Post Seven: Netflix Recommendations

These are the most recommended series and movies for Lady Macbeth:

Chuck- A series about a man, Chuck, who has a government database of information accidentally implanted into his brain. He then becomes an asset to the NSA and the CIA, aiding spies in top secret missions. Chuck who leads what he would consider a fairly-mediocre life, eventually decides he wants to become a spy.

This series would appeal to Lady Macbeth's murderous tendencies. Watching this show, Lady M, can gain insight on possible ways to kill a person or avoid getting killed herself.



The Vampire Diaries- A series about a girl, Elena, who lives in a town called Mystic Falls where all sorts of mythical occurrences happens. Vampires, werewolves, witches, you name it, and Elena has faced or fallen in love with it.

This series would appeal to Lady Macbeth's love of witches prophecy's and the power it brings to her and Macbeth. Additionally, the show's tragic love plots correlates directly to Lady M and Macbeth's tragic marriage filled with secrecy, murder, violence, disregard of each other, and eventually suicide. Lady M would find herself relating to Elena.

Black Swan-A modern rendition of the classical ballet, Swan Lake. This movie portrays a young woman with the New York City Ballet who gains the principle role of the swan. The movie demonstrates the change she undergoes in order to become her role. The plot simultaneously conveys the primordial, ageless struggle between good and evil as the ballerina changes from the white swan to the black swan.

This movie is a perfect choice for Lady M. It shows a woman's transition to a place of power, as the ballerina becomes a principle dancer just as Lady M becomes a queen. This movie truly highlights Lady Macbeth's fluid movement between her evil and good traits, as well as her fluidity between being murderous and being not homicidal.

Madam Secretary-This series portrays fictional Secretary of State, Elizabeth McCord, as she successfully combats the diplomatic crisis of foreign nations and her suffocating male counterparts in the White House. Elizabeth is frequently successful in having politics go her way; whether in the office or on a global scale.

Madam Secretary is an excellent choice for Lady M, as it portrays a strong woman, who like Lady M is strong willed and successful at getting men to bend to her will. The series is representative of Lady M's control over Macbeth and her manipulative skills in regards to her ability to commit treacherous acts and convince the men of the castle that she is just a woman.

Breakfast at Tiffany's- A classic, venerable movie of Holly Golightly who moves to New York in search of something more. Holly has a lucrative job of maintaining the relationship between convict Sally Tomato and his lawyer by reporting the weather from Sally to the lawyer, and in turn receiving payment. Holly desires a life of wealth and goes to Tiffany's where she feels the comfort of luxury. She meets Paul, a man with similar desires, and falls in love with him, but has to make sure that their priorities are straight.

This movie is the perfect choice for Lady M, because it provides a female role model that always acts according to her life plan. This best represents Lady M's "the grass is always greener on the other side," outlook on life, as she pushes Macbeth to be more of a man, and gain power. If Lady M were Holly, it would reveal a sense of greed and dissatisfaction with life.


These shows directly relate to Lady Macbeth's power as a woman, and how it fluctuates throughout the plot of Macbeth. Additionally, these shows present masculinity in non-traditional ways as in the desire to have more power, greed, excessive personality change to accomplish one's goals, and the power women can have over men by adapting to take on masculine traits.

Post Number Six: Freebie

$0.00

Post Number Five: #IBmakingart



The Bass Viol on the right is a product of John Rose’s craftsmanship. Made of wood, it was crafted in London, England in 1600. The size is as follows: total L.: 119.5 cm (47 1/16 in.); Body L.: 71.5 cm (28 3/16 in.); Body W.: upper 32 cm (12 1/2 in.), middle 23.4 cm (9 3/16 in.), lower 39 cm (15 1/8 in.); Rib H.: upper 9 cm (3 5/8 in.), middle 23.4 cm (9 3/16 in.), middle 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.); Belly W.: at the neck 5.2 cm (2.05 in.) lower 39 cm (15.35 in.) lower: 12.7 cm (5.0 in.) Belly W. at the neck 5.2 cm (2.05 in.)

Produced in England during the Seventeenth century, the Viol was introduced into playwriting as an accompaniment piece. It was frequently played in a consort of two to six people for the purpose of entertaining. The Viol was commonly played within Henry VIII’s court, and developed into an instrument that could be played by amateurs. The ease of production and playing of this instrument led to the discovery of various characteristics of music such as chords and scales.

While it is easy to learn to play the Viol, it is not easy to craft a Viol. The Viol is not a traditional art form, in that is a variation of wood working. Only certain types of wood may be used in order to ensure the instruments durability, while the shape of the wood greatly factors into the intonation of the sound produced by the bowing or plucking of the five strings. The Viol is considered an instrument of elegance. Crafter’s such as John Rose have recognized this, and have shaped the instrument with curves to emphasize this elegance.

In contemporary times, this elegance is represented by the art’s audience. The Viol has become an instrument that is less common in “pop” music, and is typically played by a master Violinist in a professional orchestra. The orchestra is more frequently visited by the one percent, or upper class of society. The etiquette standard that one dresses in evening clothing when going to the orchestra has a direct correlation to the elegance of the Viol, and other instruments seen in the orchestra company. It is interesting how the guitar, a direct descendent of the viol is more commonly used in pop music which is considered less formal music. Guitars are often included in the musical entourage that accompanies a group or singer when performing. In these performances, the audience is typically more casually dressed indicating a lack of formality or elegance at these events.

Word Count: 425
Sources:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1989.44

Post Number Three: Commercial

Jaguar 2014 F-Type Coupe Commercial by TrailerMaker

Produced May 26, 2015
Play through 2:40

A simple examination of this commercial reveals British actor, Tom Hiddleston, driving a ostentatious sports car while narrating how to be a villain. During the narration, Hiddleston demonstrates the narrative in what appears to be the usual cinematic handoff between characters, followed by a pursuit. On a closer examination, one can realize that the choice words in the narrative are actually being used to describe the Jaguar F-Type Coupe. The British accent of Tom Hiddleston is inviting to the audience and causes the audience to associate the Jaguar brand with luxury. Furthermore, while the audience understands that this commercial is an attempt to sell cars, the ending quote about "taking over the world," purports Jaguar's mission to be to be world recognized and the ultimate brand of luxury cars that buyers would turn toward. This platform on which this mission is asserted is an example of pride and avarice in that Jaguar demonstrates it’s excellence over other car brands while wanting car consumers to only purchase their brand of car.

This commercial addresses wealthy, upper class individuals of first world societies. These are individuals who in the eyes of Jaguar enjoy the luxuries of life and ostentatious sports cars. Jaguar comprehends that through by purchasing a specific kind of car; individuals are making a personal statement about the way they live, would like to live, or how they want others to view themselves. Using logos, such as the well known ferocious Jaguar emblem and glimpses of technology that considered innovative, Jaguar is able to successfully appeal to its upper class clientele.

Furthermore, the visual platform of this commercial is well thought out in that the emergence of the F-Type Coupe from the parking ground, implies that the car being sold to the audience in the commercial is “ground breaking.” Additionally, Jaguar’s language choices when describing how to be a villain includes “you should sound distinct,” and “world domination starts with attention to detail,” actually plays the double role of describing the features of the F-Type Coupe. The unique analogy of the car to villain-hood to the car serves to highlight what Jaguar believes might appeal to their wealthy, upper-class audience. The line, “this happy breed of man,” serves to illustrate the difference in excellence between the Jaguar F-Type Coupe and other cars.  Jaguar also does this two other ways within the commercial; the first is the use of color contrast. The white Jaguar is continuously placed against dark backgrounds or compared to black cars; because white is frequently seen as a “pure” color, Jaguar is able to emphasize the excellence of the F-Type that is so luxurious, that it is seemingly incomparable to other luxury car brands.  The second and final way that Jaguar convinces its audience that it is the “best” luxury sports car brand, is that there is what could be considered a “battle” in the parking garage between a Porsche and the Jaguar F-Type Coupe. In order to purport the strength and superiority of the F-Type Coupe, the Porsche loses the “battle,” allowing the F-Type Coupe to emerge from the “battle” as the victor, and emerge from the parking garage as a “ground breaking,” luxurious sports car.

Word Count: 530

If the video does not play, go here:)

Post Number Two: Names

Prior to reaching the age where I could understand that it was an honor to have my name spelled as Gillian with a “G” and not a “J,” I failed to comprehend what seemed to be such an illogical spelling of my name. People who did not know me and had to read my name for the first time such as TSA employees would frequently pronounce my name with a hard “G.” Eventually I got too frustrated with this common mistake and I decided to take action. So when I was invited to my friends sixth birthday party and was handed a wooden crate to decorate, I (a confident, all-knowing six year old) painted my name on the crate spelled with a “J.” Of course when I showed my mother the crate with the altered spelling of my name, she was furious and explained that my name, Gillian Leigh, originates from my maternal grandfather’s name, Gilbert Lee. It was decided that when I was born, that my parents would follow the Jewish tradition of naming their child after a deceased relative.  Upon further research, I came to the realization that my name of Latin origin means “youthful”. I believe that my name has come to define me; it is a representation and carriage of my Jewish heritage that I strongly identify with. However, I also believe that my parents were intentional when choosing a name that meant “youthful,” because they wanted me to follow the ideals of a child: inquisitiveness, truthfulness, and kindness.

There is a fine line in between wanting to be an individual and wanting to be a part of a larger whole, and I think that many times, this line becomes extraordinarily blurred.  Reminiscing to the summer after freshman year, I was at a program with a hundred other Jewish teens at a college in West Virginia and it was a Saturday evening, and I and roughly fifteen other girls were in a chapter that was to lead a service called Havdallah that would mark the closure of Shabbat. As we were planning the service, the chapter decided that we would all wear the chapter t-shirts we had just made. I have the custom of dressing up to some extent for this service, so I wasn’t exactly comfortable with wearing a t-shirt and Nike shorts. However, I wanted to be a part of my chapter and participate in leading the service, so I made a compromise. I wore a long floral skirt with a tie-dye t-shirt, so that I could maintain my custom of dressing up a little bit. It was certainly not an attractive combination or compromise, but I worked it, allowing me to maintain my individualism and a part as a larger whole, my chapter. I think that in society, it is more than acceptable to want to be a part of a whole, but it’s important to always keep the individual self in mind, in order to maintain the integrity of the values of the whole.

Word Count: 502

Post Number One: Othering

From the Archive-Fourth of July, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, MN
Lake Street USA (1997 - 2000)  by Wing Young Huie
http://know.wingyounghuie.com/

Wing Young Huie's photograph, Fourth of July, is a black and white photograph displaying the celebratory ambience of a neighborhood on the Fourth of July. In the background, the clear illumination of a fireworks display hovers above what appears to  be the houses of a neighborhood surrounding the lake. On the far side of the lake in darker shade of gray, three people appear to be watching the fireworks from afar. Upon closer examination, Huie appears to be emphasizing the implications of diversity in America. By solely utilizing the black and white tones in the image, Huie exemplifies the steep contrast between the culture of Caucasian individuals and People of Color. Furthering this purpose, the separation of the individuals silhouetted in black by the lake from the vibrant white explosion of the fireworks represents the distinctive differences in perspectives on United States nationalism between immigrants and natives. The separation of the figures that may be wishfully looking at the firework and the celebratory fireworks may be applied to Huie’s political views on the real life example of immigrants crossing over the Mexican-American border.

Margaret Atwood and Wing Young Huie both present “othering” as the distinctive segregation of a group of individuals based on their ethnicity and/ or social class.  In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood presents “othering” through imagery of the unwomen in the colonies. Atwood’s creation of mystery surrounding the presence of unwomen in society via Offred’s language perpetuates the segregation of classes within the society. The limited discussion of unwomen in the novel serves to exemplify the concept of othering, in that there is knowledge of the “othered” women, however the fact of their existence and conditions in society are ignored. The imagery conveyed by the unwomen existing in some unknown location, and the lack of desire to become “unwomen” as portrayed by Offred’s character, uses pathos, and the association of fear to present the unwomen as an alien group of women.

Wing Young Huie’s portrayal of “othering,” is similar to Atwood’s in that both individuals use fear to isolate a population. In conjunction to as how Atwood used verbal imagery to exemplify “othering,” Huie uses visual contrasting imagery to exemplify imagery. In the previous analysis of Huie’s photograph, Fourth of July, it was discussed that the dark figures on the near side of the lake look enviously to the far side of the lake where a celebration of Americans is portrayed by the vibrant white of the fireworks.  The lake serves the same purpose as the limited conversation of unwomen does in Atwood’s novel. The lake represents mystery, segregation and fear. It represents mystery in that it is a passageway to the unknown of American culture on the far side of the lake. It represents segregation in that it is a physical barrier to two sets of people, the outsiders and the high class of society. Lastly, if the image is to be taken in context of immigration policy in the United States, it exemplifies the “othering” of immigrants in our nation. The lake represents fear in that immigrants, the dark figures, are timid to cross “the border” and assimilate to American culture. However, it more likely represents the more prevalent reluctance to allow immigrants in the United States, and the fear that immigrants will diminish the American culture.

Overall, Atwood and Huie portray “othering” as the separation of individuals of different backgrounds due to fear and the lack of knowledge. Their representation of the concept through imagery is effective in that it isolates a population in society and attaches negative connotations to the individuals of that population.

Word Count:  600