International Orange

      Since its opening on May 27, 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge has become the symbol of the San Francisco Bay. As the San Francisco Chronicle referred to it, “the thirty-five million dollar steal harp” took eleven lives, ten different contractors, and four years to complete. Stretching 4,200 feet across the Bay the Golden Gate Bridge stood as the longest suspension bridge from the time of it’s opening in 1937 to 1964. The bridge tends to be identified easily by its bright color, “International Orange”, which was chosen by the contractors for multiple reasons: first it allows for a warm color contrast between the blue of the bay, and green of the land masses on either end, and second it was necessary to have a color that could be spotted through the infamous thick San Francisco fog. The Golden Gate Bridge has served as a main thoroughfare for commuters between Marin County and San Francisco; as of May 30, 2012 1,970,331,117 vehicles have crossed the bridge since its opening. On May 24th, 1987 for the bridge’s 50th anniversary people came from all over the world to pay homage to the bridge on its monumental day. The Golden Gate Bridge is also easily recognized for the role it has played in over 40 major motion pictures as well as in several documentaries focused on its superior status as a suspension bridge.

Joseph P. Strauss, the Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, wrote the following poem after its construction in 1937: 

The Golden Gate Bridge

I am the thing that men denied, 

The right to be, the urge to live; 

And I am that which men defied, 

Yet I ask naught for what I give. 

My arms are flung across the deep, 

Into the clouds my towers soar, 

And where the waters never sleep, 

I guard the California shore. 

Above the fogs of scorn and doubt, 

Triumphant gleams my web of steel; 

Still shall I ride the wild storms out, 

And still the thrill of the conquest feel. 

The passing world may never know

The epic of my grim travail; 

It matters not nor friend or foe -

My place to serve and none to fail. 

My being cradled in despair, 

Now grown so wondrous fair and strong, 

And glorified beyond compare,

Rebukes the error and the wrong. 

Vast shafts of steel, wave-battered pier, 

And all the splendor meant to be;

Wind-swept and free, these, year on year, 

Shall chant my hymm of Victory!

      Strauss’ personifies the bridge by referring to in the first person granting the bridge a role in San Francisco society. The Golden Gate Bridge provides the people of San Francisco a sense of security when it mentions “I guard the California shore.” Its bright orange arch provides a gateway to the city. “Triumphant gleams my web of steel” symbolizes the golden persona the Golden Gate Bridge has over San Francisco and represents the opportunity that awaits as you cross over from Marin to San Francisco or by boat from the Pacific Ocean to the inlet of the Bay. Strauss writes from the Golden Gate Bridge’s perspective “my place to serve and none to fail,” symbolizing the responsibility for crossing people safely into the city as well as protecting them from intruders trying to enter from sea. “Now grown so wondrous fair and strong, and glorified beyond compare” represents the Golden Gate Bridge as a symbol for victory and prosperity that comes from living in San Francisco. 

The Golden Gate Bridge has been romanticized and seen as a golden asset to San Francisco, but with every “white knight” comes a “black knight.” The Golden Gate Bridge’s “dark knight” has become the patrons who have jumped to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge throughout the years. The Golden Gate Bridge is reported to have the most suicides, with a 98% fatality rate, committed, by 2005 on average one suicide was reported every two weeks. The image of despair represents the people who failed to find success in San Francisco by crossing the golden bridge. However, it is believed that the Golden Gate Bridge is also chosen because of the dramatic purpose it serves upon taking the 245 foot plunge into the icy Bay waters. Although the bridge is more popularly known for the many people who come to marvel at the bridge each year, the bridge contains a dark side full of victims of despair and failure.

The Two-Face(s) of Justice in the City

So we were all drawn to this class by how great a teacher Mr. Dean is ... along with the Batman quote that he used at the end of last school year to entice us to sign up for this class, "Joker: They'll be doubling up at the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds. Batman: This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good." Batman -- the Dark Knight. But why the Dark Knight? What happened to the White Knight?

This takes me to one of the iconic Batman "villians" Harvey Dent, better know as Two-Face. Starting off as the clean-cut district attorney of Gotham City and an ally of Batman, Dent goes insane after a criminal throws acid on him during a trial, hideously scarring the left side of his face. Due to this, Dent becomes schizophrenic, bi-polar and adopts the "Two-Face" persona. He becomes a crime boss, choosing to bring about good or evil based upon the outcome of a coin flip. Occasionally he is on the side of Batman and other times he is trying to shoot him.

Once the White Knight of the city, pursuing justice under the law, Harvey Dent becomes a metaphor for the duality of the city. A district attorney and a crime boss, a hero and an enemy. The definition of good and evil is too complex in the city, as shown by a schizophrenic psycopath flipping a coin to make the decision on what is just. What this is saying is that in the city there is always going to be good with the bad and justice in the city is obscure in definition. Was it just that Harvey Dent be scarred for life on shit luck? It brings about a new type of justice in the city, one that is not so politically correct. The White Knight's chivalric justice is gone. One cannot expect the White Knight to just kill the bad guy while following the rules. Now to be able to do good one must also break some rules (the idea of the ends justify the means).

What Two-Face also shows is that it really is not possible to have a White Knight in the modern city. Two-Face throughout his career has represented good and evil combined, the hope of the city and the destruction of the city, and the pure luck that the city is ruled by. This complexity skews the ability to obtain justice through the old style of chivalry that the White Knight used. Due to this complex idea of good vs. evil and justice vs. corruption, it is simply impossible to avoild breaking the rules to achieve "true" justice.

Two-Face's approach, although encompassing this idea, is unhealthy. Batman is the true Dark Knight because he has been able to balance the good and evil to maintain justice in the city. He might break some rules to get to a good conclusion. For example, in the movie The Dark Knight (2008) Batman takes the blame for all the people Harvey Dent killed, after he kills Dent to save the son of a man Dent kidnapped. This way the city could look upon Dent as the White Knight district attorney he used to be and not the maniac he became. It is easy to see the complexity of this "justice." Although it came at a price and followed no set rules, he was able to achieve the closest thing to what he believed to be good. Even then the end might not be complete justice, but this must do for the Dark Knight.

"It's happening now. Harvey is that hero. He locked up half of the city's criminals, and he did it without wearing a mask. Gotham needs a hero with a face."

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Here is another clip I found that has many of the same ideas. It seems that the Joker really has this seered into his head, this idea of justice.