Netflix Queue for Macbeth

Here is a compilation of TV shows and movies that Macbeth would thoroughly enjoy and find meaningful to his own life!


1. The West Wing


The West Wing is a political drama surrounding the fictional president Josiah Bartlet and his entire administrative team and advisers. It is centered around controversy, everyday life working in the White House, and the political climate of the United States. It is quite hilarious but it also discusses important topics and situations in politics. It is quite unique as it explores the personal lives of the people running the entire nation too, bringing a different dimension to the show. Macbeth would absolutely love this TV series because most of the people in the show are individuals with so many different goals and aspirations. Macbeth could really relate to the ambition and drive of these people, despite the fact that the context of Macbeth is wildly different than early 2000s in the United States. The White House administration had all worked tirelessly to obtain their positions of power, just like Macbeth had really worked to become King, whether this was by ethical means aside. Nevertheless, Macbeth could also really relate to the struggles of running a nation, as The West Wing really delves into the daily decisions that the White House has to make that have a huge impact on the entire nation. This show would be highly recommended by Macbeth because he can relate to it in so many different ways. (P.S. This is the best show ever! It'll make you 1000 times smarter too. If you don't trust me, check out this person's blog for 10 more reasons you should watch The West Wing!)

2. King Kong (1976 version)


This movie is about a crew of explorers, looking for petroleum, that reach a deserted island. There, they meet some natives, the chief of which wants to marry the one woman in the group of explorers. When she refused, she was kidnapped and offered to the giant gorilla as a sacrifice. The monster is surprisingly kind and listens to the woman talk and dance. After the woman is rescued, the crew decides to bring Kong back to New York City to make money, as the oil wasn't high quality. When tons of reporters rush at the woman to ask her about Kong, he believes that she is being hurt and breaks free, causing widespread panic. Macbeth would absolutely recommend this movie for so many different reasons. First of all, he could really connect to the crew's desire for money and power. Macbeth was also quite greedy in this way, willing to commit all deeds to become King. Macbeth could also really relate to the gorilla. Kong was seen as a monster and killer, someone to fear, but was really sweet-hearted. In New York City, he just wanted to protect his friend and was looked on as a vicious and cruel monster. Macbeth could relate to this because Lady Macbeth had really urged him to commit murder. Although he did want power, it was not his idea or intent to murder many people and their families. Macbeth would highly recommend this movie because it might show people how he wasn't a villain after all!


3. Psych


This TV show is a comedic detective show about the Santa Barbara Police Department. The protagonist is a self proclaimed psychic that uses his talents to solve crimes for the police department. These crimes range from robbery to murder and everything in between. He actually just has a photographic memory and is extremely vigilant, but very few people actually know the truth, including his own girlfriend (this doesn't go over too well when she does find out). This show details a new crime each episode, and also explores the personal lives of each of the characters. A huge theme in the show is making fun of the protagonist's masculinity for comedic affect. Macbeth would sympathize with the main character because Lady Macbeth is constantly making fun of Macbeth's own masculinity. Therefore, Macbeth would find the plot of the show very intriguing to see someone with a common trait, that is often made fun of, and how another person copes with this. He also might get some great ideas of ways to get away with murder and some common downfalls to avoid. He would highly recommend this movie because he could find some interesting things that he could apply to his own life.

4. Criminal Minds

This show is about an FBI unit that takes on some of the most difficult and psychotic cases of the cruelest cases of murder, abductions, arson, and more. They solve the cases by creating profiles for the criminals, doing in depth research to find possible suspects, matching their suspects to the profile, and then finding the criminal. It can often be very intense or scary, especially when the agents' lives are put in danger. Macbeth would find this show so intriguing because it really shows how the minds of criminals function, not always painting them in an evil light when there are extreme outside influences or the person is mentally challenged. Although the show always depicts the deed of murder, or whatever the case is, as gruesome and evil, the individuals are not always the representation of evil (although sometimes they are). Macbeth could really relate to this because just because he sees himself as a good person that has committed immoral actions. Lady Macbeth really coerced him to commit foul deeds and while his actions were terrible, he doesn't see himself as evil. This is really important in analyzing the development of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because it gives reason to the shift where Macbeth starts to control the marriage, rather than it being a partnership. This reveals about Macbeth that he feels misunderstood, and later isolated after the death of his wife.


5. Would You Rather

Would You Rather is a horror movie about seven people desperate for money that go to a mansion to play a game of would you rather. They are given a chance to leave, but after the game starts, it must be finished and they are locked inside. Once the game starts, it takes a sadistic turn where they ended up having to choose who to inflict pain upon, and ultimately who you would rather kill. In the end, the protagonist ends up winning by killing a man that had saved her life, all to get the money for her dying son. When she gets back after being gone all night, he had committed suicide. Macbeth would really like this movie because it shows all different types of people going to far extents to reach money and wealth for various reasons. Macbeth could relate to wanting to have power and wealth, as well as all of the ambition and intentions of the people too. Along with this, he could even relate to the game host because he plotted and executed murders just like Macbeth. There could be a sense of relating to each other, even though the game master was portrayed as much more evil than Macbeth. He could relate to wanting to do everything to make himself happy, being overly ambitious and murdering other people who get in their way. This reveals that Macbeth is easily persuaded to do what others want and can really relate to other people that want the same thing.

Work Cited:

Duhe, Remi. "10 Reasons Everyone Should Watch 'The West Wing.'" The Daily Free Now, 15 Nov. 1970, blog.dailyfreepress.com/2017/11/15/10-reasons-everyone-should-watch-the-west-wing/.

"King Kong (1976)" IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0074751/plotsummary.

The First Step Down the Primrose Path to the Everlasting Bonfire

Question 1: "Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step 'down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire' (Macbeth, 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)? Use examples from the text to support your opinion.

People who are not necessarily "evil" take the first steps into evil for a variety of reasons that I believe fall into two main categories: external reasons or internal reasons. External reasons include outside influences on how an individual acts while internal influences deal with the individual's mind and how it is impacted by certain ideals. Each one is equally important in leading people "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" where one evil or corrupt action can lead to more of these actions and the entire situation spiraling out of control (Macbeth 2.3). This quote means that everything seems to be going well as it is quite easy to commit a wrong action in the beginning, but as one continues they are really heading towards the corrupted by power and a place representing hell that they cannot return from. It is also foreshadowing for the awful events of murder that are to take place. The idea of not being able to turn back is represented in the text as Macbeth says, "I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er" (Macbeth 3.4.168-170). This metaphor of comparing standing in a river of blood to his own actions constructs the meaning that at this point, there is no turning around without the same consequences as continuing forward, and thus Macbeth is left with minimal options as to his next steps to continue down the path to hell.

Some of the common external reasons include social pressure to obtain wealth and power as well as the construct of authority and hierarchy of power. This is prevalent within Macbeth as there is a clear social hierarchy that correlates with the distribution of power. The context of the play, being set in 11th century Scotland, is a time and place where the feudal system dominated society to its core. At first, Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, already retaining a good amount of power especially compared to those beneath him. Because of his valiant, brave, and heroic actions in battle against the treacherous Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is given this title as well upon his defeat. This was one of the stipulations of the prophecy that the three witches of the play, the supernatural, gave Macbeth to detail his future very vaguely and ambiguously. Another one of the prophecies was dictated as the third witch said, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter" (Macbeth 1.3.53). This influence planted the ideas power, wealth, and authority in Macbeth's head and it was not surprising that soon thereafter, Macbeth let this vision control him. His first step down the primrose path was to kill King Duncan, in attempt to become the King and make the prophecy come true. This shows the influence of the supernatural, an external factor, that caused Macbeth to choose evil over righteousness.

One very important internal reason for taking the first steps towards evil is called cognitive dissonance which is the idea of the contradiction of beliefs and action. A Huffington Post article describes it as "when people who feel they are good do bad things, cognitive dissonance makes them ignore this behavior because they can't tolerate the inconsistency between their behavior and their beliefs" (Bradberry). This relates directly to Macbeth's indecisiveness and constantly switching back and forth between different beliefs. This is exemplified as he talks to Banquo and says, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me" (Macbeth 1.3.157-158). This means that Macbeth will let fate take care of what is to happen. However, the next scene Macbeth states in an aside that he must take fate into his own hands, completely contradictory to what he had previously told Banquo. He says, "That is a step/ On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,/ For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires" (Macbeth 1.4.55-58). This is a metaphor where the step Macbeth must jump over represents Malcolm, heir to the Scottish throne. It also uses rhyme to show the external force of the supernatural but the internal reason presents itself because this is the belief Macbeth eventually acts on, but not without doubt and holding the belief that murder is wrong. The contradiction of Macbeth's beliefs and actions led him to be inconsistent and therefore succumb to both the external pressure of the supernatural as well as commit actions that he might not have done were in not for indecision. Macbeth almost ignores his bad actions of murder as he still continues to hire murderers to kill Banquo and later Macduff's family, but clearly is suffering from guilt as he sees Banquo's ghost.

Another internal reason for taking the first steps down the primrose path is called the compensation effect which is the belief that good deeds balance bad ones. This is prevalent within Macbeth as Macbeth sees himself as a generally virtuous person, especially at the beginning when her receives the high honor from King Duncan after defeating the previous Thane of Cawdor. He is introduced to King Duncan as the text says, "But all's too weak;/ For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)" (Macbeth 1.2.17-18). This leads him to believe that committing one horrible action, the murder of King Duncan, as per the will of his wife and to his own benefit, would not make him an awful person in general. He believes, considering the idea of the compensation effect, that he has built "moral capital" so that since he had done these great deeds risking his life to protect Scotland, one bad action would not destroy his virtue (Bradberry). This is prevalent throughout the entire text as although his guilt is revealed through his hallucinations and doubt, he never expresses concerns for the virtue of his own character but rather just his actions. This shows how he is balancing the two and therefore justifying his own actions, such as the frequent lying to Banquo, killing King Duncan, and hiring murderers for other killings too.

Some of the internal consequences of choosing evil include the ever-prevalent guilt on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's conscience. This is seen by Lady Macbeth attempting to wash the blood off her hands in her sleep while confessing to all of her actions. She exclaims, "The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hand ne'er be clean?" (Macbeth 5.1.44-45). This rhetorical question alludes to the murder of Lady Macduff and Lady Macbeth and her husband's role in orchestrating it. This clearly weighs heavily on her conscience as she is sleep walking as a result of it, furthering the motif of sleep revealing evil. Another internal consequence of choosing evil is seen to be anger and the radicalization of behavior. This is shown through Macbeth as he screams at Banquo's ghost as he says, "Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee./ Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold" (Macbeth 3.4.112-113). This quote shows Macbeth's aggression and how he is truly on edge, appearing crazy in front of everyone at the dinner in his honor. Overall, the consequences of choosing evil mainly coincide with a guilty conscience and a change in behavior, in Macbeth's case with more assertiveness and hunger for power.

Work Cited:

Bradbury, Dr. Travis. "14 Psychological Forces That Make Good People Do Bad Things." The Huffington Post, HuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-travis-bradberry/14-psychological-forces-t_b_9752132.html.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2013.

Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb

Pictured above is the "Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket", a comb made of ivory. It was created around 1200-1210 and is actually quite small at 8.6 centimeters in length, 8.6 in height, and 1.2 in width. It was made in Canterbury, England, the place of the murder of Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. This had a great influence on shaping the scenes portrayed on both sides of the comb.

Here are my drawings of the two sides of the comb!

Thomas Becket, the son of a merchant, was born in London around 1120. He was very well educated and soon began working for Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. This connected him with Henry II, the two soon becoming friends. When Theobald died in 1161, Henry II replaced him with Becket. With his new position, Becket would stand for the church over the crown and soon went into exile in France because of the great conflict this posed. When he returned in 1170, four of the King's knights murdered Becket in the Canterbury Cathedral. In 1173, Becket became a saint and the pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral began in his honor. This context is vital to the images that are etched on the comb.

At first glance, the scenes in the middle of the comb are what is most notable. On the first side of the comb, scenes of Henry II telling Becket that he will be the archbishop of Canterbury are portrayed. The semicircle on the left shows the outside of a church while the semicircle on the right shows a boat. On the second side, the martyrdom of Thomas Becket it shown. The setting is the Canterbury Cathedral. The left semicircle shows an angel juxtaposed with the right semicircle showing a devil with a book.

Since the comb is made of ivory, the cream-colored base is consistent and does not detract from the scenes displayed. Instead, the lack of color draws the attention to the important scenes and circles on either side. But the organization of these scenes are most important to draw meaning from them. First, the boat and the church are significant because together they allude to Becket's murder in the Canterbury Cathedral. Furthermore, on the second side of the comb, the members of the church are standing on the left, next to the angel, while the knights are standing on the right, next to the devil. This creates the dichotomy of good versus evil with the idea that the Church represents all good and the knights and monarch represent evil.

On the second side of the comb, the four knights are standing together with their weapons drawn or ready to be drawn. They are all in armor. The clergymen on the opposite side are also together but are holding each other up in support. They are each wearing less strict clothing, with the folds of the cloth being etched in great detail. This creates the idea that each of the King's knights are standing next to each other but are actually isolated and individualized, each only acting in their own interest. This selfishness and greed is recognized by the devil looking over them. This is contrary to the clergymen who are working together as community for good, as represented by the angel looking them over. Their clothes are looser and able to move, rather than the knights who's armor only fits them.

On the first side of the comb, there are many swirls and flowers, while the second side has more straight lines. It also consists of mainly leaves rather than flowers. This is significant because it suggest how the first side, depicting the giving of power, showed a time of higher spirits and the growth of a new leader. On the other hand, the less decorative side of the comb suggests that something has intervened with the prosperity and growth. All of the plants stem from the middle of the comb with the scene of martyrdom, indicating that the King's knights had committed this treacherous act and had been the defining factor to disrupt the flowering growth of Becket. This reiterates the dichotomy between the King and his men being evil and the clergy being good.

This piece of art shows the religious values of the time. The context is very important because Thomas Becket was seen as a saint in the Catholic Church, a relatively new development. This shows how the Church at the time had sentiments that went against the monarchy because of their portrayal of the Church as good and the King's men as evil. Moreover, the purpose of the comb is to prepare the priest for Mass. Because of its religious purpose, it clearly favors the martyr rather than the monarch. This shapes the religious ideals of the time against the king and his establishment. This idea that art can convey societal values is still relevant today as art can reflect the thoughts of anyone at any time.

Works Cited:
"Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1988.279/.

"History - Thomas Becket" BBC, BBC, 2014, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/becket_thomas.shtml.

Marginalization In "Jane Eyre"

Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Explain how the author uses various literary devices (such as irony, characterization, and figurative language) to provide social commentary, OR how the character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.

Charlotte Brontë, the author of Jane Eyre, was an English author who published her novel under the pen name Currer Bell. The protagonist in this novel is a young girl named Jane, an orphan forced to attend the Lowood Institution, a girls school for orphans and the poor wherein the girls are mistreated and not taken care of adequately. The institution is under the control of a wealthy man named Mr. Brocklehurst. In this novel, the protagonist, Jane, is alienated by those in power to show the corruption of society and how the moral values of the time were easily manipulated by those in power.

First, the marginalization of Jane’s character is used to challenge the assumption that only those in power get to negate the rights of the lower classes. This idea is revealed through the intense use of irony throughout the text. For example, Mrs. Temple, one of the caretakers, is scrutinized for feeding the girls two extra lunches when their breakfast had been inedible. Mr. Brocklehurst exclaims that this would “accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence.” He even goes further to say that curled hair is “‘in defiance of every precept and principle of this house.’” He asks “‘does she conform to the world so openly — here in an evangelical, charitable establishment — as to wear her hair one mass of curls?’” Many of the girls are told that they are going to have all of their hair cut off, a necessity in conforming with the teachings of Christianity. Mr. Brocklehurst clearly seems to believe that proper amounts of food and the luxury of specific clothing and hairstyles goes against religious principles.

Yet, irony is presented when Mr. Brocklehurst’s wife and two daughters walk in wearing velvet, fur coats, silk, beaver hats, ostrich plumes, and other clothing of the new elegant fashion while also wearing a “false front of French curls.” Despite all of their extravagance, they had even spent their time searching the girl’s rooms to make sure they did not own any clothes too luxurious. The clear irony here shows the assumption that the upper class should have control over the rest of society, even what the lower class can own and wear. In this case, Jane and the other girls clearly do not even have the right to put their hair up a certain way. The acceptance of this denial of rights shows how this was assumed to be a common practice, but the irony of which criticizes the core of the assumption.

Second, the alienation of the character of Jane is used to highlight society’s assumption that those who are not Christian are sinful and immoral. This is most notably seen through Mr. Brocklehurst’s public shaming of Jane simply based on information given to him about her life before the institution and her clumsiness. He declares, “‘this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut — this girl is — a liar!’” Here, he is implying that Jane is deceitful, ungrateful, and is marginalized by being compared to a heathen that practices Hinduism. Even though this goes against the idea of both freedom of religion and freedom of speech, it was an accepted idea in society at the time because the wealthy members of the upper class were able to control what was seen as acceptable. Brontë argues that this should not be the case through the marginalization of Jane, a small child who had been treated extremely poorly her entire childhood after the loss of both of her parents. Pulling on the emotions of the audience to react to this traumatic public shaming of a small child, Brontë is able to critique the assumption that anything that isn’t Christian is immoral.

Third and finally, Charlotte Brontë argues that wealth is a source of corruption based on how she characterizes both the upper class and the lower class, although it is assumed that the wealthy are morally righteous. This is conveyed through the exclusion of Jane. In Mr. Brocklehurst’s speech denouncing Jane as a creature of God, he says, “‘You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example; if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse. Teachers, you must watch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinise her actions, punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible.’” It is ironic for an authority figure to preach the marginalization of a child since they are generally the ones that would preach inclusion. This promotes the idea that he is corrupt and harsh. Furthermore, Mr. Brocklehurst is characterized as a “black marble clergyman.” This paints him as very strict, rigid, and stubborn. Meanwhile, Mrs. Temple is characterized as kind and considerate as she “gently assisted [Jane] to his very feet.” This juxtaposition creates the idea that wealth has corrupted Mr. Brocklehurst and turned him into this cruel and stringent man, while the poor Mrs. Temple is still loving and sweet. This negates the assumption that the upper class is pious and morally virtuous, while painting the lower class in a much kinder light.

Overall, these assumptions reveal that the moral values of the time were not only dictated by Christianity but also the will of the upper class. There was a hierarchy of the distribution of power and the corruption of the upper class was deemed morally righteous solely based on the amount of their wealth. The members of the upper class not only had the ability to not follow their own stringent rules set in place, they also could take away the rights of the lower classes. Charlotte Brontë’s commentary criticizes these societal values and the moral standards of the time through the exclusion of the character of Jane.


Work Cited:

"Chapter VII of Jane Eyre." The Victorian Web, www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/janeeyre/7.html.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Advertisement

Louis Vuitton is a French retail company famous for their designer handbags, jewelry, travel luggage, and more. It has a long, rich history, as back in 1837, a then 16-year-old Louis Vuitton had chosen a career as a trunk-master and began his apprenticeship in the French capital, Paris. Years later, Vuitton would decide to open his own workshop in 1854, the start of a company that would become renowned for their merchandise after being hired by Napoleon's wife to personally handcraft her boxes and luggage.

Released in April 1999, this advertisement was created to promote the luxury brand on an international market with all of its extravagance. The advertisement is the work of the BETC advertisement agency, then known as BETC Euro Rscg Paris. It was published in Paris but was spread across the nation and then the globe because of the vast international connections the company has.

This advertisement depicts a woman with fiery red hair eating the strawberries, red currents, and cherries that are tumbling out of her handbag. The color red is given great emphasis as it is the color of all of the fruit, the woman's hair, and her nails. Even her cheeks are a darker shade of pink along with the hints of auburn and dark orange in the wood of the table. The background is a light color that eventually fades to white on the left side of the picture, accenting the foreground with the table, handbag, and most notably the woman.

The woman is wearing a simple, silk outfit and the tone of her skin is very light, directly being contrasted with her auburn hair and the deep red tones around her. This contrast is significant as it emphasizes the woman's sexuality in the picture in direct relation to the handbag that is providing her with these fruits. This layout of the picture with the woman right next to the handbag shows the bag's importance in love and sexuality. The lack of words on the advertisement not only shows the brands prominence, as no explanation is needed for who the brand is or what they sell, but also shifts the importance to the picture rather than any words that could detract from the photo.

On a larger scale, the color red symbolizes ideals such as romance, love, dominance, and sexuality in the advertisement. This constructs the concepts of lust and passion, clearly emphasized in the image. This is furthered through the use of fruit, a common symbol for pleasure and temptation. While the fruit is applicable to lust, it is also applicable to the idea of gluttony. Fruit can also represent temptation in the form of excessive eating or extravagance. This is also represented with the large amount of fruit prevalent in the picture.

The intended audience for this advertisement is adult women of all ages. It is directed for the top of the upper class economically as the brand is extremely expensive. Some of their cheapest available jewelry still costs upwards of $5,000 and their most expensive items go well beyond that.

It is also targeting women who follow the trends of society because Louis Vuitton models their items based off of the current fashions. Their brand is immensely popular, thus having merchandise from them would, in the minds of many, help boost someone's social status. This is apparent with their lack of words to describe who they are as a company in their advertisement. Furthermore, the audience has to have some cultural knowledge of the company's prestige in order to invest. This shows how the advertisement draws on the societal awareness of the company, which in turn furthers public opinion and works in Louis Vuitton's favor.

Overall, this advertisement conveys the connotation that if a woman purchases this handbag or an item from Louis Vuitton, they will have the same degree of sexuality, passion, romance, and dominance as the woman depicted in the picture. This idea is constructed by the handbag being the source of these red fruits, symbols of sexuality and romance. This is a manipulation of the audience because certain factors in the picture are clearly playing on the emotions of the audience. This advertisement uses the deadly sins of lust and gluttony to try to attract buyers that have an emotional response to these concepts, such as wanting these qualities, or what they imply, for themselves or others.

Works Cited:

"A Legendary History." LOUIS VUITTON Official USA Website, Louis Vuitton, us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/la-maison/a-legendary-history#tumbler.

BETC Euro Rscg Paris. "Seven Deadly Sins VII." Coloribus.com, Coloribus, www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/monogram-vernis-seven-deadly-sins-vii-1349605/.

"FINE JEWELRY." Louis Vuitton Jewelry - Women's Fine Jewelry in Gold | LOUIS VUITTON, Louis Vuitton, https://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/women/fine-jewelry/_/N-75u08p/to-2.

"Louis Vuitton Biography." The Biography.com Website, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr. 2014, https://www.biography.com/people/louis-vuitton-17112264.

Olesen, Jacob. "Color Symbolism in Literature: What Do Colors Mean in Literature and Poetry?" Color-Meanings.com, 7 May 2015, https://www.color-meanings.com/color-symbolism-in-literature-what-do-colors-mean-in-literature-and-poetry/.

Bee-Wolf and Honeybee

The name Beowulf in Old English translates to mean Bee-Wolf, an Anglo-Saxon kenning for bear. This is comparable to my own name as Melissa is a Greek name that means "honeybee" or "bee". While both of these names pertain to bees, the similarities end there. In Greek mythology, the name Melissa was a feminine name that had many different important carriers that shaped the connotation of the name.

First, it was the name of the Princess of Crete who was able to turn into a bee after learning how to collect honey. This is represented in the picture above. The picture shows the connection of bees to divinity and royalty in Greek mythology. It also represents the importance of nature, fertility, and beauty as depicted by the flowers.

Second, it was the name of the nymph that took care of Zeus while he was an infant, hiding him away from his father who was planning on eating him like he had already done to Zeus's siblings. She cared for him and instead of feeding him milk, she fed him honey. The name Melissae was given to all of the nymphs that cared for Zeus during his infancy in her honor.

Third, in the Goddess Aphrodite's temple, the name Melissae was collectively given to her priestesses while the name Melissa was given to the Goddess herself, directly meaning Queen Bee. This shows the divinity and crucial role that bees played in Greek mythology. Bees were sacred in Greek mythology for their integral role in agriculture, their symbol of fertility, their matriarchal society, as well as the understanding they gave to the universe through geometry.

While my name does not define me in the way that I see myself, it is interesting to think about how it could change the way others perceive me even before they have gotten to know me. My name has a significant nurturing and caring connotation in Greek mythology that could pose expectations on me, as any name with a certain meaning could. This is interesting to think about in relation to Beowulf as well because with his name meaning bear, his name, father's reputation, and societal norms were all weighing on him to be heroic, strong, and a capable warrior. His name added more pressure for him to succeed. I do not find that this is the case for my own name because I was not named specifically after someone else and only with a lot of research did I discover the true origins of my name. Despite not being applicable to me, pressure from one's name is definitely still prevalent now as people have to live up to certain standards or feel pressured to follow the footsteps of their name-sake.

In her essay "The Name is Mine", Anna Quindlen speaks about how there is one version of herself that is an individual and another that is a part of her family of four. She goes on to discuss how this  marginalizes her, with the three other family members sharing a different name. In regards to my own life, there have been two versions of myself when one version is me as an individual and the other is me as a twin. While my twin, Nicole, and I are two extremely different people in the way we think and act, we still share a bond that connects us both by our own definitions as well as society's.

These two versions of myself pose dilemmas in more than one facet, but most remarkably in social settings. Beyond the common mixing of names, which happens more often than one would think with fraternal twins, the two versions of myself work against each other in this setting quite often. While Nicole and I are both very different individuals, we are often perceived as just one unit. But in some regards, we are almost polar opposites of each other and so when taken together as one, it is often difficult to express our vibrant individuality and unique traits. For example, Nicole loves dancing, singing, and other means where she can express her creativity and artistic abilities. This completely contrasts with my own love for soccer, math, and science. When we are taken together as one unit, it can be difficult to each show our own unique capabilities. I find that when we are together, we are referred to as "the twins", or some variation of the sort, that undermines our individuality.

This is often difficult to deal with because the standards that one twin sets often puts pressure on the other one to do the same. For example, if Nicole does really well in all of her classes, I feel pressure to do the same. While this can be motivating in many cases, the pressure can make one of us feel inadequate if we don't do as well as the other. It is as if we feel like others are constantly comparing the two of us because they see us as one entity and thus we each do not want to be seen as the "lesser twin" in any way. Thus, lumping us together puts a lot of external pressure on each of us to do as well as the other one. This imposes yet another standard that limits our individuality as we are trying to conform to the each other's goals and expectations.

While this is one way to look at it, another is to say that being a twin is unique in and of itself. Being referred to as "the twins" is special because while everyone else is their own entity, we are each half of a whole. Not everyone has this special bond with someone that they have lived their entire life with and grown up together with. This has its own advantages in a social setting as well because I have met a lot of new people through those that Nicole has become friends with, and the same is true for her. So while it can often be difficult as not being thought of as my own individual, it has its unique characteristics that can make it very special. The two versions of myself do often clash, so finding the place where we each feel we can express our individuality, while still sharing a connection, is vital to having a healthy bond between the two of us.

Works Cited:

Maes, Annemie. Melissa: The Origins of the Word Honey Is Feminin, annemariemaes.net, annemariemaes.net/melissa-the-origin-of-the-word-honey-is-feminin/.

"Melissa." The Bump, www.thebump.com/b/melissa-baby-name.

"The Melissae of Ancient Greece." Blue Star Owl, 9 Apr. 2013, bluestarowl.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/the-melissae-of-ancient-greece/.

"Nymphs." Paleothea, 16 July 2011, www.paleothea.com/Nymphs.html.

Zupan, Melissa. "The Melissae in Greek Myth and Legend." Three Hundred and Sixty-Six, 3 May 2013, threehundredandsixtysix.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/the-melissae-in-greek-myth-and-legend/.

Huie and Atwood: Othering

Wing Young Huie is an accomplished photographer who works to depict American society in his photos that show race, culture, homelessness, and other prevalent aspects of society. His works have been recognized worldwide as brilliantly revealing about the everyday life of Americans. One particular black and white photograph of his captivated my attention as it draws on emotion even with its astounding simplicity (Huie).

This Wing Young Huie photograph was published between 2007 and 2010 during his work on his University Avenue Project photographing life in St. Paul, Minnesota. It shows many people in a room praying, with the focal point being the man in the wheel chair near the center of the photograph. The room is very blank, as if it were whitewashed, and there are bright lights beaming down on the people still in their heavy coats and hats. Their heads are bowed down to the floor except that of the man in the wheel chair who is unable to have the same posture.

When taking a deeper look at the photograph, we see that the clock shows that it is almost 2 o'clock, but there are no windows in the room to indicate the time of day. This creates an ominous feeling as the details and setting outside of this simple room are completely unknown to the viewer. There is also one man in the far left corner that is sitting in a chair and not touching his head to the floor but he is not the main focal point of the picture. Instead, the man in the wheelchair is seen amongst his peers as the one that is an outcast or set apart from the rest of society due to his disabilities. This shows the intent of the author in the way that he chose to present the room and his goal of depicting every day situations in a different light to ensure the reader reflects on how we see certain cultural, social, or economic groups.

In this photograph, and many others, Huie uses the concept of "othering". This is a way to show someone, or a group of people sharing a common trait or identity, as different in comparison to the rest of society. This is seen in the photo as the man in the wheelchair is distinctively set apart because of his disabilities. Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale, also uses this technique effectively in her novel about a dystopian society that oppresses women by degrading them into positions controlled by men.

In The Handmaid's Tale, one of the groups that is clearly set apart from the rest of society is the Handmaids. They are forced into having the children of the society just to then give them up to the wives of the Commanders they work for. Atwood depicts "othering" as there is a denial of Handmaids simple societal rights in the Republic of Gilead. They have no freedoms and while many of the other members break the laws, they are tightly regulated to ensure that they are fit for their only purpose in life: having children.

This is exemplified as the Commander's Wife has a cigarette, an illegal item that she was easily able to obtain. In one of their only friendly interactions in the entire book, she gives Offred, the protagonist Handmaid, a cigarette and says, "'Find yourself a match... They're in the kitchen, you can ask Rita for one. You can tell her I said so. Only one though... We don't want to ruin your health!'" (Atwood 206). This uses hypocritical language because it draws attention to the fact that Offred is not usually granted these basic freedoms to do what she wants to do, as in her past life she was able to smoke whenever she wanted to. The denial of Handmaid's rights clearly ostracizes them in society as they are left with almost no power or control over themselves.

This is furthered by their clothing that sets them apart from the rest of society. Handmaid's have to wear bright red dresses with a veil and wings fitted around their head so that no one sees their faces. They are given government regulated clothes and Offred describes it as she says, "Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us" (Atwood 8). This sets them apart from the rest of society as they are degraded into this position and judged just based on simple appearance.

The photograph by Huie uses the same technique of color to show "othering". The photograph is purposely displayed in black and white in order to emphasize the actual content of the picture. Using color might have distracted from the main focus of the picture, the man in the wheelchair. But using black and white allows the readers' eyes to be drawn to that focal point instantly. This furthers the author's point about how society sets people with disabilities apart or anyone that is seen as different. Both The Handmaid's Tale and the photograph make their audiences reflect on how we view other people and how this impacts our thoughts and emotions.


Works Cited:

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Anchor Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017.

Huie, Wing Young. "Front Page (Horizontal)." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/p557435520/h6acc493d#h65e13214.

Huie, Wing Young. "CV." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/CV.

Huie, Wing Young. "University Avenue Project (2007 - 2010)." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/p929219206.

"Othering - Definition, Examples, Related Words and More at Wordnik." Worknik.com, www.wordnik.com/words/othering.