Macbeth's Spotify Recommendations

Macbeth, because you decided to succumb to the supernatural, we recommend listening to:

1. I’ll make a man out of you by Donny Osmond
1. This song, from the movie Mulan, is used during the training montage in the movie. In the song, Captain Li Shang explains that in order for his recruits to become true men, they had to learn how to fight. Having to do something in order to prove masculinity can be seen in Macbeth as well. When Macbeth and his wife were contemplating murdering King Duncan, his wife managed to convince him to follow through with the plan by downplaying his masculinity and bravery. In order to prove his masculinity, Macbeth had to follow through with the plan and kill Duncan.
2. Animal I have become by Three Days Grace
1. The song was written by Adam Gontier, the guitarist from Three Days Grace, and is about his addiction to painkillers which caused him to become very abusive and aggressive. It got to the point that he didn’t recognize anymore hence the name of the song, “Animal I have Become”. In the play, instead of being addicted to painkillers, Macbeth was addicted to his ambition for power. He did everything in order to become king and made decisions that he never thought he would have made, such as assassinating Duncan and sending assassins to kill Banquo. His ambition caused him to go insane, and when he finally got the power he seeked, he became a ruthless tyrant. Due to his ambition, Macbeth lost sight of his true self and became a force of evil and fear.
3. Power by Kanye West
1. The song was essentially Kanye’s comeback track which was released after the events that occurred between him and Taylor Swift. The song shows how he is back in control and essentially feels like a king. He doesn’t care about anything the haters have to say to him and he claims that he is the one that has all the power. This song can represent how Macbeth felt after talking with the apparitions, especially after being told that no one born of woman can kill him. Macbeth felt extremely self-confident and powerful since he considered himself undefeatable. He didn’t pay attention to his haters since he believed that everyone was born from woman, therefore, no one could best him.
4. The Prophet's Song by Queen
1. The song is about a prophecy, given by a wise man, warning the people about a incoming flood, AKA the Biblical Great Flood. The song claims that the earth will shake and the earth will break and that the people have to run away from the rain and flee for their lives. This song is supports the belief in the play that prophecies are inescapable. The prophecy given to Macbeth by the witches was no exception to this roll and no matter what Macbeth did, the prophecy was bound to become true. The song even stated the due to the prophecy, there was “death all around” which is 100% seen in Macbeth from all the assassinations and the war provoked from Macbeth’s kingship.

Fate or Chance?

Distinguishing the difference between fate and chance is impossible. They are just two different interpretations of how we live. I view life's events as occurring by chance. This ideology motivates me to do good and allows me to believe that my decisions matter. Also, to me, believing that life is controlled by fate makes life seem like a prison. By believing in chance, one has the illusion of freedom and choice; you can do something because you want to do it, not because you are forced too. I believe that he concept of fate destroys motivation do do anything. Why try when things are bound to occur? I like the idea of creating my own future instead of being a pawn of the future.

Also, I feel that the concept of fate is too unstable. What if someone's fate relying on someone else but that person somehow changes their fate? What would be the result of someone going against their fate? If life was controlled by fate, I believe that a small change would cause a giant domino effect causing the end of everything. I view a life controlled by fate as a giant machine; if one of its cogs fail to work, the whole thing stops working. The only way to ensure that this doesn't occur is by destroying the concept of personal fate. Instead we would all be part of a collective fate to ensure that everyone does what they are supposed to. We would all be prisoners of the future, a chilling idea.

Based on the text, I believe that Shakespeare believes in a life controlled by fate and accepts it. This view is reflected in Macbeth most prominently in the weird sisters and their ability to make prophecies. Prophecies are glimpses into one's fate therefore it would be impossible to create on in a life dictated by choice. The play is based around the idea that a prophecy would always come true. This ideology is seen earlier in the play when Macbeth receives his title as Thane of Cawdor and is certain that he is going to become king. When Duncan is named as the next heir, the extent fate's control over one's life is revealed. In the play, Macbeth has to make multiple important decisions that could affect his destiny but it is fate who makes him choose the "correct" one. This is most notably seen when Macbeth is faced with the decision of murdering Duncan or not. He chooses to murder Duncan with the line: "For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires." Rhyming is present in this line meaning that Macbeth was under the influence of the supernatural. The witches told Macbeth his prophecy and in order to make it come true, fate took over and made the decision for him. The power of fate not only affects Macbeth, but it affects everyone as well. This global affect can be seen with the messages given to Macbeth by the apparitions: the first apparitions stated, "Beware the thane of fife," the second stated, "For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth,"and the third stated, "Macbeth shall never vanquished to be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." Foreshadowing of Macbeth's demise shows that the timeline of events is linear; everything is mapped out and there is no such thing as freedom of choice. What is destined to happen is going to happen and there is no escape. 

The Reason Why I Like Numbers and Not Art

"Living side" of the Rosary

 "Death side" of the Rosary

 

My abomination yet my best attempt

(For sale starting at $10,000)

While looking through the 1400-1600 AD category of art, I found this image of a medieval Rosary. The creator of this piece of art was not stated but it was created during the in 16th century. somewhere between 1500-1525 AD, and the culture which it it came from was German. The beads were made from ivory, silver, and partially gilded mounts and the largest bead was 6.5 cm by 5.1 cm and the smallest was 4.2 cm by 3.4 cm.

In the 1400-1600 in central Europe, which included Germany, the Church was losing power and it was struggling to hold their territories. The Church started to face opposition and the church's corruption was starting to be brought to light. At the same time, there was an increase in intellectual activity and technology began to prosper. Humanist ideas and interest in education, which began in Italy, made its way to central Europe and had a huge impact on society and the arts. Paintings and art based on the human body and anatomy began to become popular and universities started to open. Even though the enlightenment era began in the 17th century, this era witnessed the first glimpses of it.

Just by looking at the Rosary, we can see that it is comprised of two human/skull combos, one at the start and one at the end, with 6 beads in the middle with a image of a religious figure; this would be the "living side" of the Rosary. If one flips the Rosary so that the skulls are facing upwards, we notice that two of the religious figures are replaced with skeletons with Latin words flowing out of their mouths. When the words are translated, one of them says "remember death" while the other says "this is what you will be."

When we closer analyse the Rosary, we can uncover multiple messages that are being conveyed by this creepy piece of jeweler. One of the first things that I noticed was the mixture between science and religion. The reason I chose this piece was because I was impressed by the amount of detail in the creation of the skull and the skeletons (and it was one of the only one my feeble mind was able to draw). This portrays a clear picture of what society was like during this era; education and technology was becoming more important but at the same time religion was of significant importance. By juxtaposing a human face with that of a skeleton, which is done by having them on the opposite sides of essentially a coin, two things can be interpreted. The first is that life is fleeting and that we will all die one day. Having life and death represented in this manner shows how close death truly is making it seem that someones life can end as quick as a coin flip. The creepy Latin skeletons also reinforce this message with what they say. The second interpretation of this can be the weakening of the church's power. The religious figures are representations of the church and by having two of them replaced by skeletons, it can represent its power slowly dwindling away.

Anyway, I made it past the word count so consider this the conclusion. Peace out.

Sources
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/euwc.html
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464300

Jane Eyre and the Abuse of Power

In the novel 7th chapter of the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, it describes the events that occur after Mr. Brocklehurst, a high authority figure in a religious boarding school, visits the school to see how things are being run. He imposed very strict regulations on ths school, expecting them to be followed, but to his surprise, they were not. He had major issues with the fact that bread and cheese were being served to the orphan girls once a week, instead of being served burnt porridge. Also, he had issues with a girl’s natural curly red hair, another girl’s braided hair, and the fact that the teacher gave out extra clean clothing so that one of their students could attend an event. He believed that it went against the schools ideologies since he believed that, in order to teach the girls, they must suffer the way that Jesus for his followers. Irony comes into play when his family walk into the room in the middle of his speech. His family was wearing luxurious clothing and were wearing feathers and plumes, exhibiting all the behaviors he was complaining about. By juxtaposing Mr. Brocklehurst’s ideologies and the way his family is portrayed, Brontë is able to create a social commentary on the abuse of power.

It is clear that Mr. Brocklehurst is big on religion. He wants every aspect of the school to run a religious manner as well. He achieves this goal by imposing very strict regulations on the girls. For example, they are only allowed one clean tucker a week and are heavily restricted when it comes to their appearance. Mr. Brocklehurst believes in uniformity and wants all the girls to essentially be the same. The reason he does this is to inflict suffering in the girls; he wants them to feel the suffering that Christ felt for them on the cross. Ironically, this mentality does not apply to his family. His family comes into the class wearing clothing made of velvet, silk, and fur; extremely luxurious materials. Also, they all had curls; the girls had a strand of curly hair while the elderly women had French curls. What they were wearing completely contradicted what he was preaching against. Through the juxtaposition between his family’s attire and Mr. Brocklehurst’s expectations for the girls at the school, Brontë creates a sense of irony.

Brontë utilizes juxtaposition in order to comment on the abuse of power in schools during the early 19th century. Mr. Brocklehurst has all the power in the school and he could use it in any way that he desired. Even though all the orphan girls at his school were forced to suffer, from the description of his family, his family doesn't have to follow the strict rules that he imposes. By abusing his power, he goes against his belief of conformity that is in effect in the whole school, and allows his family to express themselves freely. Since the orphaned girls and the teachers don’t have any power over him, he is able to do this without a hassle. By showing how Mr. Brocklehurst has complete freedom to do whatever he pleases in the school, Brontë comments on the abuse of power in 19th century schools.

Deadly Sins in Advertisement

This advertisement is for the company, Old Spice, which specializes in male grooming products. The ad above was released by Old Spice in 1977 in order to advertise its cologne and after shave for men. The ad depicts a shirtless woman hugging a shirtless man and, in the bottom right hand corner, is a picture of their product. Also, the words "very convincing” are bolded on the bottom half and centered. The intended audience for this ad is obviously men since they sell only male products.

Multiple aspects of the ad portray lust but the biggest one, quite literally, is the image of the man and the woman. The ad is centered around the image and it’s the first thing the audience sees; a handsome lad and a beautiful woman both shirtless. The image is the main selling point of the ad since it uses male lust to its advantage. By having both of the models shirtless, it adds a sexual connotation to the ad which attracts men to the product. The message the image conveys is essentially: buy our products and you too will be good looking and have a beautiful woman at your side.

The placement of the items in the ad also depicts lust. The creators didn’t want the audiences mind to wonder away from the thought of being able to be like the man in the picture. To achieve this goal, they put all the other information at the bottom of the ad and used the picture to use the remaining space. This use of spacing adds emphasis to the ads message. The first thing the audience sees is the image, then they would notice it’s an ad. By making them wonder how to get from their current position and become like the man in the photo, it drags them in and pursues them to buy Old Spice products.

            Even the words in the ad convey lust. Once the audience can manage to break away from the image, which some might not, the next thing they would notice is the words in bold. The bolded words, “very convincing,” play an essential part in emphasizing the ads message. The words essentially state that if the audience uses Old Spice, the odds of them getting with a beautiful woman is very high. Also, they acknowledge the fact that the ad is very persuasive, further pushing men to buy the product. The use of diction also portray lust which is seen in the small paragraph in the photo. Words and phrases that have sexual connotations, such as “sensuous” and “unmistakable intentions,” are used. All of these words abuse the audience’s sexual desires (AKA lust) in order to sell their product.
            Ads like these are still seen today and are typically used for fragrances and grooming products. They all promise to make the user more attractive and give them the ability to get with a desired person. The issue with these ads, typically the male oriented ones, are that they tend to objectify women. They make women seem like rewards for using their products. The messages that they convey are essentially: get the produce, get the women. Also, the women and men are typically extremely attractive models which in turn can cause self consciousness in the audience, since typically they are not as perfect as the models in the ad.