Netflix and Kill ;)

I was gonna say something clever about Lady Macbeth but let's be honest.. Winter break is in three days and we're all exhausted, so this is as much of an intro as you're gonna get.
So here ya go.. Lady Macbeth's Netflix Queue:

1) Burn Notice:

Well I had to include this one because its one of my all time favorite shows, but also because Lady Macbeth would really enjoy it too (hmm... coincidence??).  The main character Michael Weston is an ex-spy, who now has to make a living by doing jobs outside of the law.  This connects to the Lady herself because she was willing to do whatever it took to get in power, she manipulated her boo thang and was willing to lie and kill to be queen.  This parallels Michael who is willing to do anything to find out who burned him.

2) Parks and Rec:

Great show 10/10, would recommend.  Especially to Lady Macbeth, who would really connect with Leslie Knope.  Leslie is the deputy director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department where she is very intent on micromanaging everything.  She might even give Kelly's favorite unsex me speech before going into work everyday because her staff won't be man enough to get everything done!  Added bonus, she freaks out when things don't go well.. aka when things go downhill in Act V and Lady Macbeth just kinda dies.  

3) Breaking Bad:

Classic Lady Macbeth right here.  I shouldn't even have to explain it, next.

4) Arrow:

The Arrow is a hooded vigilante that protects Starling city from evil.  However, no one knows that the hooded figure is Starlings favorite billionaire Oliver Queen who came back from the dead (long story, he was trapped on an island and turned into a ninja).  Anyway, as you can imagine money causes problems and Oliver's dear mommy isn't who she claims to be.  Lady Macbeth would really enjoy Oliver's Mom, Moira Queen, because she gets involved in a ghastly "undertaking" that tries to wipe out over half the cities inhabitants!  She is an crooked, lying, manipulative woman (wow I sound like Trump)  who begins to lose her mind after realizing what she's done.  Connects to Lady Macbeth and the guilt she felt that caused her to sleep walk and such.  

Back to #3 because I need the points...

For those of you who don't know the story, Walter White is a school teacher who has cancer.  He can't afford the treatments and must find more lucrative payment options.  And the obvious choice is of course, Meth (even though his brother is DEA, but whatever).  He pulls a true Lady Macbeth on his local dealer, you know the whole "you're really good at this, you could run this block better than that other guy, let's take over" sort of thing.  Basically he manipulates a former student into making meth with him and then selling it.  He rises to power using this kid as a puppet (like Lady Macbeth used Macbeth to gain power) but the whole thing was doomed to fail from the beginning because Walter had cancer, just like Macbeth was doomed to fail because of the prophecy by the three witches.  

Witch-slapped: Macbeth's fall from grace

Question 2.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton

The quote by Lord Acton bears a very striking resemblance to a quote from spiderman saying that "with great power comes great responsibility".  Both quotes talk about the corruptive nature of power and how it affects people.  Whether you are  a senior in high school or a playwright in the 16th century England named Shakespeare you will agree with Lord Acton's quote.  Shakespeare definitely would have agreed with Acton's quote based in his play Macbeth, the idea of gaining absolute power corrupts the main character Macbeth and causes him to commit some nasty actions.  

In my own experience power tends to have a negative affect on those who hold it.  Rather than to cite an example from my own life I would like to bring up how the power of the Ring of Power in the The Lord of the Rings corrupts anyone who wears it.  The ring enhanced the powers that the wearer already had, but it came at a cost.  The ring corrupted anyone who wore it into becoming evil and selfish to their own desires.  This was demonstrated by Gollum who would do anything to retrieve the ring.  This just shows that having large amounts of power is very dangerous and the wielder of absolute power will lose themself while trying to keep it.  

Based on Shakespeare's play, "MacBeth", he would have agreed with Acton's quote because of the way Macbeth is corrupted by power.  When MacBeth first hears from the witches that he will be thane of Cawdor, Glamis and be king he doesn't believe it, but when he becomes thane of Cawdor and Glamis, he begins to desire the throne.  The power of being the king of Scotland corrupts Macbeth before he even takes the throne, because he had to kill King Duncan to do so.  And he grows even more corrupt still when he orders his best friend Banquo to be killed, stating that he had to because the Witches "hailed him father to a line of kings.  Upon my [Macbeth's] head they placed a fruitless crown" (Act 3 Sc 1 lines 66-67).  He is so worried about holding onto the power he has as king that he is willing to kill his best friend and his best friend's son so that no one can take his spot on the throne.  Had it not been for the corrupting power of the throne he would never have killed his friend, who he fought alongside in many battles.  Shakespeare wrote in the play that Macbeth's position as king is the reason he killed Banquo so therefore Shakespeare definitely believed in the corruption caused by absolute power. 

Power is tricky, it is the thing most people will spend their entire life in search of (because wealth is a form of power), yet it is something that can rob us of who we really are.  Through Shakespeare's works it can be concluded that he too agreed with Lord Acton's adage, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

#IBmakingart

Visual Analysis:

1. Artist:  Unknown
2. Title:  Reliquary Casket with Scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket
3. Date:  1173-80
4. Medium:  Gilded silver with niello and a glass cabochon set over a tinted foil
5. Size:  2 3/16 x 2 3/4 x 1 7/8 in
2. The Reliquary Casket is thought to have been created in Britain in the years following Thomas of Becket’s Canonization.  It was designed to commemorate and eternalize  Saint Thomas Becket’s death.
3. On the Casket itself depicts various scenes from the murder of it’s namesake, including one panel where Thomas is being assaulted by four of king Henry’s knights and another where he is dead.  On the lid panels that correspond to each side there is a depiction of an angel watching over him and carrying his soul to heaven.  The role of the angel is to show that the Church’s and God’s loyalties lay with Thomas instead of the king.  
4. The artist composed the piece so that the angels are on the lid of the piece.  They did this because angels and heaven are said to be above the earthly world.  They also included a red stone at the top of the piece to symbolize heaven as the final resting place of Thomas, but also to represent his blood that was shed unnecessarily.  
5. The that Thomas of Becket had just been declared as a Saint when this piece was created plays a large role in the portrayal of Thomas versus the portrayal of the knights.  The popular opinion of the people at that time was in favor of Thomas, this is known because he had been made a Saint.  This caused the artist to portray Thomas in a positive light and to show Angels watching over him and caring for him.  The angels are a symbol that God is supporting Thomas rather than the king, which directly contrasts the idea of divine right to rule.  The primary purpose of this piece was to celebrate Thomas of Becket, but the Reliquary Casket was also designed to provide critical commentary on the ruling monarch.  The work’s meaning is decreased in today’s society but it still provides insight into the public opinion of Saint Thomas Becket.

Can't bury these tales: Canterbury Tales & Jane Eyre

Here is the passage from chapter 7 paragraphs 11 and 12 from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:

"One afternoon (I had then been three weeks at Lowood), as I was sitting with a slate in my hand, puzzling over a sum in long division, my eyes, raised in abstraction to the window, caught sight of a figure just passing: I recognized almost instinctively that gaunt outline; and when, two minutes after, all the school, teachers included, rose en masse, it was not necessary for me to look up in order to ascertain whose entrance they thus greeted. A long stride measured the schoolroom, and presently beside Miss Temple, who herself had risen, stood the same black column which had frowned on me so ominously from the hearthrug of Gateshead. I now glanced sideways at this piece of architecture. Yes, I was right: it was Mr. Brocklehurst, buttoned up in a surtout, and looking longer, narrower, and more rigid than ever.

I had my own reasons for being dismayed at this apparition; too well I remembered the perfidious hints given by Mrs. Reed about my disposition, &c.; the promise pledged by Mr. Brocklehurst to apprise Miss Temple and the teachers of my vicious nature. All along I had been dreading the fulfillment of this promise,--I had been looking out daily for the "Coming Man," whose information respecting my past life and conversation was to brand me as a bad child for ever: now there he was."

1. How do the elevated diction and elaborate syntax contrast with the feelings of the narrator in paragraphs 11-12?

The narrator in the passage is dreading the coming of the notorious Mr. Brocklehurst, he has warned her that he would come and "brand [the narrator] as a bad child for ever," and because of this the narrator is terrified of the coming of Mr. Brocklehurst (Bronte 12).   However, the syntax and diction do not provide a stark contrast to the narrators dread of Mr. Brocklehurst.  The first paragraph of the selected passage is comprised of four long sentences with elaborate syntax.  The effect of this long drawn out syntax is that the text is more descriptive but long-winded.  It is a combination of all of the narrators thoughts in a way that suggests the narrators feeling of dread.  The narrator cannot separate their thoughts because they are so terrified of the "coming man" that they all are joined together in long sentences.  The effect of the syntax on the text is that it provides a medium through which the narrator shows their feelings toward Mr. Brocklehurst.

The elevated diction also provides an accurate portrayal of how the narrator feels through the connotations of the words used to describe Mr. Brocklehurst.  In the eyes of the narrator this dreaded man is not a man at all, but a "piece of architecture," (Bronte 11).  Being described as a piece of architecture is to be portrayed as lifeless, stone cold, and unforgiving.  This is an accurate description of the narrators feelings toward Mr. Brocklehurst, who is such an ominous character in the passage.  The narrator uses diction in this way to portray their feelings toward Mr. Brocklehurst and therefore the elaborate diction does not contrast with the feelings of the narrator.  

And the greatest of these is love...I mean, pride.

"Freebie"

What's in a name?

          My name is watered down.  The name Justin is not an uncommon name today in America, and a number of celebrities share it with me.  However, I do have a nickname that contains more meaning for me:  JMillz.  This is a nickname that was given to me freshmen year by the JV Soccer coach at the time.  It has meaning because up until then I had always been known as "Harry's brother" because my brother had gone through the program before me, but now I had my own name.  I was no longer identified by my brother but I was my own person.  I was finally being recognized for my skill on the field rather than my relationships off the field. 

          As a part of the soccer team there are many times where I am faced with the dilemma of being an individual and part of a larger whole.  The whole in these situations is the soccer team, and as a member of the team I usually have to sacrifice who I am for the good of the team.  To clarify, there are many times during games in which I have to choose between what I want to do on the field, and what I have to do for the sake of the team.  For example, during a corner kick I always want to go up the field and try to score.  It is something that every player wants to do because scoring is the only way to get recognition in soccer.  However, if you ever choose to attend a Millbrook soccer game, you will almost never see me go up during a corner kick.  This is because it is my job as a part of the team to stay back and make sure the other team can't attack us off the corner.  I am sacrificing my own agenda and my own goals so that as a whole the team can achieve its goals.  Any time someone is both an individual and part of a whole, there will be a conflict of interest and the individual will have to make a choice between what's best for them, and what's best for the group.  

Atta Girl, Atwood. Blog post 1

     The photograph I chose from Wing Young Huie's blog is titled "Young Girl Wrapped in  Dora the Explorer Blanket".  It was published in South Minneapolis in 2012.  At a glance, when you look at this picture you will see a young latino girl getting out of a dark red mini van while wearing a blanket that has a picture of Dora the Explorer on it.  But after reading the description of the photograph you find out that the girl pictured had been attending a birthday party at her mostly latino church.  The fact that she is wearing a Dora the Explorer blanket shows that she has been influenced by the mainstream media portrayal of young latino girls, and that it has become a part of the latino community.  

     When comparing Margaret Atwood's novel, "The Handmaid's Tale" and Huie's photograph, "Young Girl Wrapped in Dora the Explorer Blanket", both Atwood and Huie use the concepts of color and clothing to portray "othering" in their work.  In "The Handmaid's Tale", Atwood uses the colors of the clothing that each person wears to define their social class.  For example, the handmaids wear red and the marthas wear green.  This makes it very easy to tell who is of what social class and makes those of lower classes feel alienated because their status is so evident.  Everyone who is a martha is forced to wear green, and no one else will wear green.  This separates the marthas from the rest of the population by making them look different from everyone else.  Huie uses a similar technique to show othering in her photograph.  If using a structuralism lens, then it is noticed that both the latino girl and Dora are both wearing the same color.  This is significant because it could be assumed that they are both wearing the same color because of their race and their socioeconomic status.  Given the fact that the young girl is attending a birthday party, and her attire is something that is socially acceptable to wear to a birthday party in her community.  Which means that the girl in the picture is being perceived differently to the community based on her apparel and her race.  

     From her clothing it can also be inferred that Dora the Explorer is popular in the latino community.  This could be because it is the only kids show staring a latino main character.  This is also a form of othering because TV networks are alienating latino kids by only showing them white kids on TV.  This is similar to the way Atwood portrays othering in, "The Handmaid's Tale" because she portrays the wives as the more ideal class.  The wives are a more desirable position in the Republic of Gilead, and women such as the handmaid's are alienated by the praise of the wives.  The wives are stars of the show during the prayvaganza when their daughters get married, and become wives themselves.  Just as networks fail to represent latinos, the Republic of Gilead fails to represent the handmaids.  Through this, both the handmaids and the latinos are alienated from the rest of the population.  

Huie's photograph can be found at:  http://66.media.tumblr.com/8491d1d67a04fe6552f2dbdea55e4852/tumblr_mi69gkj4LY1r3166lo1_1280.jpg