Analysis of a Passionate Ted Talk

Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/isabelle_allende_how_to_live_passionately_ no_matter_your_  age

This ted talk that I chose to watch and analyze was by a woman named Isabel Allende, and she argues that everyone should continue to live passionately throughout life, no matter what their age is.  She focuses on age right off the bat, by stating that she is 71, and then lists the ages of her husband, parents, and dog.  On the topic of aging, she discusses how society seems to determine that people are "old" around the age of 65.  However, humans start aging at birth and then are continuously aging until death.  Isabel mentions that it is hard aging, because no matter if she feels sexy and charming, that's not how people view her anymore on the outside.  To counter that, she says that aging is about health and attitude.  It's up to the person to choose how to feel.  Furthermore, she speaks of her fear of what comes with aging.  She discusses how she fears losing her youth and independence as she grows older, but has experienced some pros as well.  She gained freedom, spirituality, and is no longer afraid of being vulnerable.  She feels freer and lighter than ever before, and can now let go of any weaknesses or deadly sins that others exhibit at younger ages.  Ending her argument, Isabel once again emphasizes her want to live passionately and openhearted throughout all of her life.

I think her purpose for doing this ted talk was to achieve an emotional connection to everyone in the audience.  Aging is a universal concept that everyone can understand.  The way she talks about the topic makes it interesting and inspiring.  She’s hoping to communicate the importance of everyone living the lives to the fullest, even in old age.  Aging is not a valid reason to stop living the life the way one wants.  It’s a choice that one needs to make, and her emotional connection persuades viewers to take her advice and continue living passionately despite growing older.

Her talk contains some ethos due to Isabel's credibility as a novelist and memoirist.  Because of her career, she is used to writing about passionate lives.  She believes she became a writer due to her exile to America in the 1970s.  She also works with nonprofits to empower women because she believes it’s the only way to achieve social justice.  Her career is not explicitly stated during her talk, but it does explain how she is able to be comfortable with her words and knowing exactly what to say to persuade someone to her side while doing so on an emotional level.  She has spent her life writing with passion, which makes her seem experienced and trustworthy to the viewers. 

Although Isabel does not use much logos in her presentation, she uses pathos throughout all of it.  The evidence is from her own personal experiences and contains a lot of bias.  Viewers can tell she truly believes in every word she is saying, and it's like some of her strength and confidence is even drawing forth some of the viewers' own emotions.  She relies on it to get her message across emotionally to really relate with the audience.  One way she does this is by making jokes throughout her talk.  It keeps things interesting and fun, maintaining the audience's attention.  Also, the part when she speaks of all the positive aspects she has gained from aging is very powerful.  I like it, because she makes it sound like the pros outweigh the cons, and makes the concept of aging less scary.  The way she holds herself makes her seem truthful, comfortable with herself, and relatable.  Her use of pathos creates a personal connection between Isabel and the audience, which makes her argument that much more inspiring/appealing.      

Personally, I found myself choosing this video because I think the concept of aging is really interesting.  Everyone experiences it differently.  I'm at this point when I'm about to graduate high school and go to college.  I just turned 18, making me an adult now.  It’s such a major point in life that it can bring on both pros and cons as well.  There’s the pro of being done with high school and finally getting to the point when we can start our futures, and what we might want to do as a career.  There’s also the fear that it brings, like the amount of responsibility it requires.  Unlike Isabelle, we are actually gaining independence, and to me it’s both scary and exciting.  I think her talk really can relate to what I’m experiencing at this point in my life, and I will always remember her main message of always living passionately.  She concluded her talk with her stating her willingness to always live passionately and asking the question, "Want to join me?"  My answer is Yes.               


  
 

Double Indemnity

Film noir literally means “black film.” As you are watching the film, keep track of all the elements in the picture that seem dark or depressing. Think about the characters, the setting, and the storyline.

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The film Double Indemnity is the perfect example of film noir.  After watching it in my film class, I have learned many common aspects included in film noir.  Most of them are seen in the storyline of Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson.  The term began with French film critics and described the darkness expressed in many films after the war to represent the anxiety and pessimism in society.  Everything about the films seemed dark, including the characters, the setting, and the story.  

First, the characters are seen as very dark and corruptive.  The film focuses on Walter and Phyllis, who both exemplify the dark characteristics of men and women in film noir.  Walter does not appear to be such a bad guy at the beginning of the movie.  He rather appears confident in his actions and with his relationship with Phyllis.  He comes off as a man who has seen it all, which is common in film noir in the male characters.  However, he grows darker as the film progresses due to Phyllis' influence.  He is shown as being weak as he is easily put into danger with Phyllis by his side.  He gets caught up in her plan to murder her husband, making him more evil as he kills a man he barely even knows just because of a woman.  Phyllis is also a very dark character, because she is the one who set all of the events into motion in the first place.  In film noir, there is usually a fatal female who comes across as powerful, sexual, smart, and threatening.  Throughout the story, she is able to convince Walter to help her kill her husband so she can receive the money.  She does it in a very sneaky way, and tells Walter how horrible her husband really is.  Then the audience learns that Phyllis might have been behind another woman's death too.  It all comes together at the end when she is holding the gun at Walter, and it is revealed she never really loved him at all.  This makes her appear very evil for how the murder was all a scheme concocted by Phyllis from the very beginning.  She is amoral and manipulative, only caring about herself.

The setting was also very dark, with helped emphasize the depressing themes seen in the film.  With the help of cinematic techniques, the film appeared dark and shadowy in almost every scene.  The dark themes of murder and corruption were displayed with the use of dark lighting and deep shadows, which are common in film noir.  The settings in Double Indemnity included darkly lit, small rooms, and gloomy, shadowy streets at night.  One interesting insight on the movie was that the film was shot on location.  It was shot in real cities in Los Angeles to better reflect on reality at the time.  Concepts like venetian blinds, low key lighting, and deep shadows are used to alter space psychologically and display dramatic isolation.  All of these aspects add to the suspense and darkness portrayed in Double Indemnity.  

Finally, the storyline was overall dark and depressing.  The film focuses on murder and crime, and deal with corruption, evil, guilt, manipulation, etc.  Due to these dark themes, the film had to deal with censorship.  The government did not like seeing criminals simply walking around freely, which is exactly what Walter and Phyllis were doing after committing murder.  Because of censorship, film noir films tended to be more psychological in that they forced the audience to think.  In Double Indemnity, conversations about adultery and murder were very discrete.  One example is when Walter first speaks with Phyllis and their flirting turns into spoken words of speed limits.  It was left to the viewers to fully decipher what the characters actually meant.  Also, the love story is dark.  It can be described as passionate and deadly.  They plan a murder together, and it turns out there was no love between Walter and Phyllis after all.  There was only manipulation and corruption between the two of them, clearly shown when the two of them are willing to shoot each other at the end.  To add to the depressing themes, there was no happy or optimistic ending.  Both characters reached their ultimate downfall.  Overall, film noir aims to show the darker sides of human nature, and Double Indemnity does just that with its characters, setting, and storyline.   

Netflix Recommendations for Macbeth

Netflix: a source of television shows and movies to entertain oneself for endless hours.  It is created to provide a variety of shows and movies, with many different genres and stories to satisfy one’s boredom, especially perfect for lazy days at home.  There is truly something for everyone.

I find that many times the concepts I just recently heard about or discussed pop back up in other things I encounter.  I can see connections to the topics in other things I see throughout the day.  Especially when I read books, I can relate the characters and events to others.  This is true when I read Macbeth.  Once my mind was on it, I could easily connect it to various other shows and movies.  The character Macbeth has many similar aspects to others, through the themes that were presented in the play.  This includes the ideas of ambition, masculinity, blood, supernatural, prophecies, and appearance vs. reality.  Here are some of my recommendations for the character of Macbeth:

    1. How to get away with Murder: This show is about a group of law students and their criminal defense teacher who become involved in a crazy murder plot that will change all of their lives.  Just the title relates enormously to Macbeth, simply because Macbeth really needs to learn how to get away with murder!  It’s similar in that everyone gets caught up in the awful murders that are committed.  Also, Macbeth’s intentions behind the murders are in the hopes that they will change his life so he can become king.  This show recommendation reveals Macbeth’s ambition about his evil actions, and hopefully he would be able to get some tips about committing murder and simply enjoying the rewards instead of leading to his own death.

    2. Supernatural: In this case, the title also reveals much about Macbeth.  This show is about two brothers who hunt the supernatural creatures that roam the Earth.  It relates to the aspect of the supernatural in the play.  When Macbeth and Banquo first encounter the witches, they don’t know who they are and are startled by what they reveal.  This show would hopefully teach Macbeth how to handle encountering supernatural beings better.  In the play, Macbeth relies on the witches too much, and then he is haunted by the appearance of Banquo’s ghost.  It reveals that he needs help handling the supernatural, that he can receive watching this show because the supernatural are a daily presence.

    3. Chronicle: This movie is about three friends who stumble upon a source underground that gives them super powers.  At first, they use them for fun, but soon they become irresponsible with them.  They start to embrace their darker sides, especially Andrew, who uses his newfound powers for evil, which eventually leads to his death.  This recommendation reveals the aspects of appearance vs. reality as well as ambition.  Macbeth is similar to Andrew in that he receives this power, but quickly uses it to his advantage and turns to evil to get what he wants.  His intentions are selfish and he is driven to remain in power.  Finally, people rise up against his evil actions and he dies because of it, just like Macbeth.  The movie also displays appearance vs. reality because they gain this power, but they keep it hidden for the most part.  They aren’t what they seem to be, especially Andrew who was at first shy and nice, but vicious and evil by the end.  Even his friends eventually turn against him, just like how the people of Scotland turn against Macbeth.  All about power and corruption, this movie is perfect for Macbeth to show him the consequences of evil actions and what he should not do.

    4. Reign: Finally, this television show is a great recommendation for Macbeth.  It takes viewers to the past to when Mary Queen of Scots is betrothed to Prince Francis. They become the rulers of the kingdom of France, and experience the conflicts that arise in and outside the castle while trying to stay in power and keep the people content.  It’s the perfect show because it explains a lot of similar events.  First, Macbeth relates to King Henry, because he has a lot of power at first but then becomes corrupted.  He actually starts to lose his mind.  That abuse of power is similar to Macbeth.  Also, he relates to Francis, because they both kill the king and then become kings themselves.  Then, they are both haunted by the ghosts of the ones they murdered.  In Macbeth, Macbeth is haunted by Banquo’s ghost.  In the show, Francis is haunted by Henry, who is his father and former king, after he kills him.  Furthermore, there is a prophecy in the first season of the show, like the prophecy in the play.  Both characters try to take actions to either fulfill or destroy the prophecy.  In addition, balance of power is constantly changing in the relationships.  This show could probably help Macbeth understand the shifts in power between a husband and a wife.  The show also reveals the concepts of guilt, blood, masculinity, and ambition.  I think in many ways, the show could teach him how to get over the guilt in a positive way and continue as king.  Mostly, it should help him understand what he should or should not do to be a good leader.

Becoming Evil: Macbeth Edition



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There have been plenty of stories about a great person suddenly becoming evil after one fateful decision.  Sometimes it is a quick, hasty choice the character does not think twice about and then has to deal with the consequences.  Other times, it is a choice that the protagonist spends time about, weighing the pros and cons, and ultimately chooses what they think is right, but what the audience knows is wrong.  That is what happens in Shakespeare’s story of Macbeth.  The character Macbeth is overall a great man that is honored by everyone else.  Even the king admires him for his loyalty and courage.  Towards the beginning of the play, the king Duncan calls Macbeth, “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” (Macbeth, 1.2).  The admiration was returned.  Macbeth saw himself as the king’s warrior and his friend.  So what made him kill Duncan? Why did a seemingly not evil man take the first step into evil?

There are various reasons one can be led to evil acts.  I think a very common reason is temptation.  If the temptation is too much, the person will be willing to do anything to get what they want.  Wanting something so badly can lead to dangerous acts.  In the play, Macbeth is too tempted to be king that he gives up his innocence when he murders Duncan.  I think it was the witches’ prophecy that tempted him into the action.  They declared that Macbeth would become the thane of Cawdor and king.  When the previous thane of Cawdor was executed and he took his place, he believed the witches.  However, he believed the only way he could become king was to kill Duncan.  In my opinion, it wasn’t fate that led him to this decision.  I think he was still able to make his own choices and that the title of king was something he consciously always wanted.  Therefore, Macbeth was overwhelmed by his desire to consider the consequences killing the king might bring.

Despite his temptation, he was also hesitant about committing the murder.  That’s why I think the other reason a person turns to evil is the influence of others.  Someone can be pushed into something they don’t want to do by another person.  It’s even harder to resist when the act may be something he/she is already considering.  Another person’s advice could be the thing that pushes the decision over the edge and into action.  In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the one that pretty much forces Macbeth into killing Duncan.  When he is hesitant, his wife treats him like he’s foolish for not completely be committed to the crime.  She convinces him it’s the right decision, and is able to persuade him into doing it.  Her push led Macbeth to killing his previous friend Duncan so that he can achieve the power he desires so much.

Much of the consequences for causing Duncan’s death are internal.  Talking about the crime beforehand and actually committing it are two very different things.  The aftermath of an evil act can cause negative effects to a previously good person.  They are unexpected and can take control of someone.  The guilt and regret can instantly rise up.  An internal conflict can come about whether the decision was worth it or was it a waste and simply the wrong thing to have done.  These consequences are portrayed through Macbeth after his wrongful deed.  He starts to go a bit crazy.  His mind won't allow him to stop thinking about what he has done.  He becomes frantic and restless, not being able to go to sleep.  He says, "Macbeth shall sleep no more" (Macbeth, 2.2). 

 

Overall, he has trouble accepting what he did.  Simple things like saying "Amen" are even a struggle.  He cries, "I had most need of blessing, and "Amen" stuck in my throat" (Macbeth, 2.2).  Taking steps towards evil can really affect a person and their behavior.  He/she must deal with the consequences.  In the play, Macbeth's innocence disappears and evil only builds up leading him to commit more evil acts, like forcing Banquo's death, to protect his new found power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemporary Art Analysis

My sketch of Miradas 1

While walking through the exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum, I admired all of the wonderful art pieces.  They were all so unique and different from any other art pieces I’ve seen before.  Of the museum itself, I liked the feeling of openness it had.  Everything was spread out and there wasn’t too many art works present.  It’s very different from other art museums which have tons of pieces and makes it a little overwhelming.  In those, I feel like I don’t have enough time to look closely at all of the art.  In this museum, I could spend time viewing each of them carefully.  Also, I like that the exhibits are always changing.  It’s cool that I could go back to the museum and see completely different pieces.

The focus when we went was limited visibility.  Something was missing from each piece and it was our job to figure out what it was.  I think that was such a cool way to view the art works because it has relevance to our everyday lives.  It’s difficult to see the whole picture when people are rushing through life.  This exhibition allowed me to examine each piece through that lens and realize what I simply just glance over without really seeing it for what it is.  The idea of limited visibility was present in each piece in a unique way, causing the exhibition to reflect the concept in various situations.

The one piece I chose to analyze was called Miradas 1.  It was created by a Latin American artist, Moris.  He was born in Mexico City and completed this piece in 2012.  The piece is 640x391.  It consists of black acrylic covering an enlarged digital print on a large canvas.  The piece focuses on the eyes of six people.  The rest of the enlarged photograph is covered in black, which makes the eyes stand out even more.  I think this piece represents the limited visibility people have on others’ personalities and life styles.  I saw it as concealing these people in a way that viewers can’t learn much about them.  The audience can only look at the eyes, which also limits their knowledge on who the actual person is.  Moris is an artist who likes to show a bit of the darker side of Mexico through his work.  He is influenced by the violence and poverty in Mexico.  I think this is seen in this piece because some people in the lower class of Mexico might have to learn to withhold some of who they are to survive. 

The style of this piece is very unique.  It’s significant that the artist chose black paint to block out their bodies.  The color brings a darker tone to the painting.  Furthermore, he does use black, but it’s not solid.  Viewers can point out different shades that were used.  I think it’s very interesting that even though the focus is on the eyes, the rest of the people’s bodies can still be seen if you look hard enough.  I could barely see the outlines of their bodies through the acrylic, but they are there.  I think this is interesting because it shows that the artist didn’t want to block them out completely.  If it was completely black and the bodies were hidden from sight, the piece would just look like random pairs of eyes on a canvas.  However, viewers can still barely see the bodies which show that it was a real photograph that was taken and that there is more of the person to be seen. 
 
Miradas 1 fits right in with the theme of limited visibility.  The idea of this throughout the exhibition draws attention to what is missing.  When looking at this piece, we focus on the eyes that are shown on the canvas.  The piece represents the absence of the rest of the body.  We instantly notice that we’re only shown the eyes and everything else is concealed under the black acrylic.  It’s up to the viewer to fill in the rest of the image.  This may require some imagination on our part.  The people in the piece can be anyone.  The eyes don’t give us enough information to figure out who the actual person in the image is. 

While looking at the piece, I asked myself: Why the eyes?  Why did the artist choose the eyes to show to the viewers rather than any other part of the body?  It made me think of the saying, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”  In some ways, I think eyes can hold a lot of truth and emotion within them.  They do show some of who a person is.  However, I think there is still more that needs to be shown to fully understand someone.  The artist chose only to show what he wanted.  In this way, the piece reveals something about the people in the society.  The meaning of the piece is that people choose what to display to others.  They’re not giving others a full view of who they are.  It’s very likely that everyone is hiding something that they don’t want to show to the other people around them.  Because of that, we are never allowed a full picture of someone’s true self.  People choose how they wanted to be presented and limit others’ visibility of them.  I think this piece would still have relevance in any time period, because people will still withhold parts of themselves so they can be seen a certain way in society.  Therefore, this piece perfectly fits the idea of limited visibility and reveals a very important message about society.