Read Children of the Screen, reproduced on e-learning with permission of the author Hannah Baylon. The article is accompanied by a provocative photographic portrait, also by Ms. Baylon.
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, famous for his influential theory on evolutionary biology and for his landmark book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Author Baylon refers to Darwin’s theory in her opening sentence.
Write a short essay responding to the ideas the author eloquently puts forth in her essay. Are we indeed children of the screen? Have you adapted to a screen-based environment? If not, what has prevented you from being absorbed by the dominant popular culture perpetrated so successfully by television, movies, monitors, by the ubiquitous screen image? Do we face a loss of our true natures if we adapt to the modern world of television’s screen reality? Is there an upside to our screen age reality? What do you see as a benefit or as a detriment? Write a short essay, of around 500 words (or more), of your response, ideas, and thoughts on the theme(s) of the essay and/or the startling portrait that accompanies the text.
On Wednesday, I will present a slide show and lecture on Annie Leibovitz, a photographer best known for her celebrity portraits. This Wednesday’s lecture, on a celebrity photographer, and the Baylon essay about our screen-age-culture zeitgeist are intentionally counterpoised.
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