Charlie Chaplin and Carlos Bulosan

¶ … Charlie Chaplin and Carlos Bulosan as cultural figures attempting to speak for the "little people" of the world. It will discuss who their audiences were and how did that shape the creative opportunities they had and the decisions they made? Charlie Chaplin and Carlos Bulosan seem like two very different individuals, but in fact, they both worked tirelessly for what they believed in and were banned from the work they loved because of their political beliefs.

They were both strong men determined to share their beliefs with their audiences, even if they were not popular beliefs at the time. Both Charlie Chaplin and Carlos Bulosan were important figures that gained a worldwide reputation and could thus speak to millions of people who admired them. They both attempted to speak for the "little," downtrodden people of the world.

Chaplain used his famous "little tramp" figure to show the hardships poor Americans faced, while Bulosan used his own poverty-ridden background to show the racial hatred and abuses present in American society. Chaplin was often accused of being a Communist, which he denied. One historian writes, "Having seen poverty in his own childhood, Chaplin was naturally interested in any plans for social betterment. A rebel and non-conformist in private life, he was drawn to any doctrine which seemed to promise or vaguely connote 'freedom'" (Huff 287).

However, he always denied he was a Communist. He simply wanted people to have more opportunities for advancement, and so did Bulosan. Chaplin used film to reach the "little people" and let them know they had options to improve their lives, and Bulosan used the printed word to let the "little people" know the same message. Both these men wanted social change, and were not above using alternative methods to reach their goals and their audiences.

Chaplin and Bulosan shared much of the same audience, although Chaplin surely reached more people with his films. Initially, Chaplin's films were funny, and reached a broad audience around the world. He used the medium to show the difficulties of people in poverty. (One film showed the "little tramp" boiling and eating a shoe.) it was funny, but it was sad, too, and some people were touched by Chaplin's work, and understood the underlying message that people were suffering, and there were people who could do something about it.

Historian Huff continues, "Chaplin's understanding of and love for the type of underdog he portrays on the screen and for humanity in general is obvious from his many motion pictures. He himself wrote: 'I find unsuccessful people much more likable and interesting'" (Huff 292). Bulosan's writing had much the same message. He reached a more intellectual audience with his works published in the New Yorker and Harper's Bazaar, but his message was the same, people were suffering, and there were others who could do something about it (Editors).

Both men knew their audiences, and understood their beliefs could be widely spread if they reached their audiences effectively. Because these two men were so effective at reaching their audiences, their work gradually attracted the attention of Americans who felt their message was "subversive" or socialist. They were both attacked by the McCarthy Commission, and both were blacklisted from working in the media. Both men were exonerated later, too. Even after they were blacklisted,.