Greek Sing!

I am a sister of Alpha Delta Pi here at Penn State, and this past weekend we participated in the Greek Sing Competition.  This competition raises money for the Gayle Beyers Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to Greek individuals who are examples of dedication, bravery, and commitment and are chosen based on involvement and financial need.  We raise the money by having spirit events at local businesses.  For example, one night there was an event at Insomnia Cookies- each member of your team that went to the event and bought cookies was awarded points, and the proceeds went towards the scholarship fund.  Because Penn State Greek Life is SO HUGE, each sorority is paired with two fraternities, who then pick a musical together and perform a few songs with some dialogue.  The winners are picked based off of spirit points, dances, singing, energy, and overall performance.  My sorority was paired with Pi Lambda Phi and Alpha Gamma Rho.  We performed Footloose, a play about a young man named Ren from Chicago who is forced to move to a small puritan town where dancing and rock ’n’ roll are forbidden.  He cleverly convinces Reverend Moore to let the town’s high school have a dance, and simultaneously falls in love with the Reverend’s daughter, Ariel.  Some other performances of the afternoon were from the Lion King, Peter Pan, and Hercules.  Our girls and guys gave a great performance that awarded us Second Place Overall in Greek Sing! We could not have been more proud, it was a very exciting day! I recommend everyone go to this performance next year!

Self Evaluation!

1.     1.  Self- Evaluation

Sometimes when you reach the end of a semester it doesn’t really feel like you’ve learned all that much until you look back and reflect on what you actually did.  That’s how I felt when my time in English 15s at Penn State was coming to a close and I was asked to look back on my time spent in the class.   This is when I realized just how much I did learn this semester.  

I learned how to appeal to my audience.  Especially from writing the blog posts each week, I learned how to use my topic to target a specific group of people and then make sure I stuck with that through the entire piece.  I learned how to write a memoir from listening to examples that my professor had written, and fellow Penn State students had written over the years.  I learned how to analyze an advertisement.  I can now look at all of the different elements such as color, text, font, word placement, highlights, sizing, etc. and understand exactly why it was all done.  I can tell exactly what the creator of the ad wanted me to focus on.  I learned how to review a movie.  My class was required to go to a college-life themed movie festival and pick a movie to review.  After discussing movie reviews in detail in class and looking at a few reviews that my professor suggested as examples, I was able to write a blog post giving a short description and plot summary, describe the special effects and musical choices, list the director, producer and other important factors, and explain why I recommended it to my audience.  I was also able to review a play.  My class went to see “In the Red and Brown Water,” and I had to review that as well.  It was very similar to the movie review assignment but this was cool because I got to see one of the interesting things going on in my campus that I would not have known about otherwise.  I also had to review an arts/cultural experience on campus.  I loved this assignment because it motivated me to go out on campus and explore the many options I have for entertainment.  I chose to review the Jack Johnson concert, which gave me an opportunity to experiment reviewing music, which is something that I love.  The last review we had to do for this class was of an art piece at the Palmer Museum of Art.  I got to talk about something I love so much, art, and describe it in an eloquent way.  I learned how to describe the artwork with meaning while also commenting on the historical significance of the piece.  I’ve never had a blog before, so this class opened me up to a very exciting outlet for my writing.  I think after this class I may create a new blog! 

Not only did this course teach me a lot about writing, reviewing, and creating an advertisement, but it taught me a lot about my school and the community I live in.  I learned about so many cool things going on around me that I never would have known about before.  From poetry readings, to the arboretum, to plays and concerts there is never not something to entertain you at Penn State.  I also learned a lot about myself.  I learned how much I love writing, how much I love my school, and how much I am interested in the arts.  I always knew that I loved making art, but I didn’t realize how interested I was in writing about it.  I’m really excited that I got to take this course, and I’m sad it’s almost over!

2.       2. Blog post comments:

-http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1354677994541#c3917126810111414257

-http://cheddarbread.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1354677864763#c8628699414979007819

-http://colorfulspots.blogspot.com/p/in-the.html

-http://contemplationsoacck.blogspot.com/2012/10/animal-antics-ac-bp-4.html#comment-form

-http://imporvedartsmarts.blogspot.com/2012/10/social-network.html#comment-form

- http://jspellman94.blogspot.com/2012/10/artscultural-response-ill-abilities.html#comment-form

- http://knaviello.blogspot.com/2012/10/animal-house.html#comment-form

- http://rfatherly.blogspot.com/2012/10/scream-2-movie-review.html#comment-form

- http://daniellegordonmartin.blogspot.com/2012/09/peaceful-morning-at-arboretum.html#comment-form

- http://jspellman94.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-hidden-gem-of-state-college.html#comment-form

- http://jrose412.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-first-art-adventure.html#comment-form

- http://itsblogtimeeverybody.blogspot.com/2012/09/artscultural-response-jack-johnson.html#comment-form

(in the order of newest to oldest)

3.       3. Hi Ms. S-I completed my SRTEs

In The Red and Brown Water

This past weekend I went to see The Penn State School of Theater’s production of In the Red and Brown Water, by Tarell Alvin McCraney.  It’s a tragic story about a young girl named Oya, who, despite her passion for running, is forced to turn down an opportunity to join an elite team to take care of her sick mother, and later finds her self unable to leave the town she grew up in.  After the death of her mother she grows bitter and lonely, finding comfort only in a man who is torn away from her by war and his lust of other women.  It seems as though throughout the entire play nothing can go right for Oya, while all of her friends are having so much success and love with happy marriages, pregnancies, and bright futures.  The tale also follows the life of her childhood friend Little Elegba, who rebels when he hits puberty and makes some bad choices that will follow him for the rest of his life. 

Oya’s ability to run mirrors her personality: she is a strong, brave individual who has the will power to overcome any obstacles.  Unfortunately, when she no longer has running in her life, she loses the spunky drive that was once so prominent.  Her beauty and kindness once captivated every man who knew her, but that changed when her personality darkened and grew cold.

I was most compelled by the importance of music and dancing in the play.  There were a lot of very powerful scenes that including either a more tribal dance, or dancing to popular current music.  Music is shown in the play as a form of expression; many of the scenes that show a character professing something important was during a musical number.

I have seen many plays in my life and I thought this performance lived up to my expectations drawn from past experiences.  The actors did a great job of engaging the audience with their energetic dance scenes and when they came into the crowd.  I thought the acting was incredible and I felt like I could relate to each of the characters and what they were going through.  The girl who played Oya very well represented her internal struggle.  Although Oya never came right out and said that she was unhappy with how her life was going, it was very clear through her actions, the look on her face, and how she changed from the beginning to end of the play.  Overall, thumbs up, Penn State!

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Director: David Fincher

Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (book)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg (30 Minutes or Less), Andrew Garfield (Spiderman), Justin Timberlake (Friends With Benefits), Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)

Length: 120 min

In theatres: October 1, 2010

It’s hard to go into a “college movie” and not expect the main focus to be drinking and having fun.  As a college student, I can tell you that the experience is much more than that.  I admit I was skeptical before first watching The Social Network, but I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised. 

This is the story of Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), and how he created the social networking site known as Facebook.  The plot follows two legal battles that he faces, one with his best friend, Edwardo, the company’s chief financial officer (Andrew Garfield), and the other against the Winklevoss twins who claim that Zuckerberg stole the idea from them.  There are a few scenes with partying, including one where Edwardo goes to an exclusive party of the final club, Phoenix, and others after they move the company to California for the summer.  I think that the audience for this movie is mainly people who use Facebook, so that would be mostly teenagers and young adults.

The movie dives back and forth in time, starting with the creation of Facebook and darting back to the court cases every few scenes.  As the story progresses, the court cases begin to make more sense and you begin to wonder who’s side you’re really on.

I would rate this as a pretty good representation of college.  A great college movie typically includes epic parties, drama with friends, and some schoolwork here and there.  It’s Harvard, so clearly there are a lot of smart people around, and there are a few scenes with classes and studying involved.  There are also a lot of partying scenes, which shows the crazy side to college life.  The parties depicted in the movie were very extreme; the one shown while the company was in California includes drug use and a shut down by the police.  Social media is also a HUGE part of a college student’s daily life, and since this movie is about the founding of one of the most popular social websites, it does a good job representing that aspect too. It was really interesting how the movie compared life before and after Facebook, and being able to relate to the addiction to social media.

The Social Network has everything: drama, conflict, and even some comedic relief here and there with some quality one liners.  Although I did not expect much out of this movie, I was captivated from the first seen.  For Facebook users, or anyone living in the 21^st century, this is definitely a must-see. 

Arts/Cultural Response: Jack Johnson at PSU

A couple of weeks ago Jack Johnson came to Penn State to do a free concert for Rock The Vote accompanied by G. Love and ALO.  All day there were Rock The Vote tents set up outside Eisenhower Auditorium and volunteers running around trying to persuade people to register to vote.  Their incentive: getting to go to a free concert!  The second I heard about this I was in.  I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’m Jack Johnson’s number one fan, but I’ve always enjoyed chilling out listening to some of his smooth, mellow tunes.  I was definitely expecting an amazing concert, but the experience I had was so much more.  Jack played for two hours straight, which is INSANE!  I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day and never have I been to one with such a long set list, AND IT WAS FREE!  Even the opening acts were incredible.  Before last Wednesday, I had never heard of G. Love or ALO, but they both killed it on stage.  The audience was going crazy, and the lead singer of ALO even got a WE ARE PENN STATE chant going.  (G. Love later followed me on twitter, nbd).  Jack opened with Where’d All The Good People Go, and everyone was on their feet, dancing and singing along.  It was an incredible atmosphere.  After only being in college for a few weeks at that point, it was cool to feel connected to so many of my peers through something as powerful as music.  For the last few songs he performed, he invited G. Love and ALO back on stage to perform with him.  The energy was phenomenal.  They all connected and performed together so well you would think that they had been touring together for years.

The cause was awesome as well.  I am a huge believer that everyone who can vote should vote.  So many people think that their voice doesn’t matter.  One vote may not seem like much, but if it gets to being hundreds or thousands of people who think that way, that does matter.  It’s always inspiring when people as busy and famous as Jack Johnson take the time to support something as important as this.

By the end of the night, I was in love with this man.  He had such an incredible stage personality, telling us stories about how he met his wife and interesting tidbits about why he wrote some of his songs.  Every time someone from the crowd would scream out “I LOVE YOU” he would laugh and respond, “I love you too man!”  There was definitely a strong connection between the stage and the audience.  I’m thrilled that I had this experience; this is a night I will remember for a very long time.

Flowers on Flowers on Flowers

This past Monday, my English class took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens at the Penn State Arboretum.  It was a hike and a half from my dorm in the freezing cold at 9 am Monday morning, not exactly ideal.  To say the least, I wasn’t looking forward to wandering around outside so early, but when I arrived my opinion changed.  The gardens were extravagant and full of beautiful life and color.  Being so early in the morning, the sun was hitting everything just right and beams of light danced off the droplets of dew resting on every petal.  It was breathtaking.  I love nature; in high school I was part of the environmental club and I’ve always enjoyed just sitting outside and watching the world, sometimes even painting it.  The gardens at Penn State reminded me of a place back home called Busch Gardens.  It’s another GORGEOUS place, much bigger than that of Penn State, that has display after display of flowers, fountains, and simply, beauty.  My family used to go there on special occasions like the Fourth of July or Christmas to see the fireworks and light shows.  Although the Arboretum wasn’t quite as extravagant, it gave me some comforting thoughts of home at a time when I needed them most. 

The best part of the gardens is all of the colors.  Being an artist, I always notice the different colors and shades.  The architect for this place did a wonderful job because there are bursts of light and color everywhere you look.  I hope someday I will be able to bring a palette of paints and an easel down to capture a little bit of it. 

The gardens have lots of little seating areas near the flowers with benches and chairs.  I couldn’t help thinking that this would be an amazing place to take your notes and study.  So peaceful, so enchanting, it would be the perfect place to get some quiet and focus.

There is also a fountain at the back surrounded by a field of grass and flowers.  When the sun hits it just right it looks like the water is dancing.  I could stand staring at it for hours. 

There is a pond with lots of gently floating lily pads and flowers. 

Lots of funky plants as well. These aren’t your typical gardens.

Lastly, there is a special occasions area for weddings and proms.  It’s really beautiful and covered in a nice white tarp.  When you look out into the fields from under the tarp you see all of the flowers and the fountain in the distance.  If the weather is nice, it would be a wonderful place to make memories.  I’m sure it gets very popular here, especially since Penn State has such adoring alumni; I’m sure a lot of people would love to be able to say they got married on such sacred ground.  What about you? Do you think you would ever get married at the Penn State Arboretum?

"Affirmative Action"

I love museums.  I often equate a trip to the museum with memories of my childhood, when on a boring summer day my mom, grandmother, camp counselor, or whoever had the task of looking after me would bring me down to the city for an educational adventure.  That’s why when my college English teacher announced the assignment to attend the campus art museum and write a blog post about it, I was extremely excited.   When I visited the Palmer Museum of Art this past weekend there were lots of beautiful pieces that I was inclined to write about, but one in particular caught my eye.  Its name was “Affirmative Action” by Jerry Kearns, painted in 1943.  It depicts a woman at work, slamming a hammer down on what looks to be some form of rock.  Her facial expression is aggressive and strong, as is her stance.  The noteworthy aspect of this piece is that she isn’t in clothes that you would expect for such a task, she’s wearing a dress and high heels.  Why, you ask?  Well that’s what I was wondering too.  First I stepped back and tried to analyze what the message of the piece was, paying special attention to the time period it was painted in.  During the 1940’s, America was at war.  WWII had just begun, and men all over the country abandoned their lives to join the armed forces. This meant that there were a lot of jobs, and not enough men to do them.  At this time there were also a lot of factories being created for weaponry and support of the war, and there were even fewer men to work there.  This was when America turned to the women.  Although for centuries women were looked at as nothing more than child-bearers and keepers of the household, there was a growing need for workers and women were our only hope.  No one expected that this would be a permanent change; everyone just assumed that after the war men would come back and take their old posts.  As you may have realized, that was not the case.  This struck a revolution for women, eventually leading to a fair society in which we have just as many rights to work as men do.  The most important icon for the “working woman” at this time was “Rosie the Riveter”; she appeared on countless ads and propaganda prompting women to support the war by going to work.  She was “the ideal woman worker: loyal, efficient, patriotic, and pretty”(Women at Work).  This painting makes me think of her.  The woman in the painting could be fighting society, using her hammer to break away the foundation of societal views that were holding her and her gender back.  It could also simply be reminiscent of the working woman of the age: working hard to support her country, but also holding true to her femininity by dressing as she was expected to.  Now,  I don’t know how many people reading this have actually worn heels, but let me tell you that it is no easy task, and for a woman to be doing manual labor in shoes like this is extremely impressive and out of the ordinary.  This piece obviously is very powerful, no matter which way you choose to interpret it.  Personally, it reminds me of my mom, my strongest role model.  A single mother supporting three kids, working non-stop to provide for her family, make sure there’s enough food on the table, and put me through college.  She is driven, hard-working, and does all of these incredible things in her classic 4 inch heels.  Although I doubt it was the author’s intention to make me think of my mother, especially since she was born 20 years after the making of this painting, I do think he successfully commented on our gender as a whole, showing the strength and courage of women of his time, and ours.  I did some research on Mr. Kearns and found that he has done a lot of “modernist” paintings that comment on society and represent a political view.  Although before my trip to the Palmer I was unfamiliar with his work, I can now say that I am a fan and will be looking for more.  What do you think about his work?

 

Works Cited

"Women At Work." 1940's.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://1940s.org/history/on-thehomefront/women-at-work/>.