Arts/Cultual Oppurtunity: 9/11 Play

9/11/2001 is a day that will live in infamy.  9/11 is a day that not only shook the roots of America, but made everyone in the world questioned themselves and their leaders.  How can something this awful happen to this many innocent people?  Who would perpetrate such horrifying acts and why?  These questions still float around today regarding the attacks.

                I was 7 years old when terrorists attacked the American home front for the first time since Pearl Harbor.  I really didn’t know how to react to the attacks at such a young age.  I obviously felt very sad, but I also very confused.  I didn’t know who these people were or why they decided to attack us, but I did know that it was a truly gut-wrenching attack.  Over the years I never really knew how to reflect or remember the events that took place that day.  To some people, it was a day about remembering the loves ones lost and to others it was a salute to the heroes that helped save thousands of lives.

                When I started school at Penn State, I realized that I would have an opportunity to remember 9/11 in a different way.  I attended the play “9/11-A Day in the Life of a People”.  It was put on by a theatre class here.  The play was really interesting because it didn’t talk about the historical event itself, but rather showed how it affected the lives of everyday people.  Some of the most interesting people portrayed in the play were a firefighter, a nurse and a soldier.  Each had varying points of view about the attacks that occurred that day.  These people really stood out to me because they had extremely powerful and emotional actions that made you feel as if you were right next to them during the attacks.

                The emotions of each person were completely different.  The nurse was truly confused as to what was going on, constantly asking “Why are they attacking us?  What did we do?”.  The events of 9/11 were very confusing because they all happened so quickly and abruptly.  You could feel the confusion from her the entire time, but her confusion did not hood back her passion for trying to help out.   She went out of her way to help others in need that day.

                The soldier was another person that stood out to me because of his actions that day.  It was interesting to hear that he felt that they could have stopped the attacks if they had more time.  This is a really interesting point because you have to wonder how that affects him today.  Many people feel guilt after things like this, even though it wasn’t their fault at all.  I also thought that the soldier was extremely patriotic saying that he would not stop fighting for this country.  He wanted to find Osama Bin-Laden and provide the justice that America needed.  He was truly inspirational.

                I thought that the firefighter who was directly involved in the rescue of the people in the World Trade Center was a true American hero.  He talked about how he had to carry up heavy equipment up the steps because the elevators weren’t working.  He put his life on the line to save others.  His selflessness is what defines him as a true hero.  It was inspirational when I heard what people were saying to him as he walked up the steps; “Don’t go up there! It’s about to get bad!” and he only responded “It’s my job”.  People like this are the true embodiment of what this country strives to be.

                Overall this play was very well done.  When you think of 9/11, you think of the images of the Towers, the sadness and how America responded.   We don’t always think of the everyday people whose lives were changed forever by these events.  It was interesting and awe-inspiring to see what everyday people did to help their fellow man and country.  On a day like this, where there is so much confusion, people could have acted very selfishly (rightfully so, to save their own life), but they did not.  These people are true American heroes; selfless, caring and strong willed.  The play was very well done and I would recommend it to anybody, as it takes on a new perspective of a historical event.

Arts/Cultural Oppurtunity: Bruce Springsteen Concert

In the summer before classes started this fall at school, Penn State announced that Bruce Spring, “the boss”, was going to heading through State College for his “Wrecking Ball Tour”.  When I found out the news, I was beyond excited and made sure that I got my tickets as quickly as could, completely disregarding the high price for them.  I have been a huge Bruce Springsteen fan my entire life.  I first introduced to him, when my dad would constantly play his songs, while telling me how talented and special Bruce really is.  As the school year started in the fall, I began to count down the days till the concert.

When the day finally came, I could not control my excitement as I walked into the massive Bryce Jordan Center.  The place was completely sold out and everyone seemed just as excited as me to see him live.  The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying, with constant chants of “Bruce!  Bruce!”, echoing throughout the venue.  Unlike many other concerts, Bruce did not have an opening band for him.  When Bruce finally walked out on the stage with his guitar wrapped around him, the crowd went absolutely crazy.

Throughout the entirety of the concert, I was on my feet, singing, dancing, screaming and having a great time.  The rest of crowd was just as involved as me, singing and dancing their hearts out.  At 62 years old, Bruce Springsteen is out of his prime in singing and performing, but he did not let down at all.  Many people say that Bruce is one of the best live performers in the history of music, and I cannot help but agree with that.  He was constantly engaged with the crowd throughout the entirety of the concert.  He would pull people onto stage, share the microphone with fans and truly put his heart into the performance.  He played a bunch of his classic songs along with some of his new ones from his more recent albums.  The concert lasted close to 4 hours long.  Anyone who has the opportunity to Bruce Springsteen live should definitely do it.  He is truly an amazing performer that can grasp the feeling and emotions of the crowd, regardless if the people are big fans of his or not.

Final Blog Post

1.    Self-Evaluation:

It seems like yesterday that my parents were saying goodbye to me as I walked into my new home for the next year.  Over this past semester I learned a lot; everything from how to survive in the dorms to how to be a good writer. Being in English 15s has taught me a lot about writing and art, specifically art at Penn State.  I started off this semester thinking that I was average at writing; I could do it without a lot trouble, but I wouldn’t ever be that good at it.  Then when I found out about our blog, I was worried about writing quality posts.  As the semester continued to progress, I noticed that my writing ability kept getting better.  Help from my informative teacher facilitated that growth.  I also learned a lot from the readings we went over in our class.  I learned a lot in two specific instances; the readings of Ms. Squillante’s own memoir and the letter by Martin Luther King Jr. from prison.  Both of these pieces of writing not only taught me a lot about how to write better, but they taught me how to appeal to people.  Using the appeals is one of the most important lessons to learn in writing.  No one is going to read any type of writing if it does not appeal to them.  I think this is something that I struggled with in the past.  I would be able to organize and answer a prompt correctly, but it would be a boring paper.  My old writing had less flare and less captivating messages in it.  I think that today my writing has truly improved on many levels.  As I progress into my second semester of college, I think my writing ability will now allow me better enhance my overall education.  I will use this ability to write a more clear and concise paper to help in over classes where papers and essays are required.  I will also use the information I learned about the appeals to help me better reach out to people.  The appeals truly extend far beyond the world of writing as it is applied in things like public relations and advertisement.  Overall, I learned a lot about how to be a better write in this class, as I now know more about the items that need to be included in quality work and art.

            The first things I think about when I hear Penn State mentioned is big school, partying and football.  To be frankly honest, all three of characteristics attracted me to this school.  When I first came here, I never thought that Penn State had much of an arts scene.  Taking English 15s really introduced to a lot of what Penn State arts has to offer.  There is art for everyone here from weird events like the bug convention at the BJC to traditional arts like the Palmer Museum of Art.  If I did not take this class I would not have noticed such amazing opportunities this school has to offer.  My favorite class this year was when we got to go out to the arboretum where we got experience art in its most natural form.  The beauty of these gardens combined with the background of the monstrous mountains is a truly awe inspiring view.  I personally grew over the semester to appreciate art more.  I have hated plays and traditional art museums for the better part of my life.  Coming to Penn State did not make me like them instantly, but they did change how I felt about them.  I eventually went back to the Palmer Museum of Art again and realized that I could appreciate a lot of the arts inside it.  It is unfortunate to think that many students at Penn State will never get to experience a lot of the arts opportunities here.  I think that people should try to soak in the arts and cultural opportunities at this school.  The arts at Penn State is truly one of the most important aspect of this school, and is something I really appreciated because it opened my eyes to so many different things.

2. Blog Response Round-Up

1.     www.Liddycoddington.blogspot.com/p/not-your-cliche-quotes.html?showcomment=1347419306128
2.       www.tarasaverageblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/arts-cultural-response-rock-vote-concert.html?showcomment=1348426559250#c2225401488421498430
3.       http://bittyjade.blogspot.com/2012/10/were-going-streaking-will-farrell-one.html#comment-form
4.       http://ashleelindoh.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-madness-social-network.html
5.       http://storiesfromstuart.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review-higher-learning.html
6.       http://rebeccacommisso.blogspot.com/2012/10/artscultural-response-zac-brown-band.html
7.       http://ashleelindoh.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water_16.html
8.      http://liddycoddington.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water-review.html#comment-form
9.       http://derosag5050.blogspot.com/2012/10/animal-house.html
10.   http://elysamkolvek.blogspot.com/2012/11/carrie-underwood-concert.html

3. SRTE Evaluations
Hi, Ms. S--I completed my SRTEs!  Thanks for an awesome first semester!

In the Red and Brown Water

In the Red and Brown Water is the story of a young woman named Oya who is a gifted runner that gives up a scholarship to stay home with her mother, Mama Moja.  Oya denies the scholarship because she needs to take care of her ill mother.  Mama Moja unfortunately passes away, leaving Oya all alone in the world to figure out all her problems.  This is the beginning of her downward spiral; losing her spot on the track team, taking a few lovers and physically and mentally draining herself.  Her main problem throughout the play is she is caught in the midst of a sexual and love filled relationship with two different men, Shango and Ogun.  She must decide between these two men who she wants to continue to see.

The most important event throughout the entirety of the play is when Oya denies the scholarship from the “man from state”.  She makes this decision with good intentions; to help her mother out, while still believing and working for her dream to run track in college.  Ultimately, she gets caught up in a love triangle after her mother’s death, which put a mental and physical toll on her.  When she finally makes a decision on her multiple relationships, she finds herself very unhappy with her decision to continue dating Ogun.  Oya ultimately fails in her attempt of running in college and achieving happiness with another man in life.  This play was definitely a tragedy about the life of a woman who took a few wrong turns in her decision making.

I personally feel that the most compelling performance is by Ogun.  Ogun starts out as a sort of ‘underdog’ with his stuttering problem.  He works hard to fix it and more importantly, gives all of himself to be with Oya.   Throughout the play you can see the progression of Ogun moving from a scared child to a confident, grown man.  It is always inspiring to see someone dedicate all of themselves to achieving something, while growing as a person at the same time.

My biggest critique of the play is that it was hard to follow at times.  For example, from other versions of the play and what was written in the packet about the play, it seemed like there was a bigger emphasis on Oya’s track career, while in this one, there was not much detail about it.  Also, the ending of the play was abrupt and confusing.  I thought it was a little too extreme that Oya would actually cut her ear off, no matter how crazy she is going. 

This was not my first time going to see a live play.  I have seen a few high school plays along with a few professional Broadway performances too.  I am not a musical, play or live performance fan by any means.  Most of the plays I went to was just to support friends who were in the play or because my parents forced me to go.  This play did not really keep my attention for too long and I kept finding myself confused throughout it.  I would not recommend others to see this play because of the confusing plot and odd plot.