Here is the last segment of The Tank Man, the documentary we watched in class on Tuesday.
I found one comment made in this segment particularly interesting. Perhaps it doesn't matter who Tank Man was. Perhaps his legacy is more powerful precisely because we don't know his name.
I Thought That The Tank Man related to the research paper that we are writing in English Class. He stood up for himself and his fellow citizens. He was Hero, because he overall changed the world. His actions led to people being inspired. I agree with Mr. Curren that it is not important who he his more what he stood for. He was an ordinary guy that stood up for what was right. He showed other chinese citizens that any on can stand up for what is right.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gus that The Tank Man who stood up for what was a hero in a time of despair and pain. He relit the fire in many Chinese people as well as other people across the country by showing them that change can occur by standing up for what you believe in. Also, I believe that the fact that he was an ordinary worker who just was fed up showed people across the world that you don't have to be important to make a difference. Lastly, the Tank Man still has a lasting impact on the world today because ordinary people still stand for what they believe in through peaceful revolutions.
ReplyDeleteI think that the tank man was a true hero because he did not plan his actions he simply did it as a reaction. He did not plan this action in advance, and like the movie said he simply did it by a gut feeling. He is a true hero. I also agree with the comment that you shared saying, "Perhaps it doesn't matter who Tank Man was. Perhaps his legacy is more powerful precisely because we don't know his name." He never came out to say that he was the tank man instead he did nothing. He might work in a factory, he might not, but that's not what's important, what is important is the fact that he is not just a symbol to China he is a symbol to the free world.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the story of the tank man was very inspiring. I think that his ability to go out and stand out there in front of the tanks was really courageous. Even if we don't know who he is, his message was clear, "enough is enough." Even if China did not become a Democratic country the tank man's actions were enough to inspire a revolution in the big cities in China, but there is still work to be done in the rural parts of China. I think that the progress that China has made in the past twenty years is due to the strength and courage of the tank man.
ReplyDeleteThough I understand that the Tank Man's Identity will probably never be known, I believe that if he were revealed, the magic of the moment would be lost. He would no longer be standing for the people and the revolution, and it would make the moment a lot different. I think the inspiration that drove this man can also be translated around the world. For instance, the Arab Spring has plenty of people fed up with the current situation and they do incredibly brave things to show that, as Kayla said, "enough is enough". If I could only remember one thing from this documentary it would be that people are incredible. They can do things, like stand up to the government, that others thought were impossible. As the years pass I think we will start to see more and more incredible feats of bravery, power, and justice around the world due to the increase of people. Another thing to mention about this video is that as long as governments are corrupt and there is injustice, there will be revolutionaries and justice-seekers. This gives both the people and world hope that one day we can live on an earth with none of these problems. Though the goal might seem impossible and even too optimistic, remember at one time, we believed that nobody could stand up to those tanks, and look what happened.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Tank Man video because I did not know anything about hum before the video. The most interesting part of the video was when the photojournalist was documenting the Tank Man vs tanks situation. Also, it was amazing that he was able to hide the tape from the Chinese government. Why would he put the film in the toilet? Although it seemed to be a bad and risky idea, people across the world would no know about the tank man if it wasn't for the photojournalist and the toilet. The Tank Man video was also very sad to me because there were many people that died. I love that the people of Beijing defied the soldiers from coming it, but force should not have been used. I feel that the situation could have been solved without violence if the citizens and government compromised, but the government was ashamed that their people were going against them. An act of defiance by one unknown person changed the world and helped China get stable again. I hope that the Tank Man, if he is still living, will come out because the world needs to see this hero at least one more time.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the tank man video was the actual footage taken of the tank man and his stand against the tanks. This part was my favorite because previously the army had been merely mowing people down killing people willy nilly, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill anybody. But they refuse to kill this one man standing against this line of tanks. Now their is no reason given their previous actions that they couldn't simply kill this one random man making a stand, but they refuse to because of some unknown reason. And that gives this video a sort of powerful essences that really baffles you and sort of puts you into a wonderstruck state of mind at the sheer bravery and defiance of this one man. Their is something about his body language and attitude that shows in his actions that sort makes all the situation real. the previous night men where defying to protect the city. But if you didn't know that that was what was happening, then all you would see in the video would be a fight between civilians and army. But the message of the tank man is clear. Stop you cannot pass. I will not let you do this. Get out of my city. And the sheer real power of his message just blows me away.
ReplyDeleteThe Tank Man video revealed the true power behind the Tank man's actions. I agree with Ian that because the Tank Man's identity is unknown, his actions seem more powerful, and seem to portray the emotions of all of the people protesting in China at that time. The documentary also revealed the lasting impact in China. I found it shocking that the group of students who went to Beijing University–where the protests really began–saw the Tank man photo but did not even recognize it. The fact that most of them had not seen the photo before reveals the true power of the Chinese Government and its ability "rewrite history."
ReplyDeleteI compare the tank man to the man in the Middle East who let himself on fire. Not that they both inflicted pain on themselves, but in the sense that they both set a 'spark' to the people and their want for reform. Because these two people were both able to influence their own nation, along with others around the world to reform. The tank man is very symbolic for the people in showing how him standing between the tanks is like the people standing before, and opposing the government. I found that the tank man was extremely inspirational and influential to the citizens of china at this time.
ReplyDeleteThe Tank Man video really has made a huge impact on me and many other protesters in China. The Tank Man really has showed us that there are people out there who care for others and who have a huge heart. Considering I didn't know anything about the Tank Man I was really shocked by how much braveness he had in him. He risked his life to save the lives of others. Not only did he save the lives of others but he also fought for the freedom and survival of the Chinese people. The Tank Man is a true hero who deserves a lot more respect. Unfortunately the Tank Man is still unknown and he has not received all of the respect and fame that he deserves. This really made an even bigger impact on the people of China and many others because it shows how much power China has to completely rearrange history. Something that really surprised me was that once the camera man asked the three students from the Beijing University about the Tank Man incident they did not know anything about it. This is really shocking and depressing knowing that this man really has not received any credit for his braveness. My favorite part of this documentary was when the narrator mentioned how much China has been affected by this incident. This really meant a lot to me because it shows that the Tank Man has made a huge impact on China and this is exactly how it should be. As many people have mentioned above me this incident really does compare to our English paper really well because we are writing about unknown and unspoken heroes and the Tank Man really does fall into this category. The Tank Man really is a true hero and he is one that deserves a lot of respect.
ReplyDeleteSure, the tank man demonstrated a lot of courage to jump in front to all of those tanks, but so did everyone else. I believe that the acts of the Beijing residents on that night and the next morning were incredibly brave and ignorant. Although I do not know or agree with the acts of the government, the people could have saved multiple lives that day by backing down. The lives of the people is more valuable than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI think the part where they actually described and showed what the tank man did was very moving. I had never actually seen fotage of the tank man, I've only seen pictures and I was very impressed with his bravery and moved by his love of his country and his fellow countrymen. I was so astonished when the tanks actually stopped and listened to what he said. I totally thought that the tanks would just run him over, I'm glad that it seems likely that he got away without getting caught.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Tank Man was just an ordinary person who felt disgusted by all of the violence his country committed, and he just wanted to put a stop to it. I really enjoyed how courageous he was, and he set an example for so many more people who stood up to oppressive authorities.
ReplyDeleteI liked the tank man. I thought that he a spokes man of a nation. I think if he was not around during that time China would be different today. I thought it was great that he was just a normal guy with shopping bags and he stopped tanks in their tracks.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was familiar with the Tank Man prior to viewing the video, I was not aware of the impact that he made on China. The Tank Man should be considered a hero, as he was really the first in China to stand up against the corrupt regime that China had at the time. As shown in the video, he set off the idea that the government was not the ideal way, and people started changing their opinions. I like to think that the Tank Man can be compared to the recent Arab Spring. After Tunisia erupted in protest, countries such as Libya and Egypt followed. All because citizens of one nation were able to make a stand, an entire region of the world was changed. The people of the world need to use the Tank Man as an example; he is a truly amazing person.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Tank Man was very inspirational, and I really enjoyed watching the documentary. I didn't know much about the Tank Man before, but seeing how brave he truly was was amazing. When the narrator was talking about how the Tank Man changed Chinese history, is struck me how unique he was. An ordinary guy saw something that he thought was so horrible, so he literally stepped in and stopped it. I think that it is sad that many people in China do not know much about this because it was such an influential part of their history. The Tank Man inspired others to make a change and that is why I find him so inspirational
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ReplyDeleteThe Tank Man was a very inspiring video and really interesting to watch. It was especially intriguing to see the vast difference from the beginning of the war when the people convinced the soldiers to leave and then in the end the people had no rights to even protest because they would be shot. I think it would be really interesting to find more about The Tank Man and see possible theories about where people think the Tank Man is now. People think that the government executed, but I'm not totally 100% about that theory. I hope that wasn't the case because he was an inspiring man and I hope he lived to see his legend.
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