My E-Portfolio

Tricia's E-Portfolio

Words Hurt

Photo from Fabounab

This picture is very metaphorical.  It illustrates the impact that words can have.  When I came across it, it had me stop and wonder.  I mean, I have always heard that words hurt, but it's not a physical pain.  But looking at this picture really made me think of the hurt that it causes.  Bullying, in the form of words, affects peope just as much as physical violence.

Starting with the color gradient, this picture shows the issue as black and white.  It is plain and simple.  Name-calling and other verbal bullying is cruel.  Whether or not that is debatable is not an issue within this picture because in this context there is no middle ground.  Furthermore, the black and white aspect shows that it is an age old issue.  I know I have talked to my grandmother about how when she was a child people bullied her.  Whether you lived in the 1930's or the 2000s, verbal bullying is a prevalent problem.

The most obvious part of this picture is the arm coming out of the first man's mouth and punching the second man.  It shows that whatever comes out of his mouth (words) is harming the other man.  Metaphorically, it is harming him just as bad as a physical punch would.  The hurtful words -- some I noticed were idiot, worthless, hated, death, etc-- create a semblance of an arm, hence the punching of the second guy.

Putting all of this together, the photograph sends a clear, distinct message.  Words can hurt.  I could name many quotes that try to do the same.  "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" and others.  But somehow, I feel like this picture packs a more powerful punch.

Trying to Fail, and Succeed

I came across this quote online.  The full quote is:
      "If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?"
I find this quote very rhetorical.  It is actually a very philosophical question based on a play on words. 

On the one hand, you could take the quote as thus: you tried to fail, and you succeeded at failing.  In this case, the only success is that you accomplished your venture...to fail.  Is this really a success then?  The ultimate ending is failure, so could it really be considered a success? 

On the other hand, you could take the quote in the opposite way:  you tried to fail at something, but instead succeeded.  Instead of accomplishing your venture of failure, you did the opposite and instead succeeded.  Was this really a success then, since you did not accomplish what you set out to do?  But you succeeded in something, even if it wasn't what you intended. 


Photo from: sodahead.com



This is a hard question to answer.  Even in thinking about this, I couldn't come up with an example of each situation.  But rhetorically, this speaks volumes.  The writing of it is very simple.  It easily sticks in the audience's mind.  It seems like it is easily understood as well.  Yet when you think about it, the question is actually much more complex, as I've described.  There is no clear-cut answer to the question.  That fact leads the audience to continually contemplate the question.  Speaking for myself, I have been thinking about it since I recently came across it.  And I know in high school, in my creative writing class, we had lengthy discussions about it.



In the end, I believe this quote is a type of "glass half full or half empty" type of question.  The way you understand the quote is reflective of your outlook on the entire situation.  So which is it for you?  Did you fail, or did you succeed?

Easter

As I am sure many people know, Easter is this weekend.  It surprised me actually how quickly and quietly it came up.  I come from a small, predominantly Christian town.  Easter is a big deal there.  The bunny decorations go up, eggs spring up in the lawns, and churches prepare for Holy Week.  Yet here, at State College, Easter did not seem as important as it does back home.  This is probably because of the greater diversity of Penn State, but nevertheless, it made me think about the holiday, and what it truly meant in society.  Obviously, there are two connotations with Easter; the Christian view of Jesus dying on the Cross, and of course, the materialistic societal view of the easter bunny and baskets.

Christianity is where Easter is derived from.  The savior, Jesus Christ gave up his life for their sins on Good Friday and rose from the dead three days later, on what became known as Easter.  So, for Christians, Easter is not only a day, but a season.  It is a solemn time before that Sunday.  On Friday, they mourn the loss of Christ, and then on Sunday they celebrate his rising.  It is the most important part of the year for Christians.  It is a time of rejoicing in the savior and being thankful for his grace. 

On the other hand, Easter has become much more secular.  Stores start selling candy in bulk as early as they can.  Easter baskets and eggs are a must have for the occasion.  It has even become like a second Christmas, where children get tangible gifts from their parents.  The "Easter bunny" comes in the middle of the night to distribute these gifts.  Children also participate in egg hunts and coloring eggs.  It is still a time of rejoicing, but not as spiritual as it is material. 

So, in the end, what is Easter?  Is it a more spiritual holiday, as the Christians believe?  Or is it a marketing holiday where you give your children candy and gifts?  Neither is wrong necessarily, but both are quite different from each other.  However we decide to take it is up to us personally.  In any event, Happy Easter to everyone!

There's No Place Like Home

Hey! I just wanted to say that I am sorry this didn't go up last week! I wondered why no one commented on it.  I accidentally pressed "Save" instead of "Publish."  Whoops!

Photo from: jezebel.com

Everyone has heard this phrase.  It's the way that Dorothy got out of Oz and back to Aunty Em's.  "There's no place like home."  Lately, I have thought about this phrase.  Where is home?  Why is there no place like it.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the quote is quite true, for many reasons.

For starters, every place that I have been to has been different from my town.  The weather may be different.  The people may be similar, but not exactly the same.  New places, different scenes.  So from a demographic point of view, there is no physical place exactly like home. 

In addition to the set up of places, also, the connections you make with them separate them from home.  I can live in a million other places, but they will never share the same experiences as when I am at "home."  My room in State College does not hold as much value to me as the room at my parent's house; the room I have slept in, cried in, hid in, worked in, done EVERYTHING in for the past 16 years of my life.  No other room can replace it.  No other town can stand up to Lilly, where every building, street, and person holds a memory for me.  There is no place quite like it.

"Home" isn't just a physical place though.  Home is a feeling.  I feel at home when I am in front of a campfire making a smore.  I feel at home at my house, curled up and watching a movie with my dad.  I feel at home when I am with my friends, just talking.  It's that sense of belonging, that sense of being where you are suppose to be.  And there is truly no better feeling than in that moment. 

In the end, Dorothy was really onto something when she said "There's no place like home."  No matter where you go or what you do, home is where your heart is.  Home is where you look back to.  And home is the feeling that you keep with you.

A Cruel Male-Dominated Culture

Last semester I took Women's Studies 001.  One week, we discussed beauty norms.  That was when I first saw this picture.  Even then, I thought it said a lot, in many different ways.

First of all, it shows that beauty really is not defined by one set definition.  Rather, it is defined among societies, and it is different from one society to the next.  In the US, less clothing is more attractive.  Women walk around all the time with low-cut shirts on and shorts that redefine its name.  Women are suppose to be very skinny and show that off.  Furthermore, their hair is suppose to be flawless, and again, out so everyone can view it.  In the Arabic world, beauty is defined much differently.  They cover up their features, not necessarily because they are forced to, but because they have the right to do this.  They only reveal their full body to the ones they love, which produces a bond of trust that we as Americans will never know.  Their idea of beauty is not to flaunt body features. 

Also, this picture shows how different the cultures view each other.  Speaking for myself, any time I saw or heard of women wearing the complete burka and garments (I don't know the actual name?) I always felt bad for those women and thought about how oppressed they were for having to dress that way.  Until my Women's Studies class, I never thought that they might actually CHOOSE to dress that way.  In addition, I never thought of how they viewed us, wearing next to nothing like the girl in the picture. 

The words in the picture really hit me.  I almost had to laugh at the ignorance of both sides, an ignorance which I, myself, was victim to.  From the US standpoint, women are forced to cover themselves by men.  The "cruel, male-dominated culture" forced them to hide what they should be proud to show.  But from the other standpoint, American women are forced to reveal what they have the right to keep to themselves.  The "cruel, male-dominated culture" forces them to display themselves for a man's benefit. 

It all comes down to the culture.  Both have different perceptions of freedom and beauty.  Their garb reflects that.  Which one is actually the "cruel, male-dominated culture" is debatable, but what is clear is that each side is comfortable in their own clothing.

Birthdays on Facebook

It's your birthday!  It's your day, where everything is about you!  You love the presents and cards that you get.  It feels so special when you hear happy birthday from everyone.  And when they call or text.  But, does it feel as special when they say it over Facebook?

Rhetorically, a birthday shows the person just how much people appreciate that they know him or her.  Everyone is much nicer and grateful.  The birthday girl (I am just making a generalization of gender) receives gifts to commemorate their birth.  I know personally, I love hearing people say "happy birthday" to me.  It shows me that they really do remember.  It shows that I am special and important to them.  They value my relationship with them.  Maybe I put too much onto whether or not someone remembers my birthday, but I still think it is important.  And I am hurt when people forget my birthday.  Do they not care?  Am I not important to them?  Conventionally, the worst thing on my birthday was when people I was close to forgot about it.  Now, however, people who only say "Happy birthday" on Facebook really angers me.

I think that Facebook has made saying "Happy birthday" much less special.  Like I said before, it meant something to me when people said happy birthday.  But now, it's different.  I mean, it's still the same when people say it the conventional way.  But on Facebook, it's just annoying.  I continually question, "Are they just saying this because Facebook notified them, or because they are genuinely hoping I have a happy birthday."  Don't get me wrong, when certain people say it, it feels nice, but for the most part, I just question.  And the fact that there is at least 150 extra people (that I rarely talk to) who wish me happy birthday only confirms that they are only doing so because Facebook told them.  In the end, it makes the phrase "Happy Birthday" so much less special.


Photo by: someecards.com


Rhetorically, this means a lot, at least to me.  Social networking is changing our culture.  When the website reminds people when events are, does it make the relationship between you more special or less?  Whichever you decide, one thing is for certain; that in some way, it does change it.

Happy Valley

Yesterday it was pouring rain.  Today it's cloudy.  It's been dreary out and it has really affected my mood.  I found myself thinking, "Wow.  What a freaking 'happy' valley."  And then I wondered...why is it called happy valley?  I realized, it's all rhetoric.

By calling this place happy valley, it attracts people just by the name.  Obviously, 'happy' valley will be fun, exciting, and beautiful.  All the people there will be happy, and by going there it will in turn, make me happy.  Theoretically.  The name greatly overshadows the facts.  Many days its cloudy.  I think it has rained here in the past year than I have ever seen in my life.  And contrary to the name, I am not always the happiest person alive. 

Photo by: Max Kade

Also, I thought, maybe the name has connotations with the memories that happen here.  The past year here has been one of the best in my life.  Regardless of if the day was normal, great, or even bad, thinking back does bring a smile to my face.  I've went through a lot here. And I am sure many people have as well.  So maybe the name is referring to the idea of the memories held here. 

Lastly, I have to put it down.  Maybe it's called happy valley because, well, where else would "happy valley" be besides Penn State?  The football games, the parties, THON, the academics, the creamery, the students, the Willard preacher, Old Main, the....everything.  It's all one big community that is amazing in and of itself.  So maybe people aren't always happy.  Maybe the weather isn't always great.  Maybe the memories aren't always the fondest.  But one thing is for sure.  Penn State will always be Happy Valley.

Penn State Priorities

Penn State Memes: Brandon Cwalina

I was on facebook the other day, casually looking through the Penn State Memes.  Some were hilarious.  Others were so true.  And then I came to this one.  WOW.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one says a lot.  10,686,924.83 actually.  Each dollar raised, each person involved, affects children.  Years down the road, this picture may not mean much.  But the creator, Brandon Cwalina, definitely seized on the kairos of this year to make a very powerful, emotional picture.

This picture could be interpreted in a couple different ways.  First off, that Penn State only cares about its football team.  That they don't care about anyone else.  Millions of dollars go into the football program every year, and some people may feel that the university allots more money to that rather than other, more worthy causes.  It also suggests that the students themselves only care about football.  However, THON proves these theories wrong.  $10 million collected, by students and staff, and given to cancer research.  This picture undermines all the nay-sayers.

That first interpretation could be understood by anyone throughout the years.  But another interpretation applies to this particular year.  Without explicitly stating it, this picture attacks the "outsiders" who have accused Penn State and Penn State's students throughout this whole Sandusky case.  When the riots happened, outsiders said that the students only cared about Joe Paterno and the football team.  They said that the students didn't care about those affect, all the children involved in the case.  This picture is a pun on those statements.  Because Penn State does care about the kids.  Penn State does care about children in bad situations.  Regardless of if it is child abuse or cancer, Penn State takes a stand.

Therefore, I enjoyed this picture a lot.  It seized the kairos of this year and created a picture that can apply to many different situations concerning Penn State.  Rhetorically, it had a lot to say, all of which I agree with.

Nicki Nightmare

Last Sunday, I - like many others - watched the Grammys.  I didn't catch the whole show, however I did watch Nicki Minaj's performance.  I am confident in saying that I am not the only one offended by her performance.  And I believe it sent a loud, rhetorical message to the religious - specifically Catholic - viewers.

Photo by: The Daily Truffle

The first offense was what she wore.  She dressed up in a red rendition of a nun's habit.  Worse, the man who accompanied her dressed like the pope!  Now, to some people, that may not mean anything.  But to many others, it is unthinkable.  The pope is the head of the Catholic Church.  As far as Catholics are concerned, he is the closest man to God, he is in the chosen line decended from Saint Peter, and frankly, he is not a man to mess with.  It really sent a message that Nicki and her companion wore these things.  The message was that she doesn't care about religion.  She does not honor other people's religious views, and instead finds that it is a joke.

Minaj did not stop there.  Her performance onstage had me clenching my hands in outrage.  She created a satire of the whole institution of the Catholic Church.  From the sacrament of Penitence to exorcizing those posessed by demons, Minaj made fun of much about this religion.  By doing this, she told the audience that Catholicism is a joke.  That the foundations of the Catholic Church are frivolous and unimportant.  She challenged the audience's beliefs.  They then must question their faith.  Would they be faithful to their religion (thus be angry over the act), or forgive her in the name of a Hollywood performance?  People who are not Catholics had just as strong of reactions to this.  I watched it with my friends.  As it was going on, one of them said, "Wow.  I'm not even Christian, and yet I even find this offensive!" 

In the end, Nicki Minaj undermined the whole institution of the Catholic Church.  Regardless of whether her performance was asthetically pleasing, it had disasterous effects.  At least personally, I lost a lot of respect for her.  I don't mind when people have views other than my own, especially regarding religion, but it is incredibly rude and immoral to make fun of others' beliefs.  Sorry Nicki, but your performance was an absolute nightmare. 

Against State Patty's Day

http://onwardstate.com/2012/02/02/residence-life-limits-overnight-guests-for-state-pattys-weekend/

I find it interesting that Penn State officials have gone to great efforts to restrict drinking for State Patty's Day.  This article really caught my eye for many reasons.  The first sentence describes that Residence Life has "joined the fight" against State Patty's Day.  Immediately it encourages negative emotions against this "holiday."  It goes further to describe the measures that Residence Life is taking against any drinking activities.

I think that Residence Life did not approach this subject correctly.  First and foremost, they said that on-campus residences all received this e-mail.  I, along with my friends on my floor, have never received said e-mail.  This creates an ethos of dishonesty to me.  How can I trust the rest of this article, or even the subject, if they error on their information?  They go on and describe how disciplinary action will be taken if residence's rooms have more than one guest over on the weekend of February 24-25.  This seems irrational and extreme to me.  Won't this cause roommates to fight over who can and who cannot have a guest?  In addition, this stipulation was never mentioned in the contract that residences agreed to.  The contract allowed more guests.  That being said, I cannot think of any practical, enforceable ways that Coordinators can punish students. 

I cannot think of a policy that could be less enforceable than limiting guests.  Unless RAs evaluate every single room multiple times, how can they truly figure out if more than one guest is going to stay over in any specific room?  All of these questions leave myself, and I am sure many others, very confused, which decreases the legitimacy and ethos of the policy. 

In the end, I believe that going to all of these great lengths has actually had ill effects on the university.  By recognizing this "holiday," they acknowledge that the student body drinks...excessively.  But the fact that they are taking precautions for this day alone, it shows one of two things: 1. they are naive about every other weekend or 2. they overlook the drinking that happens on the other weekends.  They allow parties on other weekends.  They disregard the excessive drinking on other days.  It destroys their ethos.  Students will not take them seriously.  They are claiming to try to cut down the drinking, yet are only focusing on one day.  What about the other 364?

Biased News

The Oreilly Factor: President Obama and your approval

I am sorry, I couldn't upload this video because it is copyrighted by Fox News. 

This week, I decided that I would write my rhetoric post on biased news.  I am not completely trying to bash the other party, simply showing the sometimes blatant, sometimes covert biases among the supposed impartial news coverage.  While I chose to use a Republican show as my example, I am not denying that the Democrats may do the same thing.

News stations are riddled with rhetoric.  Which news station you watch determines the view that you may get on an issue.  Some - such as CNN or MSNBC - are decidedly Democratic, while others - such as FOX News - are rather Republican.  The same concept applies to newspapers, websites, and any other kind of media.  They convey their message in a way that supports one of the parties while opposing the other.

I chose this news reel because I think it is a good example of using the media and your words to lead people to a certain conclusion.  Bill O'Reilly chooses the information that he displays very strategically.  He portrays President Obama as a president whom most people in our country disapproves of.  He shows the states that will be wildcards for the election, then makes sure that he mentions that Obama does not have the majority approval in any of them. 

Specifically, in the video, around 1:20-1:47, I noticed a contradiction in his speech.  He says "We are not in the business to promote any political candidate; you're smart enough to know who you want to vote for."  then he proceeds to specify which is the better candidate.  "If the Republicans can stay on message and Mr. Obama is incompetant in economic matters, the GOP has a better than even chance..."  Excuse me?  Does that sound like he is promoting one candidate, or rather one party, over the other?  Very sneaky...

I think it is interesting that this happens in the news.  Using our concepts, I may say that the reporters use descriptions, like "incompetant" to disenchant voters against a certain candidate.  They distort the data in order to inspire confidence in one party over the other.  In this, he stresses that Obama does not have a majority in certain states and that only 10 states have an approval rating over 50%.

One thing that I must give credit to Mr. O'Reilly for is when he mentions how Democrats will "unleash hell on Mitt Romney"  because of his wording.  He pokes fun at the fact that each political party uses what they say out of context.  Mitt Romney once said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor." within one of his comments.  O'Reilly says that the Democrats will use that phrase to destroy Romney's campaign.  But by bringing this up, O'Reilly sort of nips the problem in the bud before it can happen.  Now people will be on the look out for that sort of foul play. 

I think this is a good example of how news stations use rhetoric to push one political party on the viewers.  The way they say things, the examples they use, the facts they show; all of this effectively leads to one conclusion.  The same evidence could be put on a different news channel and the viewers could come to a completely different conclusion.  It's all about how they portray it.  It's all about the rhetoric.

I Believe In Skiing

I would like to point out that I know the pictures in the video are of myself wakeboarding rather than skiing, but I don't have any of myself skiing here with me.  Sorry!

http://www.personal.psu.edu/tam5454/blogs/ibelieveinskiing.mp3

Saying Goodbye to Joe Paterno

Before I start this, I want to say that I am sorry.  This post was hard to write, because I couldn't find the words to express what I was trying to say.  It doesn't give Joe Paterno or his memory justice.  But still, I am going to try...

We all took part in saying goodbye to Joe Paterno, in one way or another.  Whether it was in going to his viewing, his procession, or his memorial service, all of Penn State participated.  Going to his memorial service, I saw thousands of people who paid their respects to the man with the rolled up pants.  I think that there is a lot of rhetoric in that.

Thousands of people came to mourn the death Joe Paterno.  Despite the allegations, despite the recent bad press, it showed the world that he was still a hero.  The community of Penn State, which encompasses the decades of students who have attended the school, stood in unity to honor his memory.  It showed the sheer number of people he impacted, and the true nature of people's feelings for him.  Joe Paterno once said, "Losing a game is heartbreaking.  Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy."  He never lost the latter though.  He believed in himself as much as he believed in others.  He truly had a clear conscious.  And obviously, many people agreed with that statement, as the amount of support shows.

Joe Paterno, despite the fame he got, was a humble man.  The fact that he made as big of an impact that he did speaks volumes.  It shows that you can still be a genuine, every day guy, and still touch thousands.  At the memorial, many of the men who spoke talked about how Joe befriended their parents.  But most importantly, he kept in contact with the players long after they left his team.  There are countless stories that display his sincere care for the people.  He remembered all of his players, from the team of 1969 all the way to 2011.  He never took credit for accomplishments, always giving the boys the glory. 

Many ask what Joe Paterno's legacy will be.  I think it is the rhetoric that his life assumed.  He believed in teamwork.  He pushed everyone to their limits.  He strived for academic excellence.  He brought together an entire world into a small community - Penn State.  His example affects us all.

So in the end, what do I think all of this rhetoric shows?  I think that you don't have to be a Kim Kardashian or a Brad Pitt to be famous.  All you have to do is work hard, believe in others, and live with the motto: Success with Honor.

Teen Mom: Message, or Warning?

Recently, I was watching the 2012 Miss America Pageant.  One of the girls, Miss California, was asked what her views on Teen Mom were.  "glorifying teen pregnancy."  "does glorify" "definitely an apetite for reality tv and it is the responsibility of viewers to understand that we want to live our lives different from these reality stars"  our responsibility to take responsibility for our own actions"  Her reply was that there is currently an appetite for reality television in America, but that it is the "responsibility of the viewers to understand that we want to live our lives different from these reality stars."  She ends by reminding everyone that we are the only ones responsible for our own actions.  Watching this really made me think though, does Teen Mom really "glorify teen pregnancy" as the judge stated?  What exactly is the rhetoric of this show?

My own analysis of Teen Mom is a bit different from "glorifying teen pregnancy."  I mean, I suppose the fact that the network made a television show about it and pay women for it could be considered supporting teenage pregnancy.  After all, their lives as mothers are thrown up on the TV screen for all to see.  But as viewers watch it, they see the troubles involved: the fights, the drama, the custody agreements, etc.  They see how hard it truly is to raise a child.  By airing out all of these problems, is this show really "glorifying" teen pregnancy?

Rather than glorifying, I think Teen Mom does the opposite.  I think that by showing viewers what it is like to have children (though I am sure the show is very distorted, I mean come on, I would hope girls are a bit wiser than these ones) it deters the women from wanting to get pregnant in their teenage years.  It shows that having a child isn't all fun and games.  I have said, many times, that the best birth control for me was when my sister had her children.  I think that for the bigger population of America, watching Teen Mom can have the same effect.  I think that the show makes an example of these women, so that other people will think twice about making the same accidental mistake.

In addition to all of this, I think that Teen Mom has rhetoric involved because it brings discourse into teenage pregnancy.  Teenage pregnancy has been a taboo: no one talks about it.  It is treated as if it does not exist.  But it obviously does.  We all KNOW that it does, but people up until this point refused to talk about it.  Then 16 and Pregnant, with its branch Teen Mom came along.  It announced to America that yes, this is a prevalent problem, and yes, we do need to talk about it.  I think the best way to prevent a problem is to recognize and talk about it.  Now that teenage pregnancy is out in the open, I believe that discussion over it will lead to a decrease in the amount.  Even in the show, there is ads that offer advice for teenage pregnancy and sex.  It gives a website for information.  It shows that it is ok to talk about or seek guidance on this topic. 

In the end, I agree with Miss California.  Whatever message people may think that Teen Mom is trying to send,  it is up to the individual to be responsible for his or her own actions.  I just hope that people will learn from watching this show and think twice before they decide on having a child or not.



The interview I mentioned previously is in this clip, from 4:27-5:23.  I got this from YouTube, and it is from the 2012 Miss America Pageant.

Teen Mom 2 image is from http://teenmomtalk.com/teen-mom-2-season-2-debut-announced/