Hey Mrs. S, I filled out the SRTE form. Thanks! Love, Austen :)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Self Evaluation
This semester I definitely learned a lot about writing and the Penn State arts community and how this community interacts with me every day. As far as writing goes the main thing that has stuck with me through this semester is ethos, pathos, and logos. I was unaware of how much of a role these three elements played in everyday life! Any or all of these elements can be found in any news article, advertisement, or any book that you decide to pick up. I am now consciously aware of when a company or author is trying to grab my attention by using any of these methods and how using these methods could affect my decision making. I also learned about the different types of art forms that are all around me every day.
I didn’t know that there were so many ways to define art and how the definition of art could apply to so many things. We spent quite a large amount of time attempting to redefine Penn State as an artistic community and this proved to be quite a difficult task. This was hard because there are so many different ways to define art and so many different ways to apply them to Penn State. Ironically, after the Sandusky scandal Penn State needed really needed a redefinition and luckily (or not so much) for us, we were in the perfect position to do this. Penn State is a thriving artistic community that is much more than just the football team, the Blue Band, or the artworks in the Palmer Museum of Art. Penn State is a community that is made up of people that contribute to its artistic community every day. Penn State is much more than just a place to learn and obtain a degree; it is a place that promotes art. I’ve never talked about art so much in my entire life and I never thought that I would enjoy it as much as I did! I am beyond glad that I was able to take this class and look beyond the “football crazed and drunk” Penn State stereotype.
"Everyone is getting some in this poem! And that's important!"
Before break we were told in class that we would have another author or poet or someone come to our class and do another reading. I’m not sure how, but I didn’t guess that it was going to be our very own instructor! So class that day was even more interesting than it usually is. I learned about a type of poem called a “found poem” and I really enjoyed it. A found poem can be just about anything, and you usually don’t realize that its poetry at first. I never really thought about this being a form of poetry but I actually enjoy it, I think it is very subtle and usually gives a bit of advice or wisdom. I also think that this is one of the purest forms of art because you don’t really know when you’re doing it, it just happens and when you reflect upon it you see the artistic value of it.
I also enjoyed the story about all the family outings to amusement parks such as Six Flags: Great Adventure and of course the infamous Action Park. I think that this story was so interesting because it was just a normal family out enjoying each other’s company for the day. This is something that gets over shadowed in today’s world because everyone is so worried about their jobs, school, and iPhones. So it was nice to hear about something other than technology and how it’s ruining the world around us. All in all I really enjoyed this reading because we got to hear some of our teacher’s own works and see a little bit more into her life and experiences. I also really liked the poem where everyone was getting some because “that’s important!”
Wawa...nuff said!
Now you might be thinking that you can get any of these things at a Sheetz or Turkey Hill but you’re seriously mistaken. Wawa is like having Wolfgang Puck prepare whatever you buy there as opposed to Apu from the Kwik-E-Mart! You can’t even compare the two! Wawa wins this debate hands down. I personally visit Wawa so often that I know the people that work there and they are all very friendly people. So honestly, what more could you want from a place? They have friendly workers, great service, great quality products, and this all leads to a very loyal fan base! When Wawa becomes a household name (which it will) you’ll know why! Everyone needs to go to Wawa at least once in their life because it is seriously a life changing experience! *On a side note: Penn State would do well to look into getting a Wawa!
Dave Housely Reading
I was definitely excited to go to this reading because of all the good things that I heard about Dave Housely. I heard that he was funny and quite entertaining so I knew that this was one of the outside readings that I was going to attend because, honestly everything else sounded a bit boring. When I got to the reading it was obvious that this was going to be a very relaxed and easy going reading. There was music playing and Dave was interacting with everyone, making sure that they had a copy of Barrelhouse Magazine, and just being very friendly.
The reading itself was also very interesting because the short stories that Dave read were not just average short stories, the characters all had something “special” about them. The last story that Dave read, there was a guy who was missing one of his fingers and was looked upon as though he had a gift because he had the “Jerry Garcia finger.” This was also my favorite story because all of the characters were a little sketchy and I didn’t know where the story was going to go. Overall I really enjoyed this reading because Dave Housely is such a lively person and he’s also a very talented writer. I would attend another one of his readings if he comes back to Penn State and I would also recommend that everyone should try to attend one, or at least read one of his books!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
When it falls down, who you gonna call now?
I first heard about the Penn State scandal one Saturday as I sat on my computer browsing AOL, looking for a way to pass the time. As I scrolled through the tabs I saw a headline that read “Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal” or something to that effect. So naturally because I’m Penn State student, I found the link simply irresistible. The story that I read was quite vague and needed to be read over a few times before I actually understood what was going on but once I had, I didn’t really think twice about it. I had absolutely no idea of the drama and mayhem that was about to ensue. After this story broke nationwide it was obvious that all hell was about to break loose in State College and it did; twice. People were rioting in the streets, screaming, chanting, cursing, and destroying damn near everything in sight. It was complete pandemonium. But what many people on the outside don’t understand is how invested and enormous the sense of pride that goes along with Penn State.
Author and editor Dave Housely may have shown the best examples of what it is truly like to like in State College and become absorbed in the Penn State tradition. Housely recalls two different stories about how his young son would reply “Penn State!” anytime he heard someone say “we are.” What is most amazing about this is that Housely and his wife never taught their son the traditional Penn State call and response, simply being around the university and people that care so much about it he picked up on it. This is the true Penn State. Though what happened will never be forgotten, people around the nation need to realize that Penn State is much bigger than Sandusky and all the others that neglected to report this.
As the more and more details of Sandusky’s atrocious escapades became available, it was obvious that the Penn State community had been forever changed. We are…no longer Penn State. We are…the joke of a nation. We are…dealing with the consequences of the actions of a few very irresponsible ADULTS. We are…in ruins.
It is blatantly obvious that what went on with this entire ordeal/cover up was no mistake. A few very immature and careless men held the name of the school and its football program above the safety and well being of numerous innocent children. And for what reason? It’s likely that no one will ever truly know. Besides the fact that so many young boys had their childhoods ruined by Sandusky and are scarred for life, the next biggest issue is that of the students. It’s true that many of Penn State’s students went and acted out after the firing of Joe Paterno, but it was only because they cared and felt hurt as well. Though this was not the correct way to react, it is understandable because almost 40,000 students will be affected by this entire scandal. This could turn out to be very detrimental to our futures! What everyone needs to understand is that we the students should not be punished for Sandusky. We had absolutely nothing to do with anything that went on. We did not commit a crime, we did not inappropriately deal with the situation, and we should not be punished.
Unfortunately in the society that we live in, we will be judged for being Penn Staters and loving our school to what could be considered a fault. The students and faculty here have always been Penn State proud and will probably always be Penn State proud, and that kind of dedication will be what gets this university through this time of uncertainty. Again, Dave Housely says it best, “This is how it goes around here. These kids puke in our streets and urinate in the bushes. They are terrible pedestrians and can be worse neighbors. Then they go and do something like raise 10 million dollars (last year alone) to support pediatric cancer patients.” This is the Penn State that people need to see, we’re not perfect but we damn sure try.
Dave Housely Article http://www.barrelhousemag.com/?p=1692
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Kiss Me, Kate!
Watching a musical is not how I usually spend my Saturday afternoons, especially when it means getting up before noon to get ready. But this turned out to be a worthwhile experience. I’ve been to quite a few plays and even a musical on Broadway and I tend to enjoy them as long as they aren’t Shakespeare. Before we arrived at the theater I was unaware that this musical was actually a remake of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew or that it was even a musical! I was a little confused at first when everyone started singing, so it was very different from what I expected. Typically I don’t enjoy theater performances because they usually don’t keep my attention and I feel like I’m on the verge of a deep sleep, but the musical-theater genre was very different.
Aside from the small seats and a little leg room, I really have no complaints about this musical/play. The music was very lively, the actors all had amazing voices, and the story was actually pretty funny. I was pleasantly surprised by this genre because it wasn’t at all what I expected to be. I honestly wouldn’t mind going to see a few more productions that are in the musical-theater genre. To go along with this musical theme, two of my favorite musicals are Hairspray and Chicago. I was actually fortunate enough to see the actual Hairspray musical on Broadway! It was a remarkable experience simply because it’s Broadway! But other than Hairspray and Chicago I have not seen many musicals but I am definitely open to seeing more. Compared to these two classic musicals, I thought that Kiss Me, Kate did a decent job compared to these two “mega musicals.”
I have never actually read Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but I have heard about. Other than actually hearing of the title, I have no idea what the play itself is about but I think that Kiss Me, Kate did a great job of blending together Shakespeare’s play and its own interpretation of it. It was obvious when the scenes from Taming of the Shrew were being portrayed because the actors donned medieval clothing and used some of the actual language. Still this play, unlike actual Shakespeare plays, was very easy to understand and follow. It was entertaining and even had an adorable (but predictable) love story, so there was something for everyone.
My favorite part of this experience was definitely the adult humor that they threw into the play every once in awhile. If you weren’t listening closely then you were most likely going to miss it. I also thought the two “thugs” that showed up during the middle of the play were hilarious. They added a different kind of humor to the play because they were so clueless and simple minded, whereas all the other characters were clearly more intelligent. I also liked the fact that it was a play within a play within a play! I have honestly never heard of anything like that! Overall, this musical/play was very interesting, funny. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but I’m that I went into it open minded because I ended up finding an aspect of theater that I didn’t know existed!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Hopping Fences & Warped Trees
Starting my day walking across campus, in the cold, only to stand around in the cold for a hour is definitely not my idea of a “good morning.” I don’t even like nature, let alone nature in the cold! So needless to say I was a little skeptical about this whole trip we had to take.
As I was wandering around the arboretum with Anthony, it seemed as though I was going to freeze before I saw anything of interest. But, as usual I was wrong and just being a crybaby. The fun didn’t start until we hopped a few fences in order to get a little closer to the open field that can be seen at the pavilion in the arboretum. Of course we probably shouldn’t have done that but still, who cares? As we approached the field I saw absolutely nothing of interest, just a big field full of dying grass. There were some trees in the distance but they were too far for me to really appreciate. It looked as though the most interesting thing we got to see was the garden area directly behind the fountain, and that wasn’t that great if you ask me! As we walked back towards the pavilion I noticed a tree on the side of the pathway. It wasn’t anything special because it didn’t have any leaves; in fact it was actually quite bare. The tree’s branches were very warped and twisted at odd angles; one branch was so misshapen that it was actually touching the ground. I immediately loved this tree, and it had nothing to do with the fact that it looked like the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter!
It became obvious that art doesn’t have to be pleasing to the eye like a grove of trees whose leaves are changing, or a garden filled with flowers. This twisted, gnarled tree could be considered an eye sore to some but I really enjoyed it. It broke away from the “norm” of natural beauty such as the leaves changing colors, flowers, and even different rocks that were scattered around the arboretum. Art doesn’t have to be beautiful, creative, or colorful. It can be something as simple as a tree with no leaves, which I would bet; many people didn’t give a second glance to! This showed that art is rather subjective because I was highly unamused by the changing leaves and the dying flowers, it was simply too generic for me.
In hindsight, this trip to the arboretum was definitely one worth making. Even though I complained about it being cold the entire time, I definitely enjoyed it. How many times do you get to walk around and experience the beauty of your campus during class time? Not often if you ask me, so I am very thankful for the opportunity, because sitting in a class get very old very fast. I am also thankful that Penn State has such an awesome campus! I probably never would have made a trip over here had it not been for this class, but I think that I might actually go back! (Once it gets a little warmer) It was a great trip to make for such a great class!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Number One Huh?
Of course Penn State is a party school! That's all you usually hear about Penn State, well that and the football team of course! Even my mom told me not to come up to Penn State and not turn into a "party animal!" But some of the things that were said on this podcast changed my view of the “extracurricular activities” that go on over the weekend at Penn State.
"75% of students drink every Friday and every Saturday." It's never too early to start drinking!" The fact that 75% of the student body drinks on Fridays and Saturday was shocking. Of course you see a bunch of people roaming around on College Ave on the weekends but it definitely doesn't look like 75% of the school. This number is definitely a large support of the logos appeal. As a student I feel like that's not a good number to be a part of, but then again it could mean missing out on the full "college experience" so there's a major conflict!
The one problem that I found with the ethos of this piece was the whole Princeton Review ranking system. Though Penn State was ranked number one in the country, the rankings were determined by students! Honestly, what college student doesn’t want the right to brag about going to the number one party school in the nation? Even the narrator at the time admits that this isn’t a “scientific survey” so I felt that this wasn’t an accurate way to depict my school or even the majority of the students that attend Penn State.
The pathos throughout these interviews was particularly high when they spoke about how there are college students that drunkenly break into homes and pass out. I couldn't imagine going into any room of my house and find a stranger sleeping, or even have my child say that there is a stranger sleeping in their room! This was used to show that the drinking and partying in Penn State was going too far because it was now putting people in danger.
Some of the definitions at stake that were explained this podcast were "frackets", a "drunk button", and "the dark side." Frackets are cheap jackets that girls wear over there partying clothes during cold nights so that they stay warm. A drunk button is exactly what it sounds like! You hit the button and presto! You're drunk! Both frackets and the drunk button are some of the more lighthearted aspects of partying, while the dark side is actually a very serious downside. A senior by the name of Dan was forced to quit his fraternity because he was falling so far behind in his school work. There has to be a line of when it's ok to party and when it's time to study because in reality, you are in college to learn.
Sure we were the number one party school, and we "party hard" but that's the misconception of this school! Not everyone comes to Penn State to party and not everyone over does partying. It also seems as though the faculty isn't doing enough to stop or at least curb the drinking at Penn State but that's not the case. The faculty admits that the drinking is a problem, but there is nothing that they can do to completely stop it. They are taking it little by little and trying to educate students and get them to slow down on the drinking. There will always be girls running around in their “frackets”, guys will always be peeing in parking garages, and people will always want a "drunk button" but that is just a part of college that probably won’t ever change.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Nerf Guns & Mud Fights!
My daily walks to and from class puts me behind the HUB around 3 times a day. Behind the HUB there’s a crude backdrop of the shell building, a work in progress. Other than this there is a luscious green field that many of the Penn State’s students enjoy after class or in between classes. Students can be seen lounging on the grass catching some rays, conversing with friends, eating a quick meal, or (most importantly) studying. But the most interesting things usually occur around 4-6 in the evening after most classes are over. Thursday evening of last week I saw about eight people running around bare foot, wearing t-shirts, and shorts slinging mud at each other! As if this wasn’t odd enough, just yesterday as I was walking back from dinner I saw around 40 people wearing orange and green bandanas carrying nerf guns! Unfortunately I didn’t stick around long enough to see the end result of what appeared to be a nerf gun war for the ages. But some more normal events that usually occur are people throwing around a Frisbee, football, or going for a run. Next time you walk behind the HUB take a few seconds to look around and notice all of the little oddities that happen on our campus because you never know what you might stumble upon!
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Hidden Picture (Journal 2)
Martin Lewis
Passing Storm (1919)
Mezzotint
As I wandered around through the Palmer Museum of Art I observed all the different pieces of artwork that lined the walls but none of them particularly jumped out at me. As I was about to leave I spotted a “dresser” containing even more works of art within its drawers. These works were almost hidden because, who honestly puts pictures in drawers? But inside was, what looks to be a painting, called Passing Storm and as soon as I saw it I knew that this picture was the one I wanted to write about. This particular work was done by a Mr. Martin Lewis in 1919 in a style known as mezzotint. After looking at the way this work was created I wondered what mezzotint was because it looked like a simple drawling or painting, but it was not a drawling at all. Mezzotint is when an artist etches an image onto a copper plate and then wipes the plate with ink. The darker parts of the image contain deeper grooves in which the artist filled with ink while the lighter parts have less ink or no ink at all. The image is then printed onto a surface and the “drawing” in born.This image depicts a storm over what looks like an early 1900’s industrial city near the water. My first thought when I saw this paint was that this city looks like New York City from a boat or dock on the Hudson River! The main colors used in this work are gray, white, and black depending on the amount of ink used. The grays and blacks help to better depict dark and stormy weather, while the white helps to bring a lighter more airy feel to the work. The white is used to show the foaming of the water below but also in the top left cornering showing that the sun is coming right behind the storm as it passes over. The whites used in this image also show the brightness from the lightning and also what looks like birds flying through the storm. The darker grays and blacks show the shadows that the clouds are casting over the water and onto the buildings in the background. There are even shadows on different parts of the water that show the position of the clouds. As the storm moves eastward the buildings on the far left are brighter and less dark. There are also two boats that seem to be weathering the storm the boat on the right is quite bright possibly because it was closer to the artist, while the boat on the left is dark and covered in shadow.
There does not appear to be any significant historical scene depicted in this image other than a common storm churning up the waters of this body of water and bringing rain. Simply put, I think Martin Lewis found inspiration in nature’s wrath and the “new world” of technology and modern cities so he found this scene to be quite rousing. When I look at this piece I see a developing city that still must deal with the natural world because you can never avoid nature. I feel as though in today’s world people see nature as more of a bother than as the beautiful entity that it is. In today’s world nature is overlooked and Martin Lewis may have been attempting to hint at this even early on in the “technological revolution.” I do not think that this painting is not trying to persuade the onlooker into believing anything, but it is there to remind them of the balance between technology and nature.
After researching more about Martin Lewis I found that he often depicted scenes in New York City because by 1905 he actually lived in there. So the scene that is shown in this piece of art is most likely the Hudson River and an early New York City skyline. Martin Lewis also used mezzotint in other works of art so this was not his only attempt at it.
After seeing the entire museum for the first time, I would definitely go back even though I am not really a fan of museums. I more so enjoyed the more modern art because I felt that I could relate to it more and understand it better but I could also appreciate the older works. I would recommend that everyone should go at least once because it is a small museum so you don’t have to worry about being overwhelmed by all the works and not seeing all of the works. Overall I enjoyed the trip and I think that this was something that every Penn State student should experience at least once.
Citations
"Whatismezzotint." Welcome to Lewis & Clark in Beautiful Portland, Oregon. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://legacy.lclark.edu/~jhart/whatismezzotint.html>.
"Martin Lewis (1881-1962)." The Old Print Shop. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.oldprintshop.com/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?action=bio&creator_id=9>.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
My Writing
I personally enjoy writing when I am able to write freely or write about a topic that I enjoy and how much to say about. The worst thing for me has to be writing about a specified topic about, say a book or a text that we’ve been forced to read! I don’t mind writing when I’m able to write about what I find interesting or what I notice throughout a text. Bottom line is, I do not like being forced to think the way someone is does and then come up with an answer or response that’s “original to me.” Basically, I want to draw my own conclusions from the text!
Overall, I would consider myself a pretty decent writer and one of my strengths would definitely be my ability to analyze a text and then draw conclusions from it and then putting it in my own words. Thinking outside of the box is important to me so I enjoy being able to voice my finds to others, in ways that they had not noticed before. Another one of my strengths would probably be my ability to organize my writing. Whether it’s writing a paper last minute or a week ahead, I think that organization allows me to get my thoughts across clearly. It even leaves room for more ideas and additions along the way! But that’s not to say I don’t have any weaknesses because that would be a flat out lie!
My two weaknesses would definitely be grammar and my laziness when it comes to proof reading. Grammar and I have never really gotten along so this isn’t anything new. I think that proof-reading is also a problem for me because once I’m finished with a paper I figure I’m done with it forever. I would like to improve as a writer by increasing my vocabulary and sentence structures so that I can make more of my pieces of interesting. I could definitely look up different types of sentence structures and apply them to my work and get feedback from others to see whether it is correct or not. Lastly, I think that this course will help me as a writer because it will allow me to write papers from different points of view. I will have experienced different types of art so I will learn about different ways to approach different questions as a more opened minded person.
My art (graffiti & tattoos):
The type of art that I chose was graffiti and tattoos. I chose these because they are both creative ways to express oneself and they are also associated with rebellion at times. I love the bold colors and statements that both are associated with because they set everyone apart from each other. Nine times out of ten you never see the same tattoo of piece of graffiti twice and I think that aspect is beautiful because you always see something new. Both tattoos and graffiti can show a person’s beliefs or even their creativity and think that being different and not conforming is something that everyone should be a part of!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)