The other day I was on YouTube watching some of Charlie Chaplin’s hilarious videos until I came across a rather serious recording in which he performed in. The title of the video is “The Greatest Speech Ever Made.” Sorry, I will not give a background of the video or for what it was made for, but I will say Chaplin played a dictator similar to an Adolf Hitler image. What I hope to accomplish with this post is to introduce the message his performance conveys to my fellow readers as it relates to the course. Plus I think all of society should watch it.
Unlike Hitler, the dictator Chaplin plays actually has a heart of love for humanity and is not full of hate. The late English comedian, who did in fact speak, begins like all great speech givers, soft and low. He talked about how we all want to help one another, as he put it “We all want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone” But he says we have lost our way and that our greed has driven us in the opposite direction of a life that is free and beautiful. He explains we have reached great heights in development, but continue to deny one another. It seems as if in his mind the balance of things should be uneven in the right direction in other words “We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; more than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” As Chaplin continues it seems he feels that we all still have an ounce of the love and gentleness needed to improve our world which is shown through our inventions, as selfish as they may our.
In this post I do not want to make it so much about Occupy Wall Street, but I believe the following could not be any more suitable for the movement. He stated “the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish. . .” In addition he also quoted the bible:
“In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written: “The kingdom of God is within   man” Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you, the people…..You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let’s use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security.”
This pretty much sums up the efforts of the protesters and they should consider this speech as a slogan.
I really enjoyed this video and not because of Charlie Chaplin’s Performance, but for the message, as any great speaker would have generated the same results. The video begins and ends with Chaplin talking, but the interesting collogue of videos in between is worth watching. Again like all great speech givers Chaplin begins light and then his voice increases louder into the speech. He urge you all to watch this video, but note there are many types make sure to watch the link below for the best version…..ENJOY!
