The Children of the Screen

The unfortunate truth is that Hannah Baylon’s article “Children of the Screen” strikes remarkably close to the daily routines of most Americans. One of the primary reasons for this shift in our culture may be addressed with the cliché term saying that “times have changed.” The reality is that times have changed, and we cannot stand to have idle time. Instead of appreciating silence and rest for what it is we try to drown it out with noise and activity. Life nowadays has become such a blur with constant activity that we eventually become numb and apathetic to our natural surroundings, so completely immersed in our own redundant tasks.

I myself can testify to the screen-based environment overruling the other aspects of my life. Instead of having desire to go out and play in the grass or make vast cities out of mud like I once did, I find myself drifting to thoughts about movies and anything related to monitors. Even now as I write this paper, I am not really writing, instead I am typing, but because of the way the term has changed, now “writing a letter” involves moving little more than our finger tips as we tap out a message and send it without even rising out of our seats.

At this point we should not concentrate so much on promoting about the damage our current routines are inflicting with all these statistics and research projects addressing the matter, which in itself is slightly hypocritical; these are just more activities that waste more time in front of more screens. We instead need to escape. We need to break out of our perfectly partitioned schedules that choreograph every movement of our days and go explore everything else the world has to offer.

I am completely agreeing that we are addicted to repetitious work and mindless entertainment, and as with any addiction, we cannot hope to instantly break the cycle and be done with our current ways. We must instead take slow steps away from the screens, away from our full time work, and take a breath.

I know myself that I have struggled with this issue throughout my eighteen years of life. How can you escape the ease of slipping back and having to put forth no effort to watch whatever informational or mindless program you want without even moving thirty feet in your own home? Certainly many escape their televisions, but do they also escape from email? From cell phones? The cell phone is what kills me. Every so often I shut it off and hide it away, but still I wonder if someone needs to contact me for any important reason. The era of communication and networking cannot be easily broken, but it can be shaped and monitored.

One of the hardest parts of this shift in culture is watching millions of other individuals shift together and try to fit the culture they feel is expected of them. Rare are the mountain climbers, the bikers, and the runners, and even rarer are those who participate in said outdoor activities for no profitable gain. The best therapeutic program for anyone suffering from screen-ititus is to take a weekend alone or with close family and go out camping. Not just at a campground, but at a site away from any vehicles including the infamous motor homes, a chance to sit in the wilderness and have no idea you are there because of the three televisions sitting in front of you.

In conclusion: We should use a little more effort in order to save ourselves from the killer robots that are feeding on our constant use of technology until they one day strike out and the oracle’s prophecy runs true. “There is no spoon.” – The young boy of The Matrix.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

After enjoying this film I realized that quite a few scenes hooked my attention, and I am unable to only write about the most notable one scene. Therefore I will write a little on one of my favorites, and a substantial portion on my overall favorite scene.

The first passage that intrigued me is the one of the butterfly only nine minutes into the film. Lord Henry Wotton mesmerizes Mr. Gray with his speech of how to live life properly, for fun and personal enjoyment, and that youth is the most important aspect of life. Some of his more notable and repetitious quotes are provided for your amusement:

“There’s only one way to get rid of a temptation and that’s to yield to it.”

“Youth is the one thing worth having.”

“There’s only one thing in the world worth having, and that is youth.”

This scene transitions to the scene of the butterfly, with the butterfly being captured and killed simply for its beauty. The magnified picture of the dying insect struggling for life, but helpless to escape its death is a slightly eerie image and pulled on my emotions.

Although I enjoyed many other small sections throughout the film, my favorite picture segment of the film took place seventy-three minutes into the film when Dorian commits murder in a panic. Leading into the climactic portion of the scene, Dorian unveils the new, monstrous painting to Mr. Hallward, and the narrator states, “It was as if some model leprosy were eating the thing away.” Mr. Hallward responds by asking of Dorian, “Each of us has heaven and hell. Do you know how to pray Dorian?” Realizing he cannot let his secret escape, he kills Mr. Hallward. “Like a cornered animal” he struck with fear, the music crescendos, and the lighting, the most notable aspect of the segment, accents the message of the scene. The slow, rustic swinging of the lamp vastly alters the appearance of Dorian as he stands over his kill, shifting the background and foreground in and out of shadow, and casting the still silhouette of Basil Hallward on the pale wall. The steady creaking of the lamp keeps the tension of the segment at its peak as Dorian moves across the room to cleanse himself of the blood with an embroidered towel displaying the first line of a poem by Mother Goose, “Little Boy Blue Come Blow Your Horn.” The light in this passage helps to shine new light into the personality of Mr. Dorian Gray, showing both his light, proper and clean image, and his shaded, hidden alternative personality to the audience. As Dorian moves back to the painting, and the narrator utters the single “It was if the painting had sweated a dew of blood.” He covers the painting and locks away the sins once more.

These passages relate to the overall plot of the film because the portrait of Dorian shows the negative consequences of both his actions and his aging on its canvas, instead of on the living being of Mr. Gray. Dorian realizes that his sinful actions, although lacking in repercussions for him, in the end are destroying him, and attempts to confess. Unfortunate for him, the time has passed for redemption and Dorian kills himself.

Good Ol' Portrait 17

This picture drew my attention over the others because of the mystique that poured out from its image. My initial question - Why is the man divided and duplicated? This single question provided me with enough thoughts to go onto hundreds of different tangents, but here is my favorite of his conceivable histories:

The man is in a continual search to discover who he is and what his purpose is. His mind cannot fully attach to a single personality and a single lifestyle, but instead is stretched between two – the one he lives and the one he would like to bring into being. The most evident artistic technique to me is not actually the painted aspects of the work, but instead the empty lines that grid out this portrait. The artist utilizes this technique seemingly to show the viewer how torn the man is and how he is split between multiple paths in life. The hundreds of small divisions add complexity to his character and what is present in his image.

His glasses and hair style both help to develop a scholarly personality. He is formally dressed, and yet leaves his collar unbuttoned as though he is not comfortable being completely proper. He has his beautiful home with wood floors, vaulted ceilings, and a multitude of books, but he chooses a simplistic wicker chair as his perch. He is educated and wealthy, but not arrogant. Quite frankly he appears bored within the confines of his study. Instead of burying himself in one of the hundreds of books in his extensive library, he instead finds more interest in what lies out in the distance away from his current lifestyle. The man’s pose and posture cause him to seem relaxed and serene. There are no sharp angles or protrusions in the painting and everything flows smoothly together. His fingers are lightly folded together in his lap and his legs crossed in reserve.

Complementing the grid lines, the artist also divided the man’s portrait with brush strokes, smearing together and replicating certain features of the man to strengthen the meaning. Of the duplicated features, the most prominent is the facial region, showing divided heads on a literal level and figuratively suggesting dual mindsets. Other duplications do exist in his portrait: slight deviations from the primary picture in the legs, arms, and torso, but they do not pull much attraction comparatively to the facial split.

The man’s gaze is very telling in the portrait, as he is apparently searching for something on the horizon instead of focusing on a level plane with the viewer. He is not exhibiting any degree of excitement or impatience to find what he is searching for in his eyes. I think the word that best describes his outlook is hopeful – hopeful that change will come to his drab life stuck in the confines of proper etiquette, mannerisms, and his scholarly ways. The splits and attitude of the man help to give the message that he has not become complacent with the comforts of style and wealth he already possesses, and still searches for new meaning in life.