A Great American Storyteller
Telling stories is extremely difficult. You have
to have perfect timing, perfect delivery and a
perfectly convincing display of emotion. Very
seldom does someone do this in such a way
that captures the emotions of millions of
people around the world.
Today, we learned of the death of Robin
Williams. To some of you, as tragic as this may
be, it simply amounted to “another celebrity
death.” To many of us, though, Robin’s passing
brought a stream of emotions that we
probably never thought existed for a man we
had never met. You see, Robin Williams was
much more than just another actor or stand
up comedian, Robin Williams was a real
American storyteller.
For Gen Xers and some millennials, like me,
Robin Williams was born around the the same
time of their parents. Hearing of the death of
anyone your parents' age is a terribly
uncomfortable feeling. But learning of the
death of someone that told us so many
magnificent stories, especially to those of my
generation, brings great sadness.
I consider the 1990’s to be a great time for
American storytelling. Childrens’ stories like
Peter Pan took new life on the silver screen in
cinematic journeys (Hook). Social issues were
torn open and explored in a lighthearted but
serious manner (The Birdcage). The
importance of family and the subject of
divorce were explored by a cross-dressed
nanny (Mrs. Doubtfire). A therapist who had a
rough run in life shows a genius how to stop
blaming himself and start sharing his gift with
the world (Good Will Hunting).Ushering us
into the 21st century, a non-so-well-received
android explored how humans might react to
machines with realistic feelings (Bicentennial
Man).
Although Williams may have not authored
these stories, he embodied them and told
their stories in a way that taught us all lessons
and values that we consider each and every
day of our lives. Who can forget the scene
where Sean Macguire was sitting on a bench
with Will Hunting and said, “Unless you want
to talk about you, who you are. Then I’m
fascinated. I’m in. But you don’t want to do
that do you sport? You’re terrified of what you
might say. Your move, chief.”
Through his portrayal of these characters,
Williams made the emotions truly believable.
In fact, I think his career helped our
generation learn important lessons through
our VHS video cassette players. He brought us
laughter, sadness and some incredibly deep
topics to ponder. Williams was, for our
generation, a teacher, storyteller, entertainer
and symbol of hope, happiness and progress
of the American spirit.
As we advance into a world of microblogging,
three minute videos and computer animated
films, let’s not forget the importance of a well
told story. Let’s hope that Robin’s spirit is
carried on in generations to come and that
the art of storytelling never becomes l
[Adapted from blogsofAugust]