In The Red and Brown Water

1.)  The main character was Oya. She was a teenager who loved running and was considering doing it for a career. However, her mother, Mama Moja, was very sick and she had to turn down an offer to go to school and run there in order to take care of her mother. Soon after that, her mother passed away and Oya was left on her own. She tried to take the man from state up on his offer, but they had found a new girl who worked extra hard to run for them and she was now better than Oya was. Oya was now lonely with no place to go in her life since her running didn’t work out for her. She felt that she would be stuck in the same town doing the same thing for the rest of her life. Shango was her first love interest. When her mother died, he consoled her and they started a relationship soon after that. However, he was very unreliable and not accepting of her love for him. They argued all the time but Oya could never seem to break away from him. Shango showed up one day in his army uniform telling Oya that he was going to boot camp. She was heart broken but soon turned her attention to a new man in her life: Ogun. He had been madly in live with Oya throughout the whole show and it seemed that for as long as he had known her he loved her. Oya settled down with him in her house, but it was obvious that she was not truly in love with him like she was with Shango. When Shango came home from the army, he visited Oya and her love for him immediately came back. He was very distant like he always was with her, and it made her very upset. Ogun found out that they were seeing each other again and Oya and Ogun grew apart, barely able to be around each other anymore. Throughout all of this, Oya’s main concern is getting pregnant. While everyone around her was getting pregnant and having children, she was unable to as much as she tried. When she found out that Shango impregnated another girl in their town, that was the last straw for her. It drove her to insanity and the play ended with her tragic, disturbing death.

2.)  The most important thing for Oya was making a life for herself. She didn’t want to be stuck in that small town doing the same thing day after day for the rest of her life. Her first opportunity for a life change came when the man from state offered for her to come run at their school. She would have had schooling paid for and been able to create a successful life for herself. However, her mother was sick and she had to turn down the opportunity. When she contacted him a year later, they had already found someone else for the position. Next, she wanted to start a life for herself by getting pregnant and starting a family. She felt like it would give her life meaning if she brought a child into the world and was able to raise it.  Unfortunately, Oya never made a life for herself. She spent everyday sitting on the porch outside of her house, watching everyone else’s lives go by.

3.)  The most compelling part of the story was the dancing. It was not like any other musical with singing and dancing, this was different. The interpretive dancing and odd-sounding music brought an African feel to the play and caught my attention instead of just having constant dialogue to tell the story.

4.)  It was a little difficult to follow the story line of the performance. They didn’t do a very good job explaining everything that was going on and I felt as though you had to fill in information on your own to be able to understand what was happening.

5.)  This was not my first time seeing a live performance. I have seen a few on Broadway but this was very different. The music and dancing was very unconventional which caught my attention. The other performances I have seen were more interesting to me and had a better story line, however this was not bad by any means.

"Old School" Film Review

           Think of your life in 15 years. You will probably have a job, a wife, kids, a home, and an all around pretty steady life. I’m sure that you will be very happy, however if you had the chance to go back to your college life, would you take it? In Old School (2003), directed by Todd Phillips, Mitch (Luke Wilson), Frank (Will Ferrell), and Bernard (Vince Vaughn) capitalized on that opportunity when it was placed in front of them. In 2003, Artios Awards nominated this film for best casting for a feature film and the MTV Movie Awards nominated Will Ferrell for Best Comic Performance. In 2012 Spike Guys’ Choice Awards inducted Old School into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame. I have always appreciated college movies for their humor, but now that I am in college myself, it has a whole new meaning. I can now relate to what is going on in the films and not just laugh along because someone made a joke, but laugh along because it will bring back a memory of when something similar happened to my friends and I.

            To continue on that premise, I can understand why these men so desperately want to go back to their college days. Each of them has had a hardship in their life they are trying to escape. Mitch caught his girlfriend cheating on him, Bernard feels caught in his life of a wife and kids, and Frank’s brand new marriage is falling apart. They all seek solace in returning to their youth where they were happy with no worries. In an attempt to get back into the college life, they decide to start a fraternity. This does not go over well with the dean, though. He is someone that they used to know but bullied and now he hates them and does everything in his power to shut their fraternity down. Not only that, but he also states that anyone involved in the fraternity is subject to expulsion. To avoid this and save the students in the frat, they find a loophole that allows them to keep the frat as long as they participate in a series of activities ranging from academics to athletics to school spirit. If they can achieve a certain score on these assessments, they can keep the fraternity and all the students can stay in school.

            This movie is perfect for college students because it is relatable, easy to understand, and funny. It is very important for a college movie to be something that students can relate to because it will keep their attention. If the movie is about something that they are not interested in at all, the students will be less likely to enjoy it. Also, a significant factor is that the movie is easy to understand, college students have enough to worry about thinking through their classes, homework, and studying all day. They don’t need to go to a movie that confuses them just as much as their calculus homework. Finally, a good feature for a college movie to have is that it is funny. College students have pretty stressful lives especially around exam time. It is a really great release to go to a movie where you can sit and laugh and not worry about any tests you have coming up. I was, however, expecting the movie to be more comical, considering it has a cast full of well-known comedic actors. Will Ferrell commanded the screen when it came to comedy but even he had many serious moments that were uncharacteristic of him. Despite this, I cannot forget my favorite part of the movie: when Ferrell gets shot with a tranquilizer gun and destroys an innocent kid’s birthday party. Vince Vaughn, who I always thought was a humorous actor, did not impress me as much as I would have liked. With all this said, the director does a great job of portraying the college/fraternity life. The frat house looks like a typical, dirty frat house, especially the morning after the party with cans of beer and clothes everywhere. He makes it so college kids can look at it and think of last weekend and adults can look at it and think back 10 years ago even though it feels like it happened just last weekend.

            In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a laugh. I think the main audience of this film is college students and adults who want to relive their college years. The nudity and language make this inappropriate for any young kids. After seeing this movie, I think all college students will say that they never want to leave and all adults will say they wish that they could go back.

The Beautiful Arboretum

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got the email about class in the Arboretum. What I knew for sure was that I was excited for a field trip and a change of scenery. I have never been there, only driven by it so I didn't know for sure what it consisted of. The day was perfect for looking at nature. There were pure blue skies with only spots of white. The air had a chill in it but it was no match for my Northface jacket and the strong sun warmed me. I looked around and couldn’t wait to explore.

When I got closer and closer to where we were meeting, I was pleasantly surprised. The structure we were standing under was eloquently built. I looked to the side and saw a beautiful garden of endless colors. I saw every flower I could have named and numerous that I have never seen before. I decided to walk through this way first. The sidewalk went in a square around bright green grass with an interesting sculpture in the middle. On the other side of the sidewalk were all the flowers. I couldn’t see a single open space that didn’t have an explosion of color coming out of the dirt. Some of the flowers were generic ones I have seen many times, but other ones were so interesting I caught myself staring trying to figure them out. As I kept following the sidewalk, I came to a small wooden bench surrounded by ivory. For some reason it struck me as so beautiful I had to stop to take a picture. It was very simple but that is why it appealed to me. The simplicity of the bench combined with the intricate flower and leaves surrounding it contrasted so nicely together. Behind the bench all I could see was pure green grass and more trees. It was a beautiful scene that I would definitely go back to appreciate.

I have always loved nature. Hiking in the early fall and late winter has always appealed to me. I loved the way the leaves change color and painted the trails in orange, yellow, and brown. My favorite part was walking through the areas that didn’t have a very distinct trail and that you would have to climb on top of rocks to get across. This was one of the reasons I really liked the Botanical Gardens. I think nature is so beautiful and I had no idea that there was such a place that was so accessible to me at school. I think this is a great thing to have at a college. It gives students an outlet when things get stressful. They can have an opportunity to go and see something beautiful. A part that I really liked was that from almost every angle around the garden you could see the mountains in the background. You really get the feeling of being in the valley when you look around and see mountains everywhere. It makes me appreciate the beauty of my school and makes me feel so lucky that this is my home.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action, 1987

Jerry Kearns

Acrylic on canvas

This painting first caught my eye because of the size of it. It was one of the biggest ones around and stuck out immediately. The background of the painting is a red and yellow distorted city scape. The red and yellow greatly contrast the woman who is painted in black and white. She is forcefully digging up and shoveling what seems to be manure. Although she is doing this dirty work, she is still wearing a feminine dress and heels. The expression on her face is one of anger and determination. The shading on her body shows strain as she is struggling to shovel the manure. There is a cartoon-like essence to the painting. 

This painting is all about a social argument. By shoveling manure in her dress and heels, she is showing that woman can do anything a man can do and still be feminine while doing it. Affirmative action was big in the 60's when it was released to ensure that people of all race, religion, and culture have the same opportunities to get jobs. This painting was done 20 years later, however it is still very relevant. In this case, the artist is suggesting there is unequal opportunities between men and women at the time. For example, women could not get hired as easily as men, and even if they did, they still got paid less for the same work. This piece is making a strong social and political argument to the fact that men and women were not treated equally in the work place.

This piece of art speaks directly to my emotions. It is one of the things that drew me to it. I first noticed the woman and the expression on her face as angry. Being a woman myself, I immediately related to her and wanted to know about her struggles. I could feel her pain of being treated differently because I have experienced it myself. It is not fair and makes me angry to think about. It is a good use of pathos because I can relate to the subject in the painting.

The artist created credibility in his painting because he was not afraid to paint something that had a lot of meaning behind it. This piece of art is controversial and Kearns still wanted to get the message out there. Upon doing some research, I found out that Kearns has had many exhibitions all around the country for the passed 30 years. That shows that many people know about him and want to see his work. 

I think that the claim in this piece is that women and men are equal in everything that they do. It is possible for a woman to do any job that a man does. I think that the artist supports this by painting this image of a woman shoveling manure. He is showing that although she is feminine, she can still do the dirty work of a man. I think this painting is very convincing in showing the equality that men and women have. When I look at it, I see a strong woman and it inspires me to be the same.

I really enjoyed my experience at the museum. It is good to see art every once in a while and having it on campus and so accessible is great for the students. I liked the variety of art in the museum. Between the paintings, sculptures, and modern art, there was something for everyone to appreciate. I have been to a few museums and although this one was small, it still had a lot of interesting things to look at. I would be interested in going back to see what new pieces of art are being presented. It is nice to feel cultured on campus and appreciate beautiful art.

Analysis: My Course Blog

     This is my first ever experience with blogging. I tried to explore all my options of designing my blog to make it represent me. To begin, I chose my background. It was not a very difficult choice after I saw the beach scene. I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted it to be my background. The beach is very important to me. I have been going there my entire life and have so many memories swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. When I was younger, my family and I would go for our family vacations, and as I got older, I started going with my friends. The beach always bonded my family together and created so many memories for my friends and I. For me personally, the beach was always so peaceful and anytime I am stressed out, I can think back to laying in the sand, hearing the waves crashing, and feeling the sun penetrating my skin.

     The next part of the design I chose were the fonts. I wanted something that was cute and girly. I knew for sure that I didn't want any plain, boring fonts that I have been using for the past six years to write all my school reports. I think the fonts that I chose are fun and original, mirroring my personality. In addition, the color scheme I chose is light blues and greens. Those are some of my favorite colors and really show who I am. My whole room at home, and my dorm room, all have that same color scheme so I felt it was appropriate to apply it to my blog as well.

     The name of my blog, "My PSU Blog", shows that I am considering myself part of the Penn State community. I am officially a student at this wonderful school and feel proud to represent myself that way. Especially in a time of turmoil, it is important that the students don't lose faith and are not ashamed of being a Penn State student.

     I feel that my blog is a great representation of who I am. I believe that if anyone who truly knew me went on my blog, they would know immediately that it was mine. This is evident in the beach scene that is in my background because I love to spend all my time there. It is also shown in the color scheme I chose because those are all my favorite colors. In addition, the fonts are fun and girly, like me. I am very proud of what my blog looks like. I know that since I enjoy how it looks so much, I will be more inclined to write posts on it. I hope everyone else enjoys the look of my blog as much as I do and they will want to read all that I have to share.