You take a breath, inhale and exhale as you walk up to the front of the room to give the presentation you've been fretting over for a good chunk of time. As you approach the front of the audience to face your peers, a faint applause can be heard to encourage you to do the very best you can. Inhale and exhale and then your speech begins.
We all know how tough public speaking is, it's one of those things that is tough for anyone to do the first few times they get in front of people to speak. I know for me, I bounce back and fourth on my heels and grab my arms with my hands as a form of comfort to ground myself. It eases my anxiety whilst up in front of a large group of people, but also reflects to an audience that I'm not all that confident to be in front of so many people speaking. Now, it's not that I mind speaking in front of people; I'm extremely extraverted and enjoy social interaction. The idea of having to memorize something that I'm going to say and retain it to say it back to an audience of my peers without messing up is what freaks me out. It is the reason why I begin to say "um" and "uh" during a talk in order to fill what I can't remember, but this is all something that I'd like to work on for the future.
For every weakness I have within a speech, I also have my strengths. I keep eye contact very well with an audience as I'm not afraid to look people in the eye when I speak and enjoy the interaction I get to have with people during this time. I am very conversational, as well, when I'm in front of people. Being formulaic within a speech is just now my thing, I like to be myself and attempt to enjoy my time as much as I possibly can.
In an attempt to stop utilizing the mannerisms I use and verbal fillers that I tend to have within my speeches, I will practice my speech outline more than I did the last time so I know my information better than I did before. I'm definitely going to ask friends for help, especially those that are more blunt and won't hold back when I ask if they feel like I'm being too awkward at certain parts. Constructive criticism is always helpful.
Although public speaking isn't necessarily my forte, I'm not as stressed about it as I was the first time we had done it this year. I feel like I'll be more prepared this time and that I'll know what to expect when I step in front of the class.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Some Closure
When I was younger one of my all time favorite things to do was to complete a puzzle. Having one piece of the puzzle missing was probably my biggest pet peeve of all time; why would anyone want to leave one piece out?! Little, young me felt like the world was ending when I'd lose a piece and I would call one of my parents into whatever room of the house I was in to have them help me look for my missing piece. In similar fashion, Mae felt that Ty not wanting to complete the circle was like leaving the piece of the puzzle out. She wanted the Circle to come to competition just as a puzzle would fall into place.
Mae's selfishness is the ultimate downfall to her personal life and the relationships she had once held dear to her heart. The New York Times review says that “Mae, then, is not a victim but a dull villain;" this is entirely true since Mae has turned her back on every person she loved throughout the story. She went from being the lovable new member on campus to a seasoned worker that would do anything for people to view her on social media in a positive light.
Now, I'll be honest, I don't care for Mae too much. At first I was rooting for her, I have a feeling most of us were! We all know what it's like to be new and start off a new life in a new place; it's tough to start out not knowing anybody and coming to a new place. Eventually, Mae became a protagonist that just rubbed me the wrong way. She treated the people who raised her terribly and her selfishness even resulted in the preventable death of Mercer and coma of Annie. I guess this is what makes a good protagonist, though; a main character that really captures your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout reading the novel is the best kind of character.
Mae can be seen turning into a "dull villain" on multiple occasions, but most notably when she does not appear to be too phased by the death of Mercer and coma of Annie. Mae is the one that caused Mercer to drive off of the bridge since drones were hunting him down; eventually "something like determination, something like serenity" took over his face and he drove off to get away from it all. Annie was her strongest relationship throughout the novel and is the reason why she even begins at the Circle in the first place and she seems to not care to talk her out of a stressful situation. She only pushes her further which leads her to falling into a coma that the doctors cannot even pinpoint the cause of.
This shows that she is thinking more herself and what was important to her viewership than to those in her personal life. Even when Ty tells her that reading his letter to her millions of viewers could prevent more deaths like Mercers, she decides not to do it so she can complete the Circle instead. Okay, first of all I would like to know everything that was written on that piece of paper, I have a right to know. Second of all, what the hell, Mae?! You choose being transparent over the lives of others?
Mae was not the victim of this story, but instead turned out to be a villain. She did what she felt was right for herself and her social media presence, but did not take others around her into consideration. She may begin the story as a protagonist, but she ends it as an antagonist.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Transparency to a Circle
When I'm by myself, I tend to blast my music loudly and then sing and dance around my dorm room. Sometimes I even do it when there are other people around, but you've got to be close to me to get that privilege. I think it'd be harm for concern if someone were monitoring my terrible singing. That being said, the idea of being transparent would absolutely scare me to no end. Anyone having the ability, or want, to watch every little move I make would make me feel extremely uncomfortable as well. The idea of transparency, a way to perceive a person so their motives are clear, is such a negative way to keep tabs on a person. Although Mae had gotten used to having these people watch her, I don't think I'd ever be able to do so.
Daily, Mae would put on a necklace to show the world of her own small world; essentially they got to see every little move that she made throughout her day. Mae eventually started to communicate with her viewers and narrate parts of her everyday life to them like "here were are in the gym". Being transparent allows Mae to have little to no privacy, but she forgets about that with the fact that she has such a large following. She began to care more about numbers and social media presence than she ever had before all because of the amount of people she had watching her on a daily basis.
The Circlers around campus also began to adopt new attitudes. Being on camera caused them to become more professional and act different around Mae than they usually would. Many people around campus already know her due to her becoming transparent; this is evidenced when Georgia pretends to not know Mae for the sake of the camera. This is rise for concern since the camera is causing people to act a different way compared to how they normally would before Mae became transparent.
Many consumers begin wanting to interact with Mae on a one-to-one basis through customer experience. Instead of answering customer's questions about products, she ended up becoming caught up in personal interactions with people. It distracted her from the bubble that she had been living in for so long and gave her some genuine human interaction, even if it was over the internet and not in person. This displays that her transparency is slowly eating away at her although she seems to love interacting with her audience whenever she can.
Her transparency has also hurt the people she loves. It has effected her relationship with Annie, her parents, and Mercer. Annie envies Mae's situation, Mae's parents have a strained relationship with her, and Mercer no longer wishes to hold any form of friendship with her. Mae had even angrily walked into her parents room with the camera around her neck to her mother performing oral sex on her father. This harshly effects Mae's relationship with her parents since they did not like the whole idea of the cameras in the first place and now have their sex life broadcast to Mae's entire audience.
Going transparent not only changed Mae, but also effected the life of the people around her. At first it felt strange for her to always have a camera around her neck, but she eventually fell into habit and enjoyed having an audience to talk to. Even when an awkward situation arised Mae managed to block everything out and keep control of herself, at least she thought she was anyway.
Daily, Mae would put on a necklace to show the world of her own small world; essentially they got to see every little move that she made throughout her day. Mae eventually started to communicate with her viewers and narrate parts of her everyday life to them like "here were are in the gym". Being transparent allows Mae to have little to no privacy, but she forgets about that with the fact that she has such a large following. She began to care more about numbers and social media presence than she ever had before all because of the amount of people she had watching her on a daily basis.
The Circlers around campus also began to adopt new attitudes. Being on camera caused them to become more professional and act different around Mae than they usually would. Many people around campus already know her due to her becoming transparent; this is evidenced when Georgia pretends to not know Mae for the sake of the camera. This is rise for concern since the camera is causing people to act a different way compared to how they normally would before Mae became transparent.
Many consumers begin wanting to interact with Mae on a one-to-one basis through customer experience. Instead of answering customer's questions about products, she ended up becoming caught up in personal interactions with people. It distracted her from the bubble that she had been living in for so long and gave her some genuine human interaction, even if it was over the internet and not in person. This displays that her transparency is slowly eating away at her although she seems to love interacting with her audience whenever she can.
Her transparency has also hurt the people she loves. It has effected her relationship with Annie, her parents, and Mercer. Annie envies Mae's situation, Mae's parents have a strained relationship with her, and Mercer no longer wishes to hold any form of friendship with her. Mae had even angrily walked into her parents room with the camera around her neck to her mother performing oral sex on her father. This harshly effects Mae's relationship with her parents since they did not like the whole idea of the cameras in the first place and now have their sex life broadcast to Mae's entire audience.
Going transparent not only changed Mae, but also effected the life of the people around her. At first it felt strange for her to always have a camera around her neck, but she eventually fell into habit and enjoyed having an audience to talk to. Even when an awkward situation arised Mae managed to block everything out and keep control of herself, at least she thought she was anyway.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Circle Post 3: Conclusion of Book I
Being a member of the Circle comes with its ups and downs. There is a large lavish campus for the workers to explore and meet others, opportunities that no other work place gives, and take care of their employees well. On the contrary, the Circle strips away the privacy of its workers and is manipulative in its nature. By the end of book I, it is clear that the Circle is far from a normal company.
The themes of identity, sexuality, and privacy are continually brought to light throughout the entirety of book I. These themes are what hold the story together and keep the reader interested in what is occurring within the novel.
When beginning at the Circle, Mae is more individualistic than most people working at the company. She is not lumped in with the masses, rather she has her own sense of self. She is a prideful person who works to have a sense of identity, but as the book continues her identity is stripped away from her. Technology has worn away her individuality and has made her just another Circler. Even Mercer, Mae's ex-boyfriend notices that the Circle has chipped away at her as a person; "Individually you don't know what you're doing collectively" (page 261). Since the Circle is based solely off of technology, it has caused her own sense of self to crumble.
The theme of sexuality is present during all of book I; Mae ends up having tension with multiple men throughout this short time in the Circle. Her relationship with Francis happens to be one of the most prevalent relationships for Mae throughout this portion of the story. She feels herself forming a true connection to him until he embarrasses her in front of the company by asking her to be his in such a public way. Eventually, after the fiasco, Mae and Francis rekindle the dying light. The two get together, but Mae realizes that Francis was recording their interaction. This, once again, breaks down the sense of lust the two had and causes her to become scared and angry from what this interaction could bring.
Privacy is the last thing that is upheld in the Circle; it's as if privacy had never been real to the workers in the company. Similarly to her identity, Mae's privacy is ripped away from her. When Mae begins at the company, she leads a private life where only her parents and friends have knowledge of her whereabouts and actions. At the Circle her privacy is taken and she is watched like a hawk, like every other worker there. When she finally goes to visit the doctor, like she was the first week of her being at the company, she is given a liquid without being told what was in it. When she finishes the drink the doctor tells her "you just ingested a sensor that will connect to your wrist monitor" (page 155) which means her every move can now be tracked.
Book I is truly held together by the fact that Mae's basic human rights have been stripped away from her. She struggles to find normality within her life in the Circle and seems to wish that she had the individuality and privacy she once had in her life.
Privacy is the last thing that is upheld in the Circle; it's as if privacy had never been real to the workers in the company. Similarly to her identity, Mae's privacy is ripped away from her. When Mae begins at the company, she leads a private life where only her parents and friends have knowledge of her whereabouts and actions. At the Circle her privacy is taken and she is watched like a hawk, like every other worker there. When she finally goes to visit the doctor, like she was the first week of her being at the company, she is given a liquid without being told what was in it. When she finishes the drink the doctor tells her "you just ingested a sensor that will connect to your wrist monitor" (page 155) which means her every move can now be tracked.
Book I is truly held together by the fact that Mae's basic human rights have been stripped away from her. She struggles to find normality within her life in the Circle and seems to wish that she had the individuality and privacy she once had in her life.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Circle Post 2: Intimacy and Privacy
Throughout the novel The Circle, Eggers proves that intimacy and privacy go hand in hand. Intimacy, which is a sense of togetherness, is one the most important things a person can have in their lives. Privacy allows people to be secluded in their own world and ignores any attention that may come from the outside. Intimacy and privacy is seen within Mae's relationship with her parents and Francis.
The close relationship between parents and their children is one of the most important things an adult can have within their lives. Mae's parents are extremely intimate with her, not sparring her the details of her father's health struggles and their problems with the health insurance. When Mae had asked how things had been going with their health insurance, her mom and dad had responded with telling her every detail of how their company would not cover each and every problem that had arisen for them. The idea of privacy had been lost at this point, being that her parents had dropped their problems onto Mae. The idea of intimacy, though, was alive; they feel that they can tell her anything and that she can be there to help them through the times of need and struggle since she is in a better position than they now are. It had put undue stress on Mae - "it tortured her" (page 76) - but she would do anything to help her parents.
Intimacy curates trust and privacy curates intimacy, each is lost without one another. Intimacy includes opening up to others and allowing people into one's life, giving people a glimpse of one's world, and how one functions from day to day. Mae allowed Francis into her personal bubble, her private world that she felt she could trust him with. After Francis and her had gone out to dinner "she [had] kiss[ed] Francis on the street." (page 116); she opened herself up and brought him into her intimate world by making the first move. Her privacy was broken by no longer caring who saw her kiss him in public and a new bond of intimacy was brought into the strange dynamic the two of them had.
Intimacy and Privacy go together and have the ability to be broken together. The intimacy Mae felt she had once held with Francis was broken when Francis had gotten on stage with Gus. It had embarrassed her to see him act in such a way and the Francis that she had known in her private life had been so different to the one that had been up on the stage in front of her coworkers at the Circle. Francis had managed to break the easy going intimacy and privacy the two of them had shared over a game-show like meeting; it made it seem like their romance was more of a game to Mae than anything else.
Without these two elements within a persons life, it is difficult to have a strong relationship with others. Mae has a good relationship with her parents, but ends up having a hard time making ends meet with the man she can see herself having an intimate relationship with in the future.
The close relationship between parents and their children is one of the most important things an adult can have within their lives. Mae's parents are extremely intimate with her, not sparring her the details of her father's health struggles and their problems with the health insurance. When Mae had asked how things had been going with their health insurance, her mom and dad had responded with telling her every detail of how their company would not cover each and every problem that had arisen for them. The idea of privacy had been lost at this point, being that her parents had dropped their problems onto Mae. The idea of intimacy, though, was alive; they feel that they can tell her anything and that she can be there to help them through the times of need and struggle since she is in a better position than they now are. It had put undue stress on Mae - "it tortured her" (page 76) - but she would do anything to help her parents.
Intimacy curates trust and privacy curates intimacy, each is lost without one another. Intimacy includes opening up to others and allowing people into one's life, giving people a glimpse of one's world, and how one functions from day to day. Mae allowed Francis into her personal bubble, her private world that she felt she could trust him with. After Francis and her had gone out to dinner "she [had] kiss[ed] Francis on the street." (page 116); she opened herself up and brought him into her intimate world by making the first move. Her privacy was broken by no longer caring who saw her kiss him in public and a new bond of intimacy was brought into the strange dynamic the two of them had.
Intimacy and Privacy go together and have the ability to be broken together. The intimacy Mae felt she had once held with Francis was broken when Francis had gotten on stage with Gus. It had embarrassed her to see him act in such a way and the Francis that she had known in her private life had been so different to the one that had been up on the stage in front of her coworkers at the Circle. Francis had managed to break the easy going intimacy and privacy the two of them had shared over a game-show like meeting; it made it seem like their romance was more of a game to Mae than anything else.
Without these two elements within a persons life, it is difficult to have a strong relationship with others. Mae has a good relationship with her parents, but ends up having a hard time making ends meet with the man she can see herself having an intimate relationship with in the future.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
The Circle Post 1: Newbie
I knew from the moment I walked onto Penn State's campus that I would be open to a new world of opportunities, freedoms, and chances. I came to this beautiful University with an open mind, just as Mae had in The Circle, in hopes of learning new things and experiencing what is unknown to me. So far I am happy to say that although I am highly stressed, I have had an incredible time getting to open up more as a person and understand new parts of myself that I had never discovered beforehand.
As a "newbie", similar to Mae, I am still getting adjusted to life here at Penn State. My sleep schedule is quite off and I haven't found the right balance yet to be able to get all my work done without stress. I'll get it eventually, I'm not too worried, but being new is all about figuring it out!
Being a Penn Stater, a new one at that, compares to being a Circler in a plethora of was. The Circle is a high class organization that strives to treat it's workers the best that it possibly can. There are many workers there to help Mae in her first few weeks at the new company, much like there is a large amount of staff and faculty working at Penn State to help students out whenever is necessary. The Circle itself is even referred to as a campus - this causes The Circle to have the connotation that it is similar to a university setting.
The surplus of books in the Ochre Library can compare to that of The Penn State University Libraries since each place has so many thrilling options of books to choose from that is seems almost never ending. Come to think of it, it really is almost crazy just how many books Penn State's Library houses!
Mae is looked after well by her coworkers and is given constant help to keep herself at her very best. They teach her well, telling her information about the company's humanity, community, and the customer service experience. Dan, Mae's boss, even teaches her about the customer service at The Circle so well that she averages a 97 for her first week! Although I, myself, as a student at Penn State do not have experience in customer service, I am in constant awe of the humanity and community Penn State portrays. This allows me to take an immense amount of pride in our school. Even though I have only been a student here for a measly three weeks I am proud to call myself a true Penn Stater through the community that I have already gotten to know so well.
When Mae had gone to Dream Friday, the meeting for The Circle workers, she had gotten to see that she was not the only new worker on campus. This really hits home since Penn State was not only a new home for me this year, but for almost 9000 new freshmen. I knew that being a "newbie" this year would be difficult, but Penn State has made the transition for me just as easy as The Circle had for Mae.
As a "newbie", similar to Mae, I am still getting adjusted to life here at Penn State. My sleep schedule is quite off and I haven't found the right balance yet to be able to get all my work done without stress. I'll get it eventually, I'm not too worried, but being new is all about figuring it out!
Being a Penn Stater, a new one at that, compares to being a Circler in a plethora of was. The Circle is a high class organization that strives to treat it's workers the best that it possibly can. There are many workers there to help Mae in her first few weeks at the new company, much like there is a large amount of staff and faculty working at Penn State to help students out whenever is necessary. The Circle itself is even referred to as a campus - this causes The Circle to have the connotation that it is similar to a university setting.
The surplus of books in the Ochre Library can compare to that of The Penn State University Libraries since each place has so many thrilling options of books to choose from that is seems almost never ending. Come to think of it, it really is almost crazy just how many books Penn State's Library houses!
Mae is looked after well by her coworkers and is given constant help to keep herself at her very best. They teach her well, telling her information about the company's humanity, community, and the customer service experience. Dan, Mae's boss, even teaches her about the customer service at The Circle so well that she averages a 97 for her first week! Although I, myself, as a student at Penn State do not have experience in customer service, I am in constant awe of the humanity and community Penn State portrays. This allows me to take an immense amount of pride in our school. Even though I have only been a student here for a measly three weeks I am proud to call myself a true Penn Stater through the community that I have already gotten to know so well.
When Mae had gone to Dream Friday, the meeting for The Circle workers, she had gotten to see that she was not the only new worker on campus. This really hits home since Penn State was not only a new home for me this year, but for almost 9000 new freshmen. I knew that being a "newbie" this year would be difficult, but Penn State has made the transition for me just as easy as The Circle had for Mae.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Music Calls
Passions take a hold of us and allow us to have a sense of excitement in something we hold near to our hearts. Having passion gives us a chance to take pride in what we love and express it to the world around us. One of my biggest passions in life happens to be music; it brings me up when I'm down, gives me an escape from reality, and allows me to express my feelings through sound. Without further ado, here is my idea for my passion blog!
Bring it Back to The 1975
The title of my blog is a double entendre since it has two meanings, although neither is an innuendo. I'd explain it as being more ironic than anything else. The first meaning is that I absolutely adore music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I'm a huge classic rock fan, Zeppelin is my favorite for anyone who wants to know, and I am also really into the pop music from the 70s and 80s. The second meaning, and more literal, for the title of my blog is for the band The 1975. They curate some of my favorite music from the twenty-first century while also having influence with bands I love like Duran Duran and INXS.
Throughout the year I plan on writing about a particular band or artist that has had a large amount of influence on me and write a review on an album the band or artist has done. Now I know you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Jacqueline, won't you run out of bands or artists to write about? There's only so much influence they can have on a person!" Maybe you're not asking yourself that, maybe you know where I'm coming from, and maybe understand how each and every person in music can have an impact on a persons life through the music they make. If you are asking yourself that question though, no need to worry. I listen to way too much music from a plethora of different artists.
I'm looking forward to bringing each of you into my world of music; I love getting to display my passions to others!
Bring it Back to The 1975
The title of my blog is a double entendre since it has two meanings, although neither is an innuendo. I'd explain it as being more ironic than anything else. The first meaning is that I absolutely adore music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I'm a huge classic rock fan, Zeppelin is my favorite for anyone who wants to know, and I am also really into the pop music from the 70s and 80s. The second meaning, and more literal, for the title of my blog is for the band The 1975. They curate some of my favorite music from the twenty-first century while also having influence with bands I love like Duran Duran and INXS.
Throughout the year I plan on writing about a particular band or artist that has had a large amount of influence on me and write a review on an album the band or artist has done. Now I know you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Jacqueline, won't you run out of bands or artists to write about? There's only so much influence they can have on a person!" Maybe you're not asking yourself that, maybe you know where I'm coming from, and maybe understand how each and every person in music can have an impact on a persons life through the music they make. If you are asking yourself that question though, no need to worry. I listen to way too much music from a plethora of different artists.
I'm looking forward to bringing each of you into my world of music; I love getting to display my passions to others!
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