GRE写作成为横在中国学生的理想和现实之间的一大障碍，因此，如何攻克写作这道屏障，成为摆在我们面前的首要任务。
In sum, when it comes to whether a child grows up to contribute to a better society, the key
determinant is not socialization but rather some other factor--such as a seminal childhood
event, parental influence, raw intelligence, or personal conviction. And, while reasonable
people with differing political and social viewpoints might disagree about what makes for a
"better" society, in my observation our society is steadily evolving into a more civilized,
respectful, and tolerant one. In the final analysis, then, I fundamentally disagree with both
aspects of the speaker's dual claim.
Issue 53
"The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a
society."
The speaker asserts that the arts reveal society's hidden ideas and impulses. While this
assertion has merit, I think it unfairly generalizes about art. Consider two particular art forms:
architecture and painting. In more important architecture one consistently sees a refection of
society's ideas and urges. However, in more important paintings of the most recent century
one sees instead the artists' personal and idiosyncratic visions of an aesthetic ideal.
Turning first to public architecture, one sees in ancient and Renaissance forms an impulse
to transcend the human condition. Clearly, the most important architecture of these periods
was built to honor deities and to propel humans into the afterlife. Consider, for example, the
ancient pyramids and the great cathedrals of Europe, which rise upward toward the stars and
heavens. During the Medieval period the most important architectural form was the castle,
which reflected an overriding concern for military security and brute strength during a time of
comparative anarchy. During the 20th Century it was first the steel-forged art deco forms and
then the sky-scraping office building that dominated public architecture. These forms reflect
modern, more mundane concerns for industrial and technological progress.
Turning next to important paintings and painters, it seems to me that the art of previous
centuries reflected the attitudes and ideas of the prevailing culture to a far greater extent than
today's art. The cynosures of the Medieval and Renaissance artists, for instance, were certain
Christian themes--the Trinity, virgin birth of Christ, the Resurrection, and so forth with which the
society at large was also preoccupied. Later, during the 18th and 19th Centuries, an emerging
genteel class saw itself reflected in the bourgeois themes of impressionists such as Renoir and
Monet.
But in the most recent century the picture has been much different. Consider three of the
60
20th Century's most influential painters: Picasso, Dali and Pollock. Picasso's style underwent a
series of radical changes throughout his career. Was the reason for Picasso's diverse
"periods" a quick series of radical changes in society's ideas and impulses, or perhaps a
reflection of society's hidden impulse for constant change? Or did Picasso's varied styles
merely reflect the complex psychological profile of one eccentric artist? Dali is known for his
surrealistic images; but do these images reveal some kind of existential angst on a societal
level, or just the odd aesthetic vision of one man? Pollock's penchant was for dripping paint on
the floor in order to create abstract images that would have the sort of visceral impact he was
after. In fact, Pollock turned to this technique only after he tried but failed as a conventional
painter, using brush and easel. So are Pollock's striking abstract murals a reflection of some
mid-20th Century societal impulse, or merely the result of one struggling artist stumbling onto
something he was good at? In all three cases, it seems that the art reflected the artist but not
the society.
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