How Did I Do?

1. I learned that time preparation is very important.  In high school you can get away with putting off assignments to the last minute but that is defiantly not the case in college.  In college, course material is spread further out and goes by faster.  This leaves us to do a lot of work on our own.  Studying the night before is defiantly not a good idea.  In addition, there is so much more going on in other classes that time management is key if you want to get good grades.  I also learned that there are many distractions in college as well.  This is the first time in our lives that we have complete freedom from our guardians.  This can be both good and bad.  While it forces us to be independent, it can also lead us to be reckless and irresponsible.  I also learned that studying hard is not enough.  You have to study harder than what you think is “hard.”  In high school I studied the night before and got good grades.  In college I started studying a week before and thought I was studying hard.  Turns out you have to study a lot longer than that to get an excellent grade.

This year I learned a lot about writing.  Ethos, pathos, and logos, all terms that were touched upon in high school, were a big part of our English class this semester.  Before I didn’t really know what any of them meant.  However, after this class I know them well and understand how to incorporate them into my writing to create a stronger piece of writing.  I also learned to be more specific, and add more dialogue in my writing.  In addition, I also learned that it is ok to have different tones in a single piece of writing, when breaking the piece into sections or acts.  The most important thing I learned about writing is that there is always room for improvement, even if you think that there is none.

Penn State is an amazing place.  I learned that Penn State is a strong and prideful school.  Even after the scandal, our school remains to be a school of high spirit and charisma.  What amazed me the most was how kind everyone is at State College.  From the staff to random people I met on the streets, everyone has a kind and outgoing personality.  I also learned how isolated Penn State is.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel as if Penn State is in its own little world.

I experienced so much more in my first semester at Penn State than I did years in my life.  This is the first time that I was on my own for a long period of time, and away from my “bubble.”  This brought forth new experiences and friendships.  I always considered myself a shy and reserved person, but after a semester at Penn State I learned to be outgoing and confident.  I realized that I had it in me to be outgoing; all I had to do was to be open minded.

Penn State is full of opportunities to experience the arts.  I learned that Penn State is no joke when it comes to displaying its support for the arts.  For example, I was very impressed by the marathon reading that the English department held.  The turnout was good and the overall quality of the event was great.  I was also very impressed by the quality and size of the theater and museum in Penn State.  Both were very legit and impressive.  My favorite art related event connected to Penn State was the Arboretum.  The place was so beautiful and is a nice break from the campus scene.  Lastly I was impressed by the availability of new art related events around campus.  It seems like there is a new event every week!

2. 

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?

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https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/Default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=E1E2C28948144EDCA3621EFDBA4F5AA2

http://obrienseyes.blogspot.com/2012/12/artscultural-event-wiz-khalifa.html?showComment=1355112432051#c6537085659978310970

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

What is Art?

When I think of the word art, three things come into mind.  Music, painting, and pottery.  Music is one of the most beautiful arts available to everyone.  Music has been with the world for a very long time.  Music has been used to entertain, guide, tell stories, comfort, encourage, etc.  I believe music is an art, because it is beautiful.  We call the entertainers of music, artists because they are creating their music.  For an artist to create his or her own music then perform it for everyone to hear, I believe that is a very beautiful thing.  Without music, there is no life.  Music is present everyday in our lives, from the shower to the car, music carries us through the day.  My favorite artists include Wiz Khalifa and Mariah Carey.  Of course when one hears the word art, they think of paintings and pottery.  Paintings and pottery are both beautiful forms of art.  Paintings have the ability to tell stories and express emotions.  Paintings can connect with the viewers and make them interpret the meaning of the artist's work.  Pottery also has the ability to tell stories and express emotions.  There are many beautiful pieces of pottery in the world, that causes its audience to awe in amazement, such as the porcelain bottles of the Joseon dynasty.  

However, for me art does not end there.  When I think of the word art, the word skill or perfection comes into mind.  From cooking to soccer, all these elements to me are art.  For example, the way Gordon Ramsay cooks his dishes and his knowledge of fine cuisine, is an art to me.  The way he commands the kitchen, prepares the dishes, cuts his ingredients, are all art to me.  I also believe that fighting is an art.  When watching mixed martial arts, I believe the way the fighter moves his body, attacks, and defends is all an art.  One of my favorite forms of art is the game of soccer.  The way each team plans their formation and carries out their tactics is amazing.  The way FC Barcelona passes during their games is an art.  They pass precisely and with one touch that is just amazing.  The way Christiano Ronaldo dribbles past his opponents is an art.  His free kicks, skill moves, speed, are all beautiful forms of art.

I believe that the four seasons is the most beautiful display of art.  The way the leaves change color in the fall is beautiful.  Seeing all the warm colors, red, yellow, orange flowing through the streets is truly a sight of awe.  The way snow slowly falls on a calm winter day and creates a layer of snow that glistens at night from the moon is one of the most beautiful scenes of nature that I can imagine.  Crisp green trees swaying in the cool wind of spring is an experience that many of us are looking forward to.  The warm sunsets of summer that evoke awe from its audience.  These are all examples of the most beautiful displays of art.

Everyone has their own definition and examples of what art is.  But to sum it all up, I believe that art can be explained by one word.  That word is, beauty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joseon_blue_%26_white_porcelain_bottle.jpg

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/konstantinks/konstantinks1111/konstantinks111100407/11341872-winter-landscape-with-falling-snow-at-night-illustration.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lprlgvN0OS1qjpe16o1_500.jpg

Catch 22

         My friend was working the sign in sheet for the Catch 22 reading so I decided to support her by showing up for an hour or so.  By the time I got there I was surprised to see that half the seats in the tent were full.  In addition there were people camped out in sleeping bags and relaxing.  The atmosphere was very pleasant and relaxing.  Anybody was allowed to come and camp out, even if they weren't reading.  I remember these three very odd people dancing to Gangnam Style and other various dances during the readings.  The tent had strung up lights that made the tent look really nice and suitable for a marathon reading.  I will admit that I am not into books nor did I really pay attention to the reading, but it was a very enjoyable experience.  There were a diverse range of ages who read.  From college students to senior citizens, many people came to read.  Students, teachers, and even random residents came by to read. Free t-shirts were given out to people who read, I was lucky enough to get one of the extras without reading.  I was actually really surprise by the quality of this event.  There were many boxes of pizzas from Papa Johns, even the t-shirts were from American Apparel, whose clothes are not cheap at all.  The quality of the reading marathon really made me think that Penn State doesn't mess around when it comes to events.  Coming from high school I was expecting a shanty atmosphere with four boxes of pizza, the university level is truly another experience.  I was also really impressed by the turnout of the event.  My friend and I attended thinking that we would be the only ones there.  Like I mentioned above, there was a decent turnout.  I also looked at the sign up sheet, and the sheets were almost full!  I even saw people that signed up as early as 5am.  The only times that were vacant were at like three and four in the morning.  Some people even signed up twice to read.  After one person was done their shift, the next person up would just pick up from where the last person left off.  This made it very interesting to hear all the different tones.  Hearing each person's different tones and levels of excitement made it more enjoyable.  The reading marathon had many issues of the book as well so people could follow along or read on their own.  Another thing that surprised me was the actual marathon part.  I did not actually believe that they would be reading for the whole day, into the next day!  That really surprised me.  I was told that the author was a Penn State graduate but I believe the author did not come.  Overall I thought this was a good experience.  It was my first college sponsored event, and honestly I had a decent time.  Even though I do not like reading, the atmosphere was so pleasant and relaxing that it made the experience enjoyable.

In The Red and Brown Water

"In the Red and Brown Water" tells us a story about a young girl named Oya who loves to run and is really good at it.  The story starts off with Oya, who seems to be in a trance saying "Oya, Oya."  Her mother, mama Moja enters and jokes with Oya about her running, when all of a sudden she stops and starts experiencing pains.  Later in the play we see Oya winning a race, after which she is approached by a scout representing "State."  He offers her a spot at school but she declines due to her sick mother.  After the death of her mother we get a deeper view of other important characters.  Ogun, a shy mechanic who likes Oya and stutters whenever he talks to her.  Shongo, a strong, agressive man who also likes Oya.  Elegba, a young man obsessed with candy who is also intrested in Oya.  And finally Aunt Elegua, a charsimatic, big woman who comforts Oya and hits on her lovers.  After the death of Oya's mother, Shongo comes to comfort Oya and the two start a relationship.  The relationship is happy as the two constantly fight.  Shongo walks out on Oya to join the Army, and to make things worse, Oya seeks the man from State but is informed that they got a better runner.  Oya sits lonely on a porch, when Ogun approaches her and takes her in with the promise of a family, something Oya has been longing for.  However this relationship is not happy either, as Oya still has not had a baby.  On top of this she still has feelings for Shongo.  Shongo returns but Oya is informed that he is going to have a baby with another woman.   Shongo visits Oya, where she tells him that she prepared a present, but the present turns out to be her ear.  The play ends with Oya on the ground.  I felt that two things were the most important for the character.  Running for State and having a baby.  Unfortunatly she did not achieve both.  Had Oya ran for state, she would not have been there for her mother's death.  As for the baby I believe it was hinted that Oya was infertile by the mysterious voodoo lady. I was most compelled at the end when Oya cut off her ear.  I have to be honest that took me by such surprise.  Oya mentioned she had a gift and clenched her hands, so I thought it was sleeping pills but it turned out to be her own ear!  I had no idea how much she loved Shongo or how jealous and sad she felt that she wasn't having his baby.  I have no official critiques, I thought the play was good.  Although I was confused by the wardrobe, by looking at the costumes I thought it was placed back in the 1800's but apparently that wasn't it seeing as how they had a DJ. This was not the first live theater performance I saw.  I saw the Lion King on Broadway freshman year of High School so obviously Lion King was much better.  However I enjoyed this play as well, I thought the singing was phenomenal especially the scene at the church.  I also really enjoyed the character Aunt Elegua.

"The Graduate"

What the heck?!  That is my first impression after watching "The Graduate" directed by Mike Nichols. This movie won an Oscar along with 20 other awards.  Made in 1967 and starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross, this movie tells of a young college graduate, Benjamin, who has an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be his father's business partners wife.  If that's not enough, Benjamin eventually falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine.  A good college movie should be easy to relate with the majority of college students. Which means of course a good college movie should include, Partying, non-complex story line, and dynamic characters.  "The Graduate" shows some of these aspects but not all.  Perhaps in 1967 the  college experience consisted of having affairs with women twice your age, but not in this generation.  Lets be honest, majority of college students have been to at least one party.  Because of this whenever we hear about college movies we always expect big party scenes, take American Pie for example.  "The Graduate" has no college party scene what so ever, unless you count bougie dinner parties.  College is fairly simple it consists of studying, meeting new people, and experiencing new things.  When are we ever going to be put in a situation where were having affairs with our parents friends then falling in love with their daughter? Also we as college students to the masses are fairly simple as well.  The world sees us as the future, hard workers, and respectable adults.  And of course some see us as party animals. The fact is that were fairly simple and out going people.  In this movie the main character is so complex.  He's so indecisive and awkward.  When we go to see a movie about college we expect at least one outgoing character.  If there is an awkward or reserve character, we expect a dynamic, and outgoing character to balance out the atmosphere. However, in a way his personality can relate to us as well.  We've all been there, we have all felt awkward around the person we like, and Dustin Hoffman does a great job showing us these emotions. After thinking about the movie more and going back to certain parts such as the pool scene where Benjamin's father asks, "would you mind telling me then what those four years of college were for?" and "what was the point of all the hard work?" We can all relate to how we have someone constantly asking us what we are doing with our lives.  Benjamin's character in way is so far apart from us that we may fail to see that he is very similar and has the same problems as we do. His situation can fit into this whole context of us trying to satisfy our wants while realizing our own weaknesses.  We all want the girl or guy, we all make bad decisions, and we all have our complexes. In conclusion this movie should be viewed a second time to look past certain aspects and realize how the main character can relate to us, college students.

The Beautiful Arboretum

This was my first trip to the Arboretum. I didnt even know our school had a place like this! I wouldnt call myself a nature lover but I do enjoy it. I am a big fan of eye candy so whenever I see something beautiful such as snow on trees or fall leaves, I take the time and fully appreciate the beauty. The only reason I dont consider myself a nature lover is because I wouldnt save the enviornment if it hurt businesses. If were talking politics and government then I would put the economy before the enviornment. This is the only reason why I wouldnt consider myself a nature lover. This is a place where I could definitly see myself coming on my own. There was this one open room with white sheets flowing in the air and a bench looking into the distance. I could just sit there and plug in my headphones and enjoy the breeze for hours. If it wasnt so far I would probably go there twice a week, for a nice walk or just to relax. I could definatly see myself bringing friends. Hopefully a friend like a date. When I got to the arboretum the first thing I thought of was how tranquil and beautiful the place was. It would be nice to bring a nice girl and just talk, walk, and relax with her. Its also different from what most people do such as going to the movies or going out to dinner. What impressed me the most was the number and variety of plants and flowers that the arboretum had. For example, there were plants and flowers that ranged from Serbia all the way to Korea. Flowers such as the "Salvia Eveline Sage" and the sunflowers really brightened the atmosphere. In the garden of sunflowers I even saw red ones?! There were several pathways all filled with colorful flowers and even bamboo! One of my favorite places was the lily pond. I have never seen so many different kinds of lilyies in my life. My favoirte one was the "Tropical Day Blooming Water-Lily, it had pretty tulip looking flowers attached to the lily. There was also this HUGE lily that was the size of like 4 other lily. It looked like it could hold 10 frogs. The whole time I was there I felt so relaxed and bliss. The place was so beautiful! It was quiet the weather was nice, it was definatly a different scene than what im used to seeing at state college. Im the type of person who enjoys calm, quiet atmosphers. This was a much needed experience. This place reminded me of a park near my home. When Im at that park I feel happy and relaxed as well. It was nice to feel those same feelings again :) Overall I really really enjoyed this trip. I will definatly come back to this place. The Arboretum is definatly a hidden jewel at Penn State. In a way its a good thing that its not one of Penn State's main attractions. Some things you just want to keep to yourself or share with the people you really care about.

Arts/Cultural Blog Post

Title: Boy Looking at Mount Fuji
Artist: Unknown, Studio of HOKUSAI Katsushika
Year: n.d.


This piece of art depics a young boy whose back is facing towards us, sitting on a thin crooked tree, playing what seems to be like a flute.  In the distance Mount Fuji is standing tall with only its top clearly visible.  The bottom of the mountain is painted in all white.  Hanging on the tree to the left of the boy is large wicker basket.  Below the boy seems to be a waterfall shaped like stairs approaching Mount Fuji.

The date of which this piece was created is unkwon.  However, the studio of HOKUSAI Katsushika ranged from 1760-1849, meaning that this piece was created somewhere between that time.  On 1783 Mount Asama erupted, wiping out towns, villages and farm lands.  The painting only shows one boy visiting Mount Fuji.  This could suggest that most people at the time may have feared or resented mountains after what happened at Mount Asama, except the little boy whose innoncence still allows him to appreciate the sacredness of Mt. Fuji.  In addition, Japan was very secluded from the rest of the world until 1854.  Like Japan at the time, the boy is the only one present in the painting and is secluded in his own world paradise.  There is no tie with politics in this paiting, but Hokusai was a member of Nichiren, a buddist sect, where his choice to paint and draw Mt. Fuji stemmed from.

This piece of work does not hit me emotionally, but I can relate to it.  Like the boy in the painting, I like to be alone at times.  Its great to have friends and go out, but everyone needs time to themselves.  Like the boy in the painting, when you are by yourself your free to do whatever you want without people judging you.  Your free to think what you want, feel what you want, and reject what you want.  Sometimes we can have the best times being by ourselves, which is what I believe the boy in the painting is experiencing.  The painting itself makes me feel at ease.  The mountian in the distance and the cool, light colors used gives me a feeling a calmness and quietness.  The boy all by himself in the painting sitting on the tree gives me a carefree, relaxed feeling.

The artist creates credibility by not paiting pictures with people actually on the mountain, seeing how it was a very sacred place where commoners and foriegners were not allowed.  He also painted the mountain with only the top visible. This is also credible because Mt. Fuji is very big, it would be very hard to see the whole thing from that point of view.  Also Mt. Fuji is often covered by clouds or smoke, and is very hard to see at times.  Like I mentioned above, the artist is unknown.  This piece of work could have been a student or an apprentice from Hokusai's studio.  Hokusai and his studio have produced many works of art such as, The Dragon of Smoke, The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, Hokusai Manga, and many more.

I believe that this piece is strictly demonstrating the sacredness of Mt. Fuji.  You see the boy at a distance from the mountain, yet he knows it is a sacred place and is at peace because of that.  The painting does not show a big party or war near the mountain, but a innocent boy playing a flute.  Also note how the instrument is a flute which is very peaceful, instead of a drum which is loud and symbolizes with war.  I believe the claim has its intent to show the sacredness of Mt. Fuji but I do not believe that the artist was trying to persuade anything.

I thought the Palmer Art Museum was amazing.  I was very impressed with the amount works and space that it had.  The pieces of work varied from Japan to America to Italy, and so much more.  It had paintings as well as pottery and sculpture.  I am not a museum-goer but I want to start.  As a young child I could not appreciate it as much but now that I am older I want to experience more art.  It was my first time going to the Palmer Museum and I could see myself going back.  It seems like a nice place to take a friend for a nice walk and conversation.  Overall I enjoyed going to the Palmer Art Museum, it was a great experience! 



http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/japanhistory/edohistory.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai