Lady Macbeth's Netflix Top Picks

 #1 She's the Man
She's the Man is a romantic comedy film in which the main character, Viola, pretends to be a guy at her brother's boarding school for a couple of weeks. She wants to join the soccer team and prove to her ex-boyfriend that girls are just as capable of playing the sport as the guys. She doesn't want to be considered weak or inferior when it comes to what she loves to do. Lady Macbeth would be able to connect with Viola over the desire to be capable to do what she wants. Lady Macbeth struggles with the fact that as a woman society is holding her back from being strong and capable when it comes to killing Duncan and gaining power for Macbeth. She would love the fact that Viola shows the guys that she can play soccer as well as any of them and being a girl doesn't make any difference to her skills.

#2 Scandal
Scandal is a TV show set in Washington D.C. where the main character, Olivia Pope, runs a private law firm and defends clients with expert ability and an amazing team to support her. She does not ask questions she simply does what needs to be done to protect her clients. However, she is also involved in her own scandal with the president who is a married man. This show is tailored perfectly to Lady Macbeth as she can easily relate to the process of covering up scandal. She is the voice of reason after Macbeth kills Duncan, and goes back to plant the knife with the guards. She calms Macbeth down and helps him get through the initial shock of what he has just done, telling him to wash his hands of the crime. Macbeth is like her client and Lady Macbeth is like Olivia Pope, being involved with a scandal but knowing how to handle it (at least at first). 

#3 12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men is a short film in which the 12 jurors must decide the fate of a young man who has been accused of killing his father. If the jury declares him guilty he will face the death penalty. Lady Macbeth would connect to the decision the men have to make because she too feels responsible for another life. However, in her case the life, or lives, have already been taken and she feels immense guilt as a consequence for her part in their deaths. She would enjoy this film because it would give her hope. She realizes that she made a mistake being involved with the deaths of multiple people to gain power, and the consequences are destroying her. But, the fact that the men are caring for the life of the boy and putting true thought into his life, would make her feel better about humanity, even if she cannot forgive herself. There are also a few men that do not want to take the time to consider all of the possibilities of the boy's case and just want to go ahead and convict him. Because of this Lady Macbeth would feel more at ease, that is was not just herself, that others too want to make rash decisions without true consideration or feeling.

#4 The Host
The Host is a science fiction movie based originally off of a novel. In this film the Earth has been invaded by an alien species who invade the minds of the humans and use their bodies as a host. These aliens are not violent, in fact they come to improve everything that humans are destroying about the Earth. However some humans, though very rare, are able to fight back against the invaders to their mind. One of the characters in this movie is a woman who seems to be cruel and unnecessarily violent. But in the end we are able to find out that she was just fighting for control and power against her host and did not really want to commit the crimes that she did. Lady Macbeth would enjoy the fact that this woman is found innocent and not guilty for her misdemeanors. Lady Macbeth feels similar to this woman in many ways. She is clouded in her judgment by a desire for power through Macbeth's prophecy. She also realizes that this is wrong after the clouded vision clears. I think she would relate to the situation in the movie where the people are controlled by another force as this is how she must feel after she realizes what she has done. Lady Macbeth does not want to be responsible for murders, and in the movie the woman is not blamed. This is a fantasy for Lady Macbeth.

#5 American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a TV series about the evil happenings inside an insane asylum. It explores "humankind's unsettling capacity for evil," (Netflix). Some of the things that happen in this asylum are torture, murder, detaining without reason, and much more. This show would appeal to the side of Lady Macbeth that was willing to do whatever it took to fulfil the prophecy given by the witches. She was okay with murder as if it was just another stepping stone on the path to get what she wanted, power. This show would explore other evils that derive from similar places as Lady Macbeth's murderous tendencies, meaning she would be very intrigued by the events that take place throughout the series.

    Lady Macbeth OR American Horror Story?

 

 

Macbeth and the origins of evil

Fear is an internal conflict as seen in
Macbeth, and often produces intense
responses.

Desire is often the source of corruption
for humans. Often people are overwhelmed
by the possibility of power and possession.

I believe that human are inherently good, that everyone is born with the absence of evil. However I have also come to believe that our society is one that festers evil and can bring out the worst in anyone because of how harsh and cruel it can be, but also because of how vast our opportunities are. I think that the two traits that conjure up evil in someone most often are fear and desire. Fear is a powerful emotion both physically and psychologically. Physically, fear can produce an adrenalin rush that can produce extreme fight or flight responses. Emotionally, fear can be all encompassing and cloud someone from logical reasoning. I think desire can have these same effects. With these emotions, anyone is capable of making irrational decisions that may lead them onto the path of evil.


Macbeth experienced both of these emotions in the time leading up to his murder of Duncan.

"First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;"

In this excerpt we see Macbeth showing his fear about killing Duncan and weather it is the right thing to do. His is afraid because his conscience is questioning the decision he has made. This does not seem like a fear that would lead Macbeth down the path of evil, however because he is afraid of what he is going to do, I believe that he is also afraid of what will happen if he does not do it. This is what is causing the internal argument of Macbeth. It is also where desire factors into Macbeth's journey down the path of evil.

"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me,
Without my stir."

The excerpt above is from Macbeth before he decides to take fate into his own hands, and is willing to let the chips fall where they may. In the passage we do not see overwhelming desire for the crown, but there is clearly acceptance of the title if it should fall to him. Once we see the seed of power planted in Macbeth's mind, with the help of the witched and Lady Macbeth, it grows into a deep desire for the power of king to be his and soon. When the desire for power and the fear of the unknown combine within Macbeth, they result in his decision and implementation of the murder of Duncan.

However, when the all encompassing effects of these emotions wear off, and Macbeth realizes what he has done, the consequences of his evils acts start to effect him. The first sign of an internal consequence of murder is when Macbeth walks past the guards praying and is not able to say Amen as he hears their prayer. This sparks a downward spiral of regret in Macbeth's mind about what he just did. He becomes frantic and panicky as he realizes that the decision he made was glorified by his emotions and was not what he really should have or wanted to do. This internal guilt that eats away at Macbeths well being is worsened because it is subdued. When confronted with others finding out about the death of Duncan in the morning, Macbeth must lie and hide the knowledge of the truth. It is this pushing aside of the guilt that can intensify the consequence.

Macbeth is just one example of how distorted perspective or extreme emotion may lead someone who is not evil, down the path of evil. I think many different factors piled on top of each other are what leads someone to commit an act of evil. I also believe that because we are not born good or evil in nature, the internal guilt of doing something evil can be very strong and hard to overcome after the act has been committed. Evil is a sad and scary thing the road to being evil is only one wrong decision away. So there is a lesson to be learned from Macbeth, and that is, don't get caught up in the fear and desire, but instead keep of clear image of who you want to be.

CAM: Limited Visibility

Limited Visibility, the Latin American exhibit at CAM Raleigh, was overall a very eye-opening exhibit that brings together many different perspectives of a variety of situations. The concept of the pieces was to highlight what was unseen or missing from the art. It gave a unique twist to the understanding of the pieces. Usually when looking at art, the viewer is analyzing what the artist had created for you to see. In this case it was about what the artist has left out or hidden for you to notice. I really enjoyed this because of the way it forces the viewer to interact with the piece and get a deeper understanding of the art. 

 

Some of the pieces that stood out to me were, Shape Shifter, which brought together sandpaper from construction sites across the world, and Temple of One Thousand Bells, which was a beautiful display of glass bells with the centers missing. The first of these two pieces caught my attention because I had never before thought about all of the materials that disappear after construction is finished, but still hold a part of that building. The second was more simply just a very beautiful piece that was uniquely displayed and pleasing to the eye.

 

97 House Maids by Daniela Ortiz displayed in the CAM Raleigh Art Museum. This photo shows the display of the piece with the photos lined up one by one on the blank wall.

These are two of the photos from the long line of pictures in the same piece as above. In the photo on the left, two house maids can be seen working in white clothing in the background. In the photo on the right, the arm of a house maid wrapped around the child can only just be made out as it is mostly cropped away.



This is my sketch of the art piece,
97 House Maids. I tried to show
the display of the photos rather
than the content of the pictures.

The piece from the CAM exhibit seen above is called 97 House Maids and was done by a Peruvian woman named Daniela Ortiz in 2006. For this piece, Ortiz selected 97 pictures off of Facebook pages of upper class Peruvian families. In all of the pictures you can see a cropped out house maid, or the house maid standing in the background of the main photograph. These photos are arranged along a wall, standing out from the wall, in a long row. The display of this piece allows the viewer to walk down the hall viewing the pictures, almost as if they were flipping through a photo book or scrolling through an online album. Ortiz has not manipulated the photos in any way, simply displayed them on little plaques. The wall on which the photos have been placed is completely blank. As a viewer this helped me form my own opinion of the photos without any persuasion or distractions. The blank wall helps eliminate bias from the message that the artist is trying to send.

This piece addresses the overall theme of the exhibit by showing what would not normally be noticed within these photographs, the house maids. What struck me most however, was the constant appearance of these maids in the lives of the Peruvian children, with no recognition of their role by the families. The display of these images show the contrast between what the families what to portray to society, and reality. In reality the house maids are playing a large role in raising and caring for the children while the parents are most likely working. However, the Peruvian parents do not want to portray the image that their children are being raised by someone else. So instead, they simply post pictures of their happy, healthy children, without acknowledging the house maids presence.

These pictures are a window into the lifestyle of these upper class families. At first I was outraged that the house maids were constantly pushed to the background. However the more I thought about it, the less oppressive and unfair it began to seem. The upper class parents are not able to care for their children because they are out working to be able to sustain their lifestyle. By employing house maids, they are able to work and know that their children are safe. Also, it opens up a lot of employment opportunity in the region for the lower class. Furthermore, these people, while definitely playing a significant role in the families lives, are still employees. It is the kid's activities and accomplishments that the parents are proud of and want to share, not the housemaid's. It seems quite reasonable for them not to be featured.

After, coming to terms with the reasoning behind the house maids not being present in the Facebook photos, I was able to think more about what this exhibit was implying. It is not so much to show the oppression of the house maids as I first thought, but more so to highlight the culture and intertwining of cultures within the community of Peru. It brings forward the fact that the upper class families must sacrifice the constant involvement in the upbringing of their children to fulfil their working responsibilities. On the other hand it shows how the lower class house maids must live in the shadows of the families' successes with little recognition for their line of work. The aspect of limited visibility in the piece  transformed from the lack of representation of the house maids, to the sacrifices, the pieces of their lives that each person, both upper and lower class, have given up.

An additional component of this piece that is very unique is that is does not require an art exhibit to be viewed. When searching about the piece, I came across Ortiz's web page. Part of the description of the piece was, "97 house maids is a project that can be accessed without needing to see the web page where just 97 images were selected, the project can be seen also in any Peruvian high class family photo album and in the section of social events of diverse magazines," (Ortiz). This made me more confident in the piece as before, I wasn't sure if Ortiz had searched for all of these pictures with difficulty, or if it was actually representative of the family photo albums. It is fascinating that the piece is constantly living on the web and in magazines, and Ortiz simply gave it structure.

Limited Visibility is an interactive exhibit without the viewer even realizing it. I couldn't help to find myself engaged and pondering about the "missing piece" of each art display. This is modern art that has effectively destroyed the past idea of looking at a piece, seeing what is there, and moving on.

[House maids not to be mistake with handmaids from The Handmaid's Tale :P]

Pride: The Sin of an Athlete

Advertising Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Co-Creative Directors: Mark Bernath, Eric Quennoy
Copywriter: Ebba Hult
Art Directors: Pierre Janneau, Chris Thurman (W+K Portland)
Print Producer: Sharon Kwiatkowski
Account Management: Gene Willis, Jordi Pont, David Anson, Marco Palermo, Jason White (W+K Portland)
Production Company: Happy Finish
Published: May 2010

This is a Nike Sports advertisement. At first glance you see a frozen image from an intense soccer game. The blurred image of a large crowd in the background, as well as the dramatics of one player being on the ground and two flying through the air, show that this is an important event and the players are determined. In the ad there are three player that are in regular soccer attire and have been photographed playing. The fourth player it like a statue, his entire body is gold, and he looks frozen in position like a figurine that was picked up and placed into the photo. The slogan "Play to be remembered," is written in the midst of the image.

The bigger picture of this advertisement is its representation of the deadly sin pride. By having the one statue-like figure mixed in with the other players, it glorifies competition and more specifically victory. This ad is about being the best, the gold player, being colored differently and largely dominating the center, grabs the viewers attention immediately and constantly distracts from the other players. The slogan "Play to be remembered," encourages the concept that you must play great if you want to be remembered. I also enforces the idea that if you are remembered it must mean you were great. Both of these ideologies lead to excessive pride in the individual.

It is also important to consider the audience that this advertisement is targeting. The largest group that this is targeting is athletes. More specifically, middle and upper class people because of the prices of most Nike apparel and equipment. However the advertisement can also be targeting anyone that is a sports fan, but maybe not an athlete, with the intent to motivate them to become an athlete and buy Nike. Regardless, someone being targeted by this ad is aware of the intensity and competition to be on top in soccer or any other sport. Therefore their slogans promoting greatness will resonate with an audience that understands what it means to "be remembered" in the sports world.

Freebie(:

Who needs a name anyway?



Above is my dad holding me at 10 minutes old.
This is me, however, this is most likely not an
Abby Claire Elise, yet.

Every name has a story. Whether it be a name, rich with history, passed down through generations, or a name picked at random from a baby book, no two names have the same origin. Abby Claire Elise Gostling. Thanks for the most basic first name out there Mom, at least you tried to make up for it with two middle names, right? Realistically, I doubt that was her train of thought at the time. The story behind my name is one of indecisiveness.  Honestly I don’t even know what my name was when I was first born, it got changed somewhere between three and five times on the birth certificate, and who knows how many times before it was supposed to be official.  I do know however that before I was Abby Claire Elise, I was just Claire Elise. In fact, I was never supposed to be Abby Claire Elise, instead the final decision from my mom was for it to simply be Abby Elise. However, due to more indecision or tiredness from having a newborn, the final name change didn’t go according to plan. So here I am, Abby Claire Elise Gostling.

But wait, the chaos of it all does not end there. After all the hassle of giving me something to go by rather than “baby” or “it”, my parents didn’t think that it was overly important to tell me that Claire was one of my middle names. So here I am, ten-year old Abby, wondering why my dad always jokingly calls me Claire, until finally my mom decides to let me in on the punch line.

I wouldn’t say it is because of all that craziness, but maybe that is part of the reason that I have never really felt a strong connection to my name. It is on a piece of paper, it’s helpful for communication, and I can sign important documents with it, but that’s about it. How can a name define me when many other people around the world probably have the same name? It’s the stories that count. The things that I feel have defined me since birth are my heritage, coming from an English family, and my parents, their beliefs and values. Sometimes I wish I had a more unique name, not necessarily one with a cool story, but something that felt more mine. It gets a little old hearing, “Abby,” and having to ask, “Which one?” Regardless, I got what I got and that doesn’t change who I am as a person today.

As previously mentioned, family is one of the things that does define who I am. Being a part of a family means you are a unit. This complex idea of being “two,” an individual and a unit, sometimes doesn’t work out too well, but it is a key part of how society works. It is easy to look out for yourself, get your own work done, and do things you want to do. It is not so easy to put what you want aside and take care of someone else’s needs. The most prominent experience of this in my life is through reaching out to my sister. We are polar opposites, Emma and I, me being more outgoing and social, while Emma is more reserved and introverted. However, my parents still pushed for us to do all of the same things. It was at times frustrating and hard to extend “my activities” to include my sister. But when I did, I realized how important it was to do this for her, and how much I actually enjoyed her coming along. It wasn’t supposed to be about me doing my own stuff, it was about me being a sister. This is really when I have felt like “two.” There is me as Abby going out and having and good time, and there is me as Abby a part of the Gostling family for better or for worse.

A members of a complex world. No person is ever just “one.” In fact, I highly doubt that anyone is only just “two” either. We are all “many.” There is an “us” that is unique to each different unit we belong to, family, friends, school, sports, and countless more. An individual is made up of all those different parts, and that is what makes everyone unique, no two people are ever made up of the same parts.

Walter, 38th & Chicago Bus Stop, South Minneapolis, MN, by Wing Young Huie 2012

Denotation:

In this photo the first thing that stands out is a young Latino male sitting at a city bus stop holding a sign that reads “Equality for the undocumented.” The young man is dressed casually in a hoodie, jeans, and converse. There is a long string of cars lined up on the side of the street in the background. A wall and car are directly behind the bench. There is litter under the bench and in the bushes in the background making the area look rundown and uncared for. A simple bench and street sign are the only components of the bus stop in the image.

Connotation:

As you take a deeper look at the image portrayed in this photo, you can make conclusions about the area in which this was taken. The litter surrounding the stop and the simplicity of the bench creates the idea that this bus stop is located in an area of low socioeconomic class where there is not someone working on the upkeep of the community stop. As you can tell from the cars lined along the street in the background, this bus stop is located in a populated urban area of South Minneapolis.

Casual clothing worn by the man at the bus stop indicated that he is not going to work at a high-paying office job, but rather if he is heading to work he is most likely a laborer. The sign he hold protests the inequality of treatment toward undocumented workers signifying that he is probably the victim of unfair treatment and pay because of his status as an undocumented citizen. It is also safe to assume that mistreatment of workers is an issue for many of the people in the community, not just for this man.

Attwood vs. Huie:

In Huie’s image, Walter, he shows an event of “othering” that happens all the time in our society. Hatred and anger towards immigrants for traveling into the US illegally and occupying many labor jobs creates stereotypes towards all Latino Americans. The language we use towards these individuals such as “un-American” and “illegal” creates an atmosphere that condones mistreatment of these individuals in the form of unfair pay and unsafe working conditions.

The man in this image makes a bold statement addressing the fact that these individuals are being abused because of their citizenship status and our society is profiting from it. This situation and image represent how “othering” allows society to commit immoral acts against “other” people.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Attwood also uses language to create “others.” By categorizing each type of individual into a specific group with a specific name such as, “handmaids,” “Aunts,” or “Commanders.” It alienates a person from anyone in another group. The society in THT destroys the concept of an individual and functions on the idea that everyone is just part of a whole, the wholes being the groups.

This lack of individualism allows for extreme “othering” and condones actions such as torture. Aunts often tortured handmaids that misbehaved and this was okay because the Aunts were superior and the handmaids were “other.”

In both today’s society represented by Huie, and the society in The Handmaid’s Tale represented by Attwood, “othering” is an deed that allows immoral actions to occur. From these two examples it is shown that “othering” is a very negative thing done within societies. It was also clear from these two sources that language and stereotypes are a large factor in how “othering” occurs. By trying to alter the common language used towards groups, we can begin to see them not as “other” but as fellow human beings.