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.