Tag: milesrcl6

After finishing the novel, The Circle, I noticed a message that truly resonated within myself; the idea that privacy is not a bad thing. Mae was completely entranced when it came to the use of technology and sharing posts on social media. I can heavily relate to this, as social media is what this day and age is all about. I realized that I do not want to live my life behind a phone or computer screen, simply posting about what it is that I am doing at that very moment. I want to be able to fully enjoy whatever activity I am involved in. It does not matter if my friends see what I’m up to on Snapchat. What matters is that, in 30 years, I want to be able to look back on these times in my life and think about how great they were. I don’t want to look back and remember how many likes I received on an Instagram post. The Circle has helped me to see the world around me through my own eyes, rather than through a camera lens. After all, these are going to be the best four years of our lives, we might as well live them.

Upon entering the Palmer Art Museum, I noticed that the first two rooms  consisted of a majority of paintings and portraits from the 1500s. As I walked through the other rooms, the works of art changed from paintings to sculptures and pottery, mostly made years later than the first two rooms. Making my way upstairs, I began to get a more modern sense of art work. Rather than seeing naked women and paintings of Jesus carrying the cross, I was looking at pictures of the modern working man in the 1950’s, paintings of farm houses, forests, and even mothers and their children. That is when I realized the excessive amount of paradigm shifts that have occurred in art work throughout the ages.

The first picture depicts Jesus, carrying the cross, leading up to his crucifixion. This picture by Francesco Fracanzano was made in 1647, a time where Religion played a major part in the every day life of citizens. The second picture, by Giovanni Baglione in 1601, depicts an Angel healing a man who had been shot by an arrow. Once again, Religion is the main motive for this picture. Both of these were found in the second room on the first floor of the museum, consisting of Religious pictures and medieval portraits. However, as I went upstairs, the third picture attached, caught my eye. Instead of seeing a picture involving religion, I saw a picture involving magic. The Sorceress, by Arthur B. Davies, painted in 1862, depicts some type of witch, essentially casting a spell on the man in front of her. The paradigm shift between these centuries shows how the people of the times went from believing Jesus and God were the almighty powers surrounding them, to believing that there were supernatural forces and powers that people could possess. The paintings varied greatly in not only their messages but also the beliefs behind them. Perhaps the questions at the time were, Was God the only supernatural being or did people around us possess those powers too? This shift shows us that Religion began to decline from being the biggest focus, and people started to open their minds to other things within their world.

In today’s society, nothing can go by without it being documented on some type of social media. Whether it be Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook, any slightly interesting event that occurs is posted about. One of my good friends is an example of one of these people. Anything he sees, he will take a picture or video of and add it on to his snapchat story- whether it be a picture of his dinner, a football game, or even just a video of a stranger dancing in New York City. Quite frankly, I have become very annoyed with this social media craze. I have said something to my friend to “stop snapchatting his every move.” Social media, in my opinion, has taken over today’s youth and caused them to only see the world through a phone screen. When Kanye West performed at the Bryce Jordan Center, I looked around the arena, and all I saw were phones in the air, recording the show. Some people were not even watching Kanye perform live, rather than watching him through their Snapchat screen. Why would you rather see him through a screen, as one normally would, when you have the opportunity to look directly at him in person? It made no sense to me.

Today’s youth is not so different from Mae, in The Circle. Everyday, she lives behind a screen, whether it be her computer at her office, or her phone out in public. Rather than enjoying the events she attends, she is on her phone talking about them. It’s as if she is only able to enjoy the moments life brings her if she shares them with those on social media. I believe Mercer to be right in this situation. If Mae is only sharing her experiences instead of actually living them, how is that suppose to be fun? It is boring. It is bland. It is not a healthy way to live your life. Mae is not alone in this situation. Every person who lives behind their phone, sharing every event in their lives, is a boring person. They have become so invested in what other people think about the events they attend, rather than what they personally think of the experience. In this day and age, who really cares if YOU went to a concert or met the President, if they weren’t there to experience it as well? It may bring about some jealousy seeing these posts, but it won’t take away from the fact that you are the one living in this moment. None of your Twitter followers will be able to say they had the same experience as you, and that is what brings about one’s uniqueness.

I did not know what to expect out of the Marathon Reads event. I thought it would be composed of people who were extremely excited to read and those who were good at public speaking. However, as I sat listening to various people read, I noticed that most were either not as willing to read in front of the crowd or very nervous. Some people’s voices were shaky and quiet and others very monotone and unconfident. On the other hand there were a good amount of people who were upbeat and truly acting out the story. I listened to a number of people read The Hunger Games. I have read this book myself and seen the movie. Most people did not read with enthusiasm, and that was okay. They were facing their fears and getting up to read in front of a crowd, which I assume they do not do much. I condone them for their bravery and self-motivation. I did not read solely because I hate speaking in front of a crowd of people that I do not know. But seeing each shy person get up and read really made me think, “If they can do it so can I.” However, I had a class that I had to get to and was unable to read while I was there. I was going to sign up to read but my fear got in the way. I even heard a girl after she read say, “That wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.” That statement really made me want to sign up, but being in the rush that I was, I did not. I now know, however, that if Marathon Reads ever happens again, I am going to motivate myself to read and face my fear.

The Circle, being the “most influential company in the world”, and Penn State, being a “world renowned University”, have many similarities. Coming to Penn State as a Freshman, much like Mae, I was very overwhelmed and somewhat terrified to begin this new chapter in my life. One of the most influential characters towards Mae was Annie. She stated that Mae should learn to “..foster the community. In fact, it must be a community” (Eggers, 47) The company puts up signs which state that “Humans work here”. It is a reminder that, yes, the company contains some of the best minds in the country, but it is not a sweatshop full of robots. Much like The Circle, Penn State has some of the best minds in the country as well. Students every where on campus are striving to make a difference in the world and possibly discover something new, but they do this all while having the time of their lives. Penn State and The Circle stress the fact that it is important to go out and have fun. You cannot hole up in your room (or office). You must go out and introduce yourself to people. Another similarity is that, on Mae’s first day at The Circle, many people came up to her and introduced themselves right away. I personally connected with this part, as on my first day, many people introduced themselves and truly made me feel welcome. I had not even been at Penn State for a full twenty-four hours and it already felt like home. Just like Mae, I was experiencing new things and meeting new people. I was surrounded by people of all different backgrounds, but somehow, we all were united by a common thing- being a Penn Stater- just as Mae and her coworkers did- being a Circler.