Blog Post 7: Netflix

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Blog Post 6: Macbeth's Fall from Grace

Do you believe events in your life have been guided by fate or chance? Why or why not? Based on the text, what do you think Shakespeare's attitude was towards fate? Does Macbeth have any choice in his actions or was everything predetermined? Use examples from the text as your support.

This is such an interesting question that I have actually thought about before.  In my own life, I always like to believe that I make my own decisions and that fate doesn't truly control my life; however, I feel like fate is more of a guideline to people's lives.  Fate has the connotation that there is a higher being, such as God, who is controlling everything that happens because he has a plan for all of us.  Being Agnostic, I tend to lean away from this connotation and focus more of making my own pathway.  My decisions make me who I am, not someone else's choices.  
Based on the text, I think that Shakespeare's attitude towards fate shows a lot about what he believes.  I believe that Shakespeare makes a higher being control Macbeth's fate because after all of his evil actions, Macbeth shows signs of guilt.  "Thou canst not say I did it.  Never shake Thy gory locks at me" shows the intense guilt that Macbeth feels, as if he wasn't the one who actually did  the evil deed of killing his dear friend, Banquo (Macbeth, 3.4)  Macbeth almost seems like some sort of Holy Puppet that is controlled by something other than himself.  Starting around Scene 3 is when the audience can really see a change in Macbeth's character as he changes from being so content with his life, to going power crazy, to finally getting that guilt that has caught up to him.  
In the end, I think our decisions, for many, justify the idea that there is a god who is looking out for us.  The rest of us hope that we are making our own paths that won't come to bite us in the butt later.

Blog Post 5: Art Exhibit

In the 2011 work titled Topologies of Belief by Jose Davila, the audience is immediately drawn in.  Davila, who was born in Mexico in 1974, shows an intense absence in his work.  But what does it mean? 
For me personally, I had absolutely no idea what this series of photographs could be portraying, but I was drawn to this picture in particular.  I can see the outline of an architectural structure and what looks to be a man on top of it, but other than what is on the surface, the internal message wasn't present.  After walking around and seeing the other exhibits, it finally hit me. 
What I took this as, which can differ from the many other outlooks and perspectives, is that mankind makes too much of a big deal about architecture and material goods that we can make.  This almost has a stereotypical hippie feeling of "The best things in life are free and we shouldn't focus on the materialistic goods that can be manufactured."  What kills me is that this is actually true most of the time. 
In looking at only is at the surface, I think that the use of black and white portrays more emotion than that of color would.  The whites are lighter where they need to be, and the blacks are dark where they are appropriately needed. 
What I didn't notice until drawing the sketch, which was done very poorly I might add, was that the rock formations remind me of an almost rocky ocean terrain, in which the building happens to look smooth and wave-like.  I really focused more on the missing architecture than what was surrounding it, and after drawing the picture, I noticed that there were clouds and jagged terrain.

I think the work of Davila portrayed a photo that can be looked at differently by each viewer.  There is no right or wrong answer to what the series is about, and can be interpreted in any way.  That's the beauty of it, but also what can be difficult to analyze.  I think Davila's absence of structure showed how much we value the material goods throughout our life, when they will only be around for a limited amount of time.

Blog Post 4: 7 Deadly Sins

http://www.ching-lee.com/blog/?p=350

This advertisement for Advanti Racing Company, published in 2013, shows a woman of high stature leaning against an apparently expensive car.  Right at the beginning, one can notice the physicality of the advertisement, and see that the woman is wearing a lovely and simple black dress.  She looks to be wearing heeled shoes, and a fancy diamond  bracelet on her right arm.   Moving on to the car, the wheel is placed in the middle of the ad to show the importance of how luxurious the car is; this can also be seen by how the wheel seems to be glowing.    The whole advertisement has a sepia effect and the haze of the filter makes the wheel stand out even more.
By looking at the bigger picture, the onlooker can see that the ad is aimed at those who have a much higher income and are part of the high society.  By crossing her arms, this woman looks high up in society and with an attitude.  She knows she is rich, and wouldn't settle for anything less.  By this woman of strong power leaning against such a car, one can imply that the car is very expensive.   The woman is actually very irrelevant, but the ad would be nothing without her.  She brings a presence and off-sets the balance of the imagery used.  The ad is words written "Truly desirable" in cursive also show the intended audience, speaking that cursive tends to be a higher form of writing.  The mentioning of the different typed of wheels one can buy also hint at the audience.  By using words such as "excursion," "crossfire," and "Zeus," the reader can see that the words are for anyone who likes a thrill, as well as empowering.
This advertisement, as well as many others, is to persuade the audience to buy the car, yet doesn't provide a name for the car.  This implies that the intended audience already knows about such a car, and know that they would need to buy it.  This does, however, also happen to break the typical stereotypes.  Normally men are the ones who love cars and muscle power, yet this ad chose to put a female on top of the car.  By making this decision, the audience is widened.  This can be intended for men, who believe that if they get this car, women will come too.  For women, if they get this car, they will come into power and be on top of the world.
This advertisement speaks about some sins as well.  There is Pride, Avarice, and a bit of implied Lust in this ad.  There is Pride due to the fact that the woman is almost showing off what she has accomplished.  The Avarice shown is through the intended audience, and how the woman seems to be living an expensive lifestyle.  Last, there is a bit of implied Lust due to the fact that the male audience may seem to have Lust for this woman and her social standing as well.

Blog Post 3: Canterbury Tales & Jane Eyre

Question 5:

Reread the following passages and complete the task that follows:

“And, ma’am,” he continued, “the laundress tells me some of the girls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the rules limit them to one.”

“Julia Severn, ma’am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair? Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, does she conform to the world so openly—here in an evangelical, charitable establishment—as to wear her hair one mass of curls?”

“Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl’s hair must be cut off entirely; I will send a barber to-morrow.”

“(T)hree other visitors, ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this graceful head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled; the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.”

Analyze the author’s use of irony in describing Mr. Brocklehurst’s family in the second passage. How does the author contrast this description with Mr. Brocklehurst’s lecture to Miss Temple to provide social commentary on perceptions of class during this time?

 

Charlotte Bronte and Geoffrey Chaucer both share an amazing talent of characterization.  They both are able to create such descriptive characters while also letting their characters reflect on who they are and what they believe. 

Chaucer, who used the stories told in his work, The Canterbury Tales, allowed the reader to focus on social classes and values in society by just looking at a short story.  It's rather remarkable isn't it?  Bronte, who only needed 46 lines from her work, Jane Eyre, allowed the reader to see how ironic and satirical the society's values were. 

In Bronte's work, she begins the narrative by providing a little background information for the reader to truly grasp what was going on in this unfamiliar time period.  After this apparently "evil" man comes into what seems like the students' classroom, the tension rises between Mr. Brocklehurst and Jane.  The author is inclined to feel anxious for this little girl, as she is destined to get all of her hair cut off, which happens to be any girl's nightmare no matter what time period you are from.  As soon as the author accepts that this little girl must have her curls cut off for being too curly, Mr. Brocklehurst's family comes in, of course, with curly hair and divine clothing.  At this point, the reader has a new disgust for the Mr. Brocklehurst for being completely corrupt and hypocritical about something so simple as curly hair.  Mr. Brocklehurst is obviously a man with a mission, seeing that the young girls cannot use more than one tucker in a week, must look uniform, and mustn't eat more than enough to barely survive. 

By including the irony in her work, Bronte really showed how the social classes were very important.  Jane seemed to be of little social class, therefore, she was denied the luxury of being an individual.  Since Mr. Brocklehurst and his family were of apparent wealth or at least of comfortable luxury, they were able to stand out and were able to have the ironic curls when nobody else could.  This in-your-face kind of entrance the Bronte included truly got her point across about how society was corrupt and hypocritical. 

At the end, both Bronte and Chaucer used their stories to tell the reader indirectly what was truly going on, and more importantly, how they felt about it and how they wanted the reader to feel.

Blog Post 2: What's in a name?

What's in a name?

Names happen to mean everything to me, but that doesn't mean it is true for everyone else.  My name, especially my last name, shows where I come from and what group I can be labeled in.   I claim my name, and accept that it will always apart of me, so why would I try to change it?  In Croatia, and a lot of European countries, traditionally, middle names are rare.  When I get married, I will take my last name as my middle name and that way it will always be a prominent part in my name.  I come from Croatia, and my name is Czech, so it may contain an upside down carrot-like accent top that people don't know about, called a "caron". My last name is Čermin, and the accent above the C is very important in Czech, Serbian, and Croatian.

Americans tend to shorten words to make it easier for themselves, as we see with "refrigerator" moving to just "fridge."  We also can see how words can be pronounced drastically differently, such as how "colonel" is actually pronounced "ker-nel".  My father, upon immigrating to America from Croatia, decided to change the pronunciation from Čermin (Ch-ar-min) to Cermin (Ser-min), so Americans could pronounce it better. That little change takes away the whole purpose of the accent on top of the C, but I'll survive because it is small in the grand scheme of fitting into American societies.  Not many people in the western side of the world even know what that little caron on top of the C would mean, so it makes life a little easier since Americans can actually pronounce my name right (though, ironically, they still have a trouble in just pronouncing Cermin). 

Anna Quindlen's quote is an absolutely amazing idea on how we can be two things at once, and I agree with her thought completely.  By everyone having last names in the world, except technically not for the royal family (Prince William, Princess Diana, etc), everyone is claimed by a group or family forever. They can tie themselves to a person in history, or a certain important lineage. A last name is a window into the past, a secret only a certain sector knows.  However, everyone is so focused on being independent and being their own individual with their own freedoms at the same time.  How can one be two things at once and be socially accepted?  I believe in a balance of opposites in life and that everyone should be independent but always be able to fall back to their families or even their culture.  In the end, everyone should accept who they are, and incorporate that into their future.  If they aren't proud of their family or culture, they should replace that bad connotation with their name and turn it into something that they can be proud of.  Everything is about the balance of opposites in the grand scheme of things.

Blost Post 1: From the Archive

 

The photograph Uptown Parade, taken in Lake Street, USA (1997-2000), is a part of the album titled From the Archive.  Immediately the audience is drawn to the focal point of Wing Young Huie's  photograph, which happens to show a man of Asian descent, surrounded by men of apparent American descent.  The reader's eye moves directly towards the center of the picture, and shows that the Asian mad is standing in a line looking very confident about himself and perhaps of his origin.  He looks like he is doing his best to fit in with the society that he may not have been a part of from the beginning, and the picture shows an aspect of art being that he put the smallest man directly in the middle. 
In looking into a deep analysis of the colorless photograph, the audience can notice the differences between races and ethnicities.  In choosing the black and white filter for the picture itself, it shows how Huie may have wanted to get the race point across to his viewers.  The Asian man represents everyone that could be struggling to be accepted in this difficult society.  This can connect to Atwood's book, The Handmaid's Tale, because the main character, Offred, allows the readers to follow along in her horrific, senseless journey of trying to do her best to fit in a society where she may not be wanted completely.  The whole book is written with a hazy layer that is placed on top of a black and white story, where Offred trudges along being passed around in her society.  Throughout the book, there are numerous chapters that steer away from the main story and talk about how Offred wills herself to be strong and to go on the society for the future generations.  In the photograph by Huie, the Asian man stands tall for his future generations, just as Offred must stand tall for the hopeful future generations to come as well.