Is Tom Shadyac a Poet?
The second poetic example seen in "I Am" is Shadyac's idea that people express themselves differently and how this may be affected by culture. Depending on each person's background/family life, everyone expresses themselves a little differently the rest of the crowd and none can show this clearer than DYT. Do your thing forms the very basis of this idea; that if you think you can do better than what was assigned, by all means do it! It captures the very essence of creativity and reflects easily the variation in the way people express themselves.
The last poetic example Shadyac used was the idea that people on the micro can make a difference on the macro scale. This has traditionally been the kicker in movies about violence in Africa or the Middle East; but never did I think I would ever find it in literature. In Walt Whitman's poem, "O Me! O Life!" he poses the question to himself, "The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?" The answer then says that each person in his or her own way will contribute something to the world or in Whitman's own words, "That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse."
Poetry is more than just words on a page, it' s ideas. There is not a set standard for how ideas are to be shared. So when the question is asked of whether in the film, "I Am" Tom Shadyac is a poet or not, the answer should always be yes.
Poetry is a way in which ideas can be expressed through metaphor and other poetic devices; but poetry can take on many different forms rather than plain words on a page. Poetry at its most basic form is a medium in which ideas can be expressed in other ways than common everyday speech. There was never a rule that said that poetry could only be limited to paper, and Tom Shadyac is a good example of this. Though he may have never written a poem in his life, he is indeed a poet because instead of written word, he uses film and directing to broadcast his ideas to audiences. In his film documentary "I Am", there are many examples of how he communicates his ideas poetically through the use of film.
The first use of poetry seen in Shadyac's film is his idea that all people are unique. This is a universal idea that has been the subject of many poems throughout the ages. In class as well, we worked on a color poem. The whole idea behind this was to see how each person individually could interpret a color they picked. It was amazing to see all the different things each person associated with each color and this whole project in essence did verify Shadyac's point; that each person is unique.
The first use of poetry seen in Shadyac's film is his idea that all people are unique. This is a universal idea that has been the subject of many poems throughout the ages. In class as well, we worked on a color poem. The whole idea behind this was to see how each person individually could interpret a color they picked. It was amazing to see all the different things each person associated with each color and this whole project in essence did verify Shadyac's point; that each person is unique.
The second poetic example seen in "I Am" is Shadyac's idea that people express themselves differently and how this may be affected by culture. Depending on each person's background/family life, everyone expresses themselves a little differently the rest of the crowd and none can show this clearer than DYT. Do your thing forms the very basis of this idea; that if you think you can do better than what was assigned, by all means do it! It captures the very essence of creativity and reflects easily the variation in the way people express themselves.
The last poetic example Shadyac used was the idea that people on the micro can make a difference on the macro scale. This has traditionally been the kicker in movies about violence in Africa or the Middle East; but never did I think I would ever find it in literature. In Walt Whitman's poem, "O Me! O Life!" he poses the question to himself, "The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?" The answer then says that each person in his or her own way will contribute something to the world or in Whitman's own words, "That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse."
Poetry is more than just words on a page, it' s ideas. There is not a set standard for how ideas are to be shared. So when the question is asked of whether in the film, "I Am" Tom Shadyac is a poet or not, the answer should always be yes.
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