E-Portfolio

Welcome to my e-Portfolio. My name is Samantha Martinez and I am a student at the Pennsylvania State University majoring in Political Science and Sociology. I am 18 years old and I was born and raised in New York City. I am a prospective Paterno Fellows and Schreyers Honors College student. I am currently very active in my college community. I am a member of the Student Minority Advisory and Recruitment Team (S.M.A.R.T) and a mentor  for the BLUEprint mentoring program. I am also currently in the selection process of becoming a Resident Assistant on my school campus. I was also an active member of a THON committee to raise money for children with Pediatric Cancer. Along with my recent activeness on campus I am also bilingual, being fluent in Spanish and educated in French. 


Being from a large city with a diverse group of people and cultures has allowed me to grow up with an open mind and an adventurous personality. Attending Penn State has allowed me to use these aspects to my advantage and has given me the tools succeed in the future. Not only has it provided me with an active community for me to get involved in, but also a good education. This e-Portfolio is intended for you to see the work that I have complete and progress I have made as a student at Penn State. Here you will find media and written pieces that reflect my experiences and skills that I have obtained in college. 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Earlier today April 19th, or yesterday since you guys will be reading this on Friday there was a Walk a Mile in Her Shoes march sponsored by Penn State Men Against Violence and the Center of Women Students. It started at 1pm today in from of the Boucke Building and men marched for a mile in a pair of women’s red pumps. There were also some people who walked in regular shoes to support the men walking and support the cause. The idea of the march was for men to metaphorically walk in women’s shoes and put themselves in her place. The men were also deal with an excruciating amount of pain wearing those heals being that any women cant even walk a mile in a pair of heals without dealing with pain. The pain that they feel walking is supposed to symbolize the pain that women deal with after being sexually assaulted. Many people do not realized the seriousness of sexual violence and the effect that it can have on victims. Men especially do not understand the seriousness because they do not have to fear becoming victims of sexual violence and in many cases they are known to be the aggressors. This walk was very influential and raised a lot of awareness about sexual violence. People where confused and wondering why men were walking around campus in heals and began to ask questions. When they did find out what the cause was they were persuaded to either join or to find out more about what they could do. Many people were also influenced to partake in the walk next year because of the impact it made this year. Being that it is Sexual Violence Awareness month I recommend that everyone do research on sexual violence and how it can be prevented. 

Every Kiss Begins With Kay

love the idea of people falling in love and living happily every after. One of the things that touches my heart the most is seeing happy couples. Jewelry commercials are one of my weaknesses. Whenever I watch these commercials I want to either go out and by my significant other a piece of jewelry or I hope that someone will buy me a similar gift.These commercials are so successful because they provide the idea that jewelry can make relationships work better and last even longer. In the commercials there is usually a couple who is spending romantic personal time together either at home in a private place or in a romantic restaurant. This shows that at the time the relationship is already going well and there couldn’t possibly be a thing that could make the relationship better. Then the gift is given, usually to the female and the female is ecstatic. She gets so excited and kisses her partner leaving the audience with the idea that the couple is now even happier and will remain happy. This is persuasive to the male because it gives him the idea that jewelry can either solve a problem in a relationship and resolve the issue or make things better than they already are. This is persuasive to the female because it gives her the idea that in a good relationship she will receive these types of gifts and if she provides these gifts it will make her partner even happier with her. Many jewelers also have catchy slogans such as “Every Kiss Begins With Kay” to remind the viewers that if they are looking for a jeweler for their partner Kay Jewelers is the place to go. Jewelers use the idea of a happily ever after and a catchy slogan to persuade viewers to visit their store and pick something out for a significant other. 

Magazines

I am absolutely addicted to shopping and looking at magazines and finding the latest trends. A lot of the time most of the new trends that I find in magazines are things that I would never have thought to wear if I hadn’t just seen it in an advertisement. In many cases, a lot of people would never wear most of the trends that are popular if they weren’t so popular. How can something so simple as a magazine influence so many people to changed their judgment about what they think looks nice and even their entire style? The entire fashion industry is build around persuade people in any and every way that the new clothing and styles that are out look good. One of the most influential ways in doing so is to show celebrities wearing these clothes. Celebrities are seen as role models, especially to the younger generation and most of our generations strives to be as beautiful and attractive as they are. Whatever they see a celebrity wearing they feel must be something that’s in and its something that they must have to increase their level in social status. Sometimes there are things that I see people wearing in the street that I think is absolutely ridiculous but once a celebrity wears it everyone seems to be wearing it.  Another method to influencing  people to try out these new trends and fashion is to put them in stores, especially high end stores. Most people dream to be wearing Chanel, and Gucci and high end brands that the average person can not wear on a daily basis. These brands are seen to be so exclusive and the clothing seems to be so great because of how expensive the clothing is. If new trends are put in these clothing stores society also gets the idea that they should have it because if it is something that is put in these exclusive stores it is something that is popular and trendy. Magazines put these store advertisements and images of celebrities wearing these clothes to influence people in this way. 

Day of Silence

Today as I was walking passed the hub, I saw a silent protest going on that was about supporting Gay Pride and Gay Marriage. Across the street were people who opposed and were protesting for religious reasons because they think its against their religion. This silent protest that was going on reminded me of the Day of Silence that is held every year. 

The Day of Silence this year will be held on April 20, 2012 and it is the biggest student lead day of action in the nation. During this day students around the country and now many parts of the world vow to take a form of silence to give awareness to the silencing of anti lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered harassment in school.

This is very interesting to be because in many cases when people choose to raise awareness for something its more of a fight. There are petitions signed sometimes, arguments begin to arise and sometimes protest can become carried away. Surprisingly, this silent form of creating awareness appears to be beneficial. Its crazy to think that sometimes not speaking can mean more than saying anything at all. This day is handle in a very peaceful way that gives others no choice but to listen to the cause and support whats being fought for. 

I have seen a couple protest outside of school and it seems as if the louder protests are less effective and only cause chaos and arguments between people outside of the HUB. Its impressive that silence works in such a persuasive way and has influenced others so much that the Day of Silence is the largest student run day of action in the entire nation. It has become such a good influence that it is now spreading to other countries like Russia and Singapore. Way more than many loud protests have accomplished. 

Kevin Hart is coming to Penn State!  If you are not familiar with who he is, he is a famous actor an comedian. He has made appearances is many different TV shows such as “The Big House” on ABC. He is also well known for his hilarious TV specials on Comedy Central.

Personally, I think this man is hilarious and I am looking forward to seeing him perform. In his shows he usually talks about his family and the troubles that they give him. He has two young children that he is always making jokes about. Many of his family issues are things that plenty of us have experienced. You know everyone has that one crazy family member that they just can not deal with or who is absolutely crazy. He also talks about his wife and the little ridiculous things that they fight about. People find it funny because they are common relationship issues that everyone seems to go through.

Kevin Hart is a great comedian. He takes relatable things that the audience can understand and makes them funny and interesting. Some stuff he said is exaggerated but that also makes the jokes even funnier.  Another method that he uses to make his audience laugh is to not only tell jokes about his audience, but also himself. He is a short little black man lol, and people constantly tease him about it. During his performances he talks about how he is short all of the time and the things that people say to him. He makes his flaws something sarcastic. Only a good comedian is good at not only telling jokes about other people but also himself and tease himself.

He will be performing at the Bryce Jordan Center on April 29^th if anyone is interested and tickets will go on sale on Wednesday at 10am.

YUMMMY!

Did this amazing sandwich grab your attention? Good!

I am currently watching the Food Network with my mother and my stomach is just growling and I am so temped to run downstairs and whip up a whole meal. I am sure I am not the only one who gets hungry and drawn into the food while watching the cooking channel. While watching I realized there is not more than one minute that goes by where  food is not being shown. Whether a show is on or a commercial is being played there is always a delicious meal being cooked or presented at a table for a group of people to enjoy. I think this is done primarily to grab the viewers attention. I can personally say that when looking through the channels trying to find something to watch, and I see a delicious meal I will stay on the channel for a while just to see whats going on. The Food Network uses this visual rhetoric to grab the viewers attention with the anticipation that the viewer will continue to watch. 

When watching a cooking show the kitchen is always very clean and fully stocked with any ingredient the cook may need. A photo of the dish is always shown before the meal is cooked so the viewer can be enticed by the meal and want to know how it is made. While cooking the meal the ingredients are all individually shown and the camera is always focused on the chefs hands and what they are doing with the food. When something is in the oven the chef is never just sitting there waiting for food to cook. There is always something being made so that the viewer always has something to watch. During the final result, the chef always places the food in a nicely presented way that is visually pleasing to the audience. An audience loves beautiful looking food, if it looks good it must taste good which is the idea the the Food Network tries to give present to their viewers. 

Probes in Vaginas?!

Recently in Virginia legislation was trying to pass a bill that required a women to undergo an ultrasound by inserting a probe into her vagina to determine the age of a fetus before her abortion. A women did not have any say in wether she was okay with it or not, if she wanted an abortion it was required. Initially, Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell supported the bill and agreed to sign it. When the nationa media found out about these ideas people began to protest and argue that the ultrasounds were too invasive. After a staff meeting with delegates, McDonnell randomly decided that the ultrasounds were to invasive and not to discard the bill, but only to amend it. They claim that the reason for the emergency meeting with other delegates was because they did not realize how much of an issue it would cause and that a mandatory probe being inserted in the vagina against a woman’s will was forced vaginal entrance. Seriously?! 

Virginia Democrat David Englin tried to correct them with the idea that women should have to give written consent to allow the insertion of a probe into their vagina, but Virginia Republicans voted down the amendment. 

It seems like they made it pretty clear by voting down the amendment that they knew what they were doing and what the bill would impose. Once people starting getting angry their entire viewpoints changed.  After the meeting, Bob McDonnell made a statement and said that “Mandating an invasive procedure... is not a proper role for the state. No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.” I am sure thats exactly what David Englin proposed in his amendment, the amendment that they voted against. I think its so funny how he completely switched sides and changed his entire mind to make himself look like a better person. At the end of the day Bob Mcdonnell is strictly against abortion and will figure out any way to prevent or make it very difficult for a women to be able to get one. 

For the Kids

THON is this weekend! Is everyone excited? I hope that you all plan on going and experience some part of it if you are not already involved. For those of you who do not know. THON is the biggest student run philanthropy in the world! Penn State receives donations from everywhere to donate to Hershey Medical Center to help children fighting Cancer. Last year THON raised over 9 million dollars and in all THON has raised over 78 million dollars. Its crazy to think that students can raise this insane amount of money. 

When I was just pondering on the different ways we have come to raise so much money, Ethos, Pathos and Logos came to mind. I then realized how they play a huge role in how we persuade people to donate for THON and the cause. Initially when anyone in the area hears about THON they instantly want to participate and know exactly what it is. Throughout the years THON has build a great amount of credibility and made a good name for itself. This appeals to ethos because the common name persuades people to want to get involved. The way THON is also in capital letters plays a large part in this also. It makes the audience see THON as something big and important because of the large font. There are also those people who are not familiar with THON. Whenever anyone asks about THON they first thing people talk about are the accomplishments and the amounts of money that has been made. These impressive numbers appeal to logos because logic is used to support the claim. Pathos is also shown by the way that fundraising for THON touches donators hearts just by the fact that we are donating to children. Whenever someone see’s people asking for donations for people in need its always very difficult to say no because of the way it triggers the audiences emotions.

 Just think, with Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, Penn State has raised over 78 million dollars for such a great cause. I hope that everyone comes out to THON this weekend and shows their support. Its going to be an amazing event and something you do not want to miss. 

Rhetorical Questions

When in conversation many times people ask questions that they obviously know the answer to or questions that they did not expect an answer for. This is considered a rhetorical question. I find myself and others asking rhetorical questions very often commonly for sarcastic use. They appear to be of no importance and completely irrelevant, but they definitely have a way of making a conversation lively and funny. 

A rhetorical question implies its own answer and is a way of making a point. For example, saying to someone “Are you crazy?!” does not mean that you think they are actually crazy, and does not require the person to explain why they did what they did, but to imply that person must have done something insane. Another example is when something bad happens and ones response is “Why me?”, they are not necessarily asking for an answer to why, its just an expression of their feelings in a question form. 

Sometimes rhetorical questions are also used to get someone thinking and and to persuade one to understand your opinion. For example, in advertisements and commercials rhetorical questions are used to get the audience thinking and interested in the topic or product that they are trying to sell. 

Speakers can also use rhetorical questions so that they can proceed to answer them. For example, during a speech someone would say something like “Do we need a change? Yes!” They do not expect they audience to answer they only state the issue in a question form to make a stronger point. 

I’ve noticed that rhetorical questions are used in so many everyday situations, in my readings for classes and on television shows I am watching on my free time. If you really actually pay attention to them and focus on how it was used and the point that was trying to be made it can be very interesting. 

This Gieco commercial is a great example of rhetorical questions and how they are used, and its pretty funny. =]

This I Believe..

What is Feminism?

         In my Women’s Studies class the idea of what feminism is and how it is seen in todays society has been a huge conflict.The dictionary definition of feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. In society a feminist is considered a wild rebellious man hating woman.

         During the Feminist Movement women did many rebellious things such as burning bras as a symbol of how they deserved the same rights as men. They worked very hard for gender equality and to protect women against domestic violence and sexual harassment. Although today these issues are not as crucial, they are still prevalent. In todays society although women are still fighting for the same because people come up with assumptions that they are anti-sex when they are only fighting for equality. Many women in modern society do no want to claim being feminist and their pride in being independent women because of the way feminist are stereotyped. It has become a serious issue today because feminist are stereotyped as man haters, masculine, and unattractive. Thee misconceptions have dispelled greatly. Feminists do not hate men, they just want to be treated with the same respect and regard as men do. Feminist do engage in relationships with men, many of them just do not believe in women only doing domestic jobs and men being the bread winners. They believe in men being able to do domestic work such as cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children. Feminist are also not masculine and try to dress or look like men. They do wear makeup and wear women’s clothing, they just do not believe in women dressing in a way that is degrading and that makes them look like sexual objects for men to take advantage of. 

        In conclusion, society should understand the true meaning of what a Feminist is today and what the word actually means, and women should be more open about their views on women's rights and independence. 

Flowers and Candy

As I was thinking of what to for my rhetoric blog I looked over in my room and I saw this bouquet of flowers that was given to me as an "I'm Sorry" gift. Flowers and candy are often used as a way for people to "Win someones heart." In many cases between two people who are involved and in an argument, I'm Sorry's and I love you's are ways of making up, but flowers and candy is usually always the ice breaker.

I recently got into an argument with a friend of mine. He did something to hurt my feelings and and I stopped talking to him for a while. He texted and called me constantly apologizing and trying to win my friendship back, but I did not know how easily I could just forgive him. The next day I received an email from the common's desk stating that I had a package and a bouquet of perishable flowers waiting for me. I was completely baffled and didn't know who would possibly send me flowers. When I picked up my flowers and candy I went to the room and read the card and realized that it was from the friend I was arguing with. Although the card said the same things that he was saying before when I wouldn't forgive him, the flowers changed my entire perspective and made it much easier for me to forgive him.  The flowers were used to persuade me and positively modify the situation and cause me to forgive my friend. This is a perfect example of rhetorical exigence in everyday life.

MLK Day Of Service

Martin Luther King was an activist and a leader in the African American civil rights movement. He worked to end racial segregation and discrimination between black and whites. On Monday January 16th Penn State held a day of service in honor of Martin Luther King. Students on campus signed up to volunteer and spend the entire day doing volunteer work at different locations on an off campus. Some students stayed on campus and helped clean and assist workers at Penn State. Some students went to nursing homes to assist in caring for the elderly and accompanying them for the day. There was also a blood drive being held at the HUB that many people also participated in. Students where passing out flyers and recruiting other students to donate blood. Students of all different races and backgrounds participated in the day of service. Many new friendships and bond where made with different people who would have never thought they had so much in common and could relate to so many things.  It was great to see this type of civic engagement from the students at our school. It is common for people to only befriend their own “kind” or feel as if they have nothing in common with someone of a different race or lives a different type of life, and they do not take the time out to actually get to know them. The idea that we all served in honor of someone who spent most of his live trying to improve the relationship between blacks and whites in our country made me proud to have participated in the day of service. This civic engagement brought our campus closer at allowed people to recognize what Martin Luther King fought for and how much of an impact he has made on our communities today.