Life — January 2, 1931 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis: Life Magazine This page contains three separate pieces of social commentary: 1. **"Close Harmony"** (poem by Arthur Guiterman): A nostalgic critique of a formal dinner where diners sang together—songs like "Little Annie Rooney" and "Old Man River." The satire targets how such gatherings attempted forced conviviality among social clubs (Rotarians, Kivanians, Lions) despite their fundamentally commercial nature. 2. **"Hiss Me, Miss Me, Again!"** (Dana L. Cotte): A romantic vignette about young people at a dance, celebrating youthful passion and freedom from social observation. 3. **"Meloncholia"**: A brief note suggesting Washington, D.C. appears melancholic because melons are out of season—a mild, absurdist joke. 4. **"Social Error"**: Commentary on economic anxiety; the country "worked" during prosperity but depression followed attempts to "keep up."