Proud Blonde!

Conformity today has reached from all ends of the earth, from newborn babies to 95 year-old grandparents. Teenagers are the typical victims of conformity, but what about adults doing everything to get a raise in order to own a house just like Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey? Or children in sports having their parents yell at them to be as good as Alex Rodriguez or Wayne Gretzky? Well here is a news flash to the world from me… The only common trait of all humans is their different talents and traits.  Reserving the right to express these individualities, without fear or punishment, is our responsibility to one another. I was put on this earth for a reason that no one else has, a reason that I’m going to fight to find. I don’t want to waste my time with people who are here to be someone they aren’t. The purpose of human beings on Earth is to take advantage of the gifts and talents God has given us to make our world a better place for ourselves and others.

The best movies and literatures are based on the choices of individuals on how to use their unique talents and traits. Characters like Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Bernard in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World are the people I don’t want to have to deal with in my life. They are greedy and self-centered in their quests to be someone they are not meant to be. Macbeth became King of Scotland, and did a horrible job as king. Bernard brought John and Linda back from the Savage Reservation and was a lousy host. Neither man ever understood nor cared about the harm they were doing to others, only caring about improving their self positions. Macbeth never deserved to be king because he used his talent of loyalty to his wife and to power to murder.  He murdered to be king, he murdered to stay king, and trusted witches with his life, as well as those lives around him. Yet this king never seriously thought that maybe someone would want to murder him, somebody like Malcolm or Macduff. Bernard used his talent of persuasion to persuade the World Leaders to allow him to  bring Linda and John to Brave New World. When he received the green light, he used John and Linda to play “meet and greet” with his childhood heroes and increase his rankings. Bernard didn’t care when Linda over-dosed on soma, he still had John to draw the attention to Bernard. Bernard never recognized Linda and John’s rights as human beings. Macbeth and Bernard only cared about advancing themselves further, no matter what it might cost for those around them. I could never act like Bernard or Macbeth because my conscience puts other’s feelings in higher ranking than my own personal wealth. The honest and sincere men, Macduff in Macbeth and John the Savage in Brave New World, are the characters I enjoy reading about because they use their talents for the betterment of others. Macduff used his talents of insight to realize Macbeth unrightfully became king and talents of a warrior to act upon this insight. Maduff fled to England to meet Malcolm to help him regain control of Scotland and over-throw Macbeth’s kingdom. Macduff wanted what was best for Scotland, and he knew Malcolm would be a better king than Macbeth. John the Savage’s overwhelming integrity is his unique talent. He knew that what was happening in Brave New World was wrong and sinful, and he did try to warn the people there but no one would listen. He tried to talk to Lenina, he threw soma rations out the window so he could get the Brave New World populations attention, and when nothing worked, he killed himself to get away from the evilness of Brave New World. I will always take on tasks with the best of my ability and will make sure no one gets in my way, just like Macduff, but I will also recognize defeat when it hits me, and I will be ready to act like John. Loyalty, persuasion, insight, and integrity can make a more peaceful world, or a more heinous world, and the beholder of these talents makes that choice to help others or help themselves.

If I was to be any character from Macbeth or Brave New World in their respective settings, I would have been Lady Macduff in Macbeth and John the Savage in Brave New World. I would be either of these two characters because they are the characters with the personality closest to mine, compassionate and understanding. As Lady Macduff, I would have loved my home and family like she did, always staying honest to myself while maintaining a happy household safe from sin . I would have been very concerned when my husband fled to England, committing treason, but never told my son. I would protect my son and everyone else in my house from the terrifying truth, and kept my husbands secrets to myself. I would not want anyone else to have knowledge of my husband’s secret treachery should anything happen. I would have understood why my husband had left to England, but I would also want updated on his condition, letters to home like Lady Macbeth received from Macbeth on the battlefield. When I would have found out that I had been the target of murderers, I would have defended my husband, just like Lady Macduff did. My moral conscience would have made me defend my husband in my last minutes before death, in front of my son, because I knew what he was doing  was what was best for Scotland. I would have been brave in the face of the murderers, even when I knew I would never escape their grasp. I would have been devastated when I seen my son murdered, and I would have taken my own life before they could take it from me, as a last act of bravery and loyalty to my husband and family. With my home burning to the ground around me, I would stay with it, just like a ship captain stays with his boat until everyone gets off. Lady Macduff and I would have acted the same way throughout her demise because our consciences are so similar, we would have acted similar in the face of defeat. As John the Savage in Brave new World I would have done my very best to convince the people raised in bottles that there was so much more to life. That the way they were living was going to have them banished to hell and that they must repent to God to have their sins forgiven. I would have taken rash actions like throwing their one beloved drug, soma, out the window to get their attention. The way things were going for John, it was understandable that he took such drastic measures to be heard. I would have also done my best to get their attention, to try to reason with them that their was a better world out there, that their was a life after death they could get to, but only if they would repent. When even this did not work, with still no one listening to him, other than Bernard and Helmholtz who were still confused, I would have been beyond desperate. I was not surprised when John hung himself, because I knew that if it were me in that situation, I would not have wanted to live either. I would have felt so helpless when no one would listen to me, like my life goal was to do my best to reveal God and the real meaning of life to these people, and I had failed desperately. I would have chosen to take my own life as well, because I would be so full of guilt for these people’s sins, I would have attempted to make my last impression drastic, just like Jesus. I related very closely to Lady Macduff and John the Savage, and these connections made the entertainment so much more thrilling.

The struggles for power, fame, and acceptance in today’s society are strikingly similar to those of Brave New World and Macbeth. During Barack Obama’s presidential run, I found myself relating his struggle to over-come his skin tone so much like John the Savage and Linda trying to over-come the stares from people in Brave New World who were not used to seeing over-weight or dirty people. Simple variations in appearance have caused up-roars in today’s society. Brittany Spears not wearing underwear to an event and the press went wild. What would the media do today if we were to find a new race of people with purple skin? If underwear can set them off, it wouldn’t take much. Also, power struggles between nations like the United States and the Middle East resemble very closely the conflict between Malcolm’s English army and Macbeth’s very weak Scottish army. When something goes wrong, like September 11th or the treason of an entire country’s upper classes, political turmoil is going to set in. The person in charge always ends up taking a couple shots, like George Bush or Macbeth, when middlemen like Ross or Bush’s Senate and House of Representatives probably had a few words that caused extra turmoil against their leader which makes the middlemen look better. The fight Lady Macbeth had with her conscience while Macbeth did not seem upset about his work, I find interesting because I can relate it so well to the modern day murderer or serial killer. Jealousy, power, money, fame, and love, all the above could cause an otherwise innocent person to murder. The difference between a murderer like Lady Macbeth and a serial killer like Macbeth is their conscience. Prisons today are full of programs for criminals who want to repent and do more with their lives because their conscience has made them do so. Maximum security prisons are full of criminals who would murder again if they ever got out, who have no conscience restricting them from committing such an evil act again. Lady Macbeth would have been a part of the forgiveness, move-on-with-my-life programs, but Macbeth would have been in the maximum security prison just itching to get out again to kill. Books and plays from hundreds of years ago, movies of today, and entertainment a thousand years from now will always be based on the human desire to fit in and find peace of mind because that is the key to understanding life in this world. Brave New World and Macbeth characters are all based on the ways humans can try to find this peace of mind while maintaining a comfort level in our society that has become integrated into our minds. The best entertainment is the kind of entertainment that everyone can relate to because they have all felt the same emotions or seen the same emotions displayed in their lives.

The world will always have two kinds of people, ones that use their talents to make life better and more purposeful for themselves and others, and there will be the kind of people who only want to improve their lives. God has put us all on this earth for individual reasons with individual talents to portray to the world. When characters in books and plays are considered the “bad guys” I cannot help but think of how many other people in the world act the same way, and are not punished for it. Our world today has created a sense of conformity that rewires our brains to accept evil because it made good for one person. Our society underestimates the power of God, not ever realizing how we may be punished in the end. I will do my best to become who God wants me to be, not who others believe I should be. The conformity of today’s society weighs very heavy on my mind, but I will do my best to shake it off.

The only true and honest men in the play Macbeth are the ones who died or became hated traitors because of Macbeth. Macbeth himself was always loved by the people because he did manage to save them all from Norway, Cawdor, and Macdonwald, but he was also the reason for the biggest civil war in Scotland (in the play). He killed the man who was a much better king than Macbeth himself, framed innocent men, killed his closest friend, and betrayed the whole country. Duncan was killed by Macbeth because “witches” told Macbeth it was fate, and when he fulfilled this prophecy, Macbeth because the “greedy swine” the witches also spoke of. Macbeth became very jealous of another innocent man, Banquo, who the witches said would have kings. Macbeth thought that he, and only he, deserved the title of king for the time being, and was suspicious of Banquo and his son Fleance, so he attempted to have them both killed. Though he did not manage to have Fleance killed, Banquo was no longer to be worried about, so Macbeth had the murderers killed. When this was finished, Macbeth began to inquire about Macduff and Malcolm, who were conspiring to have Macbeth killed. I personally hope that they do kill Macbeth because he does not deserve any kind of title, he is a traitor to the county he is king of. I hope they take Lady Macbeth too, spare her the pain!

Dear Diary,

Tonight was an embarrassment, a disgrace, and an awful portrayal of the man Macbeth is as a King, and I, a woman, as his Queen. In front of all our guests tonight at dinner, Macbeth began again to see visions, though much more vivid than his vision of the dagger when we killed Duncan. I attempted to calm my husband and the guests, but neither would respond, so I had no choice but to ask our guests to leave our castle. It was improper for me to ask them to leave and not being able to calm my husband, but what if Macbeth had muttered something about killing Duncan? It would be known that not the chamberlains or Duncan’s sons were traitors, but Scotland’s newest king! I would lose all respect as a woman in Scotland, and my husband would no doubt be hung. What am I going to do about these visions of my husband’s? I must not confide in another person in all of Scotland, but it is so hard to bear the wieight of it all! I only wish I could find some means of calming his wreckless mind, it seems as though any evil spirits I called upon myself have found a much nicer home in my delicate husband. Earlier today he also confided in me that he had more evil plans, too evil to even tell me, his loyal wife. Could that be the cause of his visions? And what about Macduff’s disloyalty exposed by Macbeth’s servant he gifted to Macduff? This royalty thing is cause for major stress! I hope it ceases soon, I can’t take much more!

The most memorable scene from Act 2 for me was when Macbeth and Lennox discovered the chamberlains. When Macbeth seen them covered in blood with bloody daggers, he acted as the noble, loyal Macbeth would have acted. He did not say a word or stop to think, just pulled Lennox’s sword and killed the chamberlains on the spot. He immediately put more attention on himself when he announced that he had killed the chamberlains, but the attention made him look less guilty.

This act of “loyalty” of Macbeth towards Duncan was the most important act of loyalty by Macbeth. Macbeth may have defeated Norway, unseamed Macdonwald from naves to chaps, and captured Cawdor, but killing the chamberlains made this hero a god of war and loyalty. Macbeth did not stop to think, only to act out of a confused loyalty to his deceased King. Macbeth was confused and did what naturally came to him, to act without thought, but this act actually made him look less guilty and turned out for the better for him and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is most successful when he thinks the least, and by killing Duncan’s chamberlains, his heroism, and more importantly, his innocence, appears carved in stone.

Mystery, deceit, lies, and corruption take center stage in the play Macbeth, with the controversial witches, conspiracy for murder, and swinish men. It is now common knowledge that the human mindset only seeks for more and is never truly satisfied, though the only ones who understood this in the time of Macbeth were the “witches.” It was these witches who also understood that no matter what healthy and positive things men did, like winning wars for a country’s freedom, there would always be consequences, like deaths of hundreds of soldiers who had families and friends who would greatly miss them. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”

From Lady Macbeth to the Thane of Cawdor, every character introduced in Act 1 has had a kneiving and 2-faced scene in which they are idealistic and evil. The opening scene of war between Norway and Scotland, as well as civil war of Scotland and her traitors Macdonwald and Cawdor, backed up this theory as well as the witches’ predictions. Macbeth was a great example of a war hero, a man who didn’t say a word or make a single face when he slaughtered dozens of men, right up to the very man the entire country wanted killed. To me this man is no better than a murderer, someone who can walk so calmly and unaffected through this kind of gruesome battle. Not only Macbeth can be so bipolar, but his wife, Lady Macbeth, who appears so innocent and beautiful, can plot such a horrible crime as committing the murder of King Duncan the same night she gracefully dances and hosts him in her home. Banquo does not escape this dreadful disease that seems to have claimed every member of Macbeth. Banquo fights, rides, and walks alongside Macbeth, every step of Macbeth’s trek to heroism but does not receive the same kind of reward, not even from the witches. Banquo begs the witches to tell him about his future after he hears that Macbeth will become king, but Banquo only gets riddles and in those riddles, nothing more than his sons becoming king. Banquo takes on jealously, just like any other human being would do. The thought that one of his sons must kill Macbeth has to have run through his mind. This book is full of betrayal, murder, and power… the makings of any best selling play, book, and movie.

I can already understand, even at my age, some of the motives for this treachery. Power is the most sought ideal, while jealousy is the most powerful of emotions. In high school, girls are always jealous of one another, whether it be their hair, clothes, or most often, their boyfriend, and this is almost always the cause of girls betrayal, hatred, and disrespect. For guys in high school, it may not be the hair or clothes, but it is the power. If they are the most popular guy in high school, they have the ultimate power over everyone else in the school, because everyone wants to be them. Testoserome and adrenaline are never a good combination. I am happy with where I am in my life, with supportive and loving friends and family to get me though the hardest times. These friends and family will never turn on me for anything, and for that I will be forever grateful. Macbeth may have had it all at one time in history, but it also made him a marked man. I am ok with where I am, I have everything I need in relationships, not material goods.

A citizen’s loyalty and responsibility is always to their family first and foremost. I have grown up with this motto and I believe every word of it. My sister, brother, mom and dad are the most important people in my life and my home life is the most important thing to me in the world. I believe in the love and support they give me as well as the direction that comes from their guidance and experience. My extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents have also helped in my up-bringing. They have made me feel a part of my family, someone that really fits in somewhere in this world, no matter what happens. During the hardest times in my life, like losing grandparents and other family members, it is my family that pulled me through it. They were strong when I was weak, and I have never felt stronger than when I was strong for them, helping them cope too. No matter what happens, I know I will be perfectly fine in the long run, so long as I have my family.