1. Exploring the Life of P.T. Barnum
The 19th century in the United States of America was essential in its history and its social life and entertainment was crucial. The new middle class sparked the rise of consumer culture as well as more democratic forms of entertainment, or popular culture. As printing became cheaper, newspaper prices were slashed, and department stores grew and spread in the second half of the century, which helped a consumer culture spread and sustained by mass media. Irish Ballads, the spread of parks and museums or the penny press were other mainly things that characterized this period before the Civil War. American popular culture found one of its most well-received forms of expression on the stage; a typical night at the theater included not only a play, but various musical interludes and a comic opera, as well as demonstrations of magic tricks, tightrope walking, fireworks, acrobatics, or pantomime. Oratory was a particularly popular form of entertainment; Americans attended sermons, political speeches, poetry readings, and public lectures with an enthusiasm unmatched in American history. .
Perhaps one of the most distinctive features of this period was the minstrel show. The first uniquely American entertainment form, the minstrel show provided comedy, music, dance, and novelty acts to audiences hungry for entertainment. Minstrel shows popularized sentimental ballads and love songs relying on blackfaced humor reflecting the racism of the broader society. Science also captured the popular fancy during the decades before the Civil War. During the early 19th century, science was advancing so rapidly that it was difficult to distinguish authentic scientific discoveries from hoaxes. But a freewheeling, irreverent spirit pervaded American popular culture before the Civil War- a spirit typified by P. T. Barnum, 19th century America's most famous entertainer man. In this essay, we are going to see some aspects about the curious life of this enterprising man and his museum of freaks and describe the important impact of his figure on posterity.
Burrows and Wallace's rigid application of the word "race" fails to account for the evolution of P.T. Barnum's subject matter. ... However, Burrows and Wallace emphasize race, "blackness" in particular, as "central to Barnum's formula." ... Rather, "blackness" was synonymous with the grotesque, the latter of which was imperative to Barnum's formula. Barnum's eagerness to distort was by no means limited to race. ...
Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum was possibly the greatest showman of the world. He had shows in Europe and America. ... His mother was Irena Barnum and his father was Phino Barnum. ... His show didn't last for long He disbanded the show in 1837. ... They show was welcomed and had a spectacular show. ...
Is everybody ready for the Freak Show! ... This is the kind of humor that you can come to love when see the Freak Show. ... All three are essential for the success of the show. ... My ears have never hurt for that long after a show before. ... The Freak Show would be best described as "Saturday Night Live on crack", it is wacky, crazy, and you won't stop laughing until you have left the place. ...
Frank Baum's, "The Wizard of Oz,"" has often been referred to as the first American fairytale. ... The story helped relieve Americans of their sense of absence that a shortened work day and increased leisure time had helped to produce. ... Oz creates a city in which it appears good can come to all, much in the same way tricksters like P.T. Barnum created a false sense of reality. ... The past is always available in Baum's eyes, and this idea created a sense of relief to American's scared of the rapid progress toward industrial society. ...
in awe or horror, whom Ricki Lake and Jenny Jones frequently have makeover shows for. ... Hebdige examines punk culture, but his theory also illuminates freak culture, since punk is a realm of freak culture. ... Freak style is chosen. ... Freaks follow these subculture ideologies. ... For the average teenager in America there is a lot of pressure to "fit in" with the latest fashion trends. ...
An example of how press agentry has been used in the past is the story of P.T Barnum; he was a circus promoter who wanted to gain as much publicity as possible for the circus, his primary goal was to achieve as high an attendance as he could. ... The sole purpose of the publicity stunt is primarily to get attention; this type of practise also dates back to P.T Barnum who announced his circus' arrival by hitching an elephant to a plow beside the train tracks (M.Yudkin, 2000). ... Barnum's "There's a sucker born every minute- quote regarding Press Agentry, Goldman (1949) described...
P.T. Barnum had his beginnings on the Bowery, with a cheap dime museum where he showed off an alleged 161-year-old women who he claimed was in fact George Washington's nurse. ... After Barnum moved, other people imitated his idea on Bowery, bringing the circus back to its beginning's . ... Although racism has always been prevalent where African-Americans were concerned, black bands played in most Bowery dives. The Bowery suffered more from anti-English hatred, than it did from resentment towards African Americans. ...
FREAK By Lukas Kuhlman Many times have I been called a freak and never knew what it really meant. ... It may cause the person to "freak out." ... These are the ones that we call freaks. ... This seems to be exactly what Corporate America and Uncle Sam would like to achieve. These, my friends, are the real freaks....