Journal Eight

The two objects I’m comparing and contrasting are a pencil and a pen. Both are used for the same purposes; to write, to draw, to twirl in class, and to doodle. Although they share very similar jobs, their architectural design is very different. A pencil is rigid, hard, and rough. It is very commonly found in an octagonal shape with a dull end. Inside lies a rod of graphite, and as the life of the pencil gets longer, the actual instrument gets shorter. How ironic. The tip of the pencil is followed by a rough, jagged section of grinded wood, much unlike the pen. Also unlike the pen, there is a metal section securing an eraser. The pen, on the other hand, is smooth, usually plastic, and many times round. Instead of gripping a tough, shredded wooden section, a writer grasps a smooth, soft grip at the tip of the pen. Pens are a thicker diameter, and they never get shorter in length. No sharpening is required because their tip stays the same sharpness always. In replace of the eraser lays a cap, or even a clicker that protects the pen’s end in order for it to last as long as possible.

Journal Seven

I’m evaluating the Twilight series in both movie form and book form. This series has been a popular set of novels among teens in the past few years and it has branched into a set of movies also. Because of the start of this series as a popular book, it grabbed the attention of teen girls mostly, and then when the movie came out, even more girls joined in. We’ve seen a duel between Twilight fans and Harry Potter fans in both the movie setting and in products and clothing. The Twilight series fits into many different categories, starting with books, and then continuing to movies, and now Halloween costumes and wardrobe. It can be compared, as said earlier, to the Harry Potter series considering both series’ have had the same sort of run. They both started as books, and then came more books, and once the books were over movies of the books came out. The aspect of magic and the supernatural could also play a part in why these two series are often compared to each other. There are a lot of stories that end up this way, Harry Potter is just a familiar one most people know of.

The first criteria that will be used to evaluate the Twilight series will be the presence of the supernatural. This will consist of the vampires, werewolves, and humans in one setting. The way they interact, and the connections they have is crucial to the plot and storyline, so these characters and supernatural forces play a large role in the story. Also, because of conflict between the different groups in the story, their interactions are very important. The second criteria that will be used to evaluate the Twilight series will be how these three aspects are appealing to the reader. Some readers think this idea is silly, while others are intrigued by it. Some of the differences that the three groups have cause conflict that is appealing to some readers more than others. The third criteria will be the characteristics of vampires. This will explain what it that makes a vampire a vampire is and what makes a vampire different than a human. This will also be where it is explained if there are characteristics of a vampire that can be noticed physically. The fourth criteria will be the characteristics of a werewolf, how they function, and what makes them different from humans. Also, this will be where the difference between werewolves and vampires is explained, as well as the background information to the conflict between the two groups. The fifth criteria that will be used to evaluate the Twilight series is changes made between the books and the movies. There may be some different aspects of the movies that aren’t in the books, and vice versa. Also, the descriptions given in the book give the reader a different picture than what is shown in the movie, and just that part alone made me change my opinion about the story when watching the movie.

Journal Six

1) Standing on the corner of Shortlidge and East College, cars buzz past in two speeding lanes. Across the street I see the sign above McLanahan’s Downtown Store, with red and yellow plaid lit up in the background. Students enter and exit, white plastic shopping bags in hand, equipped with the necessary groceries and cosmetics needed to get by in their busy college lives. A line of at least 50 people rounds the corner of the Waffle Shop to the right, as the hungry citizens wait for their turn to get a table. To my left sits a man, old and grey, watching the surrounding pedestrians like I do. His white, coarse beard drapes down his chin and neck, resting on his chest. He wears a hat, raggedy and timeworn, which allow only his almond eyes to peek out. Layers of coats consume him and the only one visible to me is the coffee colored, tweed jacket on top that buttons up in the front. He sits on the ledge across the street from McLanahan’s, his legs not nearly long enough to reach the ground. As pants, he wears extremely tattered pants, with holes in the knees. His feet are covered by very worn and dirty sneakers, which I make out to be black, and I find myself questioning whether or not this poor man can afford socks.

2) Three quotes I have so far:

“He can be either nice or stand-off-ish, depending on how you are to him.” –Zach, McLanahan’s employee

“Believe it or not, he follows Penn State football very closely.” –Paul, McLanahan’s employee

“I know he has somewhere to stay, this is just the lifestyle he chooses to live.” –Alex, McLanahan’s employee

3) All of what I have found has been through people who work at McLanahan’s and stories from other students. Because this man is a frequent visitor of McLanahan’s, the employees have spoken to him and know him pretty well.

The first relevant fact I’ve found is that he has multiple nicknames. “McLanaman”, “Roach”, “Leon”

The second fact I’ve learned is that he’s a Penn State football fan, and follows them very closely.

The third fact I’ve learned is that he has money to spend because he buys food in McLanahan’s.

The fourth fact I’ve learned is that his real name is Kenny.

4) I want to learn how he got to be homeless, and how long he has been homeless. Because I never know when he’ll be outside, it’s a matter of chance that I run into him, making it harder to specifically interview him. However, I’m still looking for him. I also want to know why he chooses to live his life the way he does if he’s not forced into that lifestyle. I’m going to continue to interview students, and hopefully I get the opportunity to interview him.

Journal Four

In the broadcast “#1 Party school” the writer defines the issue very well. They start off with evidence right away, and I thought that was a very good way to explain the issue so that it makes sense to the audience. It is shown that the issues need to be investigated right away because just in the very beginning the woman in the broadcast catches a girl going to the bathroom on her lawn. That, in and of itself, should be enough to investigate it immediately. Some facts are given to explain how the issue affects different groups that might have an interest in or connection to the issue, like the clip from the frat house, and the example of the kid who went out just to observe drunk people. There could be more, however, because I found they could have talked more about how it affects the academic life, and people who don’t drink. A lot of the quotations I thought were from interviews from students here, and what they thought about drinking. They even interview drunk people, and that gave good insight into the night life at Penn State. I think the point of this broadcast is to show why Penn State deserves the title #1 Party School.

In my opinion, I was a little offended. I’m not a heavy drinker, in fact in all honesty, I’ve only drank once in my life, so I found it a little unfair that these people were pinpointing my school and stereotyping it in a way that made it seem like all students here drink. I thought this broadcast portrayed Penn State as a school where students only drink, when really there are tons of good things done here. I think had it been an Ivy League school that was dubbed the #1 party school, they wouldn’t have been as harsh since ivy’s have academics to back them up. What I’m saying isn’t that Penn State doesn’t have great academics; I just know that Ivy League schools take classes and academics more seriously than at a normal school. I did, however, like how they observed drunk students and showed their actions through interviews (like the stop sign). I also liked how they used school examples, like street names and stores, so that it became a more personal piece rather than just a normal party school. On the other hand, I didn’t like how the broadcast made it seem like the drinking here doesn’t happen at other places. I’ve been to other college campuses and I know that drinking happens there too. The amount of alcohol abuse here just seems so much more serious, when in reality there are just so much more people. If our school was scaled down to the size of a smaller school, say 6,000 undergrad for example, the amount of drinking would be the same as any other school that size. Notice how the bigger schools have been known as the #1 party schools. I feel like the size of the school and the number of enrolled students has a lot to do with the title of #1 party school, when in reality it would probably be very similar to that of a smaller school if it was scaled down.