Self Evaluation

1. Everyone always said how college was so much different from high school, but they said the same thing about middle school so I was not too worried. How different could it possibly be? Well, I underestimated that one. Coming to Penn State was like being thrown into a completely world. My mom was not there to make my food. My dad was not here to watch television with me. My friends who I saw every day for four straight years were hundreds of miles away. Everything was so different and to be honest, I did not know how I was going to do it. Eventually, things took a turn for the better and at the end of this semester, I can safely say that I love college and being here is one of the best things ever.

            I learned a lot over the course of the semester in this class. When it came to my writing, I learned that I needed to build up certain details that I brought up. I tend to mention things once and never link them to my thesis or other pieces of the paper. My essays sometimes ended abruptly and now with the instruction I have received, I believe I have effectively fixed that problem. I also thoroughly enjoyed that this class focused around the arts, something I never really have classes on. We attended the arboretum and Palmer Museum of Art. We got to explore many different events and even got to see a play! We were also encouraged to venture into the world of the arts on our own, something most teachers never asked me to do. It was a great new experience that I genuinely enjoyed. I discovered that almost anything can be an art form. Our curated art exhibit was a fun project to complete for the simple fact that we could do it on something we loved or experienced. My group’s project on the 90s gave us a chance to go back and relive the things that changed the course of our childhood. The memoir opened me up to emotions I would not normally express while the ad analysis paper allowed me to dig deeper for details and what motivated the artist to create the advertisement.

            English 015S was my only small seated class. Every other class I had is held in a large lecture hall or in the downtown movie theatre. I made some good friends in an environment that it was easy to talk to people in. I even went and saw a movie with a few! I liked that the smaller size gave people more of an opportunity to participate. I have never been one to talk in class. I am an outgoing person, but I like listening to discussion rather than participating. It is a downfall when it comes to the participation grade, but I have always been this way. The atmosphere of the class was much more enjoyable than large lectured classes. English 015S was actually the very first college class I attended at Penn State. On the first day, I showed up to the wrong section, but eventually I showed up to the right one and I am glad I did. I ventured outside the realms of the classroom more than I thought I would. I am proud that I did not let the walls of the classroom confine me like in classes I had taken in high school. College is a time to experience new things and I am certainly happy that I have.

            Penn State is an incredibly large school. There are over 40,000 students. I was thrown in and felt myself slowly sinking. Now, 40,000 does not seem like that big of a number. I always find someone to say hi to while walking to class. I always can grab a friend to eat lunch with. I have joined some great clubs and organizations that I know will help me grow as a person and student. Penn State has so much to offer. English 015S helped me realize that Penn State has opportunities I never would have discovered without the guidance of the course. Overall, my experience in English 015S was a great one and I hope that I can grow more as a student in other classes I take.

2. Blog Round Up: Whenever I tried to copy the URLs for each post, the link would always come up as our class course blog. Instead of copying all the links I posted the date and whose blog and post it was. Hope its okay!

1.     September 21: Kayla Bracall- Self Analysis: My Blog

2.     October 8: Sam Hellman- The Arboretum at Penn State

3.     October 12: Genae Salinas- The Social Network

4.     October 15: Alexandra Vaughan-Masamitsu- Scream 2

5.     October 25: Kristina Wagers- Scream 2

6.     November 4: Elysa Kolvek- The Social Network

7.     November 11: Marie- The Bad Bugs

8.     November 12: Tom Stratford- The Arboretum at Penn State

9.     November 27: Marisa Cutillo- In the Red and Brown Water

10.  December 10: Bridget O’Brien- Arts/Cultural Event: Wiz Khalifa

3. SRTE Evaluations:

Hi Ms. S- I completed the SRTE evaluations!

The Carrie Underwood Concert

            I had watched American Idol for the first few seasons. As the years went on, the show became overdone and kind of pointless to me. I could not remember who was in the top 12, who the judges were and most importantly, who even won that season. It always seemed that whoever got second or third place or sometimes even fourth would become more famous than the actual winner; more album sales, more movie appearances, better name recognition. I believe this is true for almost all American Idols, with a few minor exceptions, but one HUGE one: Carrie Underwood. When I heard she was coming to Penn State, I automatically rushed to my computer that hot summer morning and purchased my tickets for her concert held at the Bryce Jordan Center this fall.

            The day finally rolled around and I could not be more excited. I put on my blue and pink plaid shirt, my jean shorts and of course my cowboy hat and boots. I braided my hair to complete my “city girl gone country” look. My group of friends and I started walking towards the BJC with the mass amounts of other people ready to see Carrie rock out the stage. The rim of the Bryce Jordan Center rapidly changed colors from blues and pinks to greens and yellows. It just got me all that more excited. The center flooded with people all decked out in their country clothes ready for the opening act, Hunter Hayes. Screams erupted from the crowd as he simply just walked on stage. Every note he sang made the audience produce louder and louder screams. If Hunter Hayes ever goes on a solo tour, I’ll be sure to be first in line for tickets.

            Hayes was finished with his set and the lights began to dim. That could only mean one thing: Carrie was coming! The stage seemed to explode with life and soon Underwood was singing every note to her old and new songs perfectly. One of the coolest parts of the performance was how the back drop followed the lyrics of the song by projecting images that either meant something to the performer herself or just to the words of the song. There was even one point in the performance where the stage rose and she was lifted into the air. She sang old songs the crowd knew every word to as well as new songs from her latest album. I am not a huge concert person, but Carrie Underwood outdid herself. The concert defied my expectations and made me wish it would never end. The name of the tour is completely accurate, any one who attends will sure to be “Blown Away.”  

Shatter every window 'til it’s all blown away,

Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away

'Til there’s nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday

Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,

Blown away

The Dark Knight Rises

"Now this evil... rises. The Batman has to come back.. he must," the words of Police Commissioner for Gotham, Jim Gordon. The characters of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy are back in the final installment, The Dark Knight Rises released in July of 2012. Christian Bale once again plays Bruce Wayne with other returning actors such as Michael Caine and Gary Oldman and some new faces in Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Each actor or actress does not disappoint and neither do the action, special effects and story line. Nolan completes his masterpiece and leaves the audience begging for yet another sequel.

The story begins a few years after the end of the Dark Knight. Batman’s reputation has been shattered and no one begs for him to return after he takes the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes. Gotham has no masked figure to defend them as a new villain, Bane, rises from the shadows. Bruce Wayne, Batman’s real identity, struggles with whether or not to come to the rescue of his city that had banished him. The road of survival has so many ups and downs as the city of Gotham is put under attack.

The movie’s plot is one of the best I’ve followed in a while. It is not the average super hero movie. Most would expect for Batman to just return, defeat the bad guy and then the end, however, the film is far from straight lined development. It constantly leaves you on the edge of the seat. Guessing what is next is almost impossible. In the blink of an eye, the course of action can completely change. Cat woman, Anne Hathaway, is a nice addition who stirs up the plot with her flip flopping loyalty.

Although the citizens of Gotham have turned their back of the Dark Knight, Blake, a police officer player by Joseph Gordon Levitt, stands in Batman’s corner. He unknowingly motivates Wayne to step up and return to his role. He searches for ways to save the city even when he knows some of his efforts will be futile. Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of the heroic cop easily captures the essence of the character. . You constantly find yourself rooting for him as the underdog. The emotion he conveys adds to the powerhouse cast. Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine also give heartfelt performances and defy expectations. They add to the overall essence of the movie.

The best aspect of the movie by far is the actual production of the movie with the special effects. The effects make all the explosions, high tech gadgets and rugged scenes look incredibly realistic. In one scene in particular, Bane has his men blow up each bridge leading into and out of Gotham. The camera jumps from piece to piece showing each individual bridge blow up. Its hard to believe that the crew did not blow up a real bridge and film it. The effects of the movie make one feel as if they are citizens of Gotham as well.

Overall, in my opinion, the Dark Knight Rises was one of the best movies of 2012. The powerhouse cast, the twisting and turning plot and incredible special effects all add up to a gripping action packed drama. Christopher Nolan, kudos to you, for once again out doing yourself. 

"This city needs me." -Bruce Wayne