The carnival grotesque, with its freak shows and abnormal humans, was very popular and controversial back in the late 18th to early 19th century, by then it had matured into a distinct form of entertainment. In the 21st century, has the concept become dated? Has the freak show been revealed for the mistreatment and subjugation of many poor human beings? We live in times where many things that were once discriminated are now accepted and many kinds of people recognized as members of society and although
On Wednesday April 27th I went to go see a dance team at Northeast High School. The dance team goes by the name ‘Special EFX.” Automatic, Nerd, and Infamous One form a unique dance group that is truly amazing. They travel all over to motivate kids to use their own special talents to stay positive, healthy, active, and drug and alcohol free. The dance team Special EFX was first started in the early 2000s by 3 young African American’s in the city of Philadelphia. The three young teenagers were Demetrius
From a young age we are taught the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While this may be helpful for grade school children that are being bullied by their peers, it has some problems as it trivializes the importance that words can have. The words that people choose for themselves, as well as the words that others ascribe to a person, have an unmeasurable importance to how people can understand themselves. These labels can be a significant source of oppression
In her 1997 article “Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring physical disability in American culture and literature” Rosemarie Garland Thomson explores the spectacle that was the 19th and 20th-century freak show. According to Thomson, the American freak show served as a “figure of otherness upon which spectators could displace anxieties and uncertainties about their own identities” (Thomson). The stars of the show were seen as freaks of culture, often crippled by medical deformities that left them on the
The thought of the circus sideshow acts seems like a hazy memory in the history of America. However, many television programs are recreating a modern version of P. T. Barnum’s freak shows. People today have the same curiosity or maybe even more curiosity than the people of the past to see these types of shows. The strangest part of today’s society is that there has never been a time when viewing the strange was so accessible. Therefore, my personal perspective is that freak shows still exist in the
However, while “freak shows” no longer have the same level of popularity, they have been able to attract a small audience and make a nice living for themselves. For example, Rachel Adams, author of Sideshow U.S.A: Freaks and the American Cultural Imagination, describes modern “freak shows” by stating, “Aware that scarcity or impending extinction are certain crowd pleasers, freak shows advertise not only the rarity of individual attractions, but the more general enterprise of human exhibition itself
The beginnings of what people know as “freak shows” began with the Colloredo Twins. Lazarus and his brother Joannes where conjoined twins the toured Europe in the mid-17th century. The twins became minor celebrities and even performed for the court of King Charles I of England. Their popularity, no matter how minor, is where the niche audience for “freak shows” was discovered. “Freak Shows” are shows that displayed people with many different talents or gifts and the performers ranged from sword swallowers
“Time to Shine”: The 15th Anniversary Hats Off Luncheon It was an afternoon filled with class, style and elegance and most importantly it was a time for Miami’s “honey bugs” to “shine” their brightest. With the striking décor and ambiance of the Loew’s Miami Beach Hotel, mixed with the 1920’s themed attire; the 15th Annual “Hats Off” luncheon proved to be one of Miami’s premiere fundraisers of the season. Emceed by WPLG‘s local News 10 anchor; Neki Mohan and hosted by Tracy Wilson Mourning and
Throughout history, society has had an impact on how everyone views things, especially who is “normal” and whom is a “freak”. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word freak as “a person, animal, or plant with an unusual physical abnormality” (n.2). The Oxford English Dictionary also defines the word freak as “a person regarded as strange because of their unusual appearance or behavior” (n.2.1). The last definition that the Oxford English Dictionary gives is “a person who is obsessed with or
The Freak of the Week music video by Freak Kitchen exploded onto the internet on October 28 2014 and currently sports 3,391,602 views on Youtube. The short is a beautiful spectacle that utilizes the majesty of classic Disney 2D animation whilst blending it seamlessly with 3D backgrounds. This hairy flying, teeth gnashing tock animation’s origins lie in a Kickstarter campaign started by Freak Kitchen and Disney veteran Juanjo Guarnido, a man who sorely misses the presence of 2D animation in mainstream
Robert Bogdan establishes a historical analysis in his writing Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit. An argument presented is that the predominance and popularity of the freak show in the golden era, approximately 1870 to 1920, was only made possible through the use of theatrics and other unconventional techniques to fabricate ‘monsters’ that differed from the norm of society. The individual’s backstory, their attire, and the stage on which they stood contributed towards
scenes in The Outsiders, deconstruction explains how Hinton's use of these scenes gives the reader insight into two opposing themes within the text. The two scenes consist of Ponyboy's and Johnny's confrontation with the Socs and also when Ponyboy and Johnny save the children in the burning church (54-57; 91-93). In these two scenes, Hinton manipulates the characters' reactions to illustrate two divergent readings of the text. Critics have consistently argued whether Hinton intended the text to be read
Proud by John Gunther, his son Named Johnny is faced with this situation. At an early age, Johnny was found with a brain tumor, and struggles to survive. Johnny later died from the brain tumor. Johnny was loved by many people; much of whom tried his/her best to help Johnny through this ordeal. Although Johnny was faced with death, Johnny faced death with courage throughout the book. Even though Johnny was faced with death, he faced death with courage. Johnny showed that, by keeping a positive attitude
toughest, and Johnny who was shyer than Ponyboy. Dally seemed to enjoy being a criminal and thought the law was a joke. Johnny’s parents abused him, so he always seemed scared which made him the pet of the group. This story has many tragedies. The first tragedy in the story was when the socs jumped Ponyboy, who was walking home from the movies by himself. He was two blocks from home when he saw a red Corvair following him. Ponyboy briefly envisions the time when the socs jumped Johnny. The socs beat
now that their parents are dead, the hardened hood Dally Winston, quiet innocent Johnny, and wise-cracking Two-Bit) scare off the socs and rescue him. The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny join Dally to go looking around for a good fight and maybe catch a movie. There they sit behind two attractive young girls and Dally attempts to obnoxiously get their attention and pick one up. After Johnny tells him to stop, Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, Cherry and Marcia, and Ponyboy and Cherry discover
dancing and comedy, which would start a trend of new talk shows to soon follow. The Tonight Show staring Johnny Carson, which premiered October 1, 1962, was one of those shows that followed Broadway Open House. With Johnny’s little competition, appearing on his show became one of the first big breaks for many upcoming stars on the road of fame and fortune. His show became so big that Johnny negotiated a deal with NBC to give him 2 million dollars per year, while his taping schedule included twelve
The Bath Johnny woke up, shivered, put on his robe over his sweats, got back got back under the covers and went to sleep. Two hours later, the alarm by the TV woke up a still chilly Johnny Black. Johnny turned on the shower and used the plug from the kitchen sink to fill the bathtub up. He got in, turned the water up till it was a little more than warm, then lay down under the hot, pounding stream from the shower head. The water always seemed to cool off by the time it hit the tub --
when he wakes up, he sees that Johnny has killed one of the Socs. The two boys decide to go to their friend Dally; he gives them money and directions to a church in the country. There they hide out for a long week, and after it Dally comes to find them. After eating, they return to the church and see that it has caught fire. A group of children are stuck in the burning building. Pony and Johnny do not hesitate and jump in to save the children, Pony gets out ok but Johnny is hit with a piece of falling
he is jumped and beaten by a gang of Socs. At the last minute, his gang of greasers--including his brothers Darry and Sodapop, who raise Ponyboy. The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally; they sit behind a pair of attractive Soc girls, whom Dally hits in his rude self. After Johnny tells him to stop, Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, Cherry and Marcia. Ponyboy and Cherry start to talk and realize they aren’t that different. On the way, however, they run into Bob and Randy
Terry Malloy as a “Hero???” When Terry Malloy was first introduced, he did not make any indications that he would strive for the respect that he gained throughout the story. His tough-guy behavior and compassionate attitude has made him what he is: a hero. He never revealed what he was truly made of or what he was capable of. He always had low self-esteem about himself—repeatedly calling himself a “bum.” Despite his stubbornness to change and his ignorance to others