Before you read on, you must listen to this speech given by Charlie Chaplin in the 1940 film, The Great Dictator.
Silence. That’s the reaction I had when I first heard the culmination of his words. What did I just listen to? The fast paced nature of his communicatory style left me analyzing his words as a big mass of ever-present truth. He almost bounces elements of truth from one intellectual plain to another. Bouncing back and forth until the friction between his words evolve into something moving. Evolve into something so close, yet so far.
Even 74 years on, I feel that he was talking to me. He died in 1977. I was born in 1992. He had no incling of my existence. But yet he did. He wasn’t just speaking to me. He was speaking to all of us. Everyone who has, and will ever live. He manages to break time, and provide a forward looking perspective that will give all humans—past and present—hope in their despair. A sort of human despair that might always be. Maybe we will never be able to eliminate injustice, but why not try. I see beauty in his possible ignorance. The hope that love and kindness will chart the ultimate path.
As an american, it’s easy to look at Charlie Chaplin and practically idealize the beauty of his speech. What’s harder to fathom is why we kicked him out of our country. In 1952, Charlie Chaplin was banished from the US, likely for his progressive ideals that some saw as Marxist. He was no where near a perfect man. I am nowhere near perfect. You are nowhere near perfect. We are all flawed. That is the nature of humanity. But, humanity consists of other things too. Love. Something so innately human, and so powerful. Call me ignorant. Call me an idealistic. I won’t give up on love. With regards to Charlie, my last question is. As Americans, who are we kicking out now?
Silence. That’s the reaction I had when I first heard the culmination of his words. What did I just listen to? The fast paced nature of his communicatory style left me analyzing his words as a big mass of ever-present truth. He almost bounces elements of truth from one intellectual plain to another. Bouncing back and forth until the friction between his words evolve into something moving. Evolve into something so close, yet so far.
Even 74 years on, I feel that he was talking to me. He died in 1977. I was born in 1992. He had no incling of my existence. But yet he did. He wasn’t just speaking to me. He was speaking to all of us. Everyone who has, and will ever live. He manages to break time, and provide a forward looking perspective that will give all humans—past and present—hope in their despair. A sort of human despair that might always be. Maybe we will never be able to eliminate injustice, but why not try. I see beauty in his possible ignorance. The hope that love and kindness will chart the ultimate path.
As an american, it’s easy to look at Charlie Chaplin and practically idealize the beauty of his speech. What’s harder to fathom is why we kicked him out of our country. In 1952, Charlie Chaplin was banished from the US, likely for his progressive ideals that some saw as Marxist. He was no where near a perfect man. I am nowhere near perfect. You are nowhere near perfect. We are all flawed. That is the nature of humanity. But, humanity consists of other things too. Love. Something so innately human, and so powerful. Call me ignorant. Call me an idealistic. I won’t give up on love. With regards to Charlie, my last question is. As Americans, who are we kicking out now?
No comments :
Post a Comment