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.