Destiny = Choice + Chance

I do not think that the events in my life have been guided by fate. I think my life is guided by chance and the decisions that I make. Some people may believe that when things work out perfectly for them that it is fate, but then they forget about the bad things that happen, the ones that happen for no real reason at all. People cannot call the good things fate and the bad things chance. It has to be either one or the other, and I think it is chance. For example, an event in my life that happened by chance was when I was in a car accident because somebody ran into me while I was sitting at a red light. It was not fate that put my car in the exact place for the other car to run into it, because there was no reason for it.

The events in my life have also been guided by my decisions. Each person’s life is undetermined and each decision that someone makes puts him or her in a direction that can be changed by the next decision.  For example, when I get accepted into colleges, I believe it is because of my decision to work hard in school and get good grades, as well as my decision to do many extracurricular activities. I do not believe that it was my fate to go to college, because I would not have gotten in if I did not decide to do the things I had to do in order to be accepted.

Based on the text of Macbeth, I think that Shakespeare’s attitude towards fate was not exactly the same as my attitude; however, I do think that he believed decisions also played a part in someone’s future. Shakespeare includes predictions in the story that correctly prophesize Macbeth’s future. For example, in Act 1 Scene 3, the Third Witch says “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” This is told to Macbeth very early on in the story, and he wonders how he will become king as there is already a king, however, he ends up killing the king so that he takes the king’s place. It is hard to know if Macbeth would have become king without doing anything to promote it. Honestly, I do not think he would have. I think the prophecy caused him to want to become king so bad that he made it happen. He even starts to make excuses to continue achieving the prophecy, for example at one point in Act 3 Scene 4 he says, “I am in blood stepped so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” If he had just stopped (or not even started) killing people that were going to get in the way of him becoming king, he may not have become king, but also he would not have done anything bad. I think that Shakespeare believed somewhat in fate (since the prophecy did end up being correct), however, I think he also believed that Macbeth’s decisions played a role in fulfilling the prophecy.

Understanding Art

               I do not usually like contemporary art, as I typically appreciate art more if it has more of a realistic aspect instead of an abstract one. However, visiting CAM Raleigh was still a very interesting experience, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to go and learn from it. Here is a picture of the interior of the museum:

The artists of the work I have chosen to analyze are Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. They have titled their piece Shape Shifter. It was done in 2013 with used sandpaper on canvas mounted on aluminum and is 253 X 187.3 centimeters.

The picture of Shape Shifter that I took at CAM Raleigh and my drawing of it

This work of art consists of 220 pieces of red sandpaper put together in a way that is characteristic of an abstract piece of art. The pieces of sandpaper are lined up in rows of 20 and columns of 11 so that it forms a rectangle. The sandpaper also gives the work an interesting rough texture which makes the art more stimulating to the viewer. The pieces of sandpaper that were used were from various construction sites around the world. They have all been used by different people on different structures. The pieces are not labeled, making the viewer wonder from where the pieces originated and who used them. Since the pieces of sandpaper are from various sites, they have all been worn according to their unique uses, and some even have the color of paint that was on the structure that was being sanded. The small pieces of paint serve as a memory of its past. However, those memories, only a small part of the larger picture, are easily forgotten and overlooked. 

This piece of art represents absence because it is missing a very important aspect of sandpaper: the workers who used it and the labor required for the job. Each piece of sandpaper was used by a person who is not named nor described in this work of art. The viewer is drawn in and obligated to fill in backstory of each piece of sandpaper. This artwork poses the question: Is the worker and the work he or she put into creating something overlooked once the structure is completed? Does a society care more about the end result than the effort that was put in to get there? Do we even care more about this piece of art than we do about the artists that created it? (I bet you can remember a lot about what I have said about this piece of art, but can you tell me the names of the artists that made it?)

This piece of art reminds us that every object has a backstory and people behind it. Remember to appreciate all aspects of something, not just what the eye can see.