Speeches Stink

If you've ever been in such a heated argument that you get so upset you are at a loss for words, you know the frustration that follows the end of the dispute. It can be so irritating to want to scream a rebuttal against your opponent, but not have the right words or a snarky enough remark at hand. This feeling of angst and inability to formulate words when they are most needed accurately describes impromptu public speaking for me. On paper, I can exaggerate the extent of my vocabulary through a thesaurus, but if I were to make an unrehearsed speech in front of an audience, I would suddenly regress to the mental capacity of a 10 year-old. It's as though my brain stops working when I'm put on the spot.

However, because I was usually allowed to prepare for my past public speaking experiences, my brain freezes have greatly diminished over the years- at least I am capable of remembering my self-written "script." Of course, nerves can impede my performance, but I can't remember a time when I completely crashed and burned on a practiced speech. So far, I have learned two things about myself from my past speeches:
1) I cannot make eye contact to save my life.
And 2) I am surprisingly good at memorizing speeches in a short amount of time.

Eye contact. Its so simple, yet lacking it hinders the whole presentation. I have found that not only do I fail to ever make eye contact during regular speeches, but I also rarely look straight out to the audience during show performances. Its as if I think I am only allowed to talk to God; my eyes wander up to the ceiling like I'm watching an airplane fly by outside. What's weird is I consistently have no problem keeping my eyes straight while I'm practicing the speech (or lines if referring to musicals), but as soon as you put people in front of me I shut down. I've noticed that subconsciously looking up is what enables me to remember what I have to say next. The only way to really improve this bad habit is by practicing my future speeches in front of an audience and forcing myself to stare people in the eye until I'm comfortable.

In high school, I was a huge procrastinator. If I had to give a speech on Friday, I'd be writing it at 11 pm on Thursday night. However, I've noticed that I have no problem memorizing even the most specific details of my speech after only a few rehearsals. Obviously, I am aware of the extensive preparation required of a TED talk, so I will plan accordingly, but I feel that having a decent memory will vastly help me when practicing for the assignment. I have never had to give a public speech without notecards before, but knowing I've never really needed to use them when they were actually available to me helps me feel more comfortable going into this talk.

Overall, I am far from the best public speaker (and my extreme nerves are mostly accountable for that), but I can still get the job done. Because my past public speaking experiences range from a tiny powerpoint presentation in a high school classroom to a large, professional speech at graduation, I have learned what engages the audience and what loses their interest; sometimes I'm just not so great at following my own advice. While I do have a decent background in giving speeches, and have gained some tips from acting in shows, I strongly feel I can become better just by getting more experience in the practice.

Playing the Victim

Have you ever gotten in a fight with someone (who, may I add, was definitely at fault during the argument) that refuses to take the blame for his/her actions? Sometimes these people will even distort the situation and somehow miraculously spin the blame back on you; they always think they are the victims.

In The Circle, Mae often "plays the victim" in situations where other people suffer from her actions. She is completely convinced that what she is contributing to the Circle will help with completion, and that completion will help society as a whole. Therefore, Mae is unable to see that she is more a villain than a victim during disagreements regarding her involvement in the Circle. Mae completely shifts from being a victim to a villain when she is given the opportunity to end the Circle, yet doesn't.

In the beginning of the novel, Mae is viewed as the protagonist. Readers can relate to her struggles in her new job as she tries to assimilate herself in her new workplace environment. Mae is originally a victim of the Circle; she inadvertently offends people and isn't quick to accept her newfound reliability on social media. The readers feel for her and her difficulty adjusting to her new situation.

As the book progresses, however, Mae begins to distance herself from the reader. She causes distress to those closest to her, including her family, Mercer, and best friend, Annie. Not only does she not understand why these people will not agree with her, but she also never stops to listen to their perspective. As soon as she makes decisions that differ from our own opinions as readers, Mae begins to drift off out of our comfort zone; this disconnected feeling shifts our perspective of Mae from a victim to a villain nearly unconsciously.

One example of how Mae detaches herself from her friends and the reader is shown when she visits her parents for dinner. Mercer is there, as well, and he had given her parents one of his chandeliers prior to Mae's arrival. Upon seeing this gift, Mae compliments Mercer's craftsmanship profusely, and takes a picture of the chandelier to post online. However, she does not ask Mercer's permission first and ends up disturbing his desire to have a small, private practice. He becomes infuriated with her, saying, "'I don't want to get loud in here, in your parents' home, but either you stop or I have to walk out" (Eggers 259), which proves Mercer's disgust with who Mae has become. Making matters worse, Mae never apologizes for going behind Mercer's back; instead, she insults Mercer and defends herself, claiming she was only trying to help him. By the end of the scene, Mae loses Mercer entirely from her selfish actions. He is now viewed as the victim, and Mae the villain.

Eggers's ending strays from conventional book endings to show Mae's full transformation from a victim to a villain. She is given the opportunity to halt the Circle in its tracks and reverse its advancements. However, instead of listening to Ty, she completely disregards his warning and chooses to make the Circle stronger. There is no normal happy ending because she is no longer an innocent victim. The Circle becomes so powerful that it converts Mae into the antihero.



Work Cited:
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.

The Real Life Shark Tank

With the exception of the iPhone 7's missing headphone jack, most new and innovative things thrill the public. It is our human nature to become excited over anything we haven't seen before; knowledge is, in a way, equal to power and strength. This amazement is what propels the Circle forward. People want to see what new ideas the company is going to conjure up next. In this section of the book, one of these captivating ideas is the introduction of the transparent shark. The shark is included in the book to symbolize the Circle by representing their ideal transparency. 

There are multiple similarities between the new shark and its owners. An obvious symbol of the Circle, this creature is able to completely devour anything in its path. The animal can quickly engulf what is weaker than itself; similarly, the Circle is able to practically brainwash people into thinking all their company ideals are what is best for society. Also, just as no other animal can defeat the shark, no one person (or even a group of people) is strong enough to defeat the Circle, not even its own creators. And by killing every other organism in the tank, the shark effectively establishes his dominance. This same characteristic is seen by the Circle; the company kills off all other forms of social media until only they remain standing. 

Like its owners, the shark also appears less harmful than reality at a first impression. Only once food is first presented to the shark does the animal start to become noticeably savage. This idea can be connected to the reader's impression of the Circle as the book goes on. Our first impression of the Circle, as readers, is a positive one. We believe the Circle to be an amazing company capable of producing many innovative ideas. But as time moves forward, we see the Circle for what it truly is: a limitless monopoly. When Mae describes the shark, saying it "had seemed only passingly menacing before, [but] now appeared vicious and wholly sentient, the embodiment of the predatory instinct" (Eggers 316), she shows how quickly the creature is able to turn dangerous. Once the shark starts a killing frenzy, everyone is powerless to stop it; the Circle is infallible in this same way.

The most prominent similarity, however, is the transparency of both the shark's body and the company's employees. I found it interesting that the reason this shark was so attractive in the eyes of the Circle is because of its transparent skin. Upon originally reading this section of the book, I thought to myself, "Who in their right mind would find pleasure in watching a vicious shark digest innocent sea creatures?" But after a further analysis of the meaning behind the shark, this vile idea made sense. Just as transparency allows people to see everything in a person's life (even the unpleasant and private personal details of their daily routines), the transparent shark body allows people to see digestive processes normally hidden behind opaque skin. As grotesque as it sounds, the shark can hide nothing, and the public is everything but disgusted by his shameless lifestyle. They see absolutely nothing wrong with watching people's private lives, so they show no repulsion towards the shark's vividly graphic digestion.

A symbol of the Circle, Stenton's shark takes the company's ideal of transparency to a deeper level. Persuasion is capable of changing not only individual ideals, but more importantly, the norms of society as a whole.

Work Cited:

Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.

Circle Prompt #3

Imagine a world with absolutely no privacy. Frightening, isn't it? Even the biggest extraverts like to have a little time to themselves. Thus, upon reading The Circle, I came to wonder if our right to privacy could be revoked in real life. Whether or not this is actually possible, the bottom line is that transparency is scary.

Eamon presents Mae with three mantras: SECRETS ARE LIES, SHARING IS CARING, and PRIVACY IS THEFT. None of these phrases have any traction in the real world. Each mantra relies on the assumption that we do not have a right to our own body and mind. In real life, we have the choice to keep a secret if we choose to do so- unless, of course, we are in court and under oath. No one can force you to share if you own the object or property, and privacy is valued and respected. Yes, if everybody had access to all information at all times, crime rates would probably decline (or catching criminals would at least be easier), but at the same time, people would be exposed to personal information they may not want to know. No one wants to see somebody use the bathroom or go to the bedroom after date night. There are certain limitations on what should be and should not be available to the public.

Sometimes, what people don't know can't hurt them. For example, ever since 9/11, our country has had to be secretive to some extent in the war against terrorism. And often times, the government must keep some information confidential to avoid mass panic and crisis within its constituents.

The mantra SHARING IS CARING is specifically unrealistic. In The Circle, Mercer is one of the few people who can see that this idea is not only juvenile, but also a breach of our right to private thought. When Mae shares photos of Mercer's chandeliers online without his knowledge or approval, she believes she is doing him a favor; the Circle has embedded in her the thought that everything should be shared and known to all. But Mercer did not want his chandelier business to grow to that level, and sharing, to him, was not caring. He gets so angry at Mae for sharing his chandelier that he says to her, "either you stop or I have to walk out" (Eggers 259), showing his strong disapproval of the person Mae has become. Sharing is not always caring, especially when a breach of privacy is involved.

Even Mae, however, temporarily experiences the shame of this lack of privacy. After Francis films one of their intimate moments in bed, Mae is angered that he did so without asking her permission (and that he will not delete the recording). She says to Francis, "'It's yours? What we just did is yours?" (Eggers 205), in an unconscious criticism of the mantra, SHARING IS CARING. Mae does not want to share that video because it features a private event. She despises the thought of everyone having access to the video, yet she advocates complete transparency; this contradiction demonstrates that true human nature opposes breaches of privacy.

Privacy is an essential part of our daily lives. While transparency may look appealing on the surface, there has to be some filter on what goes out to the public, and there is always something that should to be kept secret.


Work Cited:
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.

Circle Prompt #2

We all know that one couple who chose to attend the same college purely to be with one another and avoid a long-distance relationship. Whether doing so works out in their favor or not, one commonality holds true that every person who has ever been in a relationship knows: experience is affected by intimacy. A person never realizes how drastically their surroundings can be altered by a relationship until they are in one. For this blog, I will detail just how easily experience and intimacy can be related.

Soon after starting at The Circle, Mae meets Francis. At first, she is unsure of how she feels about him; she says he is "new and bizarre and speaking bizarrely" (Eggers 36). However, as the novel progresses, Mae begins to gain a more intimate relationship with Francis and, in turn, starts to gain a different perspective of The Circle. She shares her first kiss with him after dinner one night and becomes increasingly comfortable talking and being with him. Because of this, Mae also becomes more comfortable and assimilated at The Circle. She now has friends and a man in her life, making her more social and helping her learn her whereabouts in her new environment. For the most part, Mae's overall experience at The Circle is heightened when she has somebody with whom to share it. Francis gives Mae relief from her work and an intimacy human nature desires.

Mae's budding intimacy with Francis has its negative effects on her experience, as well. Shortly after the two exchange their first kiss, Francis puts Mae on the spot during the Dream Friday event. She is instantly embarrassed, and her current experience is one of humiliation and anger. Eggers describes Mae's reaction to Gus's and Francis's LuvLuv presentation: "Mae had first hidden behind her hands, then sunk to the lowest-possible place in her seat, and finally...she slipped out of her seat, across the aisle, out of the auditorium's side door and into the flat white light of an overcast afternoon" (125), showing how her intimate relationship with Francis turned out to shape her experience at Dream Friday negatively. Obviously, in this instance, intimacy did not heighten her experience, but worsened it; a close and intimate relationship can therefore have both positive and negative affects on a person's experience.

I have come to understand this relation, as well. A year ago, I started to date my boyfriend. My senior year experience was greatly heightened because I had someone extra with whom I could create memories. Coming to college, however, forced me to understand that intimacy can have its negative affects on experience, too. While I have loved my experience here so far and can't picture myself anywhere else, I find myself constantly wondering what it would be like if my boyfriend and I went to the same college. He is all the way down in New Orleans, so I know I will not have the opportunity to see him until Thanksgiving; and even though I'm having so much fun, we all have those days when we get a little homesick and miss people who used to be in our lives all the time (family, as well). My overall experience here has been a very good one, but I can't help but miss my family, friends, and boyfriend every once and a while and wonder if my experience here is being slightly hindered by that longing. Just like Mae, I experience ups and downs from intimacy (whether that intimacy be with my old friends, family, or boyfriend). Without a doubt, intimacy and experience are directly connected.

Work Cited:
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.

Circle Prompt #1

Without a doubt, David Egger's, The Circle, shows many parallels between the work campus and our college campus, the first similarity being Mae's "newbie" experience as it relates to our freshman experience. The newfound value of community and pride is a primary commonality, along with the use of mantras to enforce unity among the public. As Mae becomes acclimated to her new environment, The Circle looks all the more similar to our very own campus.

Upon first reading the opening paragraph of David Egger's, The Circle, I actually assumed Mae to be a freshman arriving on her college campus for the first time. Egger's choice of words is specific to both a workplace and a college campus; already Mae's experience is set up to be very similar to that of my own experience so far. He writes of the "main hall" on the "campus," reminding me of Penn State's Old Main building, and the messages of inspiration Mae sees are comparable to some of the posters hung on the dorm building walls. Only once Egger specifically explained that Mae would be working at this new place did I come to the realization that she was no college freshman and this was no college campus.

One of the first significant similarities that was brought to my awareness was the strong sense of community between Circle members and between Penn Staters. Mae quickly understands the importance of unity within the Circle; she is immediately tasked with emerging herself in her new culture. In an analogy regarding wood installation, Annie describes how wood must get acclimated before it is installed, much like Mae must gradually conform to the Circle's practices (Egger 17). Conformity and unity are the two factors that enable the Circle to thrive; when everyone abides by the same rules and procedures, no rebellious actions occur. Every person at the Circle believes the work he achieves helps public good. Campus-wide parties and idea demonstrations rally every Circler to regularly attend the events taking place. This sense of pride is seen throughout the Circle, just as the feelings of community and pride are present at Penn State. We, too, have campus-wide parties-just last week there was a concert at the Hub- and our sense of pride can be seen in both our academic excellence and school spirit. On a daily basis one can see abundant Penn State apparel worn by students and faculty, and the excitement and spirit aroused from our first football game showed our dedication to supporting our school. In both the Circle and Penn State, pride is what propels the public body to conform and be a community.

Another similarity is in the mantras seen and heard by the public. For the Circle, common phrases are "Participate" and "Find Community," and the company's main mantra is consistently "All That Happens Must Be Known." These sayings are mottos that every Circler is required to live by and are implanted into new members soon after they arrive. For example, after the SeeChange demonstration, the audience applauds vigorously at the thought of making everything easily visible at all times. Annie whispers, "All that happens must be known" (Eggers 71), in awe of the endless possibilities brought by the new cameras. At Penn State, the saying, "We Are" is our paralleled motto. Freshman quickly learn the mantra upon arrival (if they didn't know it already) and are practically programmed to answer with the necessary "Penn State!" response. Both mantras are ingrained into the minds of the public as a way of expressing unity and establishing an aura of responsibility. Circlers are required to participate in their community truthfully and Penn Staters are responsible for representing their school with dignity.

From these practices, Mae gains an experience similar to that of a Penn State freshman. Community is stressed greatly, and mantras form a sense of conformity and unity that drives the public to success.

Work Cited:
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.

To Be or Not To Be...And Why I Can't Decide on Either

When asked to think about possible passion blog ideas, I originally imagined the task would be a piece of cake. I thought to myself, "Well this will be easy, I'm passionate about lots of stuff," and pushed the assignment off with the intent to come up with my final idea only when I absolutely had to. However, upon sitting in front of my blank computer screen for what seemed to be forever, I realized that this was no easy task. How could I choose just one thing I enjoy and morph it into something interesting to write about? But after much consideration, I believe I have narrowed my options down to two ideas. The titles aren't great, but at least the idea is there. Feel free to comment your vote on either one so I can choose from between the two (or neither.)

Option 1: Musical Theater and Me
The first idea that popped into my head was to write a blog that somehow demonstrated my interest in music. I went back and forth between a blog about singing and a blog about theater, but I think I've settled on the theater blog. Specifically, this blog would take a different show each week and indicate how its theme is practical to modern day society, whether that be an occurrence in the news, event in my life, etc. I could pick from a variety of eras, genres, and settings, but tie in a modern application for each one. The blog would be both an analysis of the underlying themes of different shows and an entertaining comparison to familiar topics. I may even choose to tie in the themes with important life lessons for college students, specifically. Who knows right now.

photo courtesy of Ian

Option 2: Where To Go When You Think You've Seen Everything
This blog would detail a different, exotic place every week where all travelers need to visit. Whether it be a desert, rainforest, or tundra, this featured place will not be one of the tourist "hot spots." The blog is perfect for anyone who wants to see the world one day, including places no one ever thought to explore. My thinking was that I could rate or rank each place and give a detailed description of where it is and what people do while they're there. I'd love to travel when I'm older, so I thought maybe this blog would give me some ideas along with readers.

photo courtesy of Moyan Brenn

Once again, if you feel strongly about one of the topics, feel free to comment. Any help is welcome!


All photos taken from flickr.com.