For He Who Has Lost His Marbles...

Dear Macbeth,

Since you have killed all of your friends by  now and your wife has gone crazy, I figured that you would have quite a lot of time on your hands.  That said, I decided to get you a subscription to Netflix to help fill up your time.  I even took the liberty of putting together a list of recommendations to help get you started!  Happy binge-watching!


1.  That's So Raven

This show is so you!  It is described as an "American supernatural teen sitcom television series," and I know how much you value the supernatural! The main character, Raven Baxter (played by Raven Symone), is psychic and has visions about parts of future events.  She only sees small fragments of what may happen, and often misinterprets their meanings, so she does what you do best, meddle with the future.  Her attempts to change these events tend to only make them happen or make them worse.  Unlike you, however, she doesn't end up killing anyone or with a wife who "allegedly" kills herself.  I figured that you could really relate to this one because of the stake you put in the prophecies and your obsession with making them come true.  Raven's life is like a comical and light version of yours!  I think that if you watched it, it would comfort you to know that you are not the only one who believes in the supernatural.

2. Revenge                                                                                          

This is literally my favorite show!  It embodies all things Macbeth!  There's some corruption, fake identities, murder, struggle for power, super intense women, and, of course, revenge. Revenge is about Emily Thorne (played by Emily Van Camp), the new, sophisticated girl in the Hamptons who breaks into the exclusive social circle of Grayson Global CEO Conrad Grayson and his socialite wife Victoria.  But plot twist: Emily Thorne is actually Amanda Clark, the daughter of former Grayson Global employee David Clark who was falsely accused of channeling money to a terrorist organization responsible for the downing of a commercial airliner (literal appearance vs. reality, anyone???).  She is now determined to seek vengeance for her father's life.  Macbeth, I think that you and your girl Lady can really relate to the Graysons.  Now, I know you're thinking, "Why on Earth would I want to watch a show about an outsider taking down the power house?"  Well, Macbeth that is because I think it can help you with strategy.  You are all about taking preventative measures to secure your power, and that is just what the Graysons do.  They are experts at eliminating possible threats while appearing innocent.  They cover their footsteps like nobody's business.  When Emily (Macduff, maybe?) makes a move, there is always a counter.  Your addiction to this show (trust me it's going to happen) will truly demonstrate your thirst for power and social status.  

3. Star Wars

As you continue with your downward spiral of insanity, I figured it would be comforting for you to know that there are others like you! They were made in a weird order (4-6, then 1-3), but I suggest that you watch them 1-6, so that you can better relate to the downfall of Anakin Skywalker (spoiler alert: he becomes Darth Vader).  Star Wars has some supernatural elements to entertain you!  The Jedi are always encouraged to "use the force," is the force actually doing the work or is it just a mind trick?  Anikan is manipulated by the Chancellor to join the dark side after having a vision of his beloved wife dying in labor, and then kills his mentor and good friend Obi-Won.  From there, there was no going back as he went on to become enemy #1.  Homeboy just wanted to step up and save his family, right?  The path to power is very alluring and can be destructive when abused.  You would likely sympathize with Anakin/Darth Vader (some major appearance vs. reality) and place blame for his downfall and life of evil and murder on the supernatural and manipulation.  Maybe seeing this will make you grow a conscience before it's too late?  If you still aren't sold on this, then you should know that the movies involve light sabers and the cutest little droid ever.  Enough said. 

4. Dance Moms

Now before you have a hissy fit over why the heck fire you would watch a reality TV show about little girls dancing and their moms fighting, let me explain.  Sometimes, you just need a nice dose of reality TV to make you feel better about yourself.  Dance Moms is a reality TV series set in Pittsburgh at the Abby Lee Dance Company.  It follows the elite junior competition team's season filled with tears, rumors, and helicopter moms.  I think that you will get a kick out of Abby Lee, the studio owner and dance teacher, because you have a thing for incredibly aggressive, insulting, and manipulative women.  The moms repeatedly refer to her as "manly" and "manless" because of her appearance and aggressive nature, something I'm sure you have witnessed in your own life (aka Lady Macbeth).  She puts enormous pressure on the girls to win, win, win, and stop at nothing to do so. One of her common phrases is "Save your tears for your pillow."  You have also been influenced by outside forces to win at all costs and maintain that competitive edge.  By watching this show, you would reveal your desire for drama and your new-found emphasis on aggression.  

Too Much Football

This is my freebie!  :)

Reading Between the Nonexistent Lines

Augustina Woodgate
The Times Atlas of The World (Book) 2012
Sanded World Atlas (515 pages)

Kiley Burns
A Sketch of The Times Atlas of the World (Book)
Very cool, Very nice, Very swag (1 page)

When our tour guide brought us to this piece, I found myself asking questions with a recurring theme.

Why?
Just why?
Why on earth would someone spend seven hours, seven days a week for four months sanding down an atlas?
Why would someone even come up with that idea?

And that, my friends, is exactly why this piece stood out to me the most during our journey to view the Limited Visibility exhibit at CAM, and why I am undertaking the lovely task of analyzing this unconventional piece of art.

The whole meaning of this piece lies within what we can't see- the borders, the bright blocks that represent countries, the tiny dots of cities.  All that remains are the shadows of regions and faint outlines.  I interpreted this piece to mean that we (humans) are all one.  Borders only serve to divide us; while they give us a sense of nationalistic pride, they also create tensions or competitions between different people.  Imagine if there were no borders.  Imagine if we all could roam freely among these giant slabs of land.  There would be no immigrants, no citizens, no border patrols.

Augustina Woodgate used sand paper to erase everything but the faint colors off of all 515 pages of this atlas.  It is hard to distinguish this as an atlas.  We only see the hues of green and blue that we normally associate with the earth.  Think back to when you were a kid and were asked to draw the globe.  You didn't sit down and draw out each border of each country.  No, you drew a circle of blue with green masses.  That's what this piece does.  It makes the world seem simpler.

Everything about this piece has been neutralized, even the texture.  It is soft and smooth, almost velvety, to the touch.  Every aspect is atypical of an atlas.  The turning of the pages is even easier and quieter.  I feel like this gives the piece another appealing dimension. Everyone can be amused by the soft, delicate nature of the pages.  There are no page numbers; it just flows.  The texture further adds to the simplicity of the piece.  It has been sanded down to its true meaning.

She is erasing borders and the political tensions that overlap with geography.  The colors seem to blend together, rather than starkly contrasting each other.  An atlas is so organized, so methodically thought out; it literally shows the economic, environmental, and geographical features of every country.  Now, all of that is gone.  Some may wonder, "Well what is its value now?"  I believe that this piece is intended to make people think outside of the box (cliche, I know).  I have had numerous map tests, labeling this country and labeling that country.  I have been taught that "one country invaded another country because of that country's access to a certain resource", or "this country declared independence from this country, so the borders had to be redrawn."  But what if we did not think of the world in terms of borders or economic specialties?  Imagine how different things would be.  Personally, I cannot fathom the idea, but it's a pretty cool concept to ponder.  This takes us back to a time in which we did not exist.  A time before the borders were drawn and there were conflicting political and environmental agendas.

This artwork truly embodies the idea of the Limited Visibility exhibit.  You cannot gather anything from what you see, but rather from what was left behind.  Maybe an un-sanded atlas would have the same meaning, though.  The value of our world lies deeper than represented by the borders drawn on a map.

How to Become the World's Most Powerful Fan

Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen

First Aired: 2013
Agency: Grey New York
Production Company: MJZ
Campaign: DirecTV Most Powerful Fan

Ah, football.  A man's game.  A male-dominated field (which I plan to rule).  Nothing affects a man's pride and ego quite like football.

Take a look at this ad for DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket.  At first glance, we see a very tall and strong man in an Andy Dalton jersey (bless his heart) talking to a man of average height and build, but who looks minuscule in comparison. The office in which they are is very bland, with pale blue-gray walls and beige work spaces.  The small man himself is wearing neutrals, nothing about him is particularly special or noticeable.  What we notice is the powerful fan.  Our eyes are immediately drawn to the bold black and orange of his jersey, and his pants, which are the everyday-man's pair of khakis, are still brighter and crisper than his surroundings.  The director's use of color, layout, and dialogue draw our attention to and make us viewers desire to be like this all-powerful fan.

This advertisement, along with the entire DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket campaign, plays on a man's pride.  If you get Sunday Ticket, then you will be all-powerful, desirable, and possess qualities greater than those of your male counterparts.  If you don't get Sunday Ticket, then you will be an average, boring man, rejected by your coworkers and left in a man on a lightning bolt's dust.  The powerful fan is also displayed as exceedingly confident and, while his coworker quickly becomes intimidated and confused and his voice seems to trail off due to this man's apparent dominance.  The message is essentially that the only way to restore your pride is to get DirecTV.    

The use of the lightning bolt in this advertisement is particularly note-worthy.  The lightning bolt is a symbol of the Greek god Zeus- the god of all gods.  He is the one who possesses ultimate control and power.  The possession of the lightning bolt further distinguishes this man's superiority over other men, essentially he is god-like; he is truly the most powerful fan, the fan of all fans.  His coworker's pride is diminished when he promptly rejects his offer to watch the game and asserts his dominance. No one wants their weakness to be publicly displayed.

Our giant friend also has the pleasure of riding off with a beautiful, scantily-clad woman on a lightning bolt, while the other man is left to look on in jealousy and confusion.  If you get Sunday Ticket, you too will be accompanied by a beautiful woman.  This woman doesn't talk, however; she is just seen as an object, a prize for the powerful fan.  This commercial further promotes the idea of male dominance.  It fits into the macho man persona of the NFL.  The woman is used to play on men's desire (lust) and pride, as though purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket will also fulfill everything you need as a man.

At the end, a voice over of Cris Collinsworth, one of the broadcasters on NBC Sunday Night Football and former NFL player, is played saying, "Become the world's most powerful fan.  Get NFL Sunday Ticket at no extra charge."  The idea of power is used as a way to enhance a man's pride.  The key to becoming all-powerful is just getting NFL Sunday Ticket.  It's quite simple really.

The intended audience is middle-class men in their thirties and forties, the average working-man. These men have to be making a decent amount of money, though because, as I know from personal experience, NFL Sunday Ticket is not included after the first year. These commercials are played on Sundays during football games, so it is specifically intended to target football fans.  The ad is targeting them by using pride to sell an ideal lifestyle.  It portrays a "manly man", something highly valued in our society.  Football is a huge part of American culture, especially for this audience, and any way to improve their fandom is likely to be highly revered.  The director uses this idea of "preserving your manhood" and becoming the "world's most powerful fan" in order to encourage people to purchase DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket.

Disclaimer: Though I have NFL Sunday Ticket and it is one of the greatest inventions of all time, I have yet to receive my lightning bolt.

Hypocrites, Idealists, or Both?

Lowood: where orphaned girls go to build their self-esteem by being considered heathens for having curly hair and having their isolation encouraged.  Because teenage girls have too darn much self-confidence, don't they?

"Such is the imperfect nature of man! such spots are there on the disc of the clearest planet; and eyes like Miss Scatcherd's can only see those minute defects, and are blind to the full brightness of the orb," (Bronte).

The teachers at Lowood, under the authority of Mr. Brocklehurst, focus so much on the imperfections of the students that they are blind to the value that each girl possesses. Bronte is trying to communicate that though cruel punishment for the eradication of imperfection may be justified by religion, it takes away the spirit of the individual.  There is so much emphasis placed on punishing mistakes (if you can consider having naturally curly hair a "mistake") that there is no room for the rewarding of good deeds or individual accomplishments.  

The Lowood teachers and Mr. Brocklehurst are striving to mold these girls into righteous, complacent, perfect followers of Christ; however, they go about this molding in a vicious manner. Bronte is commenting on the injustice of rules imposed in the name of Christianity and the hypocrisy that follows suit.  Mr. Brocklehurst embodies a characteristic typically associated with teenage girls. He is an adult, yet he calls for the isolation of Jane and publicly humiliates her.  Isn't that what we see in Mean Girls?  Mr. Brocklehurst imposes these measures to, "punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible" (Bronte).  Is standing on a stool and be deprived of food and human interaction really going to save her soul? Again, the passage focuses on the justification of cruel and humiliating punishment with Christianity.  

Bronte's most significant display of Lowood's hypocrisy comes when Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughters enter the room.  The girls were being scrutinized for having curly (first for conforming to society then for conforming to nature) or "extravagantly" braided hair.  One would think that Mr. Brocklehurst would have a family of Plain Janes, dressed modestly and donning simple hair styles, just as he expects of the girls at Lowood. Plot twist: his wife and daughters come strutting in with artificial curls and engulfed in silk, velvet, and furs.  If that's not situational irony I don't know what is.  Bronte uses this irony to showcase the contrast between standards religious practitioners impose on others and what they practice themselves.  

Bronte is also commenting on the difference in standards and expectations of conformity for different classes. The Brocklehursts are obviously wealthy, as demonstrated by their superfluous outfits, but the girls in Lowood have a significantly lower socioeconomic status.  Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughters are allowed to wear what they want, and their entrance is met with grace.  Mr. Brocklehurst imposes strict rules of dress on the girls at Lowood, and Julia Severn is condemned for the natural texture of her hair. Bronte's stark contrast between Brocklehurst's lecture about standards for the Lowood girls and those for his family exploit the hypocrisy of the time. 

Jane's isolation reveals how great of an influence the upper class has over the lower classes. Because she is an orphan, it is assumed that she is somehow at fault; therefore, she must be punished.  Moral values in the society are a result of Christianity and are taken to such an extent as to justify the isolation of a young girl for the sake of her soul.  Jane's alienation stands as a prime example of the society's assumption that cruel punishment is acceptable in the name of preserving moral values.

P.S. Helen Burns is my grandmother.

It's Kiley.

True life: The priest called me "Riley Katharine" at my baptism.

True life: The library calls to tell me that "Killy K. Burns" has an overdue book.

True life: My dad's cousin and his wife address their Christmas cards to "Rich, Camilla, Kylie, and Ryan" every year.

True life: The Starbucks barista wrote "Kyle" on my hot chocolate.

My name is Kiley.  Pronounced exactly how it's spelled.  Spelled exactly how it sounds.

People tell the stories of how their parents couldn't decide on a name for them or how they were almost "a Rachel" or  "a Connor."  I have always been Kiley.  From the moment Camilla (my mom) found out she was having a baby, she knew that I was going to be Kiley.  Not just "a Kiley" but Kiley.  Kiley is Camilla's maiden name.  That's why it's spelled the way it is, and that is what makes me unique.

When thinking about the meaning of a name, most people overlook the spelling and focus on from where it was derived.  For me, those go hand in hand.  The Kiley family originates in rural Missouri. That's where I spend part of my summers- a town of 132 people called Baring, Missouri where Camilla and her six siblings were raised by Joe and Elizabeth Kiley.  To me, my name represents my family.  It represents caos and OCD and laughter and bad hips and the hypocrisy of showing up late yet criticizing others who do the same. I guess that is why I am so anal about people spelling it correctly.

My name and its meaning suits me.  I am fiercely independent-minded (like the uniqueness of my name's spelling), but still rely on the support of my family (like my name's origin).  I have no problem being defined by my name.  I have this theory that Camilla gave me this name as a way for her to maintain her individuality in marriage. My first name ties me back to her side of the family, while my last name, Burns, ties me to my dad's side.  If I do decide to get married and change my last name, I will still be named Kiley, and I will still serve as that representation of where I come from and carry that on for my mom.  Well-played, Camilla.

Being a part of a team is the greatest example of the conflict between individuality and being part of a whole.  It's the constant struggle between choosing between what benefits the team and what benefits you.  I struggled with this during my time on the Varsity Volleyball team here at Millbrook.  By no means was I the best on the team, and thus did not get a lot of playing time.  It was incredibly frustrating, and I got to the point where I had no desire to maintain my good work ethic.  I was torn between possessing an attitude of indifference and maintaining my positive attitude for the benefit of my teammates.

In volleyball especially, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.  Attitude affects play and the success of the team is dependent on the play of all of its players.  Though I was frustrated with my experience on the team, I had to get over it and avoid bringing down the team.  I represented Millbrook.  I had to be the loudest one on the bench, and I had to give 110% those times when I did play because the season is about the whole. The off-season is about the individual.

What Makes an "Other"

From Wing Young Huie's Album We are the Other (2012-2013)
Accessed September 5, 2014

We see it in TV shows and in movies- the stereotypical African-American church. Usually it is contrasted with scenes of white folks conversing as they walk out of a different church after Sunday's service.  I've see this in The Help, obviously because it takes place in Mississippi in the 1960s, but I also see it when I watch the reality show Preacher's Daughters on Lifetime, which takes place today. Upon looking at this photograph, you see a church service populated by African-Americans.  There are those dressed casually and those dressed up.  There are those flying solo and  then there are those with spouses and children.  Some are standing, and some are sitting. Everyone looks pretty comfortable and content.  Not too complicated, right?

Now let's address the elephant in the room: the sole white person in the entire room.  I don't know about you, but this is not something I tend to see in the TV shows depicting the stereotypical African-American church.  She stands out predominantly because she is white, but also because she is the person who seems most into the service.  This brings forth my observation earlier that everyone looks comfortable and content. This woman has her hands up, eyes closes, and rear out of her seat, like she probably does every week  No one else is paying much mind to her. She may stand out, but she also fits in.

There is nothing wrong with this scene; it's just unique.  Huie did not take this photo so that we can wonder where on earth this white woman thinks she is, but rather so that we will notice how confident she is in herself.   Huie presents the concept of "othering" just by having this white woman as the primary focus of this picture.  Her skin color is different than everyone else's in the room; therefore, we classify her as "different." Humans are social animals and find comfort in establishing a presence in a group. One of these groups has been race.  The African-American woman on the left-hand side of the photograph smiling at the camera is looked over.  The adorable baby with the giant white flower headband is looked over.  We see the "other" in the room: the white woman.

Atwood displays "othering" by classifying women based on what they wear.  The most significant "others" (maybe a little pun intended) are the Handmaids.  They stand out because they wear red.  They're humans, just like everyone else around them.  They're women, just like everyone else who is being oppressed.  But they wear red.  Similar to how one would view Huie's photograph, if a Handmaid walks into a room, everyone notices her.  Not because she is doing anything especially extraordinary or horrific, but rather because of her appearance.  The "others" become "others" because of the connotations that are attached to appearance.