Blog Comments

1. http://knaviello.blogspot.com/2012/09/working-horse-hauling.html?showComment=1347817233627#c9159025401923527824

2. http://contemplationsoacck.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-digital-me-ac-bp-1.html?showComment=1348423849452#c3991992501675468872

3. http://colorfulspots.blogspot.com/p/the-arboretum.html?showComment=1349361535275 

4. http://aglydesweetconcoctions.blogspot.com/2012/10/mona-lisa-smile.html

5. http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/10/higher-learning-movie-review.html?showComment=1351175121360#c4533414968218748321 

6. http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1353945321976#c6654796301614171713 

7. http://colorfulspots.blogspot.com/p/in-the.html?showComment=1353946093781

8. http://imporvedartsmarts.blogspot.com/2012/10/social-network.html?showComment=1354808643718#c1583310786206253004

9. http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/11/catch-22-marathon-reading.html?showComment=1354808875924#c3675950614502430561 

10. http://dcbornandraised.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1354809071868#c2203309575414754589

Blog Post #8: Self Evaluation

Being in English 15S has taught me a ton of new writing experiences that have definitely strengthened my writing ability. I think what I have gained the most, is understanding that giving examples and visualization after a claim, makes a paper much more effective. For example, when writing my memoir there were many times in my draft that I would just make a statement, but it wasn’t until I told some sort of story to support that claim, that my paper became much stronger. For a reader to be truly engaged in a paper, they must be given sensory detail so they can make an image in their head of what is being said.

Being that English 15S was centered around the arts, I also got a lot of experience writing able art pieces, and how to express the idea's of the artist's work through writing. I loved being able to meet artists one on one to talk about their work, because you get a good insight of how much meaning and thought is behind the pieces they create. These students are so incredibly talented because not only is their work beautiful and meticulous, their art always symbolizes something of a bigger culture.

Besides the artists that make artwork, I was thoroughly impressed with the performers in Penn State theater. I grew up seeing a lot of musicals and shows, and these students possessed the same professional talent and specialness as those famous performers. When I see that, it makes me proud to be able to go to this school.  

Looking back at the semester, I remember the podcast we listened to about Penn State and the partying that takes place here. This was probably one of my favorite activities of the class. I’ve learned that I really enjoy art that is exemplified through media, such as a podcast. I found it very interesting what they had to say, and as bad as this may be, a lot of the things the students were saying are definitely relatable to how nightlife is here now. It would be interesting to see if they did that same podcast at another university, how similar it would be.

I am so happy I was able to take this course so early on in my college experience, because I have learned that you don’t have to look too far to find art. The endless amounts of free and paid concerts, the beautiful Arboretum, the various sculptures around campus… you are being enriched in art all day everyday. I feel privileged to go to a school that is so well rounded in art, sports, academics and more.

Blog Post #7: Greek Sing

This past weekend, I performed in Greek Sing; which is when each sorority is paired up with two fraternities, and they put of a 5-10 minute play of a Broadway show that they were assigned to. The importance of Greek Sing is simply bringing the arts and theater to Greek Life. Greek Sing was an on-going process for about 2 months, with daily practices, various fundraisers, and long rehearsals in order to put forward our best performance. Once all the shows have performed, winners are announced and are honored for many different awards, such as best-overall short, best-overall long, costumes, set, etc.

My sorority was chosen to perform the Wedding Singer. Since many of us are not musically inclined when it comes to singing, we were assigned to dancing. For months, we were with a partner, mastering various lifts and stunts that would be appealing for the audience. But that wasn’t all we did. Under our Greek Sing chairs, we were in charge of making the set, creating costumes, as well as bringing in musicians to play the music for the show. It was a great way to really unite the sorority with the fraternities, because everyone had a vital part into putting this show together.

The actually show, was back to back performances of different plays, ranging from Rent, to the Lion King, to the Newsies. Watching all of the performances was truly impressive. It was great to see how much talent exists in the Greek Life community, and it was a great time seeing how everyone’s hard work paid off. I think that Greek Sing is a great way to enrich more of the student body in art, because in requires us to participate, but in the end everyone has a great time. Even the boys, who would never admit prior to the experience, enjoyed Greek Sing, and I can say that I met some life-long friends from this. 

Blog Post #6: Jack Johnson Concert

Back in September, I saw Jack Johnson in concert at the Eisenhower Auditorium for free benefitting the "Rock the Vote" concert tour. Jack Johnson is one of my favorite performers, so I was extremely grateful for Penn State to have him come for us to see for free. Rock the Vote is a concert tour whose mission is to engage and build political power for young people in our country. They intersect pop culture with politics but getting popular performers to play, as well as encouraging the younger generations to vote in the up coming election.

           

I was also very eager to go to this concert, because I have attended two other Rock the Vote concerts. Every four years, my high school’s Student Government Association campaigns to bring musicians to our school. Back in 2008, Gym Class Heroes and Tyga came, and this past May, Timeflies and Third Eyed Blind came to perform. Although I was not able to vote in the 2008 election, these concerts really give a good incentive to vote, and definitely encouraged my decision to register for the 2012 election.

The actual performance was very lively. Before Jack Johnson came on, G-Love opened up for him and he really engaged the audience. What makes these concerts so worthwhile is that the performers actually take the time to talk to the audience about the importance of politics and voting. For many people, these performers are their idols, so they are very easily influenced to say the least. G-Love performed many songs, both covers and some of his own, and his talent of using his vocals, paired with his guitar and harmonica player, really makes him a talented performer. Jack Johnson also had an incredible performance. He performed a lot of music from his new album, “To the Sea,” that is simply feel-good music. The acoustic guitar paired with his soothing voice seems to win over anyone who listens to him.

The concert was one of the best nights I’ve spent at Penn State. This type of concert is extremely valuable to people my age, because they are getting the benefits of hosting great talent at our university, but we are also being persuaded to make a difference in our society. 

Blog Journal #5: In the Red and Brown Water

In the production of “In the Red and Brown Water,” the main character Oya is a runner who wins a scholarship, although she lives in an impoverished area. Upon deciding on whether to take the scholarship or not, Oya’s mother, Mama Moja, dies and leaves Oya without motivation and passion to continue running. Oya resorts to a corruptive and lustful relationship with Shango, and a more complicated relationship with Ogun, a sensitive man with a stutter. These relationships put a halt on her plans to run, and as time goes on she learns that there is no longer a spot on the team for her, and she will not receive a second chance.

What struck me the most about the story was that through tragedy, Oya had to choose to stay on a path for her future, or sulk in her sorrows. Staying home and forming these weak relationships and staying with her family rather than pursuing her dreams, leaves her in the dust and prevents her from getting the scholarship to run. Oya’s misfortune ultimately leaves her with a lost spirit.

I think I was most compelled by Oya’s performance. She had so much life in her performance, whether it was her fluid body movements, or her passionate monologues. When her mother dies, you really get a feel of her sorrow as well as anger, and how these emotions influence her decisions in the rest of the play. Although her mother never supported a relationship with the Shango, who is seen as scum by the family, Oya pursues a relationship with him in result to her mourning over her mother. She gave up her dreams of being a running star because of her sadness, and her performance of relaying these emotions were compelling.

Although I felt as though every cast member performed with high energy and passion, and clearly possessed a lot of talent, many parts of the show left me with confusion. I was very confused throughout the play of where they came from, based on the way that they were dressed. If I took a guess it seemed like they lived somewhere in Africa, with the various African dances, costumes and names, but I do not think that was the case at all. There were many spiritual references and monologues that confused me, and seemed to not flow with the overall story of Oya’s running. Also, I have never seen a performance that was so close to the stage. I feel that is more effective to be able to see the whole length of the stage, and not be so up close to the performers.

This was not the first live theatrical performance that I have seen. I grew up doing a lot of theater, so I have seen numerous performances, whether they were on-Broadway, off-Broadway, or high school performances. I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of talent that the Penn State students possessed. Although I did not connect well with the story, the cast had strong singing, dancing and acting skills. Many of the characters conformed into their characters very well, which made the play very entertaining to watch. Whether is was Elegba’s humor, or Shango’s arrogance, or Oya’s passion, the characterization was spot on. 

Blog Post #4: The Social Network Movie Review

As of October 4, 2012, 1 billion people around the world have a Facebook account. And to think that just 8 years ago, this Facebook idea was just an idea that stemmed from a guy that wanted to get back at  a girl that had broken his heart.

The movie The Social Network answers all the questions about how our beloved, favorite social networking site came about. The main character Mark Zuckerberg, (Jesse Eisenberg) is a nerdy, yet manipulative person who never seems to have any mental task defeat him. His efforts to make a social networking site started after his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), breaks up for him for basically being heartless. Zuckerberg took his anger out through blogging and creating a site to choose between "hotness levels" between girls. His immature site ends up going pretty viral in the Harvard population, which catches the eyes of two brothers and fellow students, who have the idea for the original Facebook. Zuckerberg "steals" their idea and works with his best friend, Eduardo Savarin (Andrew Garfield) to create a site that will be accessed by college campuses around the world. From there, Facebook grasps the attention of the very manipulative entrepreneur, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), who takes the idea with Zuckerberg and makes Facebook global. The movie is based around a court cases with Zuckerberg's legal issues, and refers to the past.

The movie has a very college-feel, with many of the scenes involving bars, clubs, and alcohol. Zuckerberg's intense motives ultimately derived from his breakup with his girlfriend, which seems to frequently happen in college settings. Zuckerberg's stubborn and egotistical personality makes him lose and screw over his best friend Eduardo, in his nonstop effort to make the Facebook project his own. These different elements of broken hearts, tested friendship, and social networking all contribute to the success of this movie.

Through the constant changes between past and present, makes the movie a little difficult to follow, and leaves the viewer forced with a lot of information at one time. The story line seemed to be to lengthy to really play out some of the situation, so we are left feeling like it has moved too fast. Although it moved fast, sometimes the plot itself left me with boredom, specifically during the court cases, but other times really grasps my attention, like during the more heated arguements. Zuckerberg is completely unsympathetic, so it is hard to really connect with his character, but this almost has a positive effect on the movie because it shows how much he is willing to diminish his relationships for his own success.

Blog Post #3: The Arboretum

As I ventured across campus Monday morning sick as a dog, my mood was just about as high as the temperature outside. Although I had never been to the Arboretum, my expectations were far from high due to my negativity that started off my day. However, right when I arrived my spirits were lifted. That’s the joy in life sometimes; starting your day with pessimism and low expectations, and then finding something that is pleasantly surprising to make the day a little more worthwhile.

The first thing I saw upon arriving the Arboretum was a vast lawn with the greenest grass with a beautiful, circular fountain in the distance. Immediately, I thought it would be a great place for a wedding. To my surprise, I learned shortly after that many people do in fact get married there, so many that there is a three and a half year long wait list! I thought to myself what many other students and alumni must think; if I wound out meeting my future husband at Penn State, what other place could I get married?

Before I discovered more of the Arboretum just a few things about nature and I. I used to really dislike the outdoors, between the bugs and the critters, and the excessive heat or cold. It just was not for me. But beginning the summer going into my senior year of high school, my best friend Lauren really showed me the wonders of nature. I live in Maryland, by many locks in the C&O canal, and by Great Falls, Virginia. Fourth of July 2011, Lauren took me to hike a trail called the Billy Goat Trail, and after once I reached the top, I realized how incredible nature could really be. From then on, we made it a tradition to visit the canal or Great Falls as much as we could, whether it is hiking, biking, or the occasional swimming.

Now back to my Arboretum experience. I got to walk around with my group members for the project, one of which is a native of State College. He shared with many neat facts with us about the large sundial, and even showed out how the time displays on the large stones. I was very impressed with the sundial, and thought it was a great focal point of the Arboretum. The uniqueness of the rigid stone, with the sharp and smoother stone on top was beautifully made. We later walked over to the sunflowers, which had to be my favorite part. Between the vividness of the yellow and the abundance of flowers, made the sunflower garden a truly incredible sight to see. My favorite part of the sunflower garden had to of been the bench that was surrounded with vines and leaves that sat right in front of it, which appeared like such a peaceful spot.

After walking through the mini mazes of flowers, I got a good sense of what the Arboretum was like. I was thoroughly impressed with the large variety of flowers they had packed in, so close together. I could definitely see myself revisiting, because there was information provided about the flowers, pollinators, and other critters that abide in the Arboretum.