized, especially when writing such a large paper, is extremely important. Because of this, I always had correct citations – important especially when plagiarizing can get you expelled from school. I feel prepared for college research writing, simply because of my experience in high school.

Though I have enough preparation in the “research writing” department, I certainly don’t feel ready for writing outside of that genre. In school, I was assigned many literary analyses, but rarely anything similar to this blog. As I said earlier, I had to write a college narrative used for our applications. I have never been so self-conscious about a piece of writing. This brings me to my second weakness – being nervous to share my writing. As I’m writing this blog, I’m so concerned with the fact that quite a few people will be reading this. I don’t necessarily feel embarrassed, but I certainly feel like people will judge my writing abilities. Through the peer reviews that this class requires, I am hoping to move past my weakness.

For my final strength, I’d like to elaborate on my love for art. I am not a fan of visual art. I do appreciate it and its beauty; however, it is certainly not my favorite medium. My creativity is focused more on the performing arts, but this can lend itself to creative writing. I am constantly thinking of new concepts for a play or a musical, which gives me many ideas to work off of for a writing piece. Though I have never acted on my ideas, I am eager that my love for theatre will lend itself in this class. I hope to increase my skill in creative writing, since I don’t have much experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDcSrODALQ
This particular link gives me chills. I had the privilege to see this show live last year. I am pretty sure I experienced every emotion possible during it; I cried, I laughed, I got chills. Though it was not the same actors (obviously) that performed, the current performers were just as fantastic. What amazes me the most is that the whole performance is live. The set looks so realistic, especially when they are traveling on the boat. It is unbelievable to me that in reality, they are only on a stage and not water. Because it is live, I feel like I am a part of the show. I am right there experiencing it all – I see the love, the joy, and the sadness all play out in front of me. Because of this, live performing deserves the title of art. Not everyone has the ability to evoke emotion out of people; those actors simply have talent.

I hope my life at Penn State leads me to an ability like that – arousing emotion in others.