"People don't always mean what they want you to think they mean," his grandfather told him. "If you listen hard enough, your ears will begin to see things. And one day you will be able to listen to someone and see their real meaning hidden underneath their words. And sometimes you will even find those meanings sitting right on top of their words, as bold as ever, because a lot of people won't know that your ears can see the truth."
Sidney Poitier
MONATARO CAINE
It is with great pleasure to read THE MEASURE OF A MAN written by Sidney Poitier. It is a reflection of his life and everything I had sensed about him seems to be playing out. I respect him and admire him for his journey has been filled with struggles. If we are a live, we face struggles, but it is in how we choose to handle them that becomes of interest to me.
As a young child, Mr. Poitier learned to read body language as many on the small island either spoke very little or would not speak at all. To navigate through his young years, he depended upon his own senses to understand the intentions of others. He grew up with freedom to explore the sparsely populated island of poverty, and was deeply loved by his family. Never seeing a mirror or even a store window, he had no idea of what he looked like, so he held a strong image of himself dependent upon his ability to handle life. His very early years were filled with confidence, acceptance of self and others, and integrity.
I will not focus on the struggles of Mr. Poitier's life as he moved to larger islands and communities. I will place great emphasis on his belief in himself and his determination to retain integrity. His early years of development were saturated with a strong sense of self and honoring others.
As his life unfolds, he is offered parts to be played reflecting a lesser man. As attractive as the offer may have been, Mr. Poitier chooses the roles he plays very carefully. He will not play the role of someone to be presented as a lesser man. He desires to project images that are positive and not scenes that were offensive to his character. He wanted his characters to reflect a sense of morals.
I find this most interesting, as I have always wondered about the suicides or over-doses of seemingly successful artists who play villains or undesirables. I have read about actors living in the chosen role prior to rehearsals, and never breaking character in between filming, in the attempt to become most like the character being played. So if we ingratiate these characteristics, over laying our own, dressing and embodying said personality, is one not in some sense really impacting their own persona?
Sidney Poitier is a human being so of course he has a negative side just like everyone else, but it seems that he has done well in embracing and balancing the good with the bad. His conduct as a man with integrity has led him to a variety of adventures, nominations, awards and diplomatic representation.
Simply put, I admire this man and always have. Ever since high school, I have had the sense that at his core, he was a man of integrity. He has not had an easy journey, but he has followed his instincts and maintained self-respect in spite of the world surrounding him.
It is with great pleasure to read THE MEASURE OF A MAN written by Sidney Poitier. It is a reflection of his life and everything I had sensed about him seems to be playing out. I respect him and admire him for his journey has been filled with struggles. If we are a live, we face struggles, but it is in how we choose to handle them that becomes of interest to me.
As a young child, Mr. Poitier learned to read body language as many on the small island either spoke very little or would not speak at all. To navigate through his young years, he depended upon his own senses to understand the intentions of others. He grew up with freedom to explore the sparsely populated island of poverty, and was deeply loved by his family. Never seeing a mirror or even a store window, he had no idea of what he looked like, so he held a strong image of himself dependent upon his ability to handle life. His very early years were filled with confidence, acceptance of self and others, and integrity.
I will not focus on the struggles of Mr. Poitier's life as he moved to larger islands and communities. I will place great emphasis on his belief in himself and his determination to retain integrity. His early years of development were saturated with a strong sense of self and honoring others.
As his life unfolds, he is offered parts to be played reflecting a lesser man. As attractive as the offer may have been, Mr. Poitier chooses the roles he plays very carefully. He will not play the role of someone to be presented as a lesser man. He desires to project images that are positive and not scenes that were offensive to his character. He wanted his characters to reflect a sense of morals.
I find this most interesting, as I have always wondered about the suicides or over-doses of seemingly successful artists who play villains or undesirables. I have read about actors living in the chosen role prior to rehearsals, and never breaking character in between filming, in the attempt to become most like the character being played. So if we ingratiate these characteristics, over laying our own, dressing and embodying said personality, is one not in some sense really impacting their own persona?
Sidney Poitier is a human being so of course he has a negative side just like everyone else, but it seems that he has done well in embracing and balancing the good with the bad. His conduct as a man with integrity has led him to a variety of adventures, nominations, awards and diplomatic representation.
Simply put, I admire this man and always have. Ever since high school, I have had the sense that at his core, he was a man of integrity. He has not had an easy journey, but he has followed his instincts and maintained self-respect in spite of the world surrounding him.
