Recently Viewed by Macduff....

Macduff has had a lot of time on his hands after defeating Macbeth and it looks to me like he's been spending all of that time to catch up on his Netflix shows! Here's what he's been watching:

  
1. Marvel's The Avengers

This movie is a about a group of "all-star" superheros that team up to help save the world! In the movie the Chitauri are working to invade Earth, in response the Averngers Initiative is launch. During the movie, the Avengers believe that they will not be able to overtake the Chitauri due to their sheer size but of course in the end the good guys find a way to win and protect Earth. Macduff recommends this movie because he related with being the hero of a story and saving the world from evil. And while Macduff takes great pride in knowing he defeated Macbeth he knows he could not have done it with out the help of Malcolm and Donaldbain. This pick reveals Macduff's desire to defeat evil and his ability to work as a team.


2. CSI: Miami

This series is a spin-off the popular show CSI. The show follows detectives working for the Miami Police Department as they solve horrifying murders using physical evidence in a high- tech crime lab. Macduff likes this show because of the team's ability to interpret evidence into finding a killer. Macduff has had his fair share of investigating also. He was the first one to find Duncan after his terrible murder and was able to use the clues from the crime to link it back to Macbeth. Macduff also likes the aspect of bringing the killer to justice, just as he did when he killed Macbeth in return for killing Duncan and his own family. Duncan sympathizes with the families he sees on the show that have lost their family members too.


3. My Girl

This adorable movie is about am eleven year old, tomboy named Vada. Vada lives an interesting life. Her dad's job is as a funeral director so Vada spends a lot of time around death. Her mom died shortly after she was born and her father is distant. Luckily, Vada has Tomas Sennett, her best friend. The two spend all summer together and even share a short kiss. One day Vada loses her mood ring and Tomas goes to find it and is then stung by bees where he dies of an allergic reaction. Macduff loves this movie because Vada learns to cope with the sadness of losing her friend, just like Macduff had to learn to cope with the loss of his family. He even relates to Vada's father as he tries to find love again. Just like him, Macduff, hopes to be able to one day be able to start a family again.


4. That's So Raven

This family friendly series follows a young girl who as the ability to see snip-its of the future. Raven with the help of her two best friends, Eddie and Chelsea, try to change what Raven has seen in hopes of producing a better outcome. This usually fails and almost always Raven's visions come true. Macduff relates Raven's character to Macbeth. Raven is obsessed with the supernatural and constantly trying to change the outcome of events just like Macbeth is. Macduff on the other hand is the person who the "visions" are usually about. Just like the apparitions about Macduff, as hard as Macbeth tried, he couldn't change what Macduff was doing. Macduff recommends this because he finds the belief in supernatural unreliable and finds it humorous how their lives revolve around it, the exact cause of Macbeth's demise.

Freebie

Using my freebie because this is my life right now.

#IBartsy

89 Huicholes
By: Santiago Sierra
2006

89 Black Dots
By: Madie Fleishman
2014

"89 Huicholes" is an art piece consisting of 89 black and white photographs. The piece was created in 2006 in Western Mexico. The pictures represent 89 Huicholes, an tribe indigenous to Western Mexico. The art is entirely black and white pictures, with clear background and black frames. In addition the artist also positions all of its subjects in the same place in the frame to add unity to all of the pieces.The use of black and white pictures gives the artwork a more historic and old-fashioned tone. The art work while very simplistic and overall each piece looks really similar but when you begin to look closer you realize that every picture and person is unique. The artist is using this work to make a social statement. The Huicholes are a nomadic tribe who are constantly at odds with authorities over farming and property rights. The art is meant to display their shame and struggle to maintain their native traditions under pressure of being forced into labor pools. In my opinion, the artist puts the viewer in the role of the authorities, forcing us to view the people without faces. The authorities are forced to see people without emotion because their goal is to punish people no matter what the consequences.

To eat or not to eat?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE 

"The Scarecrow" was produced in Los Angeles for Chipotle and released in 2003. The three minute ad (more like short film) followed the heroic journey of a scarecrow in his search of real food outside the realm of processed foods.  In short, the ad is trying to persuade people to eat better. But in the bigger picture scheme of things, the ad encourages people to look at where their food comes from and to reevaluate how they eat. 

The ad uses exaggeration a lot to emphasize their message. For example, the food company in the ad, Crow Food Inc., controls every food related item in the town. While in real life that is not true, it does convey the message that big corporations, who are just looking for profit, control most of our food. Chickens getting injected by robots and cows trapped in boxes are also exaggerated forms of what happens in real life, as well. In addition, the ad uses a lot of carefully thought out diction to convey its message further. Using words like "natural" and "farm fresh" to describe processed foods, shows the audience real life example of  how food is advertised food that might not actually fit the claim. And finally, the ad's music is the perfect way to tie the whole ad together. Because the song is so iconic and the rhythm is very nice, it fits very well and really captures the message of trying to change the way we do things.        

This ad portrays the deadly sin of "gluttony". It opens our eyes to the fact that we eat too much, eat too unhealthy, and eat without knowledge of where the food came from. 

In my opinion, the ad is meant for almost everyone. The ad is hoping to persuade you to eat better which is a message that anyone can take away from. However when I think about Chipotle, it's prices, and its message of organic and healthy farming, it becomes more obvious that the ad is intended for middle to upper-middle class, because they are the ones most likely to be able to afford Chipotle. This class usually knows of the issue but usually needs the push and motivation to continue to solve the problem, in this case, healthy eating. 

Jane Eyre: Main Idea

Personally, I think the central idea or message that is being tried to get across is that Mr. Brocklehurst is not who he seems and therefore hope still exists. While on the outside Mr. Brocklehurst portrays himself as a kind person who is doing the right thing for his community and for the girls, this chapter gives us insight into who he really his.  The greatest example of his contrast in this chapter comes when his wife and daughter walk into the room. Moments earlier he had just finished saying that his, "mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and sobriety" but when his wife and daughter walk in they were, "attired in velvet, silk, and furs". If Mr. Brocklehurst was really working towards a greater good, he would include teaching his wife and especially his own children in the same way. The chapter continues to highlight the insecurity of Jane and the children while showing Mr. Brocklehurst's harsh and wasteful means of punishment and reform. But the strongest example of hope for a brighter future comes when Helen smiles at Jane when she is in the middle of her punishment. Jane says, "it was the effluence of fine intellect, of true courage; it lit up her marked lineaments, her thin face, her sunken grey eye, like a reflection from the aspect of an angel". The tiniest smile can be the true form of revolt and hope for Jane as she faces the unfair punishment for Mr. Brocklehurst.

What's in a name?

Both my first and middle names were "handed down" from my grandmother and my great grandmother. My first name, Madeline, means a woman of Magdala. Magdala refers to a tower on the Sea of Galilee. Personally I connect with this because the Sea of Galilee is in northern Israel. Being Jewish I strongly advocate for Israel. While I have never been it is my dream to finally make the trip one day. I love the fact that my name means from Israel and I wear it as a proud Jew! My middle name, Faye, means confidence, trust, and belief. I connect to this because I have strong beliefs that I have the confidence to stand behind.

There are many times in your life when you experience something as two people; as an individual and as one part of a group. For me the first example that comes to mind is leadership. As a leader you are forced to separate yourself from the group to lead the group and to make decisions independently. However as a good leader you must remember you are part of the group as well and it is crucial to understand how your decisions affect the whole of the group. Using both sides of your personality can combine into a unique perspective.

"Othering"

"Waiting Series" - Wing Young Huie (East 46th St & South 2nd Avenue, Minneapolis, MN)

After first glancing at this picture, you see an image growing more and more common in America; a lone person begging on the side of the road. The person pictured is wearing old flip flops and baggy clothes while holding a folded and torn cardboard sign. Thrown off to the side are a jacket and empty cup. But upon looking closer we learn a lot more about the picture. The sign being carried by this young women calls out for help and notes she "left (a) bad relationship". Paying attention to the sign gives the picture and this woman a story which tugs at your heartstrings and adds more meaning to the idea of a woman begging for money. In addition, by looking closer we begin to understand the difficulty of working alone on the street. For example the place where she is standing is worn down, meaning herself or someone else have been spending long hours, trying to earn money. Long hours outside mean workers are also subject to extreme weather; in this photo there are no shady spots or comfortable places to relax and take a drink of water.

"Othering" is the way in which someone or a group looks down at another individual or group as completely foreign and different. In The Handmaid's Tale, the best example of a group shunned from society are the Handmaids. The Handmaids have no rights of their own and our forced to wear red to further themselves from society. The Handmaids are not liked among the society in Gilead, which is shown through the use of language such as, "scowls at us", "turn aside", and "spits on the sidewalk". (Atwood, 44). There lies a stereotype about Handmaids that makes it easy for any person to treat them in this way. Similarly, in the image above, there are stereotypes about the homeless and beggars. The picture displays this segregation by showing a woman vulnerable and alone on the side of the road; no one to help or to assist her. Society looks down on this group and just like the Handmaids of Gilead and turns these groups into the "others".