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

In the Red and Brown Water

1. Based in Louisiana in the town of Bayou, In the Red and Brown Water is a play based on the life of Oya, a young teenaged girl aspiring to be a talented runner with numerous obstacles in her way. She has to deal with her ailing mother, Mama Moja, falling in love with Shango and desperately trying to escape the projects. Her mother dies and Shango goes off to war. Oya also has to face the realization that she cannot have a child. All the drama and depression builds up and she cuts off her own ear as a sign of passion. The difficulties of her life shape the plot and overall development of the performance. Other supporting characters include Elegba and Aunt Elegua.

2. Her escape from the projects was her running. Track was going to be her ticket out of the poor living situation. This seems to be the most important aspect of her life. She is even offered a scholarship from the Man From State however, Oya declines the scholarship. That decision caused a chain reaction of events to follow. She put her chance of escaping the projects at stake. Her dream was becoming a track star, but sadly she never did. Her mother’s illness and complicated relationship with Shango holds her back. Once Shango leaves for war, she is left helpless and was not able to create the family she wanted.

3. While many of the actresses and actors had compelling performances, I was most captivated by the character of Shango. He was the bad boy from Bayou and was difficult to understand. The audience could always tell how Oya was feeling, as well as Mama Moja and other supporting characters. Shango, however, was quite the opposite. I could not tell how he was feeling about his relationship is Oya. He focused on purely lust for the first part of their relationship and then departed to war. When off at war, he got another random girl pregnant and did not give the family to Oya that she wanted.

4. The actors and actresses performances were very compelling throughout the whole play. The only critiques that I could find were in the actual script itself. I noticed scattered throughout the audience were senior citizens as well as some younger children in the mix of college students. This made it quite uncomfortable with how vulgar and sexual the dialogue became at times. The curse words being shouted by the cast were a bit over the top. The only other critique I had was in the title itself. The water had no significance (or none that I found) to the plot itself. The red represented the blood and brown the skin color, but where was the water?

5.  While I have never been to another performance put on by the students at Penn State, I have been to three Broadway plays in New York City. The production on Broadway always blows me away.  Although I cannot compare this performance to any Broadway production, for what they had access to, the stage crew and production team did a very good job of putting on the play. I do not know how other productions are put on here at State, but I am sure they are similar to the above average quality of In the Red and Brown Water.

Old School

All the things about college, none of the education: the perfect tagline for the classic college movie, Old School directed by Todd Phillips. The 2003 comedy stars three big name celebrities, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn, all frequently praised for their laugh out loud commentary and hilarious characters. Like most of their films, all three men do not disappoint. The trio keeps the moving flowing even when you, not often, but still do wonder why the heck any of the parts of the movie are actually going on.

Mitch, played by Luke Wilson, attempts to start a new life in a house next to his old college campus after breaking up with his girlfriend because of her newly revealed “hobby.” All things start to fall into place until Dean Prichet, actually a former student of the same high school who they called “Cheese” and frequently beat up, deems the house campus property for a college purpose and threatens to evict him. Mitch’s best friends, Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and Frank’s (Will Ferrell) idea? Start a fraternity. Their pledges consist of only a handful of actual college students, random men and one eighty nine year old senior citizen. The band of misfits works hard to keep their party reputation up while still trying to keep their charter. The three men return to college and relish in a few more ups and downs then they expected.

From the opening scene to the one where Snoop Dogg just casually shows up at “Mitch-a-Palooza,” the quick one-liners and shenanigans never stop, perfect for a college movie. Will Ferrell at times steals the spotlight with his portrayal of a recently married, yet extremely immature thirty year old who loves to drink and occasionally streak. He even takes his role as pledge master a little too seriously. Ferrell was nominated for a MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for his role. There is never a dull moment when Frank “the Tank” is on screen.

At times, however, the actual events of the movie became impractical. The plot skews far off the course of actually being realistic. Most moviegoers cannot mentally place themselves into the cast of characters. While the plot line is far from realistic, the dialogue and delivery of the dialogue makes the movie enjoyable enough that I did not even care.

Old School is perfect for the young adult audience, mainly college kids who hope and pray that something like this will happen at their school. It is also perfect for adults around Mitch, Frank and Beanie’s age, whom blissfully wish that sometimes they could head back to college. I would, however, advise against those adults from bringing their children to the movie theatre that day. They are certainly not ready for this kind of college comedy.

Although the plot is sometimes impractical, overall, Old School, is a great light hearted comedy with a cast of actors who portray their characters perfectly as men in their thirties turned frat brothers.

       Luke Wilson                        Will Ferrell                     Vince Vaughn

Adventure to the Arboretum

Our class today was lucky enough to venture outside the realm of the classroom and really explore the other shining features of the Penn State Campus. By simply walking about a block away from East Halls and about another block up the road, I saw a the giant "H.O. Botanical Gardens" sign and thought, "whew, I actually made it here alive." Besides being happy that I was actually in the correct place, it was nice to be out of the classroom and steering away from the books for a change. I entered the arboretum through a small passageway by the parking lot. You are first struck with a giant circular field being lined by all kinds of flowers and fixtures. We later learned that this is the Event Garden. After further walking into the gardens, the amount of color seems to explode off the usual green scenery. Greenery makes a type of archway that encases the circular pathway lining the Event Garden. Rays of sun shone through the woven vines and leaves above. Eventually, you found yourself at a large metal structure with an overhang draped with curtains overlooking both sides of the arboretum. The view from all points of the overlook deck made it seem like we were no longer on a college campus. It seemed secluded and a quaint place to get away. There are flowers of blue, pink and yellow, roses of red and tall vineyard structures scattered throughout the gardens. There is always a brightly painted bench to sit and relax. Rock fixtures on one side of the overlook deck also provide great places to sit and read a book. And you cannot forget about the secret fountain at the very tip of the event garden. The expansion plans, like the Children’s Garden and added bike paths, provide for noisy construction now, but eventually will only add to the beauty of the H.O. Smith Botanical Gardens.

This was my very first trip to the Arboretum. To be honest, I did not even know it existed. I had always noticed the law building when walking or driving through, but never the extensive gardens next to it. I am not necessarily a nature lover, but the Arboretum seems like a quiet peaceful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of an upbeat college campus. There were a few people just strolling through like I was, but not so many people that it felt overcrowded. I love looking at flowers, but do not like when they make me sneeze.

My father loves visiting botanical gardens. My family and I have visited the New York Botanical Gardens more times than I can count. When everyone is home at the same time, that is the first place we end up all together. I can see myself heading back to the Penn State Arboretum because I know my dad would definitely love to check it out. He grew up in big cities his whole life, worked in them and now we live in a big suburb with tons of people. He loves being able to just escape to a quiet place with beautiful plants just to experience something out of the norm. 

Palmer Museum of Art: Bibutsu

After visiting the Palmer Museum of Art and gazing at all the sculptures, paintings and other pieces of fine art it had to offer, Ed Paschke’s Bibutsu, grabbed my undivided attention. It was painted in 1982 around the introduction of colored television and more advanced technology. This painting, composed with oil on a canvas is part of a series depicting oversized glowing television screens. It’s immense size over dramatizes the impact that television has had on social culture. The viewers can tell that times were certainly being altered when Paschke painted his piece. The painting of two men, unnamed, said to be “glowing” from the bright blues and greens, shows how people during this time period now looked up to the people displayed on the television screen. It makes a jab at the social culture of this time and those who put too much value in the television.

When I first noticed the piece, I was only really drawn in by the neon colors, but after learning the deeper meaning behind such artwork, Ed Paschke left me with feelings of doubt and a sort of sadness. Am I one of these people the artist pokes fun at? It makes me question if mass media has become too much a part of my life. I doubt myself when I say that technology does not hold that much importance. I know that if I did not have my computer or television that my life would be completely different. It makes me sad to think that my generation’s values are linked to the mass media that Paschke displays.

Ed Paschke was a part of the Chicago School, a group of artists who found inspiration through the culture surrounding them. They were also referred to as “Imagists.” He received his Masters degree in art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This group became associated with an art revolution that incorporated surrealism and ugly features to highlight the underlining values of the social culture they were in. Paschke, like many other Imagists, created a series of collections that poked fun at the glorified ideas of fame, money and power. He established his credibility through his involvement with the Imagist movement.

The piece, Bibutsu, focuses on people’s over indulgence in mass media. The word “bibutsu” means “two Buddhas.” Buddhas are those people look up to for enlightenment and guidance. In this painting, Paschke uses an oversized canvas to make the two men seem larger than life and important to the piece. What Paschke really says is society puts value into the two people on the board even though the men have no value at all. The electronic colors grasp our attention like television. The artist makes the claim that society will blindly follow the people involved with mass media and television even if they hold no importance to the values one should be holding dear. The piece does an excellent job at persuading one into questioning their values.

It was my first visit to the Palmer Museum of Art on campus. Living not too far from the city, my family visits museums quite frequently like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the Palmer is not as grand in size, it still holds a lot of powerful pieces of art that should not be overlooked. Exploring the museum again with a different assignment would be a great idea for the future!

http://www.edpaschke.com/home.php