What is so fascinating about circus life?

Use this forum to discuss the May 2018 Book of the Month, "The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid" by Gary Robinson
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Cristina Chifane
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Re: What is so fascinating about circus life?

Post by Cristina Chifane »

sarkash wrote: 29 May 2018, 21:54 Circus is our life in which many of the juggling, mysterious tricks forms the circus an entertainment, that mean clearly that our life is one of the privated and personal realistic circussssss
Interesting idea! Circus life often parodies typical social norms and conventions. Life as a circus could have both negative and positive connotations; it depends how you choose to see things.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

ChrisChatfield wrote: 29 May 2018, 19:59 As a child, I went to the traveling circus and was terrified. It wasn't the clowns, but it was the treatment of animals...absolutely horrifying. I'm not sure how much it has changed in the past 25 years or so, but I don't think I would ever go back. I can see how people would like it because it is a different world where you see what you don't expect. I guess my imagination was more captured by books than things like a circus.
I had the same feeling as an adult going to the circus, but when I was a child, I wasn't as perceptive as you. I used to love going to the circus and I didn't seem to notice the cruel treatment of the animals. Perhaps I was much too curious to see all kinds of exotic animals that I didn't care about anything else. My imagination was always captured by books too, yet I was still drawn to many other things, the circus included. :)
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

Lunastella wrote: 29 May 2018, 18:32 Circus life creates kind of a morbid fascination for me. All the out of the ordinary characters, amazing feats, and nomade life seem so far away from my own life.
I don´t go to the circus anymore, I like getting an inside view of circus life in books or tv series but I don´t really enjoy the show.
In my opinion circus life in the book is portrayed as an escape. It´s for people for whom boring 9-5 to lives are not suitable. And I think it´s all this uniqueness and rush that attracts Duke to it, but I have to finish the book to give a complete perspective on this last topics.
You're right. Without revealing much, circus life is indeed seen as a means of escaping his dysfunctional family and implicitly his hometown. For Duke, the circus people live in a magical place and even when he gets acquainted with the harsh reality of circus life, he still enjoys it a lot and feels he has found his true family.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

Morganncall wrote: 29 May 2018, 13:41
AmySmiles wrote: 01 May 2018, 12:12 I believe the circus, to many seems like an entirely different life. A whole different world. So much so it becomes a comical saying, I quit and I'm going to run away and join the circus. It's an escape maybe from the ho hum life that we seem to fall into. I imagine it would especially be alluring if you liked to travel. What a great way to "see the world". I myself have never been fascinated with the circus. I find the death defying acts to frightening, the clowns silly and the lion tamers crazy. But that is just my opinion. I'll stick to my old routine that I am comfortable with.
well said! I even think that the elements of the circus that we still have today are so different than what they used to be. There are communities that have taken activities like accorbatics, pole dancing, and hoops and made them a sport. It really makes me wonder, what parts of our lives will our children romatasize and think about?
Good question. I've been thinking and I still couldn't find an answer. I'll keep it in mind and try to reconsider my priorities, although I happen to have some good stories about my life to tell my children or grandchildren. :)
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

BoundlessLaughter wrote: 28 May 2018, 02:34 I haven't read the book yet but it seems immensely fascinating.

And I would like to answer some of your questions:

1. I think the circus life is a very challenging life to have. Imagine meeting new faces every day and performing such dangerous stunts. You'd have to be something like an adrenaline junkie to do that or pretty desperate.

2. The best performance I've seen is the one I saw on TV. I forgot what it's called, probably french. It was magical I just wished I could have been there in person. The worst circus troup I've seen is the one who came to our little town. They're a bunch of tired people who jus wanted to earn a living. They earn pennies for dancing on a tight wire rope, with a great possibility of falling to their deaths. You just know that the person is scared to perform. It's not very enjoyable.
Good observation about meeting new people every day. They may or may not remain strangers, but as a member of the circus you gain a lot of perspective on human typology and behavioral patterns.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

10mile72 wrote: 27 May 2018, 17:17 cristinaro, I got the impression that the sword swallower loved circus life, but I also got the impression that circus life isn't what most would imagine it is. 22 hour work days? That's a tough way to make a living.
That's why the alcohol and drug addiction, not that I would ever support it. The paradox is no matter how hard this life proves, Duke still prefers it and sees the circus people as his family. On a second thought, he had no alternative, did he?
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

lavellan wrote: 26 May 2018, 23:23 I think circus life is fascinating because of the sense of freedom it brings to the performers. Circus attendees often come to ogle the oddities' of the performers. Since the performers are already being judged, I think they almost feel free to be themselves.
Yes, the performers no longer feel ashamed or embarrassed by their deformities. I was also thinking of Duke. I remember the narrator notices that his act is dependent on people's stares and he learns to turn this into his advantage.
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Post by GKerr »

The concept of the circus has changed drastically over the last 50 years, at least in the UK. I am not of an age where I can remember animals ever being in the circus and to me the idea of a circus does not stray far from that of a fairground. Where I live circuses are advertised in the summer and come boasting fairground rides and a bigtop, usually featuring one show a day.
The last time I remember being thoroughly interested in going to a circus is when the Moscow State Circus came to the UK. This had more of the environment which I imagine in my mind when I think of the circus, despite never achieving that reality growing up.
The attraction of the circus is partly escapism. Wandering away from your normal life and seeing unbelievable things you would have never considered to be possible before.
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Post by yonyan0314 »

Circus is the other type of entertain to other people in different country.
People who works in a circus they have surely different sytle of living there.
It is fascanating for me and I enjoy people who perform in a circus because they do a great job on what tricks they are doing.
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Post by mdamu reader »

i thing the most fascinating thing about circus is when you fail to impress the target audience or when the script goes wrong i terms of failing.that must be awkward.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

mdamu reader wrote: 31 May 2018, 03:31 i thing the most fascinating thing about circus is when you fail to impress the target audience or when the script goes wrong i terms of failing.that must be awkward.
At the beginning of his career as a sword swallower, this is exactly the thing Duke is most afraid of. He needs to make his audience believe that what he does is not a trick. However, I wouldn't call the failure to attract the audience's interest fascinating. :) I would merely call it understandable stage fright, inborn lack of charisma or talent. As a member of the audience, I would find it simply distracting and the show disappointing.
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Post by lesler »

3. I have never attended a circus, and make no special plans to.
4. Duke didn't necessarily enjoy his time as a sword swallower. He lived in the moment, and this was his next path. He enjoyed his life, no matter what adventure he was on.
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Post by Mely918 »

There is something magical about a circus. It's hard to explain for me. It's like traveling into a new world full of other worldly possibilities. I like the idea of circus life, but when I look at it from behind the scenes it does not seem so appealing to me.

I would say that my favorite thing about them is the feeling of being elsewhere. My least favorite thing is the use of exotic animals. I refuse to go to any circus that uses live animals. I have not been to a circus in years, but would like to go to an animal-free one someday.
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Post by Brittany J »

I think the circus is alluring because it has an element of danger. Most of us can not even understand how a person can perform some of those stunts. It's a way for people with unique talents to turn them into a career and do what they love. In a way, I can see that joining the circus would be like joining a new family, and it would provide a community to express yourself freely without some of the criticism or expectations that come with mainstream society. On the other hand, I think that once you are part of circus life, it would be difficult to leave it if you wanted to. Historically, circuses have been filled with exploitation and abuse of both animals and people. They are better today, but many still use animals in their performances, which I strongly disagree with. I have been to Cirque du Soleil, which I loved, but have not been to a regular circus since I was a child. I would not go to one if they use animals.
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Post by Helen_Combe »

Run away and join a circus is an old joke. I suppose people see the glamour on the outside but don’t see the constant upheaval or the people behind the performances.
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