Charlie Chaplin

"Charlie Chaplin"twm1340Modern day heroes are defined to kids through superhero movies like in Marvel. Although not all heroes are in movies, they are in the past and future. New heros arise everyday but there are important ones in the past that should be talked about. A hero is something someone can look up to, at any age. Charlie Chaplin was the king of humor in the 1900s, well-known to everybody during his life. Charlie Chaplin grew up with a dad who was involved in theater so it helped form his choices of jobs. He influenced a good amount of people with his performance with the light-hearted presence he brought to the stage. Even though Charlie Chaplin was all about laughs he is a hero because he not only used his creativity within his work, but he was generous to the people he worked with, and he inspired others with his actions and words. 

Charlie Chaplin was creative and an unconventional thinker with his profession. During his career his most successful character that everyone knew and loved was “The Tramp”. He was a character created so that that everyone could relate to him. He was one of Chaplin's first roles; he created the character  unique to his own ideas. “The Tramp” ended up being someone who brought people together. “We are all the Tramp. He has no nationality. When a kid watches Chaplin, it’s simple. He doesn’t speak, he just shows. He shares the most common values of generosity” (King). “The Tramp” impacted everyone no matter age or nationality. Since the character did not talk, everyone had their own opinions on what he was thinking, of the character was up for interpretation, which could have been why he was so likable. Chaplin’s character brought people together to watch something that they could laugh at, which was important during his time period because of World War I. There was lots of devastation happening during that period, he gave people hope during a hard time or a break from all the sadness.  Chaplin’s films were mainly black and white but he still found a way to make it funny through different forms of comedy that did not involve talking. Chaplin’s comedy was not as popular or serious an art form before he became famous. He branched out in the forms of comedy he made himself look funny while falling all over the place. Charlie Chaplin not only inspired people but he carved the path for the future in comedy. He is the heart of where comedy first really came from. From all of Chaplin’s successes he made new friends and earned lots of money but he did not use it just for himself. His next goal was to help the people around him. 

"Charlie Chaplin"twm1340Charlie Chaplin was not just amusing, but he was also generous enough to put the money he earned towards a good cause. When he started to earn loads of money from the films he acted in and produced he did not use it just for himself but instead paid the British government to help out with the soldiers during World War One (Hutchinson). He was a very selfless guy. He cared about his cast mates when working on new filming, always willing to give a helping hand. He was not there just to get the job done but to make friends along the way (PBS). It made him stand out from other actors because he did not let how famous he was get in the way of the type of person he was. Chaplin treated every person in the show with the same respect. He knew they were all in it together, working to make something for the people to enjoy. Charlie Chaplin performed for the people of the world, making people laugh made him happy.  Personally looking back at the shows I participated in, I always enjoyed acting but when I got to see peoples’ reactions that's what really made me happy. Chaplin was trying to make others laugh and feel good about themselves. He embarrassed himself with slapstick within his films just to make sure he put in all those elements to get a laugh from his audience. From all his generosity and these people watching his performances they began to look up to Charlie Chaplin for inspiration. 

"Charlie Chaplin" twm1340Something that is not that well known about Charlie Chaplin is that he inspired young Walt Disney and influenced many others young and old. Charlie Chaplin was recognized by his comedy. Many people looked up to him for a laugh here and there when they were sad or just wanted to be entertained. When Walt was young there were a bunch of Charlie Chaplin competitions. Where people dressed up and tried to walk like Charlie Chaplin did. Lots of people participated in these competitions; they were not afraid to put themselves out there. One time Chaplin went to one and participated in it and lost, but he saw that every person on stage was so excited to put themselves out there. Chaplin really did create an environment where people could be comfortable being themselves. When Walt was young he entered a lot of Charlie Chaplin competitions. It was a fun and easy way for him to make easy money while doing something he enjoyed.  Walt says, “Sneaking out of the bedroom window, he would attend amateur nights where he won several small cash prizes and became known as the second best Chaplin (impersonator) in Kansas City '' (Korkis). Walt Disney really looked up to Charlie Chaplin. He had a large impact on people when his films came out. He is well known for his comedy everywhere and is really my own inspiration when acting. Everytime I think of how to make my character better I think of what Charlie Chaplin would do. 

Although Chaplin may not be a hero to everyone since he is a theater dream, it is still important to look back on what he did. Chaplin was heroic in his actions and he was pure of heart, all he had was good intentions. If I were to compare Charlie Chaplin to an actor of today it would be Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey is a huge comedian who has created a variety of his own characters. I am sure every comedian that is famous today if they do not look up to Chaplin at least knows who he is. Chaplin can be used as an influence out of theater too though, through his actions. They can be used as a guide for our own behavior and see what we can do to make a difference. Not everyone can be a comedy film star like Charlie Chaplin but we can do our best to be kind to others.