Lady Macbeth's Spotify playlist

Lady Macbeth's Moods playlist 

For her first song: Do it like a Dude by Jessie J

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          This  song is all about girl power, specifically that women have the same power if not more than men. The song is all about how powerful she is and that everyone should be careful around her. Lady Macbeth would love this song to start her day and to get ready. It hypes her up and reinforces that she is boss. She knows that has to be secretive about everything she wants to do, but this song speaks to her inner badass and tells her what she is doing is the right choice. 

Her second song: Castle by Halsey

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This song which is about trying to take control of a castle and become the queen. Halsey is speaking directly to Lady Macbeth's soul and deepest desires about doing whatever is necessary to take that crown and the final step to get it. This song speaks to her and will help encourage her go ahead and plan for King Duncan's death. Lady Macbeth would love this song for the reason that it resembles a lot of her thoughts and her Id, but since she can't voice them she thinks everything over through this song.

Her third song: Wicked Ones by Dorothy

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        This song is a song that really talks down on all the soft and kind in the world. Here they call it out and point out how it is going to be their downfall. This is Lady Macbeth's song right before she and Macbeth kill Duncan. She is sealing her home as a living hell. She also is not hiding from that fact. She is fulling acknowledging that she makes deals with unholy deals in the night. She loves this song because she is not a holy person and is at peace with what she is going to do.

Her fourth song: Everybody wants to Rule the World by Lorde

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         This song is about ambition and that even though you have power and a title you're never safe. Everyone's eyes are always on you, and you must always appear to be perfect. Ever since Lady Macbeth became queen she had to become the secret keeper for the castle and the one that always looked perfect. She knew what happened to King Duncan and Banquo but never said anything. She  had to keep up her appearance and that meant shutting her eyes and enduring. Also when her husband has his freak outs she has to still perfect. That is why she loves this song because is speaks to what is going through without her saying it.

Her fifth song: Stronger by the Score

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        This song is about how the person in it can't be stopped. They use pronouns that allow anyone to be able to be apart of the song. So the person is portrayed as unstoppable. Even if you try to kill them they will just come back. Lady Macbeth really loves this song because she had all the odds stacked against her in life, but she has her ambition and that is powerful that should have everyone afraid of her. She is so powerful and knows just how to get what she wants that this song is a must have for Lady M.

For her sixth song: Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde

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         This song is about how power has corrupted others and that even though the people thought they wanted  power it was not what they expected. It talks about how people have changed and how the power they gained have taken their  personalities in a different direction. For Lady Macbeth she loves the song because she is able to process her thoughts in a less violent way. She can sit and think about all she has become. This song is the one that goes along with how she wants to appear to everyone. This song vibes with how she feels after she became unsexed.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton To what extent would Shakespeare agree with this statement?

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               Shakespeare would agree with the statement,"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely "  - Lord Acton very much.  People like power and that is a fact for most. Power means you have control of what is going on around you. During the time of Shakespeare the people with the most power were the King and his family. Today that idea of power and control can be applied to big companies like Disney, Apple, Amazon, etc. In Shakespeare's time the King and Royals were also the ones who had the most enemies. People like power and it corrupts them. Once they have power they just want more power. Typically the powerful don't have a certain power goal. They just keep wanting more until they are absolutely corrupt. 

             James I was King only because he was the closest living heir to Elizabeth I. He was a Catholic and believed that there were many treasonous plots on his life. This view lead him to stray from burning one or two alleged witches to thinking that the English people were against him. He could no longer trust anyone. This is portrayed in Macbeth unwillingly killing Duncan. He did not want to kill Duncan because he fought in the war with him. Macbeth feels really guilty and does like the option but by Act 3, he is plotting to kill his BFF Banquo. At that point we see the absolute corruption of Macbeth. 

                 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have now completely swapped personalities. Macbeth has let power and the fear of being overthrown take over his life. This replicates the mindset of King James I.  Macbeth was terrified that someone was going to take power from him, even though the the witches showed him apparitions that said he had nothing to fear. Therefore he fears nothing until he hears of Macduff fleeing to England. At this point Macbeth has been corrupted absolutely by absolute corruption.

             Throughout life I have seen many companies rise in power and in many ways act like Macbeth when they have power. One is Disney. They own so many characters and have a successful theme park. Though as time went on they bought more and more. They started to buy other studios and companies, and even some tv stations. They were never happy with what they had so they kept expanding. The business in the past used to be corrupt in the accusations about their treatment towards their workers and how they ran their monopoly. Though in the present Disney is closer to the side of absolute corruption instead of just corruption.
       

            Shakespeare wanted to criticize James I's rule and show through Macbeth the steps of becoming a corrupt king. James I did not jump straight to absolute corruption but went first to just being corrupt. He and Macbeth had to have experiences and in a way work to become absolutely corrupt. Shakespeare lays out the path to absolute corruption through his portrayal of Macbeth.

Divan Japonais

I'm sorry, I tried. 

               Henri de Toulouse was born in France in 1864. Right before he was born the country and Europe itself went through a monumental change. Napoleon, the King of France, was defeated in 1848 and France moved away from a monarchy and towards a republic. Up until the fall of Napoleon France was experiencing its Second Empire.  He was born when France had become a rough Republic. This atmosphere lead to a lot of art being created to allow people to just appreciate art. That is what Henri ended up doing with this piece. 

           The piece is Divan Japonais  by Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec.  The exact date this piece was made is unknown. The years that it could have been made are 1892 or 1893. The medium or materials used in this painting are Lithograph printed in four colors, and woven paper.  The painting is medium in size. It is not done on a small canvas nor on one where you need a ladder to finish all parts of it. The exact measurements of this painting are 31 - 13/16 x 23 - 15/16 in.

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          The painting was made in France and was to help promote a club. Henri loved the club/bar Divan Japonais. With all the turmoil France just came out of  and that they were still dealing with he wanted to help promote something that everyone would love and could enjoy. The was not just for the rich or the poor it could be used by all. The picture is meant to represent a new time where people are not so separate. Behind the woman a man is holding onto her chair to represent that they are connected. The painting is also more abstract which I find extremely interestingly.

              It is abstract to the extent that the shapes are not distinctly defined but they can be noticed. We know that there is a woman and a man. However, the bar knobs look like hands and that they have an opinion of  their own. They can be noticed but you have to take a second look to really see.

             The colors that Henri uses are extremely neutral. He uses beige's, yellows, whites, and tans, to make the people stand out. The woman is in a completely black outfit with red hair which makes the man fade into the background. She is highlighted as the focal point, and shown that she is new to the scene and may not typically come to bars. But now that she is here, she out shadows everyone there. In conclusion I believe that the painting is meant to represent a new era in France that everyone can now be apart of.

       

     

Blog #4

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                 In chapters 11-12  the elevated diction and elaborate syntax contrasts with the narrator feeling of lost and in need of comforting. The language is advanced to show that the narrator is struggling with things that they may not fully understand. They know the basics of what is going on but do not fully grasp the severity of the situation. The narrator may also be young, and the issue is one that adults have to deal with. 

                       

                  The central idea is that people need to be able to rely on others for help and that you should not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We see this presented when the neighbor is offering help to Helen and offering her advice. She is telling her to be truthful and that if she is she might be able to help her. It is also presenting the idea of being truthful. The way that she discusses buildings and their entrances and exists shows that sees him as little more than a means to an end. It is like each door has one purpose and should only be used for that one purpose.

  

              The author decided to personify him as a person who was a polar opposite of Miss Temple. The readers are supposed to root for Miss Temple. By making him the opposite they are making the people dislike him. Here Miss Temple is seen as a silly girl and that she should listen more, and the man should be the one people listen to and the one that everyone likes not the other way around. 

Advertisement: Jimmy Choo Man

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             This men's fragrance advertisement by Giorgio Armani is a clear example of lust. This is one Armani's only fragrance the company has made. It is typically known for fashion. The company's fashion is critically acclaimed and very Italian, which the Italians are extremely proud. Armani is the most successful fashion designer to come out of Italy. Most of his advertisements had noticeable influence from Italy

             The man in the add has a women on his shoulder and, all you can see are her legs. This display of strength is to show his masculinity. He wants to come off as a tough guy who still needs to wear a fragrance. It displays lust by the way the actors are posed. The man can be clearly seen and is fully dressed. The man is dressed in a way to appeal to women and again to show off his masculinity.  With the woman wearing a short dress and heels, which are probably high-end Jimmy Choo brand, it shows how women were typically thought to have to dress up for a guy.


             The pose of the woman on his shoulders symbolizes her trusting him. She is not falling because of him. He is supporting her. It also shows lust by highlighting the deep cut of her dress and the exposed legs which makes it scandalous. Their position also suggests that their relationship is intimate. This intimate relationship suggests that the men's fragrance works in the ways most men would use it, to get women.


             Most of  Armani's ads will include some sort of variation of this because of their target audience. Most perfume, cologne, or other fragrance advertisements will include the sin of lust. This intends to make the buyer more interested in the product and then want to buy more of it in the future. The use of having two people shown in a intimate relationship or position is an advertising method. The method is to visually show the product works. The audience and anyone else who is seeing it will become jealous of the people in the ad. At least that is what the company hopes for, because that envy people are feeling will lead them to buy the product. Consumers will buy the fragrance in hopes to be like the people they see in the commercials.


           Though envy is not directly shown in the add that is a feeling the makers of the add and the fragrance want people to feel. It is not a  sin that can be pointed to in the add and told "that's where there is envy is", but is a feeling that some get when seeing. It has become an indirect cause to the audience.


As far as the audience is concerned the main target audience is general. They are a more expensive brand and more upper middle class and upper class might buy it but everyone knows of the brand. The brand is well known and their adds are spread all over the malls, and buildings windows'. They want to be known by everyone. It is well known in first world countries but they still want to advertise to everyone to get their name out.


If you want to check out his fashion more in depth go here

Hi my name is ...

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     Hi, my name is Sarah. Across all languages, my name has a positive meaning. In Hebrew it means Princess. Though it can also mean bringer of light of happiness. Either one is a good translation. The name is a religious one. It comes from the Bible for the Jews and Christians and can roughly be traced to the Quran. In both cases, I'm okay with it. My dad is of Syrian and Lebanese heritage and my mom is European American. I am glad my name can be traced to both sides.

    Another interesting about the name Sarah is that it has a nickname, Sally. The odd thing for me is that both are the same amount of letters. It's not like you are actually shortening the name. For instance, Isabella could be Bell, Bella, or Isa. There is no reason to shorten a five-letter name to another five-letter name. The name itself doesn't define me. The name makes up a large part of who I am but It is my personality that truly makes me me. I could have a different name and the same experiences and still be the same person. Though I think that a name does largely impact how you see yourself and how others see you.

         Names are just one part of you. You are also the relationships within your family. I have to think hard about when I have been two aspects of myself. The first thing that comes to mind is my relationship with my brother. We are five years apart with me being the older sibling. A lot of times I forget he is a lot young and tries to give him life lessons that do not always pertain to Middle School. I then have to remember to meet him where he is and be there to listen when he needs to talk. And things have changed so much since I was in Middle School. Things were easier for me. What they're doing academically in 7th grade is what I did Freshman year. I have to remind myself that he is his own person and that he has to be able to figure things out on his own no matter how much I want to do it for him.

If you want to learn about the origin of your name go here

The Man Carrying the Cross

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 This photography piece is by Wing Young Huie. It is a visual representation of the phrase 'Everyone has a cross to bare'. The photo does not have a location specified. Huie did not tell the audience where he took the photo. But he did take the photo in 2018 and published it to his website.
       
         When you first look at the photograph you see a man holding a cross and walking. He seems to be in a rural setting based on the lack of houses and buildings. The photo is also blurry which was done intentionally by Huie. The photo is not focusing on any one person or setting.

         When looking at the photo more in depth there is a religious meaning behind the man. The Bible calls for everyone to pick up his/her cross and carry it. That is the one way into Heaven. The cross for Christians symbolizes the sins in peoples' lives, and carrying it shows we acknowledge and remember how people in the past literally carried the crosses they would die on. This photo shows how all people will have a cross to bare no matter what type of person you are such as gender, social status, etc.

        In both the photograph and 'The Handmaids Tale' there is a concept of "othering." Having the man carry a large cross shows he has many sins which singles him out of the group. The photo also has only one person in the frame and that is to further separate him from the group. In 'The Handmaids Tale' Offred is made an other by her outfit.What she wears creates a barrier between her and the other women in Gilead. In Huie's photo it shows a barrier that is typically unseen. Carrying a cross is usually an inward journey. In 'The Handmaids Tale' all the barriers between the women can be physically seen. Unlike the photo the barriers in Gilead will always be out in the open and cannot be hidden. Though similarly both barriers are religious. 

     For more information about Huie's artwork go here.


     

Comparisons of the Two Covers

 The book 1984 is a book that talks about the growing issue of communism in Europe. The book is set in London with a government who strives to ensure uniformity among the people and will go to any measure to ensure that uniformity. The two covers pictured on each side represent two different meanings of the book.

           The one key difference is the font of 1984 and George Orwell. The cover on the left is more sloppily written than the cover on the right. The one on the right is much more standard. The one on the left is significant because it may signify crimethink and other people Big Brother wants to keep quiet and who have spoken up against the government like Emmanuel Goldstein. The one on the right is more in the style of Big Brother. The 1984 and the George Orwell are all standard font as if the cover was created by one person in one place then mass produced. The cover is sticking with the government’s ideal of uniformity and no individualism.

        Another key difference is what is on each of the covers. The left cover is an eye made up of people and in the center a person by himself. The right cover has everyone dressed in the party uniform. By having everyone dressed in the party uniform it shows that no one is going against Big Brother or are in any way different. The uniformity gives two impressions. Either the people are being brainwashed and forced to be the same or it is a place where everything and everyone is happy and good. But when compared to the one on the left which has everyone in blue form a circle around a person dressed red, the blue people end up making the shape of an eye like they are watching the man who is sticking out. 

           The government does not approve of people sticking out or being individuals in any way, so that eye of people represents how everyone is spying on each other to possibly turn them into the Thought Police. Everyone in Oceania is watched and is watching everyone, so the eye symbolizes the norm people go through on a daily basis. Colors are extremely important because each color is automatically associated with a different emotion or feeling.  The color of the eye is also important. Blue is often associated with negative emotions, mostly sadness. By having everyone who is looking at the man colored as blue this could symbolize that they dislike watching. They do not want to  continually watch people and have people watch them. Having the one man in the center colored  red could signify that even though he is cast out of the party he has more freedom and is much more happy. This is because red is associated with positive emotions and in this case that emotion would be happiness.

            The last key difference between the two covers are the meanings. The meaning of the one on the right is individualism and is promoting the possibility of a rebellion against Big Brother. The nonstandard font is used to show that there is hope and people can be different. The other cover wants to get across that everyone has to be the same. That is what Big Brother wants to accomplish and what was happening in the world with the spread of communist countries. That cover gave the more realistic approach while the other one gives hope for the people and hope for democracy. 

If you would like to learn more about the book go to this link

   

Childhood poverty

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\             We pass them everyday. Holding the signs asking for help whether that be in monetary form or giving them supplies. Children are the most helpless out of all of us. Yet we leave them to face poverty.  Don't worry there is a simple solution to fix this problem.
   
The solution is simply to place all the children with families. In the United States the are 15 million children and 21% improvised with their family's incomes below the below the federal poverty threshold. The children without stable families will just be dropped off with stable families at random. There are plenty of couples and families who have no children and have money, so children living in poverty will have to join new families. This would solve the solution of orphans who are usually impoverished so there would be no need for organizations like the charity Kristin Chenoweth started. 
     
   That is the solution if the children have no family. If the children have a family we can just give them free meals for the rest of their lives. I mean if they can'y pay for the food why should they. The families need not have to pay if they have no money. Just image the skeleton of the children of begging for the food on the side of the street. If we give this meal deal to the children they won't be just skin and bones. 

     According to experts who have been consulted that best way to solve this issue is to do either of these solutions. The solutions I have presented are widely accepted and used. If you don't enact them you are part of the minority and are hurting the children. 

Dear Evan Hansen

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Theatre in the past was used to spread messages, start conversations, and bring up topics that people may have been uncomfortable with. Broadway has turned away from that and turned to light-hearted and fun stories. The theatre is a place to escape reality. Now Broadway is turning back to telling stories that may be uncomfortable to hear but need to be heard. The show Dear Evan Hansen takes extremely delicate and serious topics and forces the audience to think and talk about them.

The show is about teen suicide and alienation in high school. The show is not shy about tiptoeing around topics that may upset the audience. It tells the story of a family of boy who committed suicide and how they all react and cope differently. Then it shows how his classmates, who had never seen as anything other than a freak, suddenly remember him and talk about how they knew him. Evan meet Connor Murphy, the boy who died, at school where they were both outcasts. Connor, during their short interaction, signed Evan’s arm cast and said “that way they can both pretend to have a friend."

Dear Evan Hansen uses social media and the internet to show how information can spread like wildfire and there is little people can do to know of it is true or not. Evan Hansen has extremely low self esteem, and major social anxiety. He has no friends, and people always seem to look through him and never at him. His mother is also never home due to working many nursing shifts and then going to classes to get a type of law degree.

The second time Connor and Evan meet at the school computer lab. Connor takes a letter that Evan wrote to himself signed “sincerely me” to help with his self esteem as prescribed by his therapist. In the letter there were some things about Connor’s sister, Zoe. Connor’s family  finds the letter in his pocket after he is found dead. This leads Evan to lying to Caleb’s family and the world about being his best friend just so he and Connor’s memory will not go back to being ignored. He knows what it is like to be ignored and works to make sure that no one feels that way again. Evan enlists the whole school to spreads that message via social media, and the internet

  Most people know how serious teen suicide and alienation is but do not talk about these topics. Dear Evan Hansen makes these topics public knowledge, which I believe is an important step. This opens the door for conversations about teen suicide, anxiety and alienation as well as enforcing the precedent that Broadway can make shows that are not just lighthearted, but about serious topics.  

Using theatre to open the conversation about real-life, difficult topics is one way art impacts our lives in positive ways. Whether you agree or not with the situations, shows like Dear Evan Hansen shines a light on societal issues.

For more information about how this book, turned Broadway show, now turning movie go here

Groupon Commercial 2019

Actress Tiffany Haddish

            Superbowl Ads are as much an American past time as football itself. The newest, funniest and most effective ads are talked about for weeks before and after their Superbowl debut. This year's group of Superbowl Ads included a series of ads with a fresh take on the usual formula.

The Groupon Commercial is one of the shorter commercials that was on during the Super Bowl. The commercial length, though short, had many aspects that made you remember it. One of those is using a memorable spokesperson --actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish, who appears in every one of the commercials.

The producers and directors were trying to make people remember the commercial by using comedy. Like the part when the football player kicked the football at the rich man in the mansion or the way Tiffany talks about what is going on in the commercial.

By using a well known actress the audience who knows her will be more likely to watch more ads. But the celebrity endorsement is different than how you normally see it. Usually it's a celebrity just saying I love this, or this is amazing because..., but in the Groupon commercial Haddish is just walking down the street, and she is retelling to the audience what has happened. Then she says tells us why she uses the product.

There is also the incorporation of her being a plain or just a normal person. Even though she has some fame from acting on television shows and being a comedian, Haddish is walking down an ordinary street just talking. It seems like something anyone would do. The Groupon commercial exaggerates the other situations. The rich, white man, who lives in a mansion, was a clear stereotype. He wants the best of the best and so he would never use Groupon. But the commercial shows that it is for everyone and that everyone needs Groupon.

Tiffany Haddish is a famous comedian, and the commercial uses that strength to get the audience to remember her and her remarks. Her asking, “Who doesn’t like supporting local businesses,” is a rhetorical question. She is hoping and expecting after her talk that people will care about local businesses. Again the older white man is a stereotype and makes fun of how corporate business owners think or how any CEO of a company thinks.  The commercial is trying to change the mind of people of all ages but is more geared towards the older generation because their way of thinking tends to be more old fashioned.


If you want to watch some of what Tiffany Haddish has done in her career go this wbsite