Netflix and Chill?

Lady Macbeth Netflix Recommendations: 

House of Cards

House of Cards is a Netflix original fictional series about a politician in the US, Francis Underwood. Underwood was promised to be named Secretary of State if he ensured Garrett Walker's presidential election, but then he was cheated by Walker to remain in Congress.  This series follows Underwood and his wife's corrupt journey to get revenge on Walker.  This recommendation would reveal Lady Macbeth's greed and desire for power in the first part of the play.  House of Cards is also closely related to Lady Macbeth as Claire Underwood has a strong hold on her husband's decisions and pushes him to do things just for the purpose of gaining power.  From seeing this recommendation, we can now see that Lady Macbeth has a major control complex over Macbeth and (at least during the beginning of the play) is consumed by that and not regretful of the actions she has made happen.


How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder, a crime/mystery ABC series, involves the events surrounding a law professor and some of her students which she chose to help her with cases at her firm.  Episodes involve events in which Keating (the professor) and students must analyze murders and figure out the reasoning and covering up of them.  This show recommendation reveals Lady M's discrete and mysterious side as she doesn't want any to know of the horrible crimes she has aided in the occurrence of.  As certain situations in the show get increasingly hard for the student's to deal with, so does the situation Lady M has put herself in as a result of her selfish desires at the beginning of the play.

Gossip Girl

The power structure, lying and cheating that is so frequent in Gossip Girl is similarly usual in Macbeth.  I believe this would be one of Lady Macbeth's top choices considering it is all about secrets, scandals and how to pull them off without anyone knowing.  Oftentimes in Gossip Girl, the characters get caught up in situations where they feel they can no longer take the pressure or guilt. This is quite comparable to how Lady M ends up feeling towards the end of the play, once she realizes the error of her ways.  This reveals Lady Macbeth's power-hunger and how she would do whatever it took to have her desires.

Revenge

Revenge is a show centered around a young woman who lies and tricks her neighbors into thinking she is someone she's not.  She is seeking revenge against the neighboring family for hurting her family.  Similar to Lady Macbeth, though Emily (the main character) is actually faking as a kind neighbor, she is secretly plotting against them in order to get what she wants.  Lady Macbeth is all about keeping up an alternate  appearance, as she hides the murder of the King by washing her hands and making sure Macbeth doesn't give anything away.  However, similar to Emily, she eventually becomes grieved with guilt and people know of the crimes she has committed.  I think Lady Macbeth would feel a strong connection to Emily, and this reveals how strong and determined she was to get what she wanted.

The Fate of Macbeth

Personally, I believe the events in my life have been guided by fate.  The small choices I make in my everyday life lead to where I am ultimately supposed to be in my life.  As a Christian, I think that God has a set plan in my life and everything I do will be a result of that.  Based on the text and my personal intuition, I believe Shakespeare's attitude towards fate is similar.  After Macbeth receives the Weird Sister's prophecy of him becoming King saying, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!", his weak, pushover attitude changes into a stronger, willing attitude (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 51).  Because Macbeth heard that he was going to be King, he decided he wanted to make sure that happened.  Personally, I believe that Macbeth murdering King Duncan was part of his prophecy.  The Weird Sisters said that he would become King, but they did not say how he would get to that point.  I think that it was inevitable for him to be King and his choices would have gotten him there eventually.

This can also be supported by Macbeth's attempt to have Banquo and Fleance killed.  The Weird Sisters also said to Banquo, "thou shalt get kings, though thou be none," meaning that his descendants (the first being Fleance) would be kings (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 68).  So while Macbeth tries to make sure Fleance cannot take his crown, Fleance escapes from the murderers - in accordance to the prophecy - as one of the murderers tells Macbeth, "Most royal sir, Fleance is 'scaped," (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 21).  This exemplifies how although it was Macbeth's will and action to try and kill Fleance, the fate that the Weird Sisters prophesied was unchangeable.

Freebie :)

Lust for Old Spice

This advertisement for Old Spice "Musk for Men"  in the 1970s demonstrates lust in its attempt to make men buy the cologne.  This American advertisement features a man and a woman in a sexual manner as the largest part of it, with a small word description and a picture of the product at the bottom.  In the grand view of this publication, we can see that the Old Spice company is featuring this product as one that will make women attracted to the men that wear it.  This is shown through the woman wrapped around the shirtless man (who is assumed to be wearing the cologne).  Explicitly through the text at the bottom of the picture, it is demonstrated that this cologne is "definitely male", meaning that if you want to smell manly, you need to wear this specific product.  This advertisement is aimed at any male in America, as Old Spice is attempting to make them feel like they need to be just like the man in this picture.

Denotatively, it can be viewed that the man is overpowering this picture through the look in his eyes straight into the camera.  This shows that he has control which gives the audience the idea that because he is wearing this cologne, he is in charge and very desirable.  The men being advertised to would be of upper or middle class as this product seems to be of high quality.

Because the creator of this propaganda decided to make the picture of the man and woman the entire background, it draws the eye of the audience very easily.  They are then persuaded to look deeper into the advertisement and read the text at the bottom to figure out what it is about.  The colors used are more sensual, giving the ad its lustful characteristic.  The language in the writing at the bottom is straightforward and convincing that this product is the best of its kind and if the person reading it buys this cologne, they will see positive results as shown in the image.  This advertisement heavily conforms to many things such as heteronormativity which is to be expected from a 1970s ad.  During that time it would have been very effective, however, if this advertisement were in present time, it would be significantly less effective.   

What's in a name?

Chloe
Greek meaning:  Green shoot. Fresh blooming.
Borne by Demeter, Greek goddess of agriculture.

I asked my mother why she named me Chloe, and she told me it was because that is the name of her favorite perfume, and it is also a name found in the bible - a definite box on her checklist for her children's names.  Personally, I do not believe that I am characterized by the various meanings of my name.  However, I do believe that my name has shaped who I am just based on what people call me. Whether they call me "Chloe", "Chlo", "Chlo-bot" or anything else, my own view of my name is the only thing that I believe effects me.  What's in my name to me?  I think my name has a fun, bubbly characteristic which I also think reflects my personality.  Perhaps if I had a different name, I would have a different personality.  I also see my name as somewhat unique, which makes me feel special and individual.  Do I think perfume or agriculture have any significant meaning in my life? No.  But what others may correlate with my name might effect how they view me.

I am constantly a part of two.  I am myself, yet I am also a part of various groups such as Millbrook High School, the IB program, eNeRGy gymnastics team, Grace Youth Ministy, etc.  One that I would focus on that poses a dilemma is being myself while also being a part of the IB program.  I feel like when people think of IB kids, they see nerdy, slightly arrogant students.  I do not believe this is true about myself or any other IB candidates at Millbrook.  Despite my view, others may still have their prejudices.  People will constantly say "Oh, you're in IB?" in a negative tone of voice because they think that means something completely different than simply being in the IB program.  I really don't like when people characterize me in that way, and it gives me compassion to those who are characterized by things in their lives.  I want to be thought of as an individual, not as part of a larger group.  While I am an IB candidate, I am also Chloe.  Green shoot.  Fresh blooming. :)

Wing Young Huie Response

Wing Young Huie - Waitress, The Diner, Lake Street USA (1997 - 2000)
URL:  http://tmblr.co/ZYwbvwO3YU8U

Waitress, The Diner by Wing Young Huie was published from 1997-2000 in Lake Street, USA.  Upon the first glance at this picture, it is obvious to see an older woman who works as a waitress at a seemingly old-time diner.  It can be observed that this woman is elderly based on her white-gray colored hair and hairstyle.  However, upon closer examination, it can be observed that this woman appears to be sad.  This is noticeable due to her body language of her head tilting down and not facing the camera.  In addition, the black and white color choice of this photograph may be construed to have the purpose of an older picture effect or to create a somber mood on the audience.

Wing Young Huie and Margaret Atwood present the concept of "othering" (classifying a group or an individual as different from oneself) in distinct ways.  For the image Waitress, The Diner, "othering" is shown by the subject's physical characteristics as well as the background details.  The woman looking away from the camera expresses her removal from the cohesion of a group or society whether it be her choice or others choosing to view her as separate from them.  In the back of the photograph it is shown that there is no one surrounding the woman, which can be viewed as Huie's choice to portray the woman as lonely or disparate from others. 

This contrasts Atwood's portrayal of "othering" greatly due to the difference in format of approach.  Whereas Huie's approach was a photograph, Atwood's is a dystopian fiction novel.  Within her book, The Handmaid's Tale, the main character, Offred, is presented as socially isolated by the new society of Gilead.  The limitations placed on Offred and the other Handmaids' actions such as not being allowed to read or write, force them into a life where they are only truly able to interact freely in their minds.  This is Atwood's way of presenting the "othering" of Offred by her society as she has no way of connecting with a group of people.