Water for Elephants

Beach girl said:
No, not at all! I just like accuracy, that's all. I think it's horrible that an animal was treated like that.
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So do I. As much as I detest striking a human person, I would have probably spent time in jail for it if I saw it happen.
 
Animals...

Hi Wulfy, I miss you, hope we get a chance to talk soon, smile. Now onto the topic, I became aware of the mistreatment of animals of all kinds when I was much, much younger. It was at a circus. I will not tell you the events I witnessed but it also involved elephants. I have been a strong crusader for animal rights ever since. I make sure I make donations to appropriate groups. Ones that use the money to feed and care for these mistreated and innocent beasts. Being spiritual I understand that we are the same in so many ways as most animals, no most do not talk and reason, some do. But there is no excuse for harming an animal to force it to perform. It saddens me so, I find myself crying writing this. I know I am not the only compassionate member in AD but with so many animals, pets and wild, being abused each day, starved, beaten, trapped, stunned, caged, and worse of all hunted for only a small part of them (such as rhino tusk and gorilla hands and feet) mutilated and left to suffer and die. I ask you to please consider what we are doing to the animals of this planet and to ourselves as well. I am still haunted by what I saw at that circus, so many years ago. and recently while taking some of my godchildren to the local Zoo, had to stop and leave the kids with the other adult while I went to complain to the Zookeeper about what was going on, in front of the children, oddly again to the elephants. I have not returned to that zoo since. Please think about the people and animals we share this planet with. I had just borrowed the book to read, when I was checking out a story about the making of the movie, it was there I read that indeed, Rosie was repeatedly electro-shocked to perform. I could not read the book. Support local shelters please. and remember we are but an evolutionary step from most of them..Peace to all of you and I pray the suffering of animals for our entertainment is stopped. Just as I pray we appreciate the children in our lives, we must remember to love them not break their spirit to become submissive...Sorry about the ranting..
In peace we shall find happiness and tolerance....Midnight♥♥♥
 
Thank you MidnightSun, you and I have a passion in common. We both care about how animals are being treated in captivity and in the wild. I'm an advocate for Asian elephants as well as a strong campaigner against the illegal ivory trade in Africa. So nice to come across like-minded individuals here.
 
I want to know why there were two different settings in the story? The character as an old man in a nursing home and him as a young man. What's the message behind that?
 
Ok, was wondering. Didn't want to give anything away if you hadn't yet. The old man is the one who is reflective as he looks back on his time as a young man during the heydays of the Circus. So, there is one who is telling the story and one who IS the story. Or so I think.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Ok, was wondering. Didn't want to give anything away if you hadn't yet. The old man is the one who is reflective as he looks back on his time as a young man during the heydays of the Circus. So, there is one who is telling the story and one who IS the story. Or so I think.
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Correct but I think there was a message. I think it has soomething to do with the helplessness the character felt in both settings. Him being powerless to help the animals as a young man and him being at the mercy of the staff who work at the nursing home due to his declining health. Notice how he always thinks that he can do this or if he could do this. Maybe he would be able to venture out. I thought it was an insteresting aspect of the story.
 
Huh...that's a good one. He did feel helpless during the Circus era yet he did save the elephant in the end. And I guess as an old man, he was like the elephant, at the mercy of the staff, as they dictate what he was allowed and not allowed to do, whether he liked it or not.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Huh...that's a good one. He did feel helpless during the Circus era yet he did save the elephant in the end. And I guess as an old man, he was like the elephant, at the mercy of the staff, as they dictate what he was allowed and not allowed to do, whether he liked it or not.
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Yes, kinda like to put the readers in the elephant's shoes by feeling what it was feeling?
 
To be honest, I don't know. I'm really just speculating here but from what I remember, Jacob met a guy at the home who said he bore water for elephants and knew he was a liar for there was no such job as toting water for elephants and that's what launched the whole story of him nostalgically looking back on his past working for the circus.
 
Now that people are discussing this, I am reminded of what happened on the set of "Heaven's Gate". It was said that they blew up a horse using dynamite. The shot made it into the movie. I don't know if this is a fact, but I'm just saying what I heard. I also heard that they abused and killed several animals during the production as well.
 
That film was so notorious for animal abuse that it's what started the new disclaimer for films using animals afterwards: "No animals were harmed during the making of this film..."
 
Re: "Water for Elephants" - I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book...so....beware....





...but the last chapter is wonderful, when the old man again...well, I won't say. Just say I teared up.
 
Beach girl said:
Re: "Water for Elephants" - I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book...so....beware....





...but the last chapter is wonderful, when the old man again...well, I won't say. Just say I teared up.
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Ohh I agree lol. The book is such a tear-jerker. I always lose it and start crying at the end of the movie. I've seen it in theaters 3 times already :shock:
 
deafskeptic said:
Guess I'm not the only one who feels this way.
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Reading the book first, it's easy to make up the characters, the scenery, the general atmosphere, in our minds. No movie, no matter how good, is ever going to match that.

If I see the movie before reading the book, I can never read the book "with innocence" - can never read it without picturing the characters and the environment as shown in the movie. Usually that's a detriment, but not always. I saw "The English Patient" before reading the book, and enjoyed both book and movie.
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Watched this a few weeks ago and it was surprisingly good. Cast did a phenomenal job.

As far as elephants being beaten or whatever (I've not watched the video and have no interest in doing so). I'll say this - First off, NO animal should not be used for entertainment purposes. Secondly, absolutely anything animals are made to do is inhumane! Whether its teaching an elephant to stand on two feet or to training your dog to roll-over. Striking an elephant with a electric rod or giving your cute little doggie treats when he/she obeys commands and smacking its pawl when disobeying - It makes no difference and it's all equally disgusting in my opinion.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Read the book and it had a huge impact on me, won't watch the movie. Rosie, the elephant in the movie, was electro-shocked during the training for the film. Ironic.

Here's the link to the film. Movie star electric shocked on Vimeo
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That was the first thing I thought about, is this a Walt Disney movie?
Thank you for letting us know this , I will not watch the movie
 
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