Disappearing Through the Skylight

Osborne Bennet Hardison Jr.

Text Appreciation

Ⅰ. Text Analysis：Introduction

Disappearing Through the Skylight is not only the title of this chapter but also the title of the book. The author was well-known for his profound insights into the change in modern culture brought about by modern science and technology. In this key chapter,

² The writer puts forward the central theme of “disappearance”—nature disappears, history disappears and even the solid banks disappears.

² He puts forward the idea of the universalizing tendency of science and technology.

² The third concept he puts forward is that the modern man is no longer a unique individual, the product of a special environment and culture. The homogeneous world he now lives in universalizes him. He becomes a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world.

² Finally, the writer points out that the disappearance of history is a form of liberation and this feeling of liberation is often expressed through play.

Ⅰ. Text Analysis：Theme

The disappearance and the insubstantiality of the world—nature disappears, history disappears and even the solid banks disappear through their skylights.

Ⅰ. Text Analysis: Text Organization

Part 1 (Paras. 1-7):The author narrates the universalizing tendency of science and technology which makes the world and modern man more homogeneous. Part 2 (Paras. 8-15):The author discusses the universalizing effect of science and technology on modern culture and the consciousness of those who inhabit that culture. Part 3 (Paras. 16-19):The author describes the changes about modern banks and arrives at a conclusion that modern banks are disappearing through their own skylights.

Ⅰ. Text Analysis: Further Understanding

"Disappearing Through the Skylight"is not only the title of this chapter but also the title of the book, published in1989. This shows the importance the writer attaches to this chapter. The book, however, also has a subtitle, "Culture and Technology in the Twentieth Century." The writer C. B. Hardison,Jr, is wellknown for his profound insights into the change in modern culture brought about by modern science and technology. His provocative views are stimulating and informative. In his lectures and writings and his previous book, Entering the Maze: Identity and Change in Modern Culture (1981), he reviews the ways in which the central concepts in nature, history, language, art, and human evolutions have changed under the impact of modern science and technology.

In the preface and prologue of Disappearing Through the Skylight, he states his views succinctly and explicitly. As for the central theme of this book, the writer says:"This book is about the ways culture has changed in the past century, changing the identities of all those born into it. Its metaphor for the effect of change on culture 'disappearance." In this key chapter, as the title suggests, the writer puts forward his central theme of "disappearance"—nature disappears, history disappears and even the solid banks disappear through their skylights. The metaphorical phrase disappearing through the skylight, is used in this chapter to describe the changed appearance of modern banks which seem to be disappearing.When our capacity to perceive nature as something solid and tangible "disappeared through the skylight, our ability to envision what nature and science consist of was irrevocably altered. Another important idea he puts forward is the universalizing tendency of science and technology. The basic concepts of science are understood, accepted and adopted by scientists all over the world. There is only one science of thermodynamics genetics, etc. This universalizing effect is reflected in architectural styles, dress sty musical styles, etc. They all tend to become world styles. The third concept is "If man creates machines, machines in turn shape their creators". The modern man no longer a unique Individual, the product of a special environment and culture. The homogeneous world he now lives in universalizes him. He becomes a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world. Finally, the disappearance of history is a form of liberation and this feeling of liberation is often expressed through play. The playfulness of science has produced game theory and virtual particles; in art it has produced the paintings of Picasso and Joan Miro and so on.

As for the stylistic features of this piece of writing, the writer in his preface to the book states: "I should state at the outset that this is not a technical book. My point of view is that of an interested and involved citizen of modern culture, not that of a scientist or historian of science or technology and is intended for all those readers, nonscientists and scientists alike, who are interested in understanding the culture we inhabit."Nonetheless.this piece of writing, as it deals with a lot of scientific and technological information, cannot help but still exhibit certain features of scientific English. It cannot avoid using a lot of scientific and technical terms, such as thermodynamics, genetics, genetic mutations, etc. Most sentences are short and to the point and the simple present tense is used to express a universal statement, or example, "Science is committed to the universal";"As the corollary of science. technology also exhibits the universalizing tendency"; "The automobile illustrates the point with great clarity," and so on. A scientist tries to keep his limited objective in view, so the writer tries to write clearly, concisely, objectively and logically.

The writer does not follow strictly the style of scientific writing because he is trying to reach a wider audience, nonscientists and scientists alike, and because he is treating a broader subject, "the culture we inhabit." He uses figurative language freely to make his ideas more vivid and forceful. The reader will find many metaphors, analogies rhetorical questions, repetitions and balanced structures, etc. in this piece. The very tittle of this piece,"Disappearing Through the Skylight' is a metaphorical phrase that immediately stirs the imagination of the reader. All the material. however is clearly and logically organized. His views are generally clearly and succinctly presented as a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph and then developed or illustrated in the paragraph itself or by succeeding paragraphs. For example, the first sentence in the opening paragraph is a topic sentence that presents a very important view of the writer, "Science is committed to the universal." This idea of universality is developed and illustrated in the five paragraphs that follow and each paragraph that follows also has its own topic sentence. The organizational pattern is very clear and logical.