Thursday, September 10, 2015

Response Exercise 3: active listening Phillipe Petit clip. From Mike

http://youtu.be/mAZppPSbxxs?list=FLMZ9DuF4V7M5lIlm3PwdmvA

There's the link to the video we watched today about Phillipe Petit.

I also encourage you to watch the documentary Man On Wire, which is available on Netflix and incredible!


This video is a little longer yet than the Dub FX one we tried to actively view last week.  Again, this is available for you to watch again as needed, as a second viewing sometimes really brings out words and details and images that were missed on first view.

Our goal in this response writing Exercise is to have a good conversation in the Comments section of this post.  You want to notice something, ask a question, develop a theme, or add something new to the Comments that you already see posted here.  So pay attention to the conversation and react accordingly.  Really work to respond in new ways and not repeat information or observations!

I look forward to your responses in the Comments section.

Mike

20 comments:

  1. The theme that I found throughout this video was not necessarily depressing but a little sad. During the time that Phillipe Petit walked on a wire across the world trait center not only New York but America was going through a bad financial crisis. Also the towers were not even finished being built on the top levels. "A painfully extravagant monument" is what the narrator described the towers as and I assume most people felt the same way about them because they were boring to look at. But Phillipe was different because he looked at the towers as a dream coming to life. I also found it interesting that to fulfill his dream he had to lie about being a French journalist and then break several more laws to setup and eventually cross the towers on a wire.

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  2. I agree with Chas' comment about Philippe looking at the towers differently. Philippe seemed to have found a beauty in the towers and the video emphasized the beauty that he saw in them by showing the different components of the towers and capturing them from different angles which also brings a sort of awe upon the viewers. I was surprised that they were able to get the cable to the opposite tower just by a bow and arrow. I also enjoyed the telling of Philippe jumping and dancing on the cable upon seeing the police waiting for him on the roof of one of the towers. I also can't believe that they charged him with several misdemeanors after accomplishing something so miraculous.

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  3. The first thing that stood out to me was how young he was and how big his dream was.I liked the fact that he wouldn't let anyone stop his dream and that he went for it on the first chance he got I think it was pretty clever they way they set up the whole thing as well. I cant even begin to imagine what it would have been like to see that happen in real life. It seems like the only thing people remember about the world trade center is the disaster on 9/11. This is an amazing story that a lot of people probably don't know. I like the fact that this video shows the pride of the world trade center and not just the destruction of it.

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  4. Throughout the video many scenes stood out to me. The one scene that stood out to me the most is that the video shows a photo of Philip Petit walking on the tight rope and there is a plane right above one of the towers. I thought this was interesting because in the end a plane would be the end to the towers. Another interesting part of the video that stood out to me was the part where Philip Petit was lying down on the tight rope and he stated that he saw a bird circling over him and the bird had red eyes. I thought this was interesting because the color red is often associated with evil. And the the acts that were committed on September 11, 2001 were acts of pure evilness and the acts were conducted from the sky. So, I believe that the bird symbolized the evilness that would eventually strike the towers. The last part of the video that I found intriguing was the part were Peter Hammill States "Felip humanized the towers" I thought this was an important quote because before Felip tight roped between the towers, the towers were seen as "ugly" and "wasted space" After Felip tight roped between the towers and shared his story they appeared beautiful and a symbol of New York City.

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  5. Besides the fact that the video was slightly sad and the towers were at first seen as ugly, I thought the video was inspiring in a way. It really showed how great it feels to develop a dream and then chase after it. It was crazy to watch Felip in the video look up at the Twin Towers, "It's impossible but I'll do it". The video also showed how close and personal a dream is when Felip described himself in a sense "getting married to the towers" and "making friends with the towers".
    He saw his dream and didn't let go of it. It was something out of his comfort zone but something that meant to much to him that when he stepped on the rope he said he was "smiling out of disbelief". That's something I want to experience someday, achieving a dream of mine that is so great I smile out of disbelief.

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  6. I really didn't find this video sad as the rest of the comments said but instead I found it inspiring. Phillipe didn't let the impossible stop him, he knew that it was impossible at first he said "Like a slap in the face I saw my was impossible". He made a time where the Twin Towers were viewed as ugly and boring into a time where they were viewed as interesting and exciting. I thought it was unfair that Phillipe was charged with so many charges for doing something that made the twin towers exciting and beautiful. I agree with Morgan when she said that she wants to experience smiling out of disbelief after achieving a dream. Phillipe was the first to put a human mark on the twin towers, he changed them from two buildings into something amazing

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  7. I agree with Brianna, I didn't find this video sad at all, I found it intriguing and inspiring. It intrigued me when they pulled him off the wire, and asked him whether he was scared, and he replied "No, because I saw what was in front of me". The fact that his dream took away all of his fear inspired me, because fear is such a strong emotion in everyone, so this dream of his must have meant the world to him. I'm glad that all of his charges were eventually dropped, because something this amazing shouldn't be punished for.

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  8. I am honestly in awe because of this video. It amazes me how one man from France took time to be able to conquer what he dreamed. He posed as a reporter and even risked breaking the law. He first saw it as impossible, but then realized that he had to do it. After spending time with the towers he said, "The towers became my friend." It took him months to finally walk across the wire from the South Tower to the North Tower. When that moment finally came and he was up on the wire, he said, "Whenever we are balancing on the boundaries of our limited human conditions, that's where life starts, that's where you start feeling yourself living." I really liked that quote because it sounds so complex and beautiful at the same time. I do think that when we are put in a situation that is different from what we have been in before, we take it in differently and see different aspects of how much grander it might and could be.

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  9. The one thing that really caught my attention was how this young man from France heard about the twin towers and thought they were marvelous and amazing. While everyone in New York thought it was "misguided ambition". It just amazes me how different cultures see and perceive different things. Also, I know it was already said but his determination to become the best tightrope walker he can be is inspiring. It's motivating to see someone take a small dream, such as tightrope walking, and turn it into something as big as walking the twin towers in NY. In response to what Catelyn said about the towers becoming his friends, I think its cool how you can see that he's comfortable not just walking on the rope but around the twin towers. The officers in the video talked about how Philippe Petit was smiling, jumping, and dancing on the wire. You can see his joy and excitement from being in New York walking across the twin towers. Its almost as if you can tell just from his expressions/actions that he shares a deep connection to the twin towers.

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  10. The thing that surprised me the most was when Philippe didn't just cross once, but rather performed for 45 minutes " Dancing on top of the world". After the first few steps he was not afraid. This is evident in the picture where he is smiling, in awe that his dream has finally came true. After watching the movie as well, I was amazed by the amount of planning that went in to this act. It is almost more impressive than Philippe's performance. The determination by Philippe and his friends is inspiring, showing that any dream is possible with enough determination and a little bit of luck. Another thing that surprised me is when he was getting interviewed and being asked why he did it and he answered " There is no why...". He did it because it was his dream, there was no grand meaning or reason, he left that up for interpretation. His performance humanized the towers and inspired many.

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  11. This video was truly inspiring and shows you what your dreams can amount to if you just chase them and achieve them. There were a few parts of this video that symbolized more than just the image itself. There was the image of the people below and there were hundreds just cheering him on and in awe at what he was doing. He was inspiring the city of New York and perhaps the world as a whole. There were news reports all over the world about what he had done and people were going crazy for Petit. One image that I thought symbolized something very important was the plane flying over the buildings. You never anything about the events that happened on 9/11, but you can infer that that image was letting the people know what happened to the towers after they had been made into the icon of America by Petit. Petit was very courageous and chased his dreams and that is something that most people can't say that they've done.

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  12. Something that really struck me from the video was when Petit said “You need dreams to live. It’s as essential as a road to walk on and as bread to eat. I would have felt myself dying if this dream would have been taken away from me by reason”. I feel that an attitude like Petit’s is essential to anyone who wants to accomplish something great. You have to have that undefeatable passion, and sometimes you have to ignore all reason and fear.

    Another quote that struck me is when the narrator said “The astonishing feat of high wire poetry was the highest point in Philippe Petit’s life, and in many ways, the life of the towers themselves.”

    This made me think about how we as a society remember events. It also made me think about how a tragedy will continue to effect something long after it occurs. I didn’t know about Petit’s crossing of the Twin Towers before I watched this video, but I did know about 9/11. It shocked me to think that I had lived my life so far remembering the Twin Towers only for the lowest point in their existence, with no knowledge of the highest point.

    I wanted to open this up to everyone else, to see if I’m the only one or not: Did you know about Petit’s crossing of the Towers before watching this video? If so, when did you learn about it?

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  13. Something that I thought was interesting with Petit's act was that he managed to captivate the world using the World Trade Center. He was risking his life to inspire people. I thought it is amazing how he could have never known the effect he would have on the World Trade Center. He managed to make the towers seem more than just another set of skyscrapers. It seems to foreshadow 9/11 almost, he created an event that people still talk about and remember where they were when they watched it, and then a few years later one of the most disastrous and memorable events ever happened there.

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  14. Phillipe Petit is a very unusual man. He is looked at by most people as a circus act but that is not true. He may be doing some crazy things but he does it because it is his passion. He has love for what he does and he wants to pursue his dream of walking across the twin towers. Philip is a great example for everyone pursuing their dream. He risks his life to do what he loves.

    He describes it as a whole different world when he is up on the rope. Petit goes to a place that no one has ever been, and he gets a feeling that he has never felt before. The biggest takeaway i got from it was when he got arrested immediately after the twin towers act. He wasn't charged with anything because he made a deal with the police to talk to the public about his act and use it as a learning purpose for kids and even adults. His purpose is not to entertain, but to inspire.

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  15. To me this video and Phillipe's dream is like the embodiment of the spirit of America. He took something that seemed impossible and in some sense should have been impossible and not only made it a reality, but created something that was as big as the towers themselves. I don't feel we should look at this with sadness but with inspiration and pride for this very act is exactly what America is all about.

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  16. I feel this video turned Phillipe into a sort of home town hero, and he wasn't even from New York. He took two buildings that at the time weren't even finished being built, saw their true beauty and potential, and made the rest of the world is it too. He made New Yorkers stop and see that these weren't just two bulky buildings, just two more sky scrapers, or just a place for world trade; just like the video says he humanized them, gave them life. He could've crossed just once and stopped just like in life you can try something once feel complete and stop, but he crossed back and forth 8 times. He allowed people to see him in many different forms on the rope from standing to kneeling and even laying down. What I learned from this video is that you have to fight for your dreams and go after them like you don't even see the "what if". He made the twin towers beautiful in their beginning and I found a video to share that makes the the new World trade center beautiful as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zMCxmdkcRY

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  17. I didn't really find this video sad as some other people did. Phillipe had a dream and he chased it even though anyone would say it was impossible. It's incredibly inspiring and motivational. Phillipe has a good way of living life. Regardless if something seems hard or impossible, he still goes after what he wants. I also really liked the quote "Whenever we are balancing on the boundaries of our limited human conditions, that's where life starts, that's where you start feeling yourself living." That's exactly what he does and what a lot of people should do. Not necessarily putting themselves in dangerous situations like walking on a tightrope between the Twin Towers, but do things that push themselves to their limits, living with a sense of excitement. If you push yourself to your absolute limit like he does, you will live a more exciting life.

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  18. A reoccurring theme throughout the short movie was the overcoming of rejection. Phillipe was told that he wasn't going to be able to do this impossible task of walking the impossible gap. But, he wasn't really told by anyone that he wouldn't be able to do it except from himself. He was faced with the daunting task and rejection from himself in the beginning, but was able to overcome that obstacle and face the rejection and fear. The towers were also a prime example of overcoming rejection because at first the towers were viewed as these gross monolith structures that were so far from the norm of other skyscrapers at the time and were looked down upon because of their uniqueness. They were rejected by many members of the community, but they were also able to overcome this rejection by showing off the beauty in them that very few were able to see, like Phillipe was able to do.

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  19. The theme i took most out of this video was Phillipe's perseverance. After many examples like at the beginning of the video when he says he saw the towers for the first time he knew his dream was impossible but yet he went on to work to achieve it regardless. My favorite example is when Phillipe is in the middle of the wire and he sees the police officers and smiles and starts laughing and begins to dance. This takes perseverance because most people would look at the police and fear their future that they'll be arrested but Phillipe was so determined he moved past that thought and kept going to achieve his dream.

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  20. The thing I absolutely love about this video is the ambition and passion this man has for something 99.9% of people wouldnt do even if they were payed. I know for certain you couldn't pay me to walk a tight rope across the twin towers. The admirable thing is that he gets off the train and walks right in front of the towers and looks up and says "This is impossible", but that didn't stop him, it only encouraged and drove him to figure out how to do it. Him and his friends couldn't even figure out how to get the rope across, let alone walk it. He is in the middle of this and people are starstuck by this amazing happening. For Petite this is his hobby and a goal for himself, and he became an international icon and in some eyes a hero. He even got arrested trying to accomplish his dream and the police later realized that charging him wasn't even remotely the right thing to do.

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