Saturday, December 17, 2016

The Porter’s Netflix Recommendation List:

1. The Office
This sitcom attempts to embody the dynamics of office relationships in the 21st century in a humorous manner. The main character, Michael Scott, is arrogant in that he beholds himself to a higher value than society typically would. Just like Michael, the Porter does not acknowledge the social order of the society in which he lives. Although he is very limited in authority, he speaks to those above him as though they were equals. Such a persona is demonstrated in Michael Scott during his interactions with the corporate executives who control the regional branch of the paper company that employs him. For these reasons, the Porter might see a funny, lighthearted representation of himself in The Office.

2. Master of None
Master of None follows the life of a young man, Dev Shah, who struggles to make decisions.  Dev lives his life in the present and never plans too far ahead. In many ways, Dev is an opportunist: he takes advantage of the opportunities that life throws at him and hopes for the best. Dev’s behavior in Master of None may represent the Porter’s disposition and view on life. Rather than concerning himself with material gain and the assumption of power, the Porter lives his life pretty laid back. He is not at all concerned with what is expected of him nor about what the future may hold. In the eyes of both Dev and the Porter, every day is a new day.

3. Flight­
This film is different from others on this list in that it tackles a significantly more dramatic topic: alcoholism. Although the Porter (from the brief appearances he makes in Macbeth) is generally nonchalant, he is symbolic of the life of an alcoholic. While it is never expanded on, there is likely a reason for which he drinks and why he has become so unconcerned. Flight details the life of an alcoholic pilot who is in hot water regarding a flight in which a plane malfunction resulted in a crash, killing several passengers on board. The movie does a good job of showing the struggles of overcoming alcoholism and the effect that it can have on the victim and his or her loves ones. As is the case with many alcoholics, the Porter may not wish to discuss his problem externally; but there is no doubt he would relate to this film’s premise internally.

4. Trailer Park Boys
This TV sitcom completes the list on a brighter note. Trailer Park Boys follows the life of three Canadian men living in a poverty-stricken trailer park. The “boys”, as they are referred to in the show, enjoy leisure activities like smoking and drinking, as well as coming up with elaborate schemes to make money. As demonstrated in Macbeth by his drunk state of mind at the feast for Duncan, the Porter is to some extent a party guy: he likes to kick back and have fun like the “boys” do. Trailer Park Boys was created with an attempt to relate to people with similar interests, such as the Porter. The drug references, potty humor, and crude behavior of the “boys” would likely resonate well with the Porter. 

3 comments:

  1. These all seem like very interesting shows. I think it is cool how the general themes of the stories relate to the porter. It is also neat to see how the majority of these shows are comedies and the porter is used for comedic relief within the play. Also these shows deal with people making bad decisions which might have been what people considered funny back then too.

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  2. You did an excellent job Zac. I feel as though the connection between all of these shows and the porter are well based. Your connection of these shows being funny, a party guy, etc are nicely backed by his actions within Macbeth.

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  3. Wow BallZacThomas, you did it again. You have wowed me with your impeccable ability to make a blog post. Well done. With that being said I overlooked the porter while reading Macbeth and I am sure many others did as well. The four shows that you picked give great insight into the kind of man the Porter is. I too love the office and have dabbled in the Master of None (maybe I'm the Porter?). I think your comparison to the type of man Michael Scott is and the potential personality of the Porter is very clever and provided great context for analyzation. Your ability to infer is also amazing BallZacThomas, you were able to take the party scene depicted in Macbeth and you were able to determine the back story of the Porter. I do agree with you that he may have alcoholic tendencies and your comparison between flight and this scene is great and it provided me more details on the Porter and his character. Overall great job with this blog post, I appreciate your analyzation and ability to relate these shows to the decisions and personality of the porter.

    -SatiricalCrap

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