Humanity and Art
Imagine four of the last survivors in the world after total destruction, as far as these men are concerned, huddled around a fire searching for meaning. All crowded in a small shelter owned by the oldest (the leader of the group), Dr. Jenkins. Since the life of these four men tends to get a bit boring they are obviously amused by the slightest things. They occupy themselves through book readings from a collection that one man has, but it seems hopeless as a source of entertainment. Take yourself trying to live life and your only chance of excitement was some words written on some sheets of paper. The old doctor sees these men's desire for excitement and decides to share his most prized possession, a portable phonograph that he some how managed to get hold of in the destruction. To these men, the phonograph acts as the last sign of human art. The men in The Portable Phonograph prove that Art, such as music, is a major part in one's life, no matter what the conditions are. It's funny how a man can be in a state of mental and physical destruction but some how manage to leave it all behind when a type of art, such as the music from the phonograph, is bro
" All these struggles that occur are examples that support the love of the musical arts, showing that although life around them is over it restarts every time the needle strikes the albums. How odd it is that something such as art, in any form, can change one's attitude towards their current living conditions. This light has the power to bring back memories, bring up new ideas, or just give meaning to listen to the phonograph agai!n and again. After visualizing this I had a much better understanding of the lifeless characters in Clark's story. After all, they won't hear it again for a week so it has to be special. The story suggests that everyone should know the value of art and use it to erase thoughts that would like to be forgotten for a little while or maybe forever. This is exactly how the men in the story plan to survive the devastation around them. They all sit around and listen to the phonograph knowing they have a great battle coming there way but as they sit and listen to the music even the viewers tend to forget about the tragic future that awaits the soldiers. Saving Private Ryan is a great visual example of needing art while stuck in ugly situations. All these things sound to be enough to make a man sick, but when the music is heard it seems to relieve these men's minds completely of the darkness and open a tunnel of light. So much that the doctor feels threatened that maybe the young musician is tempted to come back and kill him just to have the phonograph. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. To visualize what the music means to these men is a very difficult thing to do, but try to picture other situations that are similar. It's dark and the ground is filled with craters left by the bombs that have taken the life from around them.
Common topics in this essay:
Portable Phonograph,
Private Ryan,
Dr Jenkins,
,
listen phonograph,
portable phonograph,
art music,
sit listen,
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Acceptance Essays
