Self-Evaluation

   

    There's only one word to describe my time in English 015S this semester...complete and utter ENJOYMENT. I don't think I've had a dull moment in this class. I admit, at first, I thought it was going to be like any other English course where we learn about dead old white men who wrote literature that none of us was interested in. That's a little harsh, but that was my attitude going into it. When the class actually began, I was in for a big surprise. From the lectures on definition to the class discussions on WaWa, I've definitely learned a lot.

    I think I've learned more about writing in this class than I have in all the years I've been in school. It wasn't just about grammar; it was about appealing to people with your writing and writing to a specific audience. The appeals we've learned about are ethos, pathos, and logos and I definitely think I've incorporated that into my writing without even thinking about it. The pathos appeal is probably my favorite because I'm able to win people over by drawing on their emotions and it helps with you're trying to convince them of a certain subject.

    Recently, through Sheila's writing, I've learned about new forms of poetry--letter poems and sound poems. I like how she shared a part of herself with the class through her writing. I think I like these poems because they're easy and real. They're straight to the point and not difficult to understand. Sheila has also taught us about definition and how to define something. We used Penn State as an example and we listened to a podcast analyzing and criticizing the school for being, at the time, the #1 party school.

    What made the class fun, for me, was the fact that we discussed so much. We were able to share what we thought and talk about anything. If you had an opinion, you didn't have to be afraid to share it because all points of view were welcomed.

    Overall, I've enjoyed this class. It's taught me a lot about writing and defining art. I know I'm going to take what I've learned here and carry it throughout the other courses I take at Penn State. Thanks for a great semester Sheila! =)

SRTEs

Hey, Ms. S--I just filled out my SRTE form. Thanks! Love, Alexis

Stuart Dybek

    On Thursday night, I attended a reading by a well-known author, Stuart Dybek. At first, I wasn't very excited about it. I thought that it was going to be boring, I was going to be the only one there, and that I'm wasting my time, but it was nothing like I thought it was going to be. I got there and seats were already filling up and once it started, the place was completely full. The students behind me were in a creative writing class and one of there assignments was to come to this last reading. They were just as unenthusiastic as I was and the Stuart Dybek stood up and began...
    He was a very sarcastic and funny man. He read a portion of one of his books and the title was "Chop Suey Sandwich." Within the fourteen pages that he read, he talked about his father making his lunch (chop suey sandwich) , the legacy of boxing in his family, how he tried to live up to that legacy and was beat down, and his friends at the all boys Catholic school he attended. The literature was very raw, which was something I liked most. He didn't hold back or change anything. Another thing I liked was the comedy in it. It wasn't as boring as I thought it was going to be.
    Dybek's readings are very straight forward. He doesn't sugarcoat anything because there's no need to. When he submitted the piece to ESPN, they wanted him to change it because it was too dirty, but he refused. What he writes is what he writes and if you don't like it, then don't read it. Overall, I loved it. I'd definitely go to another one of his readings.

Our Guest Reader : Sheila!

    I loved all of Sheila's poems, but my favorites were the first three that she read--"Self-Portrait with Roller Coasters,""What My Grandmother Told My Mother on Her Wedding Night," and "Dear Aliens." The first poem was like the story of one person't life in poetry form. Each section was comparable to a memoir, in my opinion, because they were certain times in her life that had a particular effect on her. They were all at different places, but the analogy of the theme park was steady throughout. Using the idea of a roller coaster to describe her life intrigued me because there are good and bad times, ups and downs during one's life and a blood-pumping, adrenaline rushing ride is the perfect way to depict it.
    The last two poems probably interested me the most because they were types of poems that I had never heard of before, which was another reason why I liked them. Not only did Sheila share pieces of her life with us, but she also taught us new things about english and literature. "What My Grandmother Told My Mother on Her Wedding Night" was a sound poem. It sounds just like it reads. The poem is exactly the advice her grandmother gave her mother before she got married. I like it because it's real. There's no metaphorical meaning behind it. It's just short and to the point.
    The last poem, "Dear Aliens," was a letter poem -- it was written in the form of a letter. It's sort of a love poem about a woman and her husband. He has an obsession with outer space and aliens, but she doesn't mind. When he says that they're going to come and take him away, she says, "If they take you, I'm going too." What I liked most about this was the loyalty. No matter what her husband believed in or how crazy he may have seemed, she stays by his side and believes too.

Penn State Proud!

    "I came to Penn State because of its legacy, because of the pride people have when they say they attend this school, not to be bashed and ridiculed because of a scandal." This is exactly how I felt when I received text messages and saw Facebook and twitter posts and the issue. I was more annoyed than hurt and more embarrassed than angry. 

    When I first came to Penn State, I was excited. Everyone talked about how great of a school it was for so many reasons. I had never heard a bad thing about it. I was happy to get away from home, meet new people, experience different things, and, of course, attend the ever famous football games. Everything was all good until the month of November came and the knowledge of Jerry Sandusky's sexual crimes with young boys surfaced. I remember hearing about it, first, from my mom. I was shocked, but I hadn't heard much about it from people on campus, so I brushed it off. 

    As things started to unfold in the following days, my feelings about the issue grew stronger. I was disgusted when I found out and I still am. How could you take advantage of a child like that? How can you keep your crimes to yourself for so many years? This scandal is absolutely horrifying for parents and students and faculty who attend and teach at this university. So many emotions are still running high and it's a shame how much has come from this.

    As a result of what Sandusky did, Joe Paterno, our then-head football coach, and Graham Spanier, then-president, have been terminated. Joe Paterno was huge part of the Penn State legacy and the way he was fired was wrong. He has been here for most of his life and football and the students are a big part of his heart. I think the Board of Trustees should have let him retire and leave it at that. I think he was treated unfairly, but I don't think it was wrong for him to be fired. He obviously knew things, but he didn't do all he could to end them. As for Graham Spanier, I couldn't care less what happens to him. He knew about this and didn't make a move to handle it. Instead, he decided to cover it up. He deserves what he gets. Both Paterno and Spanier knew things that were crucial to this whole scandal and it's sad because if they would have spoke up or done something about it, things would have been different. 

    The world is taking this in so many different ways, but most of the people who speak on it don't attend or are not affiliated with Penn State. Their comments are usually ignorant because they know nothing about how we feel. There have been so many times where I wanted to tell someone to just shut up because they don't know what we're going through. After Paterno was fired, the students rioted. People thought we were dumb and we looked like animals. I agree, it was stupid, but most of the things people are seeing are through the media and they make things look worse than they are. 

    I was angry at first because, now, every time I tell someone I go to Penn State they say, "Oh yeah, the school with the scandal." But, I realized that that's not all we are. I knew we were a family before, but now our bond is even stronger. We were leaning on each other in this tough time and it helped. One person's actions hurt our image as a school, but they can never break our pride and our love for each other. I will always be Penn State proud and I will never be ashamed to say, "We are...Penn State!"

Kiss Me, Kate!

    I have to say I was kind of excited to see Kiss Me, Kate. I did not know it was a musical, but I knew it was a play and I thought it was something different for an English class to experience. The most recent live theater performance I've been to, that I can think of, was a musical production of High School Musical at my high school. In comparison to this, Kiss Me, Kate was much better. Maybe because this is a university and it has more money to give to its productions. In my opinion, the acting was better, the singing was in tune, and it kept me on my feet at every point of the play. This play was not what I expected it to be at all. I thought it was interesting that we were going to see a play, but I also thought it was going to be boring with actors who thought a little too highly of themselves. This production definitely proved me wrong.
    I love the musical-theater genre. It is full of catchy songs and smiling faces. I love to watch regular plays, but I love watching musical theater more because it's so entertaining. I've seen many musicals, on TV, but I'd have to say that Grease and The Sound of Music are my favorites. When comparing all of these, I don't think Kiss Me Kate stands a chance. These musicals are classics and no one will ever forget them. They have songs that people are always singing, whether they are in commercials or in other movies. They even have sequels and remakes. Kiss Me, Kate was a great production, but unfortunately, it doesn't measure up to Grease or The Sound of Music in any way, shape, or form.
    During my senior year of high school, we read and watched Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. We read the play first and I loved it. It was something that I could keep up with and, when I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I couldn't wait to see how someone portrayed it in a movie. We watched the version with Elizabeth Taylor and I have to say that it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Seeing and reading it did increase my appreciation of the plot. I think I respected it more because I knew it was a classic. I loved the fact that they took an old play by Shakespeare and put a twist on it to make it their own.
    My favorite parts of this experience were the many different facets of the actual play. First, I did not expect for it to be as funny as it was. I found myself dying of laughter as the show progressed. Another thing I liked was how it was a play within a play. Judging by the title and by flipping through the program, I thought it was going to be a strict remake of The Taming of the Shrew, but they incorporated the play into the dramatic lives of actors and actresses trying to put on a production. Overall, I enjoyed this experience. It had to be one of my favorites.

Penn State: The #1 Party School?

    At first, I really didn't want to listen to this. I have heard about Penn State being huge party schools ever since I applied here and listening to this podcast would just make me feel as though it's being beaten into me once again. But, as I got deeper and deeper into it, I became intrigued because most of the things that I heard, if not all, were true. As a Penn State student, it makes me feel like other schools and institutions don't take us seriously. This school is known for its academics, its large undergraduate population, its football record, and the guarantee of a job after graduating. Adding "#1 party school" to that list doesn't make me feel proud. If anything, it makes me feel like everyone else outside of the university forgets about the important things we offer and focuses on the alcohol and partying that occurs. As a college student in general, I feel as though all schools party no matter where you are. I still don't feel good about the aspect of drinking, but that's probably one of the biggest reasons kids are so excited to go away to college. I definitely think this is an apt portrayal. I witness different things every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night and they are either close to or worse than things I hear on this podcast.

    The ethos is particularly strong when listening to the partying and hearing all the things college students are saying when they're drunk. It sounds like a typical Saturday night at Penn State, from what I've heard. The ethos is also strong when you hear the interviews of the people who work and live in State College. They see these things happen first-hand every weekend and saying that this school is huge on partying would make this claim very credible. The ethos is weak when the drunken people are being interviewed. In my opinion, it sounds a little fake and scripted. It wasn't believable to me because I have a hard time believing that drunk college students would give a stranger their consent to record them saying that they're intoxicated. At the same time, they are under the influence so it's not surprising. The pathos appeals to me because at times, I felt a little embarrassed for Penn State, but at other times, I was laughing. I was most proud when I heard Graham Spanier's opinion on it. He turned it in to something comical, but he also made some valid points. He said that Penn State was only voted the #1 party school because of the students. Some students like to drink and they love the fact that their school is considered a big party school so they create this poll of whose school is better and they're proud of it. This piece makes use of logos very well, in my opinion. It interviews students, residents of the town, talks about Graham Spanier's stand on the issue, and even sheds light on the death of a student due to alcohol.

    The issue is defined very well in this podcast. All of the things explained, whether it was by students, faculty, people living in the community, or the president, were all true. A person who’s never been to Penn State could listen to this podcast and come here on a Friday night and hear the exact same things we did in this. Although it defines the school well, it doesn't recognize the good things about us. The students are seen, as people who sleep all day and party all night and the faculty, who are residents of State College, are victims to the actions and words of their students. 

Prompt #3 : The Powers of Description

    "Overwhelming." A word you might here often around State College. With Penn State's bagillion people running around campus all the time, it can be hard to find a place to get some peace and quiet. Well, I found it! I walk everywhere on campus. I might take the bus every once and a while, but I found that if I walk, I discover new things everyday. As I look for the perfect place to write my blog post about, I come across the HUB. I go there for Starbucks or just to have some time to myself so I don't have to be cooped up in the four walls of my dorm room. 

    Now, you might think, "What is she thinking? The HUB is the absolute worst place." But, if you walk past the huge screens and the chaos of students trying to hand you flyers, you'll come to the HUB Gallery and Art Alley. Despite how noisy and busy the building is, this is the one place I can find serenity. Once you walk in, there's a place to sit. It's very light and quiet and the best time to go is in the morning when the campus is just waking up. I look at the room full of sculptures next to the seating area and find myself mesmerized at the fact that this piece is what has become of someone's inspiration. 

    This is the perfect place to take your morning coffee and get lots of work done.

Prompt #2 : A Day at the Palmer Museum

    When we visited the Palmer museum, I walked around for a while to see if anything stood out to me. I finally find two pieces that caught my eye. I end up choosing the first one because it's a piece of art that I feel I can relate to, which is why it's rhetorically interesting to me. It's title is Affirmative Action and it was made with acrylic on canvas. The artist's name is Jerry Kearns and it was made in 1987. This picture looks like it was taken straight out of a comic book and blown up and put onto a large canvas. It's background is a city, with large buildings and the only color's used in the whole portrait are red and yellow. The woman in the picture is black and white. She looks angry and she's working. She's digging dirt with a wrathful, but determined face.
    The rhetorical situation of this piece deals with women's rights. Looking at it, you can tell it's taking place in a largely populated city during the 1920's. The historical moment it hits upon the the fight for equality for women and that whole movement. The comment that it makes is that the woman in the piece looks like she's trying to prove herself. She's trying to show that women can do anything that men can do. By the way she's dressed, you can tell that she probably stays home a lot to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. She wants to break out of that role and doing the "dirty work" helps with that.
    This piece makes me feel empowered, which is why I chose it. I'm all about independence and women being able to do things for themselves. It makes me feel good to see this type of work because it reminds that women in this time period fought for the the things women can do today, especially voting. This connects to my values because I was taught by my parents to always try and do things for myself. I should never let anyone discriminate against me based on my gender, race, religion, or personal views. I'm an African-American young woman and I take pride in who I am.
    The artist, Jerry Kearns, likes to bring social movements to life by creating art to go along with them. He's very invested and involved with the issues, which is why this piece is part of his collection. Looking at some of his other pieces, you can tell that he's very modern and he takes risks with his work -- some of these risks might not be acceptable to others.
    The claim that I think this piece is making is that women can do anything men can do. This claim is very persuasive to me because I don't believe that one gender is better than the other. If a man can do it, then a woman is able to do it too.
    My experience at the Palmer was amazing. At first, I wasn't very interested in going because I've been to art museums before. To me, they seem interesting, but after a while, they get boring. Going to the Palmer changed that. I was so fascinated by all the art work and I would definitely go back. Each piece that caught my eye had a story behind it and I want to learn more about that.


Here's a picture of the piece that I chose :

Prompt #1

The many strengths and weaknesses I have are never-ending when it comes to writing, but I'll try to narrow them down for you. Two of my strengths as a writer are my creativity and my ability to bring things to life off of the page. When I have a blank page, I get to writing and sometimes I can never stop. At times, in my high school English classes, my teachers would give me the most interesting topics. The only thing I had a hard time dealing with was the limit on words and pages I was given. I could write for hours if the topic was something I was passionate about. I put my all into what I write.

My other strength, bringing things to life, is very important in writing. If you want to keep the reader interested, animating and making them feel like they are in the actual story is the way to go. I can use words to describe situations in my writing that will keep the action or passion going. It makes a piece of work exciting and keeps the reader turning the page.

Two of my writing weaknesses are not knowing when to stop writing and my use of grammar. As I said before, I am very creative, but sometimes that can lead to not knowing when to put a capsule on what I write. I tend to run on and on about a subject and I do not realize that I repeat myself. I try to get my point across, but it ends up coming out as a bunch of nonsense. It is a habit of mine that I have been trying to break for a while now. My use of grammar can be horrible at times. I have the most trouble with punctuation more than anything else. Knowing where to put a semicolon or comma can be confusing for me and it is one of the things I want to work on while I am in this class.

Specifically as a writer, I'd like to improve my skills of getting strictly to my point. I don't want to drag my writing on. If there's something I'd like to prove or a subject I want my readers to understand, I don't want to ramble. I need to state the problem, the information surrounding it and how to fix it. To make this improvement, I could create an outline of my writing to narrow everything down. This will help me because I'll know what I want to say without throwing topics together sloppily in one piece of writing.

I can already tell that this is an interesting course. Looking at our schedule for the semester and the way the class is set up, I know that I am going to enjoy it. I think this course will help me improve as a writer because we have so much freedom in the class. Our minds are not just restricted to those four walls. Going outside the classroom and looking at other pieces of art could give us ideas on what to write and how to present it.

A piece of art that interests me is actually a music video. I was sitting here racking my brain on what things I've seen and what I consider art is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaasJ44O5lI&ob=av2e In my opinion, art is anything you see around you and this music video by Beyonce shows that. I encountered this music video when I was surfing the net and watching youtube videos. It evokes passion and love in me. I love the song, but the visual piece inspires me because of the use of lighting and effects in the video. It merits the term art because it's something we've never seen before. This was drawn up in someone's head and they brought it to life with the help of the right people. It brings out emotions when you watch and I think that any piece of art can do that.