The Final Prompt

         Well first off, I cannot believe that my first semester of my freshman year is over!!! And I survived J Over the past 15 weeks I’ve learned a lot about creating and supporting arguments and also about the Penn State arts community.

         Looking back at my approach to writing before this class, I never really thought much about making an argument in my work. This is not to say I didn’t write for a purpose. It’s just that I never thought of the word argument and purpose as synonyms. One of the greatest lessons I have learned about writing this semester was that everything truly is an argument (not to be cliché or quote the title of our textbook). I do not mean that everything requires yelling and disagreeing on things, but rather, all things are made to persuade you to look at it a certain way. Now that I understand this better, I think it has greatly helped me in my writing.

         While writing was a very prominent part of this class, I found that learning about the arts at Penn State was really well incorporated as well. I did not really understand what “The Arts at Penn State” would mean in an English 15 seminar class, but I can say I am truly glad I chose this option. My journey began at the Palmer Museum, Penn State’s very own art museum. I had no idea that that place even existed and I was shocked at how many interesting pieces they had inside! I’m going to go on a tangent here, but I would have to say that my favorite journal entry was the response to the piece of art at the Palmer. With so many paintings, sculptures, and photographs to choose from, I was able to find a picture, Working Horse: Hauling, which evoked a lot of thoughts and emotions from me.

          After that visit, I realized that there was so much that I didn’t know about the arts at my school. Attending literary readings and library sessions and learning about “The Hemingway Letters Project” placed me out of my comfort zone of interests, but in a very good way. I was always about sports, popular events, and academics before arriving at Penn State. Never would I have thought to go to the Arboretum and walk around or listen to Dave Housely read comic short stories.

         Now that I have been exposed to the greater world of art on campus, around the country, and around the world, I am hoping to make an effort to continue to go and experience such things. With a little bit of effort and research on my part, I think I will be able to find events and places to go and develop my appreciation for art (and I’m not just saying this to suck up). I want to be an educated and well-balanced person in all aspects of the world so I hope to travel around the country and over to Europe to experience the art of other cultures as well. However, for now, I plan to take baby steps and take advantage of the opportunities that Penn State offers such as their plays, musicals, concerts, and readings. Maybe in the near future I will have the opportunity to study abroad, as well.

         Coming to college is about expanding my horizons, and because of English 15: The Arts at Penn State, I am able to do this.