Why Is Barnum Considered The Greatest Showman

Because P.T. Barnum catered to the public’s desire to be entertained, he paved the way for entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. While P.T Barnum may be a name that at first may seem unfamiliar, one realizes that we are exposed to Barnum’s legacy every day. Which American has never heard of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, or never eaten Barnum animal crackers? Or which American hasn’t seen Toddlers and Tiaras, of which the concept of beauty and baby pageants was invented by P.T. Barnum himself. The name P.T. Barnum is synonymous with the curious. The New York Sun declared that if it is bold, it is Barnum. If it is big, it is Barnum. As a showman he stands alone. (Fleming, Fenwick) P.T. Barnum is an iconoclast in his

Barnum’s next greatest success was his circus. He called it the “Greatest Show on Earth.” Even though P.T. Barnum’s greatest achievement was his circus, he did not enter into the business until the age of sixty (P.T. Barnum Wikipedia). Barnum’s circus was an “entertainment phenomenon.” The show’s main attraction was an African elephant named Jumbo that was purchased from the London Zoo in 1882. The “Circus King” exhibited many interesting humans in his circus like midgets, giants, bearded ladies, fat ladies, and limbless

Being a lover of theater performances, I was really excited to see “Elephant’s Graveyard” ‘live’ after reading the actual play. Having an understanding of the story and its background allowed me to immerse deeply into the staging and performance executed, which granted a greater feeling of the events and emotion of the story. Following the exact dialogue as the script can be really challenging; nevertheless, the performance followed the exact script brilliantly, while implementing various elements and personality to the performance made the act more enjoyable. The usage of different lighting, the involvement of the ballerina performing as a trapeze, and the strongman lifting incredible amounts of weights, granted the view of ideal environment inside a circus. An intimate experience was presented to the audience as the characters recited their dialogue while standing in the stairs that connected the sections of the theater, which helped maximize the feeling of being “inside” the story while creating a personalized and unique circus

In the article “PETA urges L.A. to ban all wild animals from circus performances”, Alexia Fernandez highlights the speed with which animal activists go in order to free wild animals from being used in circuses. According to the spokesman for the Ringling Bros, after L.A. “banned circuses from using bullhooks to manage elephants” in 2014, PETA activists demanded that circuses remove wild animals from their performances and Barnum & Bailey Circus begged to differ by arguing that animals in their facilities are taken good care of and are not mistreated (Fernandez, 2016). In conclusion, both sides of the arguments believe that neither is misinformed.

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

P.T. Barnum was a famous circus owner. He help create the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus (Kent,133). He called his circus the “greatest show on earth”. Barnum had a five ring circus but all the other circus had three rings. His biggest attraction was Jumbo the elephant.

This is good news for elephant lovers everywhere, but for the lions, tigers, monkeys, and bears it’s not something to celebrate. Although the big, colorful tents and cheery music may draw a crowd, circuses are notoriously known for the treatment of their animals, and for good reason, too. According to DoSomething.org, “virtually 96 percent of a circus animal’s life is spent in chains or cages” (“11 Facts”). These cages have no separate area for eating, sleeping or defecating, which can lead to sickness, irritability, and even death. When not performing, the time spent out of these cages is to teach the animals to perform outlandish tasks, using training methods such as whipping, food deprivation, and electric prods (“11 Facts”).

During this time period, there was little to no regulation of the circus crew or the animals. This was the situation in a Water for Elephants. To top it all off, the show was owned and operated by a money hungry and cruel person, who would do anything to save money such as not paying the workers, not feeding the workers, not giving the exotic animals proper care and the list goes on. But in the circus, the audience seem to buy into the performer's deceptions. The audience is completely oblivious and are deceived by this circus, but in reality the circus is not as perfect as they make it

In the 1900s, circuses were extremely popular and prevalent in the west. During the downfall of the circus industry, “wealthy industrialists and professionals who loved the circus formed the Circus Fans Associations…whose motto, “We fight anything that fights the circus,” summed up its philosophy” (Pfening 24). Ironically, it is proven that “the last twenty-five years of the nineteenth century was the apogee [or the climax] of the American circus” (Pfening 5). People were attracted to the charismatic spirit of the circus during the anguish and despair that came along with the Great Depression.

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.

Taylor Hansley English III May 23, 2018 MLA Argumentative Essay Should the Circus have ended? For a few years now, the debate on whether or not circus animals are being treated fairly in the industry has caused a lot of uproar. One side believes the circus could safely continue the show with no harm being done. Meanwhile, the opposing side believes wild animals shouldn’t be used for entertainment.

You May Not Know About P.T. Barnum’) Phineas Taylor Barnum created the world famous Three Ringed Circus. “ With his help, the “Swedish Nightingale” became an overnight sensation. Barnum reportedly netted a staggering $500,00 on tour, and Linds popularity helped make opera a mainstay in American Theatres,” claimed Andrews. There were social, economic,and cultural influences on Phineas Taylor Barnum which affected his lifetime achievements.

The circus has been around for many years, but in recent years the circus has been getting a bad rap. The most famous circus in the United States, which started under the big top, will be closing after a amazing 146 year run. Barnum and Baily will be closing due to animal rights activists, which fought them in many expensive court battles that ending their world famous elephant acts. For a long time, the circus was a dream for kids to have fun and watch the impossible be done. The first cirus were in Europe, but Americans gave their spin on them which included collapsible tents, so they can move on the go.

When the circus comes to town, children’s eyes boggle with amazement as excitement fills the air. Under the big top, the stunts of humans and animals alike mesmerize and capture the audience's attention. Spectators become astonished at the miraculous accomplishments of the animals, and they are willing to pay massive amounts of money to see exotic creatures outside of their natural habits. However, circuses are not what they seem. “It's a classic image: elephants lumbering trunk to tail.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus has recently declared the end of their career and disbanded the circus. Since the disbandment an ongoing discussion concerning the circus and its ethics has been widely discussed by many different groups; but disagreement can be most strongly seen between the discourse of animal welfare groups, and the circus performers themselves. The topics being addressed is how these different populations perceives the events surrounding the circus’s disbandment and what is actually more beneficial for the circus animals and the performers in the long run after the greatest show on Earth is over. The discontinuities often seen among these two groups when the circus is discussed are: the languages of unnatural behavior, abuse, the description of culture, sports, art, along with the