The Dynamic Duo
Katherine Griffin
The dynamic duo. Ever since the very beginning. Gifted to me by my late grandmother, they were bright pink and blue, with fluffy wool all over them. Now they’re both gray and no longer covered in that comforting cloth. They symbolized youth, now they symbolize aging. When they were first gifted to me they were fully stuffed with cotton stuffing and plastic beads, making them rattle for a baby and soft enough that they wouldn’t injure anybody when it was swung around. When they would get a hole, I would run crying to my mother to fix them, and she would perform “surgery” on them in order to make them feel better again. I would be so happy when they came back to me perfectly again. I could barely go a few hours without them, so my mother would often have to perform this “surgery” when I was asleep. They were my favorite things in the world, there wasn’t a way to separate us.
Now there’s a hole in one of their hands so large you could fit your pinky finger into it. It has holes in the stomach, leg, foot, neck, and even lost an eye several times. I wake up to their beads lying around in my bed so often that I have to pick them up and put them back into the hole that gapes in their leg. I used to carry them with me when I was a little baby, but now they lay in my bed, awaiting a time when they will get to see the sun again outside my bedroom window and go on adventures with me everywhere as they did in the past. They long to get lost somewhere and have to get picked up in a dirty parking lot hours later. They long to be brought on fourteen-hour road trips and be cuddled the whole time. They long to be loved again. But now they do nothing but sit in my bed and watch as the day turns to night and the leaves fall off trees.
I never stopped loving them. I just grew up. I’m no longer the excited child that is attached at the hip, and I’m no longer the person that would spend hours teaching herself gymnastics and having dance parties daily. I no longer leave the house and am anxious to return home to them when I get back from school. I am not this child anymore.
I can no longer carry them around with me everywhere I go, leaving them places and having to return for them hours later. They’re now too fragile to be removed from the safe haven of my room, their beads leaving a soft trail behind them every time they move. But they never stopped giving me comfort. I cry into their rough gray cotton and complain about every problem I have with them, and they sit there and listen. I watch as their cotton turns dark with my tears, soaking up my pain and holding it with them so that I no longer have to. I know they care as deeply for me as I do for them. They will never leave my side, no matter how old I get; they will always mean everything to me, even if I don’t show it the same way.
Photography – Spring 2023
Broken
Kate Tyler
You said you were my friend
Always there until the end
But then you changed the rules
Lying, words of bitterness
Replaced promises of forever
Laughing behind my back
Because you changed the rules
So all alone I faced the world
Filled with loss, confusion and grief
Depression consumed my life
Sometimes it was hard to breathe
My heart shattered
My head a mess
My world broken
My life in distress
Where do I go now?
Should I even try?
Should I just give up?
What’s wrong with me?
Will the pain ever stop?
In a cold, dark room I lay
Time keeps moving but I stay here
Tears flow but wash nothing away
I’ve lost my old self
No more cackle to joke about
No more video diaries
No more marathon facetime calls
Now you do that with them
The words still ring in my head
It feels like yesterday
But it wasn’t.
How do I let go of that cold December day?
A new hand reaches out
Sunshine breaks through
Into the darkness
Turns out it wasn’t me
It was you.
New dreams
New choices
New me
Because you changed the rules.
Clarity
Harry Ursitti
A silent firework
Lights the shadows of my moods
Bittersweet closure
Cocacolus billboardia
Sophia Hopper
Just as oceans unfailingly rise every year, Coca-Cola continues its ongoing reign as the world’s largest plastic polluter, responsible for three million metric tons of plastic packaging in 2019 (Tigue). Meanwhile, Coca-Cola convinces consumers that the company cares about the environment, using a well-developed advertising strategy known as greenwashing. Greenwashing assures consumers that “Earth-caring” corporations “pursue” environmental initiatives when those same corporations couldn’t care less and wreak havoc on the planet. However, as companies lie about their behavior, consumers stop holding those companies responsible for their actions, and the corporations’ harmful behaviors continue. Coca-Cola surpasses talking about action in its advertisements; instead, the “green” billboard launched in the Philippines in 2011 shows Coca-Cola actively reducing air pollution. This “green” billboard promotes purchasing bottles of Coke by displaying an image of an eco-conscious Coca-Cola that appeases consumers’ worries about the corporation’s environmental impact. However, this superficial message, apparently encouraging optimism and action, is an inefficient project that falsely shifts the blame for ruining the environment onto the consumer.
The local audience of the “breathing” billboard is drivers on Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Manila, a highway in the capital of the Philippines that is infamous for heavy traffic and air pollution. The daily traffic of 360,000 vehicles contributes to Manila’s dangerous air quality, a hazard responsible for four thousand deaths annually. In early 2020, the average concentration of particulate matter exceeded the safety limit of 10 μg/m^3 by 7.6 μg/m^3 and exceeded it by 28 μg/m^3 during the peak of rush hour (“Manila Gets Its Skyline Back”). Coca-Cola’s advertisement, which specifically addresses Coca-Cola improving air pollution, targets drivers stuck in traffic, surrounded by a haze of particulate matter. Due to their surroundings, some of these drivers are inevitably concerned about pollution, so Coca-Cola’s hopeful advert is there, showing the company cares about the issue and works toward a solution. The locals are familiar with the corporation as Coca-Cola’s bottling operation in Manila is one of the largest in the world and has been producing in the Philippines since 1912 (Davao). But instead of being familiar with its detrimental effects, Coca-Cola’s propaganda manipulates them by claiming that it cares about them and their environment. Coca-Cola furthers this image by protecting local freshwater sources around the globe through a longstanding partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (Heater).
While Coca-Cola pursues some initiatives that display well on its website, selling as many bottles of Coke as possible is Coca-Cola’s sole priority. The giant, centered silhouette immediately captures the eye of highway drivers, and the classic red Coca-Cola logo at the top left is the second image people see when they begin “reading” the ad. Consequently, the combined visual of the Coca-Cola brand on the bottle pops into people’s minds; the enticing, refreshing drink dances in their heads. Coca-Cola recognizes consumers already enjoy and purchase its product, so this advertisement addresses environmental concerns. Viewers associate the delicious Coca-Cola with expansive greenery and care for nature due to the creative medium of real plants. By utilizing these plants, Coca-Cola is seemingly aware of the world’s current environmental issues and working towards a brighter future. The panda WWF logo ensures people connect these two very different organizations that supposedly work together towards this future. This “collaborative partnership” gives Coca-Cola’s portrayal of progress credibility. The approximate symmetry of the advertisement leads the WWF and Coca-Cola logos to play the same role on opposite sides of the ad, showing how the organizations theoretically have an equal role in the billboard project. By equating these organizations, Coca-Cola places itself on the same level of environmental stewardship as the WWF. Coca-Cola also ensures anyone confused about the function of plants is informed that Coca-Cola’s altruism helps the Earth by stating the obvious: “This billboard absorbs air pollutants.” The Coca-Cola symbol lives in the most important upper section of the advert, a place representing “happiness and triumph.” The lower region, usually reserved for “heaviness, sadness, constraint, or threat,” shows action through which Coca-Cola confronts the world’s issues (Flip). Optimism, an essential part of Coca-Cola’s “live positively” campaign, replaces both the generally negative, lower section of the ad and thoughts of the harrowing impacts of pollution. Encouraging people to “live positively” associates Coca-Cola with an eco-friendly, happy, positive lifestyle (modeled by the miniature smiley face), providing people an opportunity to rid themselves of their carbon-footprint-sin by trusting in the green company of Coca-Cola. Consumers easily trust companies that tell people the lies they want to hear; consumers like snatching up products and blindly trusting that they were manufactured in an eco-friendly way.
“Coca-Cola helps save the planet with WWF.” But do YOU help the planet? Successful greenwashing shifts the responsibility of environmental stewardship from the companies creating poor air quality to the people who breathe it. According to the president of Coca-Cola Philippines, Guillermo Aponte, the “green” billboard is “a salient reminder for Filipinos to take an active hand in protecting and saving the environment” (Heater). Coca-Cola’s billboard proclaims the company “saves” the planet, so consumers are guilt-tripped into believing the planet must suffer because of them, not Coca-Cola. By making people believe they are the ones who must change their behavior, “inspiration” is merely a tool for deflection. Consumers are partially responsible as they purchase harmful products — like plastic bottles, but the corporations that create the culture and products themselves shape these purchasing decisions. Some people misguidedly think the company saves the Earth from the consumers; they are blinded from the reality that Coca-Cola does barely anything to save the planet from Coca-Cola. Finis Dunaway, an environmental history professor at Trent University, agrees,
The disconnect between the severity of the climate crisis versus so much focus on these little actions [like recycling or picking up litter], that not only distract from corporate responsibility, but also don’t seem to [make] a difference – it’s trying to encourage a feeling of empowerment, but I think it sometimes can actually be disempowering (Park).
Coca-Cola’s ad targets people who think superficially, incorrectly villainizing themselves and seeing the true villain as a hero. Logical reasoning protects consumers from this disempowerment, but most consumers avoid discrediting their suppliers. They believe the corporation’s falsehoods while also fearing the implications the truth has on their purchasing choices. Simple arithmetic reveals that Coca-Cola’s priorities lay not in helping the environment. The Fukien tea plants covering the billboard absorb 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide annually (Heater). But Coca-Cola’s emissions amounted to 5.18 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2021 (Tigue). Offsetting one year of Coca-Cola’s emissions requires over 221,367 “green” billboards. Instead of cultivating plants on a raised piece of metal, Coca-Cola could grow many more plants in the ground. Each plant has its own pot, made of recycled plastic bottles, and there is a complex, timed irrigation system in place that waters each plant —”a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters” (Heater). While the high-tech systems convince consumers that Coca-Cola is a techy and efficient company of the future, whom smart, educated people should support, avoiding this unnecessary trouble and creating an expansive garden would be much more beneficial for the planet.
However, this use of space makes sense considering Coca-Cola doesn’t care about the environment outside of its advertising. The corporation’s compassion and charity vanish behind closed doors:
Coca-Cola spent $4.24 billion on advertising and marketing in 2019…while spending just $11 million that year on a program to clean up rivers polluted by plastic waste. And a leaked recording of a recent American Beverage Association conference also revealed that Coca-Cola had quietly lobbied for decades against policies like bottle bills, which aim to hold companies responsible for the plastic waste they create (Tigue).
While this advertisement is unforgettably unique, it is also extremely dangerous as it perpetuates the culture that allows companies’ continued abuse of the environment. Before Coca-Cola sponsored the recent COP27 climate conference, a letter signed by 240 environmental organizations expressed their disapproval: “The world’s largest plastics polluter…should not be allowed to buy their way out of culpability for a crisis they have caused” (Tigue). A vicious cycle exists when large companies have so much money that they silence public outcry through manipulative propaganda just to make more money, which is then used for further manipulation. Charities, like the World Wildlife Fund, face a dilemma when they want millions of dollars from Coca-Cola, but know the company’s image is damaging. Ultimately, the WWF choses funding instead of greenwashing prevention. Companies creatively deflect blame or claim that their destructive behavior isn’t the issue so they can continue profiting from it. The “solution” of recycling is another example of “industry executives promoting an idea they knew wouldn’t work…all while making billions of dollars selling the world new plastic.” Recently, chemical recycling has been condemned as a “false climate solution” (Tigue). Companies do not care if climate “solutions,” from recycling systems to billboards, are scientifically false because gaining the trust of the public solves their immediate problems. As long as Coca-Cola strategically convinces thirsty Filipinos that it cares about the Earth, the planet can burn later.
Works Cited
Danielle del Valle. “World Wildlife Federation.” Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/227150374931560641. Accessed 21 2022.
Davao, Edge. “Coca-Cola Launches ‘Live Positively’ Drive.” 11 October 2010, https://edgedavao.net. Accessed 19 November 2022.
Flip. “Reading Images: A ‘Sight-Reading’ Key.” AP Language & Composition, 2 November 2022, Ravenscroft, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FsBFumdprl6XPZFB2lQuu4MJ WpldvAHw/view. Accessed 22 November 2022. Class handout.
Heater, B. “Coca-Cola’s Green Billboard Consumes Carbon Dioxide Like So Much Sugary Soda.” Engadget, 6 July 2011, https://www.engadget.com. Accessed 19 November 2022.
“Manila Gets Its Skyline Back As Air Quality Improves amid COVID-19 Lockdown.” Mongabay, 23 April 2020, https://news.mongabay.com. Accessed 21 November 2022.
Tigue, Kristoffer. “Coke Sponsoring COP27 Is the Definition of ‘Greenwashing,’ Activists Say.” Inside Climate News, 25 October 2022, https://insideclimatenews.org. Accessed 19 November 2022.
Park, William. “How Companies Blame You for Climate Change.” BBC, 5 May 2022, https://www.bbc.com. Accessed 19 November 2022.
Textiles & Ceramics – Spring 2023
Visual Art – Spring 2023
Loan Shark
Bama Bridge – Chloe Fox
Christina Graham
Sitting in this cell I’m both pained and saved by the memories. I can’t quite recall what exactly went south. My guess would be it began when our partners and workers insisted on incorporating technology into our work. My brother’s been insistent on incorporating technology into our business. He claimed that it would be easier and more efficient. While I understood computers would be good for researching when libraries were crowded, or telephones for arranging meetings, I didn’t understand his obsession with smartphones. He and my youngest brother would sit around for ages looking into their phones, finding new ways to download games and software. It’d frustrated me as every five or so minutes they’d wander from our conversation at the ping of their phones. I thought adding technology to our line of work would be bullshit. Technology leaves traces everywhere, and not the silent bloody kind. But since I was outvoted, for some reason, it’d been agreed we had to change some of our policies to be digital. I wished with everything in me that things continued to be done the old way. Bloody packages, sending a trembling child to someone’s doorstep to relay a message, following someone around until they know for sure, without a word, that their life is in jeopardy. But my brother and his cronies convinced my our team that it was unethical. Then I couldn’t care less about ethics. We had a business to run, I thought. Now I regret everything. Everything that took the life from my chest and replaced it with the moldy cold air that has surrounded me for years.
Around that time Tecca, my brother who stayed in the business, sent a message to one of his clients threatening a broken arm. He explained that it was fine because the client was in a similar line of business, and small threats were okay to send via text because often people don’t take them seriously. While on the other hand my youngest brother, Bryson, texted in a family “group chat” that he needed to have a family meeting. At the time I figured it was some of his cowardly shit when, but would have never anticipated it would be the greatest decision for my baby girl. Soon after, over dinner, he explained he’d stay in college and make a living out of basketball. He’d decided that he wouldn’t join us in business. It came both as a shock and with resistance, to begin with, but eventually, we all agreed it may be better for one of us to stay out of the family line.
That morning my phone buzzed me awake. It sat on my nightstand buzzing, buzzing, buzzing. Typically I woke up to the sun shining in my room, but ever since I was forced to get that phone it woke me up with texts from desperate clients, employees, or “spam.” The first message I got was from one of my special contractors, Thomas. My eyes were foggy with sleep but I knew what he was concerned about. He wrote good morning and asked how long he had to complete his task. Some crap about his loading truck needing to be sanitized.
I had Mikey move the body. You have three days to complete your end of the bargain or I’ll hire someone else, I sent.
I rubbed my eyes before hitting the green send button. As I headed toward the bathroom, my wife rushed past me. She said there was an emergency at the warehouse and she needed to make sure she secured some files before they fully uploaded. Mornings like these weren’t entirely unusual. She kept record of all of our cases and often would need to work with a sense of urgency since it included both money and survival. However, I wished I’d paid more attention to the panic in her eyes. I wish I had the knowledge and words to comfort her for what was to come. Moreover, I wish most that I could hold her again and feel her melt into me the way she always seemed to when stressed.
“Make sure Mina eats breakfast! She likes the waffles in the freezer with cut banana.” She pressed her lips into my cheek before rushing out of our bedroom, her purse dangling from her shoulder. I smiled, softened by the thought of my little family. After brushing my teeth I went downstairs to see, our daughter, Mina sitting on the couch watching Doc McStuffins. I sat next to her snuggling my head on her lap, intimidating her.
“Good morning! Can I have waffles? Mommy makes them with-”
“Bananas” I finish.”Of course, you can! Waffles right up for Dr. Mimi!” I said before heading toward the kitchen. She giggled behind me and I heard her little feet trailing after me. I pulled out the waffles, toaster oven, bananas, and syrup. She smiled at the syrup because her mom didn’t usually let her have any. Then when I pulled out the chocolate fudge I was awarded with an applause. As I prepared her easy breakfast, she played on my phone. Her uncle Bryson downloaded some games on it. I thought it was a waste, but it made her happy and I was a sucker for that bright toothy smile.
“O-K” she read slowly. She was ahead of her classmates in reading, but it was still new to her. “I weell get it done two- tonigh!.”
“What’re you reading there, ladybug?”
“A text!”
“What did I tell you about opening my texts?” I say sternly. While I’m sure she couldn’t quite grasp what the content of our work is yet, her mother and I agreed to keep it from her until she turned 16. I grabbed the phone from her, my hands sticky with banana, and opened the message. Tecca texted me about one of our clients finally paying off all of his debt. More texts come through from both of my brothers. Apparently, Tecca was followed on his way to work for a while by unmarked police cars. He said that each cop dipped off before he got 5 minutes from the warehouse but that I should be careful. Bryson texted that he was back home from college, in San Diego, to pick up a part for his car and that he would pick Mina up from preschool later because he promised her a tea party the last time he was home. His texts were always long and drawn out, explaining every detail and laced with too many unnecessary emojis. I decided I’d answer them all later before turning the phone on “do not disturb,” so that Mina could play her games in peace.
“Daddy I’m hungry. Are you almost done?”
She sighed at the counter. It was good that Bryson was home more often. Each day it felt as if Tecca and I were being watched. Even at nineteen, he was responsible and was on a great track to creating a life of his own. Something Tecca and I never had the courage or drive for. I doubted anything would happen but it was better to have him as a backup. Especially when the backup loves his niece the way Bryson does Mimi.
On the way to Mimi’s preschool, I missed at least four phone calls, forgetting to turn my “do not disturb” off from breakfast. Mimi smiled at me from the backseat, practicing her little dance moves, swaying side to side. When the shark song began I sang along in my Daddy Shark voice, which had her giggling for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t until we pulled up to her school that I knew something was wrong. Bryson stood at the entrance of her preschool looking frantically at my car as we pulled up. His arms were crossed in front of him and his eyes had the same panic as my wife’s that morning. Mimi’s face brightened when she saw him. Just as I put the car in park he opened the back door, unbuckled Mimi from her seatbelt, and swept her up into his arms.
He moved quickly as he told her to go to his car, and grabbed her backpack and car seat from my back seat.
“Answer your fucking phone! Tecca and your wife are behind bars and said they’re after you next. All of your cars are bugged. Somehow some files were leaked from all of your emails. I’m taking Mina. We’re gonna get out of here quickly so she doesn’t have to see you get arrested.” His eyes surveyed the parking lot. “Mimi come here and tell daddy you love him.”
Everything moved so quickly. So when Mina walked up to my door I jumped out and held her close in my arms. Kneeling on the ground in front of my car, it was then I knew this was the last hug I’d get from my daughter for a long time. She could tell by our sense of urgency that something was wrong. Over and over again I told her I love her and that daddy was sorry. When the sirens wailed I painfully let her go and looked up at Bryson. Taking her hand in his, he looked at me with the most seriousness I’d ever seen on his usually playful face and said “I promise I got her, Lino. We’ll be okay.” I nodded before the two of them quickly got in his car and drove off. And suddenly years of guilt came crashing down.
The Tragedy of Aryan Stanislavski
Scroll of Life – Lilla Megyeri
THE TRAGEDY OF ARYAN STANISLAVSKI
By: The Joker
KONSTANTINE: Who Are You?
ARYAN: Hi, my name is Aryan Ghodrat and I’m 17 years old.
KONSTANTINE: No you are not, repeat.
ARYAN: Hi, my name is Aryan Ghodrat and I’m playing the role of a villain.
KONSTANTINE: No you are not, repeat.
ARYAN: I’m playing the Joker.
KONSTANTINE: No.
JOKER: Hi, I am the Joker. I am a psychopath, manipulator, and villain.
The Stanislavski Method, a brilliant process crafted by theater practitioner Konstantine Stanislavski, is the foundation for any thespian seeking mastery in the art of emotional and psychological realism. The first step in this journey of self-discovery is for the actor to ask themselves the self-defining question, “who are you?” A performer must delve deep into the character portrayed on stage and explore their characteristics, relationships, and role in the production. This preliminary step sets the stage for the actor’s concentration of mind and spirit, fully immersing themselves into the character’s world. In playing the Joker convincingly, Aryan must understand the Joker’s character before proceeding with the Stanislavski Method. This defining step may involve research and work on behalf of the actor in establishing a clear foundation for the performer’s future abilities on stage.
KONSTANTINE: Where Are You?
ARYAN: Well-
KONSTANTINE: -Focus
Step two, concentration, is arguably the most crucial aspect of the Stanislavski Method, as it creates emotional connection and authenticity between the actor and character. Without it, they will go haywire on stage, making both the audience and performer feel detached from the script. For instance, instead of fixating on the idea of an audience staring at them, the artist must focus solely on their character, transcending any fear or anxiety. This way, the actor creates a much more authentic product while also feeling confident in their own body for future steps. Once the step is complete, the entertainer can continue peeling back the layers of the character, emerging themselves into the tedious levels of the method. The whole journey of the Stanislavski Method is an odyssey toward unlocking the character’s full potential, and concentration is a necessity in completing it.
JOKER: Gotham City
KONSTANTINE: What does it feel like?
JOKER: I don’t know.
KONSTANTINE: That’s okay. Reattach to Aryan, and ask, how would he feel?
Step three of the Stanislavski method implores the actor to dive deep into their spirit and connect their personal experiences to their acting. Though it may feel contradictory to the first two steps, simply imagining oneself as the character is not enough for a profound and authentic production. Instead, the actor must incorporate their own memories and emotions into the portrayal of their character. By tapping into their past, the artist can add a sense of reality to their performance that excels past boring performers who simply just imitate. For example, by recalling a time when they felt anger, the possibility of experiencing raw emotion on stage is a whole lot greater. Maybe thinking about a time when their partner cheated on them, or the time they were pickpocketed in the streets of Paris creates that anger. With this in mind, the performance not only feels more dynamic but also helps the actor overcome any feelings of remoteness they might feel from the script. According to Stanislavski, emotions are the driving force behind human behavior and it is the thespian’s job to tap into their emotional memories, making their performance convincing.
However, sometimes our memories aren’t qualified enough, and instead, we may feel numb at the thought of them. The memory of the performer’s partner cheating on them no longer makes them feel emotion. They have restored all the things that the pickpocketer stole, and now they simply do not care. In these instances, imagination plays a crucial role in helping actors fuse with their characters. By creating vivid and sensory images, actors can evoke the emotions they need in bringing their characters to life. This may include exaggerating memories that may have not been serious or emotional at all. What if the actor thought about the time their best friend got them a gift, and then imagined them getting run over by a car at the same time. Kinda sad, right? The key when using imagination in the actor’s favor is for them to create an emotional experience that feels authentic to themselves, not the audience. At the end of the day, the people watching have no clue what the performer ponders about; they can use the darkest of their imagination, creating a wicked performance.
KONSTANTINE: What do you want?
JOKER: I want you dead.
KONSTANTINE: Why do you want it?
Step four of the Stanislavski Method mandates actors to delve into the depths of their psyche and uncover the character’s motives. The main question in this step is, “Why am I doing what I am doing?” It requires a level of soul-searching that can be both illuminating and unsettling. By uncovering the layers of your character’s motivations, you may discover that they aren’t as virtuous as they initially seemed. Perhaps jealousy, anger, or even madness drives them.
This step brings depth and nuance to the actor’s portrayal, making their character’s actions more complex and believable. People’s motives constantly change and the same applies when acting. Even though there is a script with prewritten lines, each run may evoke different emotions and create different motives for the actor in moving forward, meaning that they must remain vigilant and constantly re-evaluate their character. For example, let’s take the character of the Joker. What drives him as a criminal mastermind? Why does he want chaos in Gotham City? By examining the character’s backstory, relationships, and personality traits, we can understand the roots of his madness. Perhaps he was mistreated and neglected as an infant, making him seek revenge on society. Regardless of the specifics, the key is for the performer to understand the emotional and psychological state that drives the character’s actions.
JOKER: Ha ha ha, you’re messing with me.
KONSTANTINE: I’m not, you are. Now tell me, where is Aryan?
JOKER: I will kill you.
KONSTANTINE: How will you do that?
The fifth and final step of the Stanislavski method is an immersive descent into the abyss of a character’s motivations and desires. Actors must surrender their identity in displaying their character’s physicality. The use of facial expressions, postures, and movements must be calculated, fitting the actor’s choices from the previous steps. When their physicality matches the emotional and psychological state of the character, it transforms the performance from plain words and actions into a sinister and captivating display of human nature. In this next part of the script, the Joker will kill Stanislavski. The Joker has completely severed from Aryan and no longer feels any attachment to him. The backstory that the Joker has created for himself is enough to keep him motivated in future scenes. In just a moment, the Joker will follow through with the Stanislavski method by using physicality as he leisurely draws out his knife, revealing a wide grin on his face, and flailing his arms around to the sound of his chilling laughter.
KONSTANTINE: Aryan, put the knife down.
JOKER: Too late!
Congratulations. The thespian has now fully descended into the darkness of the Stanislavski Method, casting aside their own identity for the applause of an audience. They have meticulously built the foundation of their twisted creation, and will obsessively continue molding their character. Though Stanislavski may be dead, his revolutionary method will continue following and haunting actors forever.
Dear Yellow, From Lighthouse
Sentinel – Henry Zhang
Landree Allen
A duty and, at times, a burden forced the lighthouse keeper to protect the sailors from nature until the sun rose. The nights when the man felt more burdened was when the hue of the distant hanging lightbulb filled the dark room–his heart–with warmth. His eyes could not help but close as the hammering rain silenced and hushed blues music amplified as it emanated from the watch room. His soft, warm sheets eliminated his ability to stay vigilant. He almost dozed off when his snoring startled him awake. Although it was dark, he could not retire. So, he begrudgingly climbed up the spiraled, creaky steps of the lighthouse as he did night after pitiful night.
When the man reluctantly stepped out into the fridged gallery, he overlooked the ocean’s vastness. The only thing that gave him solace was the regularity of the lighthouse’s reassuring, spinning rays and the lonely yellow sailboat. On the rare day when there were no sailboats, he wondered if there were any other humans, to begin with. The next time a day like this came, he decided to write a letter.
Dear Yellow,
If you receive this, for whatever reason, I hope you aren’t too estranged. Yes, I have waited for you every day even though I don’t know you, and yes, I feel as though I know you, but I imagine you would understand. When the ocean is your life, there is hardly any room for others. Please don’t stop visiting me.
Thank you,
Lighthouse