Summary : ' The Circus '

I’ve always felt a strange connection to the stars, one that I have never fully understood. I used to believe that it was simply the night itself that appealed to me. There is something so incredibly compelling about it. It’s not the silence, necessarily, but the way that every breath is amplified; it’s not so much the darkness, but the way that the stars light it up. There is an unparalleled magic to them, to the way that they swirl and writhe and explode of their own accord. Although the moon will orbit for eternity and the stars will eventually fade into submission, it is the latter that I admire the most. I would rather die at the hands of my own power and light than live infinitely off of the nectar of somebody else’s.

The amount of risk that the circus performers have to deal with on a daily basis is flat out remarkable. They look a death and danger and smile like its nothing to them. Only a special group of people to have enough courage, or as some might say “stupidity” to do this line of work and love it. But the greatest thing of all about them is that they don't care how dangerous something is, if they think they can do it, they will do what ever it takes to accomplish it. We can all learn from that kind of

Sperber, Murray. Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education. New York: H. Holt, 2001. Print.

It is nearly impossible to look at the field that holds the remains of the Circus Maximus and understand what it once held without the aid of a vivid reconstruction. The remains of Circus Maximus lie in the Valley between the Aventine and Palentine hill. Traditionally, the history of the Circus Maximus began with chariot races held in honor of the God Consus in a less permanent structure in the area near Consus’s altar. In later years, this lead to the construction of a circus under the first Etruscan king, Tarquinius Priscus around 600 bc. Previous to Tarquin’s intervention, an underground stream kept the valley swamp like. Tarquin diverted the water and drained the area and began to hold chariot races in the area. The

The stars are bright and radiant-- their numbers are vast beyond all imagination. They shine in the dark sky, like billions of little lights hanging from nonexistent threads. It is a reality that not many people stop to admire. In the city people sink down into their couches at night and drift away, eventually, to the slumber that most people crave. But the stars, shining endlessly, are there night after night, in the rain and even in the snow. If you just stop for a moment, on a night with no clouds, and look up, you will see this magnificent

Throughout the story there is circus imagery, which is significant to the story in several ways. A circus is commonly known for being the entertainment for a large group of people and is also characterized by a variety of acts and events designed to arouse the awe and fascination of the crowds. The young African-American men in the story are forced to participate in a variety of events designed for the sole purpose of entertaining the crowd of white men. This is effective because it is very compelling in the way whites used to treat blacks. They looked at them such as "circus animals" and felt empowered to do whatever they wanted, making them look like clowns.

The circus is a wonderful and breathtaking experience and most people dream about going to a circus. The circus is full of exciting, fun activities, bright lights and the smell of crackerjack. Although the circus may seem like a fantastic idea, the circus during the Great Depression behind the closed curtains are not. During the Great Depression there was not much regulation which led to the mistreatment of the circus workers and the animals in the menagerie. Since it is during this time period, food and money were incredibly scarce. Workers were often times left unpaid and hungry, and sometimes even red lighted, which is the act of throwing someone off of a moving train which was done in order to save money in the circus. This is seen in the novel, Water for Elephants, and Sara Gruen highlights the imperfections of the circus. There also was not enough caretakers for the exotic animals in the menagerie and the animals were often times mistreated. Because of the Great Depression nothing was regulated or enforced so the money hungry circus owner operated business as he so desired. In Water for Elephants highlights the theme throughout the entire novel how deceiving the really is, but how the audience continues to perceive

Dan and Chris were so excited, they were going to “Barlow’s Great North American Circus” the circus has just come to their town of Smyrna. “Chris we have to go we are going to be late the circus opens at 6:00 and its 5:30” Dan said franticly. “Calm down Dan, the circus is only 15 minutes away from here” Chris said. As Dan and Chris got on their bikes and started riding to the circus, Dan was thinking about how scared he was of elephants. “You okay Dan, you seem kind of flustered” Chris said in a concerned tone. “I’m fine let’s just get there okay” Dan said sternly.

I really enjoyed going to the circus as a child but, I never knew how it was planned out. After reading my novel I’m surprised at how many problems a circus faces, even though it’s such an exciting place.

Think about how we will look back on our cruel forms of entertainment in the future. Will we be proud of the way we treated these great animals, with abuse as neglect? Today we turn our heads away from reality and what happens behind the scenes of animal entertainment. However, we can’t turn our heads forever. Around the world, there is so much more to animal entertainment than what meets the eye. These animals have been torn away from their beautiful, natural homes and brought to a prison of concrete. In these prisons, they are beaten, starved and tortured all for our money and entertainment. These animals lives should not be taken from them for us. Our money and happiness should not be worth these animal’s lives. Circus, theme park and zoo animals all suffer from aggression towards trainers, mental disabilities and physical injuries. These animals should not have to suffer any longer.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is about two young illusionist whom are pitted against one another in a challenge in which only one will survive yet no one understands what the challenge is. “Magic,” the man in the grey suit repeats, turning the word into a laugh. “This is not magic. This is the way the world is, only very few people take time to stop and note it… Not one of them has even an inkling of the things that are possible in this world… They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.” (Morgenstern, 504)

Gothic Literature is different from other normal works because of the elements that are not usually used in other tales. Gothic stories use elements that can cause the reader to feel emotions they are unfamiliar with. A prime example of these amazing tales would be The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. In this tale, the use of suspense and mystery adds to the effect of the story and makes the story come to life.

The life of a circus animal is hard and demanding. It is not an acceptable way of life for an animal. Circuses would quickly lose their appeal if the public were more aware of their mistreatments of these animals. Many circuses do not have much money and as a result the animals suffer from inadequate care. These animals spend most of their time in small cages used for transportation. The Animal Welfare Act provides cage requirements, but many circuses fail to follow this law. Even the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus was cited for 65 violations over a two-year period according to Florence Lambert. When traveling, animals spend hours, even days between sites in confinement..

Animals have been a main focus in circus performances around the world for many centuries; however, in recent history, there have been far more regulations put on the use of these creatures, stemming mainly from how they are treated by both their trainers and the circus as a whole. Whether it be on the federal or local and state-level, there has been a definite increase in the questionable legality of America’s circus industry due to the neglect and abuse of the participating animals, courts’ decisions highlighting the true importance of the issue. These rulings make one ask the question: What types of regulations could be put in place in all circuses to ensure that the animals involved are not abused in the process? In the end, many

The Circus has been an extremely popular form of entertainment during the 20th century. The circus creates an image of drifters and dreamers in the mind. In the 20th century the emphasis on spectacle continued on 3 ring formats.