Why The Whales Came?

What is the plot to why the whales came?

An exciting historical adventure from War Horse author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Gracie and her friend Daniel have always been warned to stay away from the Birdman and his side of the island. But then they find a message in the sand and discover the Birdman is not who they thought.

1. They build up a lovely friendship with him, but when the children get stranded on Samson Island they don’t know whether to believe the birdman’s story that the island is cursed.
2. Set against the backdrop of the First World War, in the tradition of Friend or Foe and Private Peaceful Michael Morpurgo brings the emotional reality of conflict to life in a way that is accessible to younger readers.

Look out for his other historical adventures including An Eagle in the Snow and Listen to the Moon. Praise for Why the Whales Came: ‘The Scilly Islands off the English coast provide the setting for this well-written historical novel good readers will find this a memorable adventure, no less immediate for its setting in the past.’ Booklist Michael Morpurgo: The Master Storyteller.

Former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo needs no introduction. One of the most successful children’s authors in the country, and loved by children, teachers and parents alike. Michael has written more than forty books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children’s Book Award and has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal four times.

His novels have been adapted for film (My Friend Walter, Why the Whales Came) and stage (most recently, Kensuke’s Kingdom for the Polka Theatre and Why the Whales Came by for Alibi.)

What age is why the whales came for?

Product information

Publisher	‎Dean & Son (7 Dec.2012)
Paperback	‎192 pages
ISBN-10	‎0603568351
ISBN-13	‎978-0603568350
Reading age	‎ 8 – 10 years, from customers

What is the theme of why the whales came?

Themes Trust, friendship, compassion, resilience. Setting A remote island around the time of World War One. Gracie Jenkins Protagonist – A fearful girl that believed any story told to her about the Birdman. Daniel Pender Protagonist – A handy boy, but he is also adventurous and social.

How many pages are in why the whales came?

Product information

Publisher	‎Egmont; 2nd edition (9 Mar.2017)
Language	‎English
Paperback	‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10	‎140522925X
ISBN-13	‎978-1405229258

What is the moral of The Whale?

“The Whale” Offers Life Lessons Large and Small As one gets older it is only natural to become more reflective of year’s past and interactions with family and friends, loved ones and contemporaries, including in the context of tenets you have set for life and for work.

The importance of balance, understanding and mutual respect – toward others and toward oneself. Such messages and themes are put forth with power and aplomb in the new movie, “The Whale,” subtly at first and then with the force of a ton of bricks. Brendan Fraser has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his brilliant portrayal of a gravely obese teacher suffering physically, emotionally and spiritually for his inability to cope with past events, settling instead on a pattern and path of self-destruction, albeit aimed at redemption for another.

I won’t spoil the story beyond that. Just be prepared to look inward spiritually and emotionally outward. Bring a Kleenex (or three). It’s that good. There is also a concurrent theme line of note based on his role as an online English teacher and the hypocritical imploring of his students (and others) to be authentic and honest in their writing and interaction with others.

And there’s an interweaving of organized religion and its stance on homosexuality. This movie is, at times, as dark as the dingy apartment in which Fraser’s character incessantly resides. At the same time the film provides an outlook focused on rays of sunshine and light. As we look ahead to the rest of 2023 and beyond, despite how you might feel about “resolutions,” I would argue there is no harm in fostering and practicing a culture of compassion, understanding and forgiveness toward others and, again, in our self-talk and actions.

We all deserve the “benefit of the doubt.” Even when we may not think so. : “The Whale” Offers Life Lessons Large and Small

What does the ending of The Whale means?

The Whale explained: Charlie, the ending and the movie meaning – Two main characters constitute the blood and flesh of the movie: Charlie and his daughter Ellie. The stories of their lives explained the message of The Whale, culminating in the ending.

Charlie is a professor, and he was married to Mary. When their daughter Ellie was eight years old, Charlie fell in love with Alan, one of his students. He decides to abandon his family and live with Alan. Mary will hate him for this and forbid him to get close to her and her daughter. Years later, Alan struggles to manage his life; his family refuses him for his choices.

His guilt destroys him, leading him to commit suicide. Charlie will therefore find himself alone, reasoning about the mistakes he made in his life. He will begin a self-punishing descent into obesity that will ruin his life. At the ending of The Whale, Charlie dies in front of his daughter Ellie, and the image of his feet levitating explained it with a beautiful metaphor.

Charlie says it clearly for the whole movie: he doesn’t want to be saved. Listening to his story, we can try to understand how he feels: he had a wife and a daughter. He fell in love with Alan, and that destroyed his family’s lives. He cannot see his beloved daughter. Charlie did all this out of love for Alan, but after his boyfriend commits suicide, he has nothing left.

The feeling is that he didn’t do a single good thing in his life: that’s why Charlie feels no purpose; there is no reason to improve his life. By eating junk food with no limits, he’s destroying himself, a self-punishment that he sees as unavoidable. He doesn’t even try to restore the relationship with his daughter because he knows nobody in this world would want him in their lives.

Therefore, he will just die soon. And his money will go to his daughter, feeling it will be the only good thing he will do in life. Ellie is a young woman who grew up with a mother with drinking problems and a father who abandoned her. She hates everyone; she’s drowning in anger and hate, and that’s just a normal consequence of a life without love.

She doesn’t know the language of love: her parents acted like they didn’t love her, at least in her eyes. Her mother thinks she’s evil; her father believes she’s perfect. The truth is in the middle: “Evil” is not the trait of people born to hurt others, but the way we experience individuals who feel the urge to fight the world like their worst enemy.

• They attack everything they face because they are hurt.
• Defense is the only dynamic that drives them, and since they can be hurt by anything, every single presence in their lives becomes a threat.
• They are constantly at war: that’s why they destroy everything that crosses their way.
• We can safely say that Ellie is not perfect, but we support Charlie in trying to understand her.

Ellie’s behavior is a constant cry for help: she scratches everyone who gets closer because she desperately needs love. She is overwhelmed by her feelings, and she needs a guide. Basically, she needs the parents she never had. That’s why Charlie triggers her hate so much: he represents the reason why everything went south in her life.

She always needed a loving father, and having it with so many years of delay is unbearable. Identifying ourselves in Charlie, Ellie, and their stories, the meaning and the ending of The Whale are explained: Charlie knows he’s dying, and there is nothing he’s doing to prevent it. He feels terrible, and the only thing that can make him feel better is an old essay Ellie wrote when she was a child: while she reads it loud, Charlie finds the strength to do what Ellie asked him the first day, walking towards her.

It’s the last effort his body is able to make: the second after, Charlie dies. There is no lesson we can learn; even religion cannot help. We cannot explain Charlie, Ellie, or Alan’s destiny with the Bible. Every life can become hell, partly because of our own mistakes, but the consequences are often worse than what we deserve.

Charlie didn’t deserve a life where everything would point at him as a total failure. Ellie didn’t deserve to grow up as a woman dominated by her own hate. With both of them, life has been more challenging than deserved, and there is nothing they can do. Ultimately, The Whale leaves us with a sense of impotence and a precise meaning: we watched a compact series of broken individuals, and we only learned that blaming someone makes no sense.

: The Whale movie explained: Charlie, the ending & meaning

Why did Save the whales start?

Our Approach – Our mission is to preserve and protect the ocean and its inhabitants. Save the Whales was founded in 1977 when Maris Sidenstecker was 14 years old, and focuses on educating the public, especially children, about marine mammals and the fragile ocean environment.

Save the Whales believes children, the future of the planet, need to be empowered and know that their actions can promote change. Education is the key to saving whales, oceans, and ourselves. Many people believe that whales have been protected by the 1986 worldwide ban on whaling. Don’t believe it. Killings, captures, bombings, and pollution continue to threaten these peaceful creatures.

We invite you to become a member of Save The Whales, a widely-admired nonprofit organization that has been working tirelessly to protect marine life for over 40 years. Your support enables Save the Whales to continue their valuable work to protect marine mammals.

1. Save the Whales prevents Navy “Ship Shock” tests and saves 10,000 Marine Mammals In an unprecedented victory, Save the Whales attorneys and scientific experts stopped the U.S.
2. Navy from detonating 269 “Ship Shock” explosives in waters off of Southern California.
3. Countless marine mammals were saved from death and injury including endangered whales, dolphins, and seals.

Save the Whales Stops Salt Mining Operation Save the Whales, in conjunction with Mexican and U.S. environmental groups, worked relentlessly to halt Mitsubishi’s plan to expand salt mining operations into the fragile San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja, California – the last undeveloped gray whale birthing lagoon in the world.

Save the Whales Supports Rescue Efforts Fishing nets entangle and drown marine mammals everyday. Our support of a rescue boat operation off of Southern California, saves whales, dolphins, seals, and birds that would otherwise die a slow and painful death. Save the Whales Campaigns Against Whaling Despite the 1986 moratorium on whaling, the slaughter continues.

Save the Whales Works to Stop Marine Mammal Capture and Captivity Taken from their families in the wild, 50% of dolphins die within two years and their estimated life span shrinks from 35 years to less than five. Save the Whales continues to educate the public about the cruelty of captivity.

Save the Whales Works With Local, State, and Federal Agencies to Reduce Urban Runoff Sea otters in Monterey, California are dying from diseases believed to be caused by urban runoff. Storm water pollution (urban runoff) is one of the largest sources of water pollution nationwide. Pollutants, including used motor oil, antifreeze, detergents, litter, paint, pesticides, pet waste, and copper, are flushed off streets and into storm drains which lead straight into rivers, creeks, and the oceans.

Toxic chemicals (DDT and PCBs) in the ocean continue to affect marine mammals. Educating the public about this serious water quality issue is a priority for Save the Whales. Saving Whales: The Next Generation No one action will ensure the safety of whales for all time.

• This is why Save the Whales devotes so much time reaching out to children about marine life.
• So far, over 330,000 children have learned about whales and how to save sea life through Whales on Wheels ( WOW™ ).
• This innovative hands-on program – taught by marine biologists – brings whale bones, marine mammals artifacts, and conservation messages to the classroom.

WOW™ has traveled across the nation visiting school children in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, and California. WOW™ is based in Monterey, California and has a program reach around the Monterey Bay. Since 2003, the Save The Whales BWET Program has been taking students out in the natural environment to observe their local watershed, take water quality data and use scientific intstruments.

This nine-month hands-on opportunity allows students to see how human activities on land caused by pollution can enter creeks and streams and flow to the ocean. Save The Whales focuses on after-school programs in East Salinas, California as it is one of the highest crime areas in Central California. Offering positive opportunities for students keeps them engaged and allows them to see how they can make a difference in their community.

Worldwide and nationwide, we educate the public by disseminating information by snail mail, email, web site, Adopt A Whale kits, newsletters, an award winning TV public service announcement, media and radio appearances, and events. Maris Sidenstecker II Full Biography

How long is a whale’s age?

Whale lifespans generally range from 20 to 100 years, but vary by species. One whale species can even live beyond 200 years of age! Let’s dig into a few Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) to see how long different species live.

Did whales or humans come first?

The first whales appeared 50 million years ago, well after the extinction of the dinosaurs, but well before the appearance of the first humans.

What is the fictional story about The Whale?

Books About Whales Being Endangered or Rescued – Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies takes us into the wondrous world of a big blue whale. Trapped! A Whale’s Rescue by Robert Burleigh is based on a true story. Rescue divers work to untangle a humpback whale trapped in fishing nets. The Boy and the Whale by Mordicai Gerstein is the tale of a boy and his father who find a trapped whale and the things they do to free it. This is an older goodie that you may remember from Reading Rainbow. Humphrey, the Lost Whale: A True Story by Wendy Tokuda is the story of a whale who wanders under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the river. A remarkable team of people work to turn him around and journey back to the ocean. The Eye of the Whale by Jennifer O’Connell is the story of a diver who comes eye to an eye with a whale while trying to rescue it from tangled lines. The Spirit of Springer: The Real-Life Rescue of an Orphaned Orca by Amanda Abler is the story of an orphaned orca calf in the Pacific Northwest. After being discovered alone, a team of scientists work to reunite her with her family. Lots of backmatter including how to help whales and further reading.

What does The Whale symbolize in literature?

Whale Symbolism – Whale Whales are creatures that were honored and worshiped by some peoples, like the South American Nasca and the Native American peoples of the Pacific Coast. Others relentlessly hunted the whales, some nearly to extinction. Inupiaq legend from the Arctic region recounts how the Great Spirit created the most perfect animal, the bow whale.

In their culture, the whale was treated with great respect and hunters had to go through initiation rites just to be able to hunt them. In these rites, the hunter had to touch the whale all over and assimilate its spirit, medicine, and pain. Europeans also had great respect for whales, because they considered them to be symbols of the world, the body, and the grave.

Whales were symbolic of the ocean, a foreign environment that was vital, and what’s more, fatal to men. Whales seen swimming are a sign of good luck for many peoples, while a beached whale meant ill tidings for the entire community, even disease, since a decaying corpse could spread sickness.

Whales are associated with compassion and solitude, and knowledge of both life and death. They are also associated with unbridled creativity. The exhalation through the blowhole symbolizes the freeing of one’s own creative energies. Sound is also a creative force of life. Whales use sonar and echo-location, linking them to the tutelage of direction and response to feedback.

Though whales are symbolic of free use of creativity, they are also teachers of how to use creative energies more conservatively. Information from Ted Andrews’s Animal-Speak, Jessica Dawn Palmer’s Animal Wisdom, and Steven D. Farmer’s Power Animals. : More Animal Symbolism

What is the documentary The Whale about?

THE WHALE is the true story of a young killer whale, an orca nicknamed Luna, who makes friends with people after he gets separated from his family on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

How big did whales used to be?

Until about 3 million years ago, the fossil record shows that the average whale length was only about 20 feet long. They were big, but not big. The rise—and growth—of the lineages that gave rise to humpbacks, fin whales, and other behemoths happened, in evolutionary time, overnight.

Did children of the whales end?

Children of the Whales is an ongoing shojo manga by Abi Umeda that runs in the monthly magazine Mystery Bonita, which releases on the sixth of each month. Viz Media announced during their panel at Anime Boston 2017 that they have licensed the manga. The series will end serialization on January 6, 2023, being collected into 23 volumes in total (as of March 2023).

What year was the whale movie set in?

Writing and casting – Aronofsky has said that he tried to get the film made for over a decade, but could not do it because he struggled to find the right actor to portray Charlie. After seeing portions of Fraser’s performance in a trailer for Journey to the End of the Night (2006), he decided that Fraser could be a good choice.

• The original play was set in 2009, but the setting was updated to 2016 because Hunter wanted to show the events as being before a major “seismic change”, and since doing so would make it clear that the play’s events were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,
• Within the film, the television shows the unfolding of the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries,

In the original play, Thomas, an Evangelical Christian missionary, is instead a Mormon missionary. The Liz character, in the original play and in the screenplay, did not have her ethnic background or race specified. The actress chosen to portray Liz, Hong Chau, is of Asian heritage.

• The final screenplay specifies that Liz was adopted as a way of accommodating Chau’s casting; this was not in the initial revisions of the screenplay.
• Chau argued that Liz should have an unkempt look and should be tattooed, aspects that were incorporated into the character.
• On January 11, 2021, it was announced that A24 had obtained global distribution rights to The Whale, directed by Aronofsky and starring Fraser.

Chau, Sadie Sink, and Samantha Morton joined the cast in February, followed by Ty Simpkins in March. Sathya Sridharan joined the cast at an unknown date. At one point, the film was set to star James Corden with Tom Ford directing, but Ford left due to creative differences.

Is The Whale a sad story?

Among the many popular movies that depict or thematize mental illness and/or substance abuse, a few favorites come to mind, including “Beautiful Boy,” “All the Bright Places,” and “Silver Lining’s Playbook.” Each of these films challenges its audience to map their own understanding and experiences of mental illness and addiction onto characters and settings that may look unfamiliar.

1. And, through the inevitable instances in which expectations are not fulfilled, these movies offer important reminders of the complexity and multidimensionality of mental illnesses and the lives of the people they impact.
2. Though I’ve never written a review of any of these movies, when I learned of Darren Aronofsky’s acclaimed film “The Whale,” I knew I didn’t just want to watch it—I wanted to challenge myself to generate a cohesive reflection to contribute to ongoing conversations surrounding its interpretation.

Whether my following thoughts offer a fresh set of ideas, a way to compare notes, or a basis for disagreement, my hope is that they encourage readers, regardless of mental health status, to experience what I felt after watching “The Whale:” a sense of self-acceptance.

1. Based on the play “The Whale” by Samuel D.
2. Hunter, Aronofsky’s film captures Charlie, a father and an online college professor played by Brandon Fraser, for what turns out to be the last days of his life.
3. As a result of weighing 600 pounds, Charlie is home-bound and limited to moving primarily between his bed, couch, kitchen, and bathroom using a walker.

In addition, Charlie is living with depression that he developed after his partner, for whom he left his wife and daughter, tragically committed suicide. When we meet Charlie, his health is declining and he is working to rebuild a relationship with his teenage daughter, Ellie, after eight years of estrangement.

Unquestionably, “The Whale” portrays many of Charlie’s circumstances as overwhelmingly sad and unfortunate. It depicts the devastating impacts of the complex interplay between Charlie’s relationship with his weight and depression on his self-worth and capacity to be involved in his daughter’s life. We see how these circumstances result in Charlie binge-eating and physically hiding himself from his students by keeping his video camera off when teaching his online classes.

But what resonated with me most was the pervasiveness of Charlie’s identity as a loving father, a gay man, a mourning widow, and a nostalgic divorcee. We see him as someone who is overwhelmingly optimistic about people’s intentions, even when Ellie verbally abuses him and forces him to write her school papers.

1. In a conversation with his friend Liz, Charlie says, “do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring?” Above all, however, we see Charlie as someone who recognizes the importance of embracing honesty by coming to terms with his truth.
2. One of the ways this is depicted is through a handwritten essay written by eighth grade Ellie that Charlie keeps in a plastic folder by his couch.

In the essay, Ellie shares her candid feelings toward the book “Moby Dick” including, “And I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters that were only descriptions of whales, because I knew that the author was just trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while.” It becomes apparent that Ellie’s reference to the author’s own “sad story” in her essay parallels Charlie’s life following the death of his partner and estrangement of his family.

What is the metaphor in The Whale?

Venice 2022: Aronofsky’s ‘The Whale’ is a Powerful Story of Love by September 10, 2022 It was a bold move for director Darren Aronofsky to return to Venice after the cold reception to Mother! at the festival in 2017. Festival crowds can be brutal especially when you are trying to play games with them.

• Although Mother! is an ingenious, gracefully structured take down on obsessively religious patriarchy, it was widely misunderstood.
• The Whale brings Aronofsky justice and turns him in the eyes of viewers from angry cynic to a humanist.
• It seems like there is a lot of caution towards the project after the Mother! controversy but the good news is that The Whale finds Aronofsky at his best with a more reserved directing style which still delivers a profound emotional impact elevated by the spectacular performance by Fraser.

Based on the original play by Samuel D. Hunter, Aronofsky’s The Whale tells the story of 600-pound Charlie ( Brendan Fraser ) who abandoned his wife and young daughter for another man. After his lover’s death, Charlie starts to binge eat out of pain and guilt.

1. Years later he now teaches a writing course online, bickers with his angry concerned friend/nurse Liz ( Hong Chau ) and tries to reconnect with his very angry teenage daughter Ellie ( Sadie Sink ) when she shows up at his apartment one day.
2. Since the film is based on a play there was a strong possibility that it might have a very staged feel to it.

There are a handful of stage adaptations that manage to escape this destiny and fortunately The Whale is one of them. While the structure of the narrative where lonesome Charlie’s life is constantly interrupted by a never-ending line of visitors does feel unnatural, the smart cinematography from Aronofsky’s long-time collaborator Matthew Libatique and clever editing help to push the film in the right direction.

1. Although the film takes place solely in Charlie’s apartment, it doesn’t suffocate in the limited space, and constant interaction between the characters keeps the audience engaged.
2. Charlie’s routine of teaching, reading his students’ essays and evening pizza is constantly interrupted by Liz threatening to take him to the hospital; a guy from the New Life church who believes that Charlie needs to be saved; and his estranged daughter Ellie who doesn’t know why she keeps coming back to her dad’s place after 10 years of silence.

It feels like Charlie is having a very busy week. Aronofsky returns to his roots with another story about obsession, redemption and grief leaning closer to his earlier works like Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and Black Swan, He betrays the trolling anger of Mother! for old school sentimentality which in this case hits the right spot.

Moby Dick references begin early and appear throughout the film. In Herman Melville’s iconic, the whale was a metaphor for the sheer force of nature indifferent to the passions of humanity. In Aronofsky’s film, “the whale” metaphor refers to Charlie although it has nothing to do with his weight. As opposed to Melville’s great white whale, Charlie is anything but indifferent.

He is the gentle creature from the deep, whose endless compassion makes him unfit for the brutal human world. Chased by self-hatred he tries to navigate his life without hurting others but is not up to this impossible task. It could be argued that Charlie’s character is too manipulative in his love for humanity which would make any saint jealous.

1. Yet it is balanced by Fraser’s nuanced acting.
2. He completely dissolves into the character bringing Charlie to life with his insufferable optimism and grand physicality.
3. His weight here serves as a metaphor for Aronofsky’s favorite topic of obsession.
4. Charlie uses and consumes food to limit his life to a perpetual numbing routine which prevents him from thinking about his past failures.

As a result, food, deprived of its materialistic purpose, is perceived more like an anesthetic than a nourishing double meatball sub with extra cheese or crappy pizza. Fraser’s work is complemented by incredible performances by Hong Chau and Sadie Sink.

1. Chau perfectly channels Liz’s annoyance at her impotence to help her best friend.
2. Liz’s interactions with Charlie are the most tender and funny.
3. Sadie’s Ellie on the other hand is a boiling pot of anger and pain, caused by her sense of complete abandonment.
4. All of the characters in the film are the perfect example of our incapability to see the care and love expressed by others, as we are too blinded by our own pain.

The Whale’s message is simple but powerful – all our problems are caused by a lack of love. It’s no surprise that in Aronofsky’s film, this state of lovelessness is caused to a large extent by religion. Similar to Mother!, The Whale has a strong anti-religious message though in this case it is delivered with more respect and care.

Despite its depressing appearance, The Whale is hopelessly optimistic and humane. As much as some people might criticize the film for its sentimentality and deliberate naivete, it’s hard to deny that Aronofsky managed to create a universal space in which everyone can find their place. It is almost impossible not to sympathize with the characters seeing bits & pieces of yourself in them, and sometimes a dash of honesty is all we need to lift ourselves up.

Tamara’s Venice 2022 Rating: 8 out of 10 Follow Tamara on Telegram –

Find more posts:, : Venice 2022: Aronofsky’s ‘The Whale’ is a Powerful Story of Love

Was Ellie trying to help Thomas in The Whale?

But the twist is that they forgive him, are not mad about him stealing the money and want him to come back home. While Charlie is dying, he has an epiphany and claims that Ellie was not trying to hurt Thomas but help him as people are inherently good.

What was the last sentence in The Whale?

The Whale writer Samuel D Hunter has opened up about how he had no idea that the film’s ending had changed from the play. In an interview with Digital Spy, the writer talked about the original ending and how the different ending was perfect for the film.

“The way the play ends is, Ellie has the last line of the essay: ‘It made me feel glad for my’ And she’s cut off by the stage direction – ‘a sharp intake of breath’. ‘Charlie looks up, and has a sharp intake of breath. End of play.’ I actually didn’t know about the beach scenes until I saw a rough cut.

It was just kind of an incredible surprise,” he said. Related: The Whale ending explained “I had no idea until I saw the rough cut, and I was so intensely moved by it. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, that’s perfect.’ Because of the play, when there’s that first flashback in the Mary scene, when you see him on the Right? Is that the Mary scene? “In the play, it’s the one moment that I script as he’s giving that monologue about the Oregon coast that the sound of waves comes in. A24 Related: Brendan Fraser on not being scared of The Whale role “I didn’t feel scared. I felt – I don’t know – energised. I felt enthusiastic. I felt like: ‘That’s going to be a good challenge. That’s new. I haven’t seen that before.’ I felt really inspired,” he explained.