What?? More bats?! No, not exactly. But in The Tiger and the Snow, Roberto Benigni's character Attilio verbally coaxes a bat out of a window for his frightened daughters. They are impressed by his skill with words. They ought to be. His character is a professor of poetry.
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He tells them a story about his youth. He describes an episode in enchanting detail about how a bird landed on his shoulder. But when the youngster told Grandma about it, her response was cold; she was not moved. Attilio does not blame her. He says that her reaction was entirely his fault because he did not choose his words well. The event inspired him to learn how to become a poet, i.e., to say things in such a way that the listener feels what he feels. Genius!.
I was moved by his clever story and how the movie was replete with examples of the amazing skill of this contemporary wordsmith..
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I just had a similar conversation with my daughter this morning, as she sat down to write her article for the Green Inventions column she's begun working on with her friends. First, I had her write the story as she remembered it. Then we went through and I asked her to think about how to say these things in a more interesting way. It was fun to coach a child. It was fun to see her eyes light up when she perceived the difference.
Sounds like I need to see this movie.
And then you have quotes like this one from Jeff Stilson:
"I had a linguistics professor who said that it's a man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species. That may be, but I think there's one other thing: We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners."
Hahaha!! Too funny Craver.
As a kid,I started choosing words to create better stories (fibs, exaggerating the truth, etc.). The more interesting for the listener, the bigger the audience.
I must have been attention starved. :)
Do you think it was the poetry (the words) or the way he said the words that coaxed the bat out? (I do get the point of your post. . . eloquence and the right choice of words is a skill indeed. . . but I wonder, all the same!)
I hate bats...just had to share that. But I'm told that they eat mosquitos which I hate more than bats...
Anyway, on the use of words - how right you are. Often, when our listeners don't understand or respond, the problem isn't with them, it's with us.
That's the beauty of this master, Ini. He took the credit for the eloquence of his words, and you get the impression that he believed it! I hope you get a chance to see that movie. Roberto Benigni has a style to his humor that will make a person smile deeply, if that makes sense.
G'day Craver,
You're a fine wordsmith yourself, sir ....
Keep smiling
David
G'day Craver,
I followed Eve's link from your blog. Have seen her moniker on several blogs for months, but could not leave a comment on her blog for some reason.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Craver - sorry to drop this here, but there's a call to action for 15th October in Support of the Blog Action Day. Please help!
PS - regarding this post... what a reason to be inspired. I see how others react to the posts of other blogs, and wish I were able to incite such reactions on mine. You have given me inspiration - thanks!
I know I'm no Shakespeare, but thanks for fueling the dream, David. I suspect the linking problem is a temporary server issue. Maybe you can modify, cut and paste this: http://questwriter(dot)blogspot(dot)com/
Thanks for the heads-up Ozlady. I'll see what I can do. And thanks; I am happy to share Benigni's inspiration.
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11
oh i like this very much. thanks so much for linking to it. apt words really are gems.
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