Children of the Screen

                In her article Children of the Screen, author Hannah Baylon argues that today’s “society insists upon mechanistic production, encourages mindless entertainment, and exalts ravenous consumption of extravagancies”.  She depicts our society as superficial, materialistic and monotonous in our daily routines.  In short, we have adapted to a screen based environment that will ultimately be harmful to society.  Many people would be appalled to be labeled in this way and would enthusiastically deny Baylon’s claim.  But, in truth, we are children of the screen.

                Most people are guilty of this; working long hours and spending the rest of our day engrossed in our favorite television show or another mindless distraction.  Today, it seems the only life that is acceptable in society is a life of long, monotonous labor.  After all, it is the American Dream to work hard and make money so one can afford the luxuries of life and truly be happy.  We all strive to meet this goal that has been driven into our brains as the only acceptable way to live our lives, but most of us will not be any happier when we fulfill our collective “dream”.

                Even I am guilty of adapting to our screen-based environment at times.  Though I am a student, I work for long periods of time and unwind by distracting myself with television, solitaire on my computer, or other somewhat mindless activities.  I follow the lives of celebrities, even though I do not worship them as some people do, and someday, I want a nine-to-five job in a business setting.  However, I do not think I have adapted enough to be controlled by our screen-based society.  I consider myself an intellectual, so I often busy myself with crossword puzzles and reading along with other activities that require problem solving and thinking.  More importantly, I have not lost my connection with nature and the simple pleasures of returning to the natural world.  One of the simplest pleasures (but easily the most rewarding) is that of walking down the streets on a foggy night without the noises of cars speeding down the road or the view of buildings along the horizon.  When I find myself immersed in nature, rather than the urban confines of civilization, I am elated and at peace with myself.

                Ms. Baylon accompanies her article with a provocative portrait that embodies the characteristics of our screen-based environment.  The girl in the photo stands before a blank screen with a large chain around her neck and duct tape over her mouth.  The blank screen in the background communicates a mindlessness and monotony that personify our screen-based society.  The chain around the model’s neck represents society’s imprisonment in the screen based society and how we cannot escape.  Finally, we are powerless to speak out against our lives, as is portrayed by the duct tape across the girl’s mouth.

                Obviously, there are some aspects of our society that are less than desirable.  We work for so many hours in a day that many people cannot be as close to their family and friends as they should be, causing tension.  Many people believe that celebrities have all the answers because they are wealthy and famous, even when they do not.  However, the screen based society has brought the world closer together through technology and production of goods and services is high enough to meet demand from the people.  Screen based environments can be beneficial to society and harmful toward it at the same time, but I believe that the less desirable aspects far outweigh the benefits.

Picture of Dorian Gray

                The Picture of Dorian Gray, Albert Lewin’s film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel of the same name is a story about the struggle between an individual’s conscience and the façade he puts forth to society.  The film tells the story of Dorian Gray, a young man who stays forever young and handsome while a portrait of his likeness ages in his place and shows all the sins of his life.  When he is a young man, Dorian has a portrait painted of him by his friend Basil Hallward.  Basil and his young niece, Gladys believe the painting to be the most beautiful, but Basil also believes it was as if something supernatural were guiding his hand.  Caring only about his youth and pleasure, Dorian wishes that he could stay young forever.

                While traveling the world, Dorian hears the beautiful Sybil Vane singing at the Two Turtles.  He comes back every night to hear her sing and eventually, they meet and fall in love.  Dorian is determined to marry Sybil, but his friend Lord Henry Wotton devises a test to see if she is virtuous.  At first, Sybil passes the test, but falters.  The next day, Dorian writes a letter to Sybil, saying that he no longer loves her because she is not as virtuous as he thought.  He then leaves to travel.  However, when he returns, Dorian notices that his portrait has changed; the mouth now shows a hint of cruelty.

                At this moment, Dorian thinks that he would give his soul if only the portrait would change while he stayed the same forever.  He decides to live purely and nobly and writes a letter to Sybil begging her to take him back.  But, he learns from Henry that Sybil has died after swallowing something.  Naturally, Dorian blames himself.  He covers the painting and locks it in an attic with other relics from his carefree youth.  He vows to never let another person see the portrait again.

                Dorian’s portrait continues to take on the burdens of his age and sins as the years pass.  People grow weary of him, because he cannot bear to be away from the portrait, fearing someone might discover the monstrosity it has become and know the sins he has committed.  He meets Gladys, Basil’s niece and falls in love with him.  He tries to warn her that he is not a good person, but she tells him that there is no evil in him.

                On his thirty-eighth birthday, Dorian sees Basil and shows him his painting after being told of rumors being spread about him.  The portrait shows a middle-aged man, afflicted with leprosy and twisted with the sins he has committed.  It is hideous.  Suddenly, Dorian is overcome with hatred for Basil and the fear that he will betray his secret.  In a moment of rage, Dorian stabs Basil, further marring his portrait with blood.  Soon after, he proposes marriage to Gladys.

                In the following scene, the audience sees a street preacher on a dark street.  He preaches to a group of bystanders, asking, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?”  Dorian gets out of a coach and stands, listening and pondering the man’s words.  As he walks away, we see Sybil’s brother in the audience.  This was my favorite scene because of the darkness that contrasts with the rest of the film.  The only other times the scenery is not well lit are the times when Dorian is in his attic, examining his portrait.  Whenever he is in public, he is well lit and the entire setting is bright.  I also liked the preacher’s words because it is as though he is delivering a message directly to Dorian.  In fact, Dorian reacts as if the preacher’s words have a profound effect on him, as if he realizes then that he has given up his soul.

                After his friend Allen Campbell and Sybil’s brother die, Dorian says good bye to Gladys, hoping this one good deed would be reflected in the portrait.  As he moves into the light to view the picture, he can see evidence of his good deed in the monster’s eyes.  Fearing he would be tempted by the portrait further, Dorian stabs the monster in the heart with the same dagger he used to kill Basil.  As he dies, the picture of Dorian Gray returns to its original beauty, while he is transformed into his true self.

                In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portrait represents Dorian’s conscience.  Though he never changes and stays young and beautiful, his picture shows all his sins.  The film’s message is that of the conscience, rather than the soul.  After telling Dorian of Alan Campbell’s death, Henry utters the words, “How rarely we know what goes on inside a man.”  Though he is speaking of Alan, Henry’s words can be applied to Dorian.  While the entire world may only see his good looks and innocence, Dorian must live with his sins and faults every day.  His constant reminders of his wrongdoings torment him at all times.  The Picture of Dorian Gray teaches the audience to live purely and nobly, because even if an individual puts up an innocent façade, he must still live with the decisions he has made and the sins he has committed.

The man in the seventeenth portrait is painted in a disjointed, mosaic form.  He is wearing a mismatched shirt and jacket and he sits in a large room of which the walls are lined with full bookcases. Beside him on a glass table sits a vase of tulips.  The man is alone in the large room.

                This man is a forty-five year old History professor at Columbia University.  He lives in New York City, in a spacious loft apartment near the campus.  The professor received his undergraduate degree from Columbia and returned after receiving his Doctorate to begin a fifteen year career.  In addition to teaching full time, the man is a lover of books―especially History books―and his apartment is filled with accounts of everything from the history of the Aztecs to the American Civil War.  He has even written a few books of his own.

                The professor is cultured and quiet.  He is a thoughtful man that would be perfectly content to keep to himself and immerse himself in his books.  Often, he disappears for days at a time while he pours over a new book and emerges only when he becomes too hungry to concentrate.  The man is also very organized and neat.  His apartment is spotless and orderly, with everything in its place.  However, he is also very eccentric and slightly absentminded. 

                A year ago, the man received divorce papers from his wife of twenty years and the love of his wife.  They met at Columbia when they were still in school and were married a few years later.  The couple never had any children because they were both busy with careers, but they had a very loving marriage.  However, two years ago, the man became detached and buried himself in his work.  Slowly, he distanced himself from his neglected wife.  Finally, she left him and filed for divorce.

                Since his divorce, the man has again busied himself with his books and his teaching.  This has helped to distract him from the pain of his divorce, but he can still feel her absence at times.  The man’s wife always chose his outfits for him because of his lack of understanding of fashion.  However, with her gone, he often stands staring at his closet, wondering what she would pick for him to wear (he is usually wrong, like with the jacket and shirt he wears in the portrait).  He also keeps fresh tulips in a vase on his table because tulips were his wife’s favorite flower.  Recently, it has become a habit for the man to buy tulips on the way home from work, even though he no longer does it on purpose. 

                This portrait shows a man whose first love is his work.  Though his love of history caused him to lose his wife, but he returned to it with the same fervor as before.  He is sometimes sad and lonely, but he is happy with his lifelong pursuit of knowledge and his love of history.

Who is that Person?

The man in the seventeenth portrait is painted in a disjointed, mosaic form.  He is wearing a mismatched shirt and jacket and he sits in a large room of which the walls are lined with full bookcases. Beside him on a glass table sits a vase of tulips.  The man is alone in the large room.

                From his hairstyle, outfit and glasses, one can guess that the man is in his mid-forties.  His pants are somewhat short, showing his ankles, and they remind me of something that my father would wear.  However, his lack of grey hair or visible wrinkles leads me to believe that he is not any older than fifty years old.  The man’s jacket and shirt suggest a person who is somewhat eclectic and cares little about fashion.  The mosaic style of the portrait also hinted at eclecticism. The expression on his face, as well as the way he folds his hands in his lap lead me to believe that this person is very intellectual, quiet and polite.

                My first thought about this person after seeing his portrait was that he must be a professor or he must have another profession that requires him to be well read and intelligent.  Along the wall in the background are many bookshelves full of books.  This man probably either loves to read and research or collects books to display in his apartment.  The man’s slightly eclectic and professional outfit also led me to believe that he is a professor and an intellectual.

                The man’s surroundings make him seem as though he is a successful individual who has a high income.  The room he is in looks like it is a loft apartment, perhaps in a large city such as New York City.  On the second story wall, there is a large painting, suggesting that the man earns enough money to buy expensive items.  His face also has an air of sophistication when examined closely.

                As I examined the portrait, it seemed to me that this man was alone, and that the size of the apartment emphasized his solitude.  Though there are no actual clues in the painting to suggest that this man lives alone, the feeling of loneliness lingered in my mind as I examined the portrait, so I decided that he must be lonely.  Beside him on the table, there is a vase of tulips, possibly refuting my idea that he lives alone.  However, the rest of the apartment is very neat and tidy and there are some decorations, like the painting.  It is entirely possible that the man could appreciate beauty and that is the reason he keeps tulips.

                This man is obviously a successful and sophisticated intellectual.  He seems contemplative and satisfied with his life and his apartment suggests a tendency to be very organized.  However, to me, the painting hints at the solitude of a man who probably cared more about intellectual pursuits than other people close to him.