Movie Night with Macduff

Macduff’s Recommendation List: Full of feels, honor, heartache, drama, and gore.

Most of these shows can be found on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

“She’s the Man”: For feels, honor, and encouragement.

“She’s the Man” is about a girl who pretends to be her brother to be able to play soccer when the girls soccer team is cut at her school. Macduff recommends this movie because of the way the lead actress breaks gender stereotypes and show the boys what she can do. He identifies with Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) when he is told he cannot do something because he is a man but he chooses to stay true to himself. He would also be inspired by the way Viola doesn’t accept her fate from those in charge but sneakily seeks justice undercover as Macduff does against Macbeth. We see Macduff's emotional side in this choice of movie as he approves of the idea of being yourself rather than fulfilling a stereotype. As Viola plays like a girl, Macduff feels like a man.

“Braveheart”: For the angry, emotional days

“Braveheart” is about William Wallace, a Scottish rebel, who leads a revolt against King Edward I of England when an English soldier executes his bride to be. Macduff recommends this movie to all of his friends because it is very similar to his own story and Macduff gets tired of telling it. Macduff empathizes with the tragic hero of William Wallace because he too lost his wife to an evil King. Macduff admires the main character's bravery and honor as he fights for his country and his loved ones. We see here that Macduff values both masculine strength and motivation through emotion and honor. Overall, this is a real tear jerker for Macduff but we see that he appreciates the historical accuracy, relatable characters, and the epic battle scenes. A perfect mix of the feels and masculinity..

“How I Met Your Mother”: A throwback heartache with a light touch

“How I Met Your Mother” is about a father recounting to his children, through a series of flashbacks, the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother. Macduff used to recommend this tv show because he thought it was a really light and cute way to tell a sweet story like his own love story with his wife, Lady Macduff. However, after her and his family’s assassination, this one is a little harder to go back to because it just isn’t the same. Macduff still enjoys the dynamic characters as he sees a little bit of himself in all of them. There is also a bit of appearance vs. reality at play as the mystery unfolds of who the mother is and just when he thought he knew, he was wrong. Now Macduff especially enjoys the flashbacks because that is how he gets to experience his family since they are all dead. The flashbacks in the show make Macduff feel as though he can relive those wonderful days when he had a family.

“Poldark”: For a little bit of everything

“Poldark” is a fantastic British tv show that follows the life of returned soldier Poldark and his life of rebuilding his family farm and restoring the family name. There is drama when his cousin marries his pre-war lover, romance with a new maid, brotherhood with hardworking pals, and all the excitement in between. Macduff loves this show as he gets to watch the noble Poldark rebuild his honor against high society despite being within it himself. Macduff relates to Poldark in this way as he seeks for what is best for all the people of his country rather than just himself (sadly, this lost Macduff his family but saylavee). Also, Poldark’s position as a man of high society makes him appear that he adheres to their ways when in reality he fights for the rights of the poor and lowly. Poldark is certainly a man of ambition like Macduff when it comes to doing the right thing.

“Grey’s Anatomy”: For overly dramatic feels and a nice night home alone (every night)

“Grey’s Anatomy” is an overly dramatic medical tv show interpretation of the surgical field at Seattle Grace Hospital in Washington. It follows a young surgeon named Meredith Grey and all the overly dramatic things that happen to her and her friends. This is Macduff’s guilty pleasure as he allows his manly emotion to emerge over this show with a bowl of popcorn and box of tissues in hand. This is a show full of blood and emotion with the full intensity that Macduff felt when he brought an end to the tyrant, Macbeth. Also Macduff finds a lot of similarities with the alliances and drama that is built within the hospital to that built within the castle during Macbeth’s reign.

Please comment or email Macduff@dunsinane.com for more information, inquiries, questions, words of encouragement, concerns, thank you notes, friend requests, and the like. He is alone now, after all. R.I.P Lady Macduff and fam.

Freebieee

St. Thomas Becket's Shrine: Medieval-Day Disney World

Here we have a "Pilgrim's Badge of the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury" made between 1350 and the 1400s in Canterbury, England. These were most likely made by a Metalworker in Canterbury as a cheap souvenir for pilgrims. This bade was made from cast tin-lead alloy and is sized at 3 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 1/8in. Although, this particular artifact was specific to Canterbury, England as a part of Catholic British culture when St. Thomas Becket was murdered in his own cathedral by Henry VIII's men, pilgrims took these home to their loved ones across Europe. This piece would have represented the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket and be a symbol of faith as people traveled hundreds of miles to pay tribute to a faithful servant of their God. It would have also represented the reverence for devote Catholics because of the beautiful detail of his shrine with jewel-encrusted tomb, baby cathedral arcs, and careful designs. I would compare this to a modern day postcard because it visually displays the sight of the pilgrimage that then pilgrims can bring home to their families to show a small representation of what the famous shrine looked like and serve as a mark that they had been there.

The author here use of color I think is chiefly due to the nature of the artifact as it is a souvenir that needed to be affordable for all travelers, therefore, it takes on the color of the dark metal/ pewter it was formed out of. The nature of this artifact being a badge leads the artist to work on a two-dimensional plane to show depth but within in the setting, there are three-dimensional elements to show the different aspects and details of the shrine. The rectangular shape and depth draw the eye to the center where St. Thomas Becket is represented with the most detail and three-dimensional qualities. This reinforces that the Saint is the center of attention and the reason for the pilgrimage as the ultimate symbol for the faithful. When holding this badge, pilgrims would feel the textured/raised elements such as the jewels and the martyr himself which would reinforce their importance where as the two other figures in the badge are fairly flat and unimportant. The form and shape of the badge enhance the meaning because it draws attention to the important elements where as a similar drawing in may not have been able to without color.

The purpose of this piece is to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Thomas A. Becket and honor the pilgrimage made by the faithful. In the time of the church split, the English people felt very convicted to display their faith and condemn those who thought differently. This badge was not only a religious claim but a social claim of their faith and boldness to pay tribute to a man murdered by their King. The title points out that as a badge, this artifact was like a trophy or medal for pilgrims, especially to those who traveled a long way, to show that they had indeed reached their destination as a faithful Catholic. Looking back on this piece, a modern historian would see that it also shows that such a pilgrimage in this time was not just for personal conviction, but a "great deed" to boast about. The meaning of this piece as a mark of honor and respect loses some of its weight when you see the social role that this souvenir would have played. Realizing that such souvenirs would have been sold at a Saint's shrine shows that pilgrims desired to have evidence that they had been there so people might think more highly of them and recognize them for their devote religious convictions. In addition, the presence of souvenirs at a shrine shows that the common people in England during this time had strong Catholic religious values, as they had enough people come through to sell such items. The value of this art in today's society is huge because it is one of the few visual displays that allows us to see what the shrine was like before it was plundered. Also the badge leads today's society to understand what the importance of the shrine might have been back then by comparing it to modern places that we acquire souvenirs to show our loved ones such as Disney World.

Image Right: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2001.310/
Image Left: My House by Me

6. 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 character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.

“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?"

"Julia's hair curls naturally," returned Miss Temple, still more quietly.

"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: and I see others who have far too much of the excrescence--that tall girl, tell her to turn round. Tell all the first form to rise up and direct their faces to the wall."

This quote stood out to me for it's irony and ridiculous reasoning by Mr. Brocklehurst. I could not help but laugh the first time I read it when I realized he was speaking of her natural hair. I believe the author does this on purpose to point out to the reader the cultural issues at play. Here, his humorous denouncement of her naturally red and curly hair displays the values of the time.

The alienation of poor Julia Severn allows Austen to reveal to the reader quite plainly the values of a “evangelical, charitable establishment” in the 1840s. One distinguishing factor of this time period was the rigid modesty of both body and mind. Mr. Brocklehurst is seen as a hypocritical man as he uses the Bible for harsh punishments and ridiculous accusations, like Julia’s hair being immodest. Austen may then be using his alienation of Julia as a representation of the church in the Victorian Era. Julia’s hair, coupled with her low class, allows Mr. Brocklehurst to condemn her and the other girls with legalistic ideals that had become rampant in church theology to keep the lower classes in check. Mr. Brocklehurst remarks in a dogmatic tone, “why that abundance?”, which further supports that he believes girls of such low class should not pursue beauty or individuality. This is very similar to how the church, dogmatically manipulated by the wealthy class, called the low class to remain lowly and leave the beautiful things to those who can afford that kind of luxury.

This quote contains irony because Mr. Brocklehurst is seen claiming that the “good Christian way” is being overly modest so that you can be "children of Grace". However, if he truly believed in the Bible's teachings, then he would also believe that she is exactly how God created her to be. Therefore, God must also value beautiful things and that is how intended it to be. The irony of Julia's alienation shows that lower class society in the 1800s was diseased with the belief that pursuing beauty or just simply being different is immoral.

Does your body look like her body?

This ad was released by Protein World in 2015 and has appeared in the U.K., where it is now banned, and New York City. The ad features a fit, lean, well-endowed, light skin women in grey-scale. She is wearing a bright yellow bathing suit and has long, light-colored and straight hair. On the yellow background, the phrase in bold across the ad is “ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY?” which is directly followed by “The weight loss collection” and three pictured Protein World products. It is also stated that these supplements will replace two meals daily. In addition, in the top left corner there social media icons and protein world’s @.

This add portrays avarice and envy as it insinuates that if you do not look like the women that is featured, that you are not beach body ready and need to look like her. They want people to buy their products and make people feel like they need more to become like that or maintain that beach body look. The result of greediness for these expensive supplements, most likely follows the initial envy of the woman’s body. The placement of the women on the ad makes it nearly impossible to look over her along with her black and white body in contrast to the bright yellow. This further insinuates that they want their audience to see her and react by buying their product. It is possible that they put the women in a grey-scale to neutralize her ethnicity but it is still clear that she is a light-skinned woman with light, straight hair, which is now causing the ad to not only be oppressive of women with different body shapes but also different races and ethnicities. Also, the direct following of the weight loss supplements to the question, show that Protein World assumes the answer is no and provides the audience an answer for their self-deprecating predicament.

The intended audience is young women, from teenagers to early thirties, in coastal North America and Europe, specifically the United Kingdom. The audience is most likely wealthy or middle-class as well as being busy as a student or at their job. This ad would appeal to busy young women because it suggests that they could lose weight from a meal replacement rather than a strenuous routine of diet and exercise. These young women are also most likely from privileged families who are able to afford a trip to the beach and that vacationing is still a part of their life agenda. I believe these women are well aware of how the media culture manipulates them to feel bad about themselves and make them feel like they aren’t enough but it still hurts. The reason these ads work to well-informed audiences is because, despite cultural knowledge about the negatives of our current society, people still want to feel accepted by looking the “right” way. When I look at this ad I know that it’s just the culture and they are trying to make me feel bad even though truthfully everyone is beach body ready, you just have to put on a bathing suit (maybe not even that in some places). However, it has already made me feel like I should hit the gym and fix myself so I can look better because it makes you feel like that is what society wants and that's what people want even if they say they accept you the way you are.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/01/protein-worlds-beach-body-ready-ad-not-offensive-watchdog.html

What's in a Name?

My name, Amy Grace, is a combination of a family name and a southern tradition. Amy is the name of my late grandmother and my father's mother. She was a wonderful women and I remember her personally a little bit but I really know her through stories and others' memories of her. Amy also means beloved and that's certainly what she was and because she deserved to be revered. I think, therefore, having the name Amy for me has been something to embody, live up to, and a reminder to be someone she would be proud of to share her name. The Grace part of my name actually just comes from the idea of a double name that is really prevalent in my family tree. Grace by itself really doesnt give me much definition, but when it is paired with Amy, it becomes a big part of my indivuality. How many people do you know named Amy Grace? Hopefully very few, because my name has become one of the things that makes me feel unique. 

I believe Anna Quindlen hit right on the money with this statement. I may even take it a step farther to say there are many, many "me's" because there are so many layers to people. However, individual versus how you function in a whole are a very well simplified way to look at it. I see individual dilemmas as both more freeing and likely to come to an incorrect conclusion. The reason for this is that you feel comfortable mulling things over in your mind without being attacked by yourself but, sadly, that also means you don't get that input that you would have had in a group setting. While on the other hand, discussing topics in group can cause more conflict but also courage to step up and say something as well as a variety of ideas. When I am eating dinner at home with my family, I often feel like two people when we talk about controversial topics. Because they are my parents, I am not going to challenge them as much but I will still be thinking about whatever the topic may be the conversation piece. Another layer of that individual dilemma is that sometimes you feel or you know you are right and you need to go tell other people so they know you are right but you need a balance between telling someone because you care vs. fighting for what you think is right. 

(Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23J1SduCE0rhs26-iTV2Th2r6tS288jx8Kj5rSml4eEEwRX4aYiMX0KBuuwmtaWNVFAii8Q5CF6LPY9b2-SuP-BgV9gPEuoB5jzXfT6SthjeGpk9QvGiv5joBqRC6Vl70YC4nPO6tHxs/s1600/naming-your-business.jpg)

Wing Young Huie and Atwood: Othering

This particular photo from Wing Young Huie really caught my eye. This photo, which he has titled Father and Sons, was taken by Huie in 2007 in The Springs, California. At first site, this photo has a lot to take in. The very first thing I noticed was the expression on the men's faces. The men look tired and solemn but each have a slight variation in their expression as the father on the left looks weary, the man in the back looks angry, and the man on the right seems almost hopeful. Furthermore the men are holding picures of family members, which I found out after reading Huie's excerpt about the photograph, are still back in Mexico. The setting of this photo also gives insight into the lives of these men as they are using a folding chair as a bed side table with a single book and lamp without a shade. These men are working to support their families back home and stay afloat. The man on the right is wearing jeans with paint spots on them which also suggests that these men may be working long, difficult hours in manual labor that is notoriously underpaid and overworked. Lastly, I found the most striking feature of this photo to be the picture of Mickey Mouse on the back wall. I was immediately struck with emotion when I discovered the reason they hung it there was because it is the ultimate dream that they will go there someday with their families. This picture gave me such a reality check of how privileged we are here in America, and how I am personally, knowing that my family will always be in one place if we want to be.

The way that Huie and Atwood present othering is very similar in their lack of home. What I mean by this is that both in the way Atwood describes Offred's room in The Handmaid's Tale and the way Huie's photo displays these migrant workers' room is cold, sparse, and lack the sense of home. The others of our world and of the Republic of Gilead are found in the cold, forgotten places where they must live despite never being home. I am sure these men have come to have some sense of security in their residence in California but their pictures of their family members shows that Mexico will always be home because that is where their family is. Similarly, Offred's home will always be in the past  because that is where she finds the ones she once loved so her new life will never provide her with a sense of home even if it was cozy with comfortable and lavish furniture (which it is not at all).

I'd also like to add that the last line of Huie's explanation of his photograph of the men caught my eye saying, "They were still waiting"(Huie). This line immediately connected my thoughts to Offred as she is always found "waiting". Both Huie and Atwood found that the concept of othering means waiting because they are never fulfilled. Those who do not have power must wait. Be it feminists in The Handmaid's Tale or migrant workers in The United States, "the others" must wait for justice and salvation.
Waiting is a most torturous form of protest, is it not? But that is the nature of othering, I suppose. We are all in waiting for something.

Huie, Wing Young. "Father and Sons." From the Archives. N.p., 2007. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Welcome!

Hello, my name is Amy Grace. Here is a puppy:

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