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Lord Acton and Shakespeare Beliefs

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
To what extent would Shakespeare agree with this statement? Use the play and your own experience as your support.


In my opinion this quote is an idiom that means who holds unchecked power or authority is likely to become corrupt or abuse one's position. Do you guys remember the Jane Erye story and how Mr. Brocklehurst had complete control over the school and the people in it? Do you remember how evil and corrupt the man was to the teachers and children? Well, he is a perfect example of this quote. He misused his power and treated those underneath him like they were worthless and stupid. He abused his position because he could and no one could stop him.  

Throughout acts 1-3 in the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, the desire for absolute power is the main driving force for the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a thirst for complete rule, and are willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and behaviors of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and as a result of their greed, selfishness and strong desire for the crown, they will soon find out that they are unable to escape the tragic fate at the end of the play that was a result of their own doing.

In the beginning of the play Shakespeare makes Macbeth a celebrated, brave soldier who's loyalty lies with the king (Duncan) and is trusted, as well as respected by him. Unfortunately, his down fall begins when he is greeted by three weird women (witches) who tell him a prophecy. This prophecy says that Duncan will become Thane of Cawdor. As Lady Macbeth learns of this we see that her desire for power starts to break free and we see her start to become corrupt. She right away wished this prophecy to come true. Her longing for power and wishes to be a queen drove her thoughts and feelings to be very corrupt and cruel. An example of her corrupt thoughts as a result of the desire for power is evident upon her reaction to her husband’s letter. She tells Macbeth that they must kill king Duncan for the prophecy to come true, but she fears that her husband’s nature is too pure and that he doesn’t have enough ambition to commit the crimes necessary to fulfill it. She says, "Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it. what thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false (page 31, lines 19-22).” This quote shows that Lady Macbeth is willing to “play false” or act in corrupt ways to attain the power she wants.                                 

In Act two of the play Duncan is killed and Macbeth becomes the Thane of Cawdor, as predicted by the three witches, whose scheming helps drive Macbeth’s ambition and ultimately transform him into a murderer and tyrant. How much of a push Macbeth needed to turn to murder is not clear, but the word of three mysterious women appears to be enough to drive him to kill. Our perception of Macbeth as a brave soldier is further eroded when we see how easily he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was the driving force behind Macbeth, telling him to go over the edge and fulfil his prophecy. Throughout the play the idea of her being powerful takes over and she does what ever is necessary to make sure Macbeth follows through with their plan. She is there every step of the way telling him he deserves the crown and that he must not be a coward. When Macbeth finally killed Duncan he is suddenly overwhelmed with ambition and self-doubt. Although he constantly questions his own actions, he is also compelled to commit further atrocities in order to cover up his previous wrongdoings. The moment he became king he ordered three murderers to kill his best friend Banquo, along with his son. Shakespeare writes this because he wanted to show how Macbeth's need for power and lust was leading him to do unthinkable things.

In conclusion, Shakespeare's whole play surrounds Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's search for power. Shakespeare starts off with why they want it and how they plan to attain it, and through this we see their characters change and evolve into power thirsty humans. By Act 3 Shakespeare writes about their come to power and what they currently are doing with it, and through this we see that ultimate power does make the person in authority abuse it and become corrupt. This as lead me to believe Shakespeare would definitely agree with this quote by Lord Aron.

       Well guys, you could take this either two ways. One, power is the root of all evil and leads to unimaginable things, or, having power can gives you great benefits like being able to ask for anything and it get done. If you believe in the second way I hope you are ready to handle the soul-crushing internal guilt that comes as a result.

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Jane Eyre and the Canterbury Tales

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.

In the story of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, alienation of the main character and other girls is used by the author to reveal what society thinks and believes. Jane is a new student at her school and is very shy and doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of her classmates. She and others were alienated by Mr. Brocklehurst, who was the principle of the school, when he showed up to the classroom to talk to Ms. Temple.

When Mr. Bocklehurst walked into the classroom he stood next to the teacher, Ms. Temple and spoke quietly to her. After speaking to Ms. Temple for some time he had surveyed the classroom and his eyes fell on a girl named Julia. He looked shocked and called her out in front of everyone by proclaiming, "Miss Temple, Miss Temple, what--WHAT is that girl with curled hair? Red hair, ma'am, curled--curled all over?"  He had pointed his cane at her and shook it with disgust. After learning of Julia's name he fussed about her hair and why it was curly, stating it was defining every principle at the school and was not what he wanted her and every other girl to look like. This alludes to what society values because Mr. Bocklehurst said that the hair must be cut off because it would take to long to mess around with in the morning and he stated that he was there to teach the girls how to be proper and to mortify into the girls the lust of the flesh. Society values shamelessness and a women's natural self, and that is why Mr. Bocklehurst got so mad at Julia, it was because he thought she curled her hair on purpose to impress others.

Mr. Bocklehurst also called out Jane in front of her classmates when she dropped her slate. He made her stand upon a stool as everyone started at her and he proclaimed her to be careless and not a true child of God. By making Jane do this he was alienating her from everyone else. As a punishment he told everyone in the class to shun her from activities and to be wary of her presence. The teachers were to do the same and to keep a keen eye on her and to punish her for the simplest of acts. Mr. Bocklehurst went on scrutinizing her and he called her a liar. This example shows that society believes that everyone must strive to be perfect and that every wrong doing must come with a price.

GUCCI GUCCI GUCCI

Author: Gucci
Date: Spring 2011 add Campaign

When I first glanced at this picture I saw two women dressed in very fancy, expensive clothing. One of them is sitting down looking off into the distance while the other is leaned over about to kiss a guy who is also sitting down and he is dressed in nice clothes as well. They seem to be at a house and in the background there is another man leaning against a wall. There is "Gucci" written across the add in white lettering.
After I analyzed the photo In depth I saw a bigger picture. The add is trying to sell clothing and how they are doing this is by one, making people envy the models and the clothes, and two, by making the audience lust over it.
Since Gucci is a very popular and expensive brand their adds are going to portray that. They used three gorgeous models and each look confident and powerful. Having these aspects portrayed is a very good marketing technique because when the audience sees it they want to not only look like the people on the add, they want to buy the clothing so that they too can feel confident too. We see this especially with the model leaned over about to kiss the guy. She seems very confident in herself and see seems to do what she wants. The add also gets the audience to envy the brand by having the models up close so that they can see the clothes. The clothing looks expensive and very fitting. The audience is drawn to this and if you are rich because that is the target audience of this brand, considering how expensive it is, you would want to buy the items. lastly for envy, people will want to aspire to be these people because of the setting they're in. It is placed at a very nice, rich house, not somewhere run down. This is done on purpose because it shows that if you buy Gucci you are probably rich and the add wants to allude to those certain people. Lust is also seen in this add because the audience feels like if they wore clothing like that then they can get guys like the one sitting down.

I noticed the layout of the add as well. Like I said above, the two women and one of the guys are sitting close up to the camera, and this is done to show off their clothes. The models are also shot in a very neat area. There is not much around but it looks very sharp and this is done like this because it portrays the brand name. Gucci is very sharp and extremely high priced, and the layout definitely shows this. The "Gucci" name doesn't even have to be placed on the add for someone to know that it is for high priced clothes and rich folks.

Story of My Name

 (Erin in Runes)

My name has always been, and will always be, Erin Judith Mulligan. After asking my parents why they decided to name me Erin, they told me there was no particular reason except it wasn't "foofy" and it went well with Mulligan. Since they didn't have a particular reason for giving me my name, I decided to do some research. 

The name Erin is of Gaelic and Irish origin (there was a reason it went well with my last name). Erin is a derivative of the Irish word "Éirinn" and it is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland.  It was used mostly in the phrases, "go hÉirinn" "to Ireland", "in Éirinn" "in Ireland", "ó Éirinn" "from Ireland". Poets and nineteenth-century Irish nationalists used Erin in English as a romantic name for Ireland. It is actually still used today in some poetry. It is unfortunately a very generic name, used by both sexes. The only really good part about it is that no one can make fun of it, or give me a crazy nickname.

I think it is quite interesting and neat to be named after a place, but It doesn't define who I am, I can make my own decisions on who I want to be and how I want to be perceive by others. My parents did put a meaning behind my middle name though. Judith is actually my grandmas first name, and I personally find it to fit an old lady's, which I sometimes get made fun of for. I would never change it though because it makes my grandma really happy and it's nice knowing she'll always be with me.

I decided early on that when I get married I'm sticking with Mulligan. My mom actually stuck with her last name as well, Gurak, and I think it's perfectly fine to do so. A women shouldn't have to take on her husbands last name if it doesn't please her to do so or because it is seen as "a stepping stone in life". Personally I like the lineage connection to my family and birth, and the paper work that comes along with changing your last name isn't worth it. I feel like if a women wants to change her last name or doesn't want to, it's entirely up to them and what they want. In society today more and more women are keeping their maiden name because of reasons like mine or it could be reasons relating to feminism. Either way I decided to choose this route because it's practical, not political.

In reference to Anna Quindlen's essay "The Name is Mine", she talks about having "two me's", the me who is the individual and the me who is a part of a family of four". There has been moments where I have experienced both.  A time where I feel like a part of a group is during college applications. I'm fighting to be recognized through my essays and grades. I have to make a name for myself and show that I'm not any teenage but that I'm someone of importance, someone to look at. I have to pour my individuality into my essays and make them my own. I have to make my name standout among thousands. I can't be seen as another senior applying. I have to be seen as Erin Judith Mulligan, a girl that is different than any other. This is why I agree with Anna Quindlen. You can be two different Me's with two totally different personalities.

Margaret Atwood & Wing Young Huie

Picture: http://www.wingyounghuie.com/p929219206/e66b2c695

       Between the years 2007 and 2010 Wing Young Huie created the University Avenue Project consisting of over a few hundred photos. The photo I decided to analyze from his collection is of an African American man dressed in a yellow chicken costume. He is sitting on a curb and in his left hand there is a sign that seems to be an advertisement for a store, explaining a "good deal" they have. His face expression is neutral and he is looking off into the distance. The man is leaned over listening to music through headphones under his costume. There is a car in the front view of the camera so he is most likely sitting in a parking lot. Although that’s about all we can gleam from a quick glance and the visual cues, Huie thankfully included a small paragraph on the photographs he took. 


       Huie photographed the different diversity in the St. Paul neighborhoods. For three years he photographed storefronts, big box retailers, blue-collar neighborhoods, and burgeoning condominium communities consisting of the highest concentration of international immigrants in the country. He tried to reflect in his pictures the ever-evolving American experience. As I looked closer into the picture of the man in the chicken suit I realized he could actually be an immigrant. Judging by the job he has and how it is not so fought after suggests this might be true.


        We can draw connections between Huie’s photo and how Margaret Atwood presents the differences between Offred and the others (men, the regime, the Wives) in her book. As humans, to define someone as “other”, or being fundamentally different, we fist give them a social status. Atwood states in the book that the Wives, the Eye, and the Commanders are all of high authority. Although it is stated nowhere, the subject of Huie’s photo is someone of low class statues. Huie probably didn’t and doesn’t intend to define anyone as an “other”, but his visuals do. The costume he is wearing, the place he is sitting, the look on his face, all show a difference between him and other middle-class Americans. We can’t help but conclude he is not living a lavish life like others might be and we can’t help but place him in a certain group of people. Yet, if he was made visually into an “other”, Huie’s idea to document his situation and create public empathy for him as well, hopefully, gets people to take the time to learn about someone before placing them in a “class”. Atwood does the opposite. She uses written language to show the reader the “others” status. She right away in the book establishes that the Aunts have power over her, “Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts” (Atwood 4). This establishes the Aunt’s status over Offred and where she stands in the Gilead society. It shows how different they are compared to the Handmaids. Atwood also describes the relationships between the Commanders, Wives, and Offred. She presents “others” clearly in the book unlike Huie’s photo.