Final Blog! - Self Evaluation

This class was definitely beneficial to me this semester. Not only did I continue to hone my writing skills, but I was also introduced to the arts at Penn State, and even learned a lot about the arts in general. Even though it was an 8am (ugh), I really enjoyed this class and am taking a lot away from it.

One of the topics that I feel like I got a lot better at this semester was actively thinking about the audience that I am writing to. I never directly thought about this aspect while writing before. I liked how my professor always added a part of the prompt that said, “Who are you writing to?” and “Who cares about this topic?” Asking myself those questions before and while writing my papers definitely made my writing better because I thought about the details that were most important to my audience, and what I wanted to prove to them or what I wanted them to understand about my topic after reading my paper.

This class was also a fresh take on ethos, logos, and pathos for me. I learned about these rhetorical terms my junior year in an AP English class, but to be honest I did not really connect to the ideas and forgot most of what I’d learned anyway. After this class, I feel like I completely understand these terms and can use them correctly in my writing. I can use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to my audience and persuade them to agree with or at least respect my opinions. I’ve definitely learned that picturing your audience and actively appealing to them throughout is of the utmost importance in writing.

I learned a lot about my new home at Penn State, too. First of all, I learned that it’s important to explore a new place and try new things. If it wasn’t for this class, I may have never perused the Palmer Museum, saw a student production, or went to readings on campus by professional writers. These were great experiences and I’m really happy that I got to enjoy them in my first semester here. These are activities that I plan on keeping up with during my time at Penn State, and after Penn State, too. I hope to keep up this new relationship that I have with the arts. I learned that you could find art in almost anything – that it can be any form of beauty, creativity, and self-expression.

I also grew in another way that was completely unexpected. I wrote my memoir piece about my grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s disease. It’s very difficult on my family and I, and it’s near impossible for me to talk about. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write about it, but I tried, and it ended up being very healing for me. It brought out a lot of emotion and feelings that I have been avoiding for a long time. I didn’t want to get all mushy on here, but in all honesty, writing this paper really helped me deal with what I’m going through.

I couldn’t be happier with everything that I’m taking away from my English 15 class. Thank you to my classmates and Sheila for making it such an enjoyable experience, and I’ll miss you guys!

SRTE's

Hey Ms. S,

Just filled out the SRTE form!

Love,

Blair Larson

My Professor's Reading

Ever since my English professor, Sheila Squillante, read to my class her "Memoir" piece that was published in "Glamour" magazine, I was hopeful that she would eventually share more with us. I absolutely loved her memoir - it was beautifully written and made me think. Last class, she read us a selection of her shorter works.

I particularly loved her "Found" poem. It was simply a quote from her grandmother that she reworked into poetry format. It was short and quite hilarious. It also reminded me that in order to write poetry, you don't need long, philosophical thoughts and abstract words. Poetry can come from everyday life, too!

Another piece that stood out to me was her poem "Green." This one was longer, and one of the coolest poems I've ever heard. It was very alternative - it was full of sensory images. She said that it was a meditation, which made sense because it was full of thoughts and feelings instead of telling a story. "Green" was so interesting and sounded so smooth. I want to read more poetry like this, I loved it!

Out of all of the pieces that I heard, Sheila's dream poems were my absolute favorite. I find dreaming so interesting in the first place. (How is dreaming possible? Why do we dream the things we do? And what does it all mean?) So, it was intriguing to listen to what a college professor dreams about, and I was happy to hear that her dreams were just as odd as mine! I have never heard of people making their dreams into poems, so this was another new idea that Sheila introduced me to that I would definitely like to try sometime. I thought it was a really awesome idea and these poems were so entertaining to listen to.

I am thrilled that my professor shared more of her work with my class and me. I liked most of the pieces that she read and was very impressed. Plus, I was introduced to new writing styles and ideas to create poetry out of everyday life and little moments that I would like to try someday!

We Are (Still) Penn State, Forever!

I was confused, angry, betrayed, sickened, and heartbroken. These feelings coursed through my veins in early November when the details about Jerry Sandusky’s alleged criminal acts caught fire and spread over the entire globe in a matter of hours. It was all so sudden. Everyone was just plain shocked.

I wanted answers. I found myself reading explicit, but honest, court documents to separate fact from fiction. The information that I ingested made me tear up. How is this possible? I thought. Especially in my perfect little bubble that is State College?

Everyone had an opinion – from the media, to family and friends, to people on the Internet and television making jokes and mean comments. This was the farthest thing from a joke. The world had so much to say without knowing all the facts. My friend’s dad said he had business contacts from other countries asking what he thought about Joe Paterno “raping all those kids.” Really? Really???? I hated everyone.

I reluctantly but tirelessly fielded phone calls, e-mails, and texts from various acquaintances. I wanted to keep people filled in on the reality of what was going on, answer questions, and encourage them to read the court documents for themselves.

Then, the riots happened. I should have never been there. Seeing multiple lampposts get knocked down and a news van get flipped scared the life out of me. There was so much disrespect running rampant in the form of hordes of angry and confused students taking out their frustrations on the place they loved most – Penn State. I have never been more ashamed, and all I could think about was how our once spotless and proud reputation was just continuing to tarnish right in front of my eyes.

I didn’t come to this school because of football. I didn’t come to see Joe Paterno on the sidelines and the Nittany Lion cartwheeling about the stadium. I came for one reason: To get an education at a university with national recognition for academics and time-honored traditions.

Even though I’m a huge PSU football fan, “We Are” so much more than that. We have the best school spirit in the country. We have nationally ranked academic programs. We raise millions for pediatric cancer ever year. We have hundreds of clubs that cater to students’ interests and give back to the community.

All of these positive aspects of Penn State have apparently slipped people’s minds due to the Sandusky scandal. It sickens me to think that students, faculty, and Penn State’s name have been dragged through the mud due to one man’s horrendous actions. It also saddens me to think that this is the way Joe Paterno’s legacy ended, that this is what he will be remembered for. Funding a library and other various programs to benefit the school are just not enough for people. I hate seeing Penn State’s biggest icon fall from grace, but it remains to be seen at the trials if he deserved this fate. Either way, it’s heartbreaking.

Things have calmed down now. Penn State is not on the headline of every media source in existence anymore, thank goodness. The Valley isn’t “Happy” yet though, not even close. It will take some time, but the amazing community that is Penn State will get through this by sticking together and staying strong. We Are (Still) Penn State, forever!

Kiss Me, Kate!

Having a sister that is thinking about majoring in performing arts in college, saying that I’ve been to a live performance is an understatement. I go to 3-5 live performances per year. I have never been to a professionally done performance, but my high school and the other groups that my sister is involved in, like the Community Arts Center near my hometown, takes this stuff very seriously. So, you could definitely say that I am an experienced musical and play-goer.

The plays and musicals I have seen have ranged from drooling-in-my-seat boring to absolutely spectacular, so I didn’t know what to expect when I was going to see Kiss Me Kate. (By myself, I might add – I missed the date my English class went but was lucky enough to be able to catch another showing of the play.) This musical wasn’t my favorite because I thought it was kind of confusing, but I thought it was very well done. The acting, singing, and dancing were all great, and it was very enjoyable to watch.

I have learned to like the musical-theater genre. Growing up, I knew it was important to go to my sister’s events and support her, but I eventually started to enjoy going to her plays and musicals. I realized how talented you have to be to pull off these performances, and also how brave the actors are to sing and dance in front of so many people. So, I started respecting the musical-theater genre. My favorite musical would have to be Les Miserables. My sister tried out for it and got a part, and it was the best musical I have ever seen. All of the actors were from high schools all around my hometown and the Community Arts Center really outdid themselves. I didn’t like Kiss Me Kate as much as I liked Les Mis, but I still thought it was great. I also love classics like Grease, which of course are incomparable to high school and collegiate productions.

I like Shakespeare’s works, but I have never had the chance to read or see Taming of the Shrew. Those parts in the play were very confusing to me and I did not understand it at all. It wasn’t until afterwards where I found someone to explain those parts to me and summarize Taming of the Shrew that I understood. I wish I knew an overview of what Taming of the Shrew was about so that these parts made sense to me while watching the musical.

My favorite thing about the experience was that even though I was sitting there by myself like a loser, parts of the play had me laughing hysterically. Comic relief is a must for me sometimes while attending musicals, plays, and events like these, and I was relieved to find that Kiss Me Kate was very funny. I also was very impressed with the actors’ talent – the singing and dancing were fantastic. I’m really happy that I was able to see this production put on by Penn State’s own students, and would recommend it to anyone.

Dave Housely

I had never heard of Dave Housely before, but seeing that I still needed to go to both of my required literary readings, I decided to check out his reading. To be honest, I was expecting to be bored to death by some arrogant big-shot author in stylish glasses. But, I was pleasantly surprised.


I can't say that I understood every aspect of the three short stories that he chose to share with us, but I enjoyed listening to them regardless. I loved his dry humor, and his straight-forward and honest tone. His stories were very original and entertaining, and the atmosphere in the room was great. It was all very casual, friendly, and fun. He also engaged his audience, and even asked us our opinion on who was the "douchiest male star" of today so that he could insert it into one of his stories. I thought that was rather hilarious.

When he was done reading, he answered a few questions and offered everyone free copies of the literary magazine he edits called "Barrelhouse." I was really happy that I decided to go to Housely's reading, and I could see myself going to these types of events even after this class. I have loved to read ever since I can remember, so seeing an author read his own work and the ways that he expresses himself while reading was a new and very interesting experience for me. I really enjoyed Dave Housely's reading and am excited to attend another reading soon.

We Are....

Boys running down the street with a stop sign, girls peeing in a stranger’s front lawn, and a 21 year old getting wasted on her birthday – all collegiate “crimes” cited by the “This American Life” podcast. This podcast was published online in 2009 when Penn State was ranked the #1 party school by the Princeton Review (which is based solely on online surveys submitted by college students-loss of credibility anyone?), and now that Penn State does not hold this title, these events are still happening, and just as frequently. Plus, these are all common occurrences that could be seen on any campus, not just at Penn State. Don’t get me wrong; I am not supportive of these behaviors. I just felt like the interviewers were being extremely unfair seeing that college age students all over the country participate in the same social activities as Penn State students.

First of all, the interviewers lost credibility when they made hypocritical statements. In the very beginning, two interviewers observe intoxicated students stumbling along to their various destinations at one a.m. on a weekend. After making fun of them, and even scolding some, the interviewers nostalgically admit that they, too, “acted like this” when they were in college. Even Nancy Updike admits that she “would have used a drunk button in college.” On the other side, it helped the interviewers’ credibility to interview Graham Spanier, Penn State alumni, and to use concrete statistics about student alcohol use. Also, the interviewers included positive aspects about life at Penn State, like how everyone absolutely loves it. The podcast ends with the “We are….Penn State” chant, touching on the unparalleled school spirit and pride that all Penn Staters feel.

The logos in this podcast was very effective. One statement was particularly hard-hitting – the fact that on Friday and Saturday night, 75% of Penn State students drink. This value is equal to 30,000 people. Considering the amount of underage students included in that number, this is obviously a concern. Also, statistics were given on the consequences of such high levels of binge drinking. It was mentioned that ¼ of students have been behind on schoolwork or missed class, 15% have been involved in a physical altercation or assault, and 7% have been in an unwanted sexual experience due to a night of heavy drinking. These statistics and facts are a wake-up call – these numbers remind people that these issues are all too real.

             

Personally, I felt defensive while listening to this podcast. The interviewers were sometimes very condescending and unmindful with their word choice. An example of a statement that made me angry was when a male interviewer stated, “there are crimes that you never hear of unless you live in a place like State College.” Keep in mind that later in the podcast it is said that State College is the safest metropolitan area, and this same interviewer said that he “acted like this” when he was in college. This statement would cause a negative shift in the pathos of Penn Staters listening to the podcast because it makes our beloved college town seem dangerous and overrun with criminals, which is not the case.

             

Many issues of definition are at stake here, from a small to large scale. The podcast touches on college vernacular terms, like “frackets” (old jackets to wear to frat parties) and “Natty” (aka Natural Light beer, popular at Penn State because of its extremely low cost). On the larger scale side, and also a much more serious topic, is how the podcast attempts to define Penn State as a whole. The major theme that I got from the podcast was that PSU was a prideful, treasured university with a time-hardened, traditional drinking and partying issue. Sure, that is debatable seeing that a lot of students take pride in Penn State’s party school reputation and that die-hard football fans have been tailgating before games for decades. But, it should also be taken into account that Penn State has a prestigious academic reputation as well and the largest alumni network in the country. The bottom line is that college students are young adults with brand-new freedoms, trying to find a balance in living on their own for the first time. They’re going to make a few mistakes during the learning process. How my generation of college students is different from any other generation, and how Penn State students are different from the students at any other university or college, I’m not sure.

             

Overall, I do not think that this podcast depicted an accurate portrayal of Penn State University as a whole. There is a significant portion of the population of students that do not participate in “binge” drinking or drinking of any kind that were not interviewed or mentioned at all. And I, as a student with a fun social life, did not agree with all of the stereotypes that the podcast relentlessly hit on – I cannot say that I “got slutty” when I came here like one female student admitted, and no one that I know would ever physically injure a pizza delivery guy, or anyone for that matter. I could not be happier with my decision to come to Penn State, despite the negative connotations that are sometimes tied to the school. In 70 years, you’ll be sure to find me decaying in a nursing home somewhere, hollering, “We are…Penn State” until the day I die.

P.S. If you're dumb enough to live next door to a frat house, I don't want to hear your complaints!!!

My Own Little Corner of the World

I love libraries. Always have, always will. So when confronted with the task of finding somewhere to explore, I chose the library. After a little poking around this afternoon, I found myself in the Paterno Reading Room on the Pattee side of the library. I chose a table and got comfy.

Large, dusty volumes line the plentiful shelves along almost every inch of the wall space. A beautiful high ceiling makes it seem spacious and expensive. Students sit at various tables complete with little green reading lamps - typing furiously, poring over textbooks - and separating the two ends of the room filled with wooden tables are colorful, squishy arm chairs. Many students residing in these arm chairs are actually sleeping, which is quite amusing to me.

This space just smells like knowledge. It's so college-y. I can almost feel my IQ rising by just sitting here, surrounded by everything and everyone. This place is almost an oxymoron. There is complete silence, but yet there is so much happening at once - I can hear the room buzzing in my subconscious. I'm curious to know what is going on in each individual mind. I want to ask, "What are you studying? Why is this topic important to you?" I would inquire, but breaking the silence would be sacrilege.

The books, the people, and the atmosphere are just fantastic. I can't help but feel like I'm a part of something important in this beautiful place of learning.

The Palmer Museum

After exploring Penn State's own Palmer Museum for about 45 minutes, I knew which piece of art I wanted to blog about.

My piece is called "Modern Limits," done by William T. Wiley in 1975. Wiley used acrylic and charcoal on canvas to create this visually stimulating, erratic painting. There is so much to look at that the eye darts all over the canvas at first. One must step back to appreciate the work as a whole, and then get up close to discover all of the small bits and pieces that make up the painting. Most of the piece are dark swirls that make up images like a telescope, a skull, a castle, people, buildings, etc. There are also pops of color throughout that make shapes, designs, and lines.

This piece may look haphazard and meaningless, but there are indeed rhetorical concepts. Wiley is an artist in California who had a part in developing the northern California Funk Art movement that was characterized by lack of reverence and completely unrefined style. This is a very good example of artwork in this movement for obvious reasons - in this piece there are no rules. It represents 100% carefree expression.

This piece definitely appeals to pathos, or emotions. While studying this work, I definitely felt a sense of anxiety and panic. There is so much going on, and there is a sort of dark, dingy, demented feel to it. But it also sparked my interest and beckoned me to keep looking. This work almost toys with the audience's emotions.

Since Wiley was a contributor to the California Funk Art movement, this piece definitely gives him credibility to being a leader of this form. The irreverence and unrefined style unique to the CA Funk Art movement is apparent here. Also, this artist is credible because he earned his B.F.A. and M.F.A. at the San Francisco Art Institute, and taught at the University of California at Davis for 11 years. These accomplishments give him some major artistic integrity. That is disregarding the fact that he has been creating art since the sixties and continues to do so to this day. His other pieces are in the same style family as "Modern Limits," with graphic and unusual shapes and images and and interesting juxtaposition of color. He also creates sculptures and more tangible forms of art. Wiley has also won numerous awards for his artwork.

A scene can be discerned from the madness, but the madness is the point. According to the work's description, there are many references to Wiley's father who was a surveyor for the U.S. government. I think Wiley's claim is that even through science and careful planning, the world is still a jumbled, unpredictable place. This claim seems extremely persuasive and believable to me. For one, I completely agree with this claim. Sometimes it is hard to detect any rhyme or reason in life. Is there a meaning to life? A destiny to fulfill? Those are the questions that this piece invokes me to answer. The answer could very likely be no, and this piece leads me to believe that. Life is just a confusing journey through time and varied places, that ends in death for all of us, like the skull in the lower left corner suggests.

I definitely had a positive first experience at the Palmer. I haven't been to many museums, but I definitely enjoy going and perusing through exhibits. Art initiates thought in me, and I love that. I could see myself going back sometime this year to enjoy the calm, beautiful atmosphere of the museum and to take a beneficial break from my studies.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Room for Improvement

I feel like writing has always been one of my strong points throughout school - I have always enjoyed it. Compared to tedious math classes and bore-me-to-death social studies classes, English classes are my bliss. That is one of my strengths; I am passionate about writing, so I want to do it right. I want to fulfill the objective and get my point across in a meaningful, creative way. I want grab the audience’s attention and show them my point of view. Another strength of mine would have to be my good grammar and spelling (watch me make mistakes now that I said that). My friends and even my mom always come to me whenever they need a paper, e-mail, etc. proofread. It’s advantageous that my English teachers have always had time to write helpful comments on my papers instead of just going through and correcting grammatical errors.

            Like every other human being on the planet, I also have weaknesses when it comes to writing. My main problem, I think, is that it usually takes me hours upon hours to write a paper. This is mainly because I get too caught up in diction and syntax. I’m a recovering perfectionist. I know I take every little thing too seriously and I am trying to work on that, especially when it comes to writing. Sometimes the beauty of this art form comes from free expression instead of painfully thought out sentences word by word. Procrastination is definitely another weakness. Like countless other kids my age, getting distracted from work is far too easy. I always write better when I have time and am not rushed. It’s just the matter of me tearing myself away from my friends and getting it done!

            I know I can make a lot of improvements as a writer, and this class will definitely guide me towards that. Instead of taking five times the amount of time to write a paper than everyone else, I want to be able to express myself better in a more timely fashion. My papers lose depth and creativity when I slowly plod along in the pursuit of perfection. I think that over the duration of this semester I will master how to appeal to others better. This will make me more sure of myself while writing instead of unconfidently piecing together my papers.

            Something else that I will take away from this class is a better understanding of the arts, specifically the arts at Penn State. I think this will help my writing improve by opening myself up to different aspects of life at my new home. New experiences and knowledge do a lot to shape a person, so hopefully the experiences and knowledge that I will get out of this class will improve myself as a person and myself as a writer as well. I’m looking forward to being able to describe things in a new light and with a different mind set. I think this class has a lot to offer me!

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/1-a-a-leaf-falls-on-loneliness/

            My example of art is my favorite poem by e. e. cummings. This is one of the first poems my teacher introduced us to in my AP English class senior year. Everyone felt very dejected going into the poetry unit, myself included. But once we read this poem I was taken aback by the emotion it evoked in me. It made me sad, but it also made me wonder. It made me think. And I absolutely love that.

            This poem epitomizes loneliness. It starts out with the number 1, which is essentially the root of loneliness. When you take out the part in parentheses, you see the number one, then the word “one,” than the letter “L” which is lowercase so that it looks like an “I.” Lastly you see “iness,” which sounds like the state of being by yourself. All together it spells out loneliness. Then, the part in parentheses spells out “a leaf falls.” What is lonelier than a single leaf falling from a tree? Plus, the poem is written to look like a leaf falling. I could go on and on about this poem and how much I adore the genius of e. e. cummings. But I will just say that this poem is art at it’s finest.