It’s dark, and it's quiet. You’re falling, and there is nothing to grab. You have just entered an interminable plummet into the dark abyss of nothing. You begin to struggle for something, anything, to stop the falling when you encounter the light. Did you just die? Well it certainly might feel like it, although the more probable scenario: you woke up. Perhaps a dream we have all experienced one too many times which seems to constantly ruin our once peaceful sleep. It’s what I like to call The Plunge. Now, imagine experiencing that terrifying feeling, falling in the pitch black dark, not knowing which way is up, or when it would end, in real life. Luckily for you, your nightmare is just a wish upon a star away! Located in 4 different Disney parks across the globe, The Tower of Terror is a heart-melting, tear-jerking elevator ride based on the tragedy of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Considered to be one of the most frightful rides that the Disney parks have to offer, The Tower of Terror is also a crowd favorite. But why? Why would anyone want to experience the very feeling that …show more content…
(If you haven’t you are so lucky just saying). Anyways, this article made me think about those people when it made the connection between thrill seekers and genetics. There is a very likely possibility that the genes in fact play a role in who likes new things, thus enjoying roller coasters, explaining the large families all pumped for the rides. “The tendency to pursue adventure and adapt to new challenges was probably helpful when our ancestors first left Africa and started exploring the globe”. Our very ancestors who travelled gravely challenging distances and learned to adapt could have instilled in us the tendency to like, or dislike, new experiences and therefore make modern day thrill seekers and thrill
Every year an estimated 290 million people all over the world flock to amusement and theme parks to experience the thrills and excitement of the modern day roller coaster. (Boldurian 16). Now thousands of people a day can safely experience the G-forces that an astronaut or fighter pilot would experience in flight. "The Revolution" a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia California gives riders an amazing 4.9 Gs; that is 1.5 more than an astronaut at launch. (Boldurian 16). These G-forces create thrills and fear and excitement in all who ride them. But the truth is that there is no reason to fear. Roller Coasters are exceptionally safe. The mortality rate for roller coasters is one in 90 million, and most of the fatality occurred due to failure to follow safety guidelines. (Boldurian 17). But roller coasters have not always been this safe. One of the first coaster attractions was actually just a mine rail designed to bring coal to the base of the mountain (Lemelson-MIT Program). The attraction was a thirty minute ride, with speeds of more than one-hundred miles per hour. As time went on entrepreneurs in the late 1800's began creating “quick buck cheap thrill attractions.” These early coasters lacked safety for the sake of thrills. This changed when John A. Miller engineer and roller coaster designer began making coasters. John Miller held over 100 patents many of which were for roller coaster safety and functionality that are still used today (Lemelson-MIT Program). John Miller's inventions and improvements to the roller coaster make him the father of the modern roller coaster that we know today.
Following the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the Unites States found itself in a search for answers and revenge against those that had brought about this atrocity. The attack that has been compared to that of Pearl-Harbor elevated the tracking and collecting of terrorism from barely a priority, to the forefront of the American radar. I honestly believe that terrorism as the #1 priority is destined to remain at the top for the foreseeable future. The elemental thoughts on almost all American minds following the attacks were who had the strength and capability to could carry out such an attack on a country with the world’s strongest military and what led to their focus to attack the Untied States: In short, who attacked us, and why do they hate us? The Untied States formed a bi-partisan 9/11 Commission was formed to trace the roots of Al-Qa’ida, investigate the history of the 19 hijackers, examine missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert the disaster, and make recommendations to clean up the faulty incoherent intelligence-gathering operation. The 500+ page 9/11 Commission Report contained thirteen chapters of historical narratives, analysis and recommendations. All ten members of the bi-partisan commission signed off on the report, which has arguably become a national historical document. Just as the 9/11 Commission was created to find answers and recommend necessary follow steps to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself, Lawrence Wright sought answers as to why 3000 American lives were lost in the attacks on September 11th. An experienced traveler to the region, Lawrence Wright endeavored to do his own investigative study into the history, ideology and circumstances behind this large-...
While entering Islands of Adventure I heard this very loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from, so I kept walking forward to try and find out and on my left I see this big green roller coaster roaring as it did flips and turns so I followed in amazement and I said aloud, “I wonder what is the name of this ride”? Someone answered me and said “this is the incredible hulk; how don’t you know about this ride”. As I walk through the park I noticed that there are different sections of the park such as superhero land, the lost continent, and wizardly world of harry potter. My favorite one had to have been the lost continent because of this new ride called “The Reign of Kong”. The Reign of Kong was based off of the movie King Kong, but while in the ride it made you feel like you are really in the jungle trying to escape from the dinosaurs and Kong comes and kills them then blood splashes over everyone. After walking around the park all day we got ready to go back to our room it began to pour down rain while walking back to our
As in the sharp descent, you are almost weightless for the brief moment when you are at the top of
Fall. The leaves are falling, the air is getting brisk, the sense of spookiness surely does not go unmissed. It can be seen throughout town, but Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream is the largest venue around. Howl-O-Scream is Busch Gardens’ alter ego come fall, there are monsters and ghouls inside the park and in haunted houses. Seeing the production as a guest simply puts one in awe, but much more appreciation for the event is felt by the employees. Members of the haunted houses, better known as the Scare Squad, appreciate the fact that they work in a historical park, provide guest with an array of emotions, and create a unique family-like dynamic with fellow cast members.
The Reign of Terror was a time of death and war. In 1789, France was ruled by King Louis XVI. France was in debt from war, because of this, a lot of it’s people were starving and living in poor conditions. To make matters worse, there were riots and killings. There were over 40,000 people killed by guillotines because they were suspected to be enemies of the government(Doc F). All this is known as the Reign of Terror. Some people see it as unjustified, but I think it is. It is justified for three reasons, the wars had reasoning, the counter revolutionaries rebelled for good reasons, and the government had to defend the country.
Do the actions ever justify the end result? The Reign of Terror, the revolution lead by Maximilien Robespierre, began on January 21, 1793 when King Louis XVI and his wife were guillotined due to the way they had led the government into a financial crisis and as a result when Robespierre took over with his radical new government 20,000-40,000 people were brutally executed. So was this radical period in France really necessary or was it just mass killings with little progress. The Reign of terror was not justified because of the threats against the revolution, the methods used by the revolution were not justified, and the ideals of the revolution were not justified.
Throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century, words such as jihad, suicide bomber, and al-Qaeda increasingly permeated the collective consciousness of Americans. These words were associated with fear, with terror, with the threat of death, and with the eastern ‘Other’. September 11, 2001 is a day on which most can recall the shaky words of broadcasters and the billowing plumes of smoke that were emitted from the towers of the World Trade Centre when members of the Islamic fundamentalist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger airplanes and crashed them into targeted landmarks in the United States. Lawrence Wright’s novel, The Looming Tower, draws upon several years of first-hand research and investigative journalism that reveals the political and historical atmosphere that led to the events of that day. The author composes a rigorous, detailed, and poetic work of nonfiction that illustrates the complex and geographically dispersed histories of Islamic fundamentalism and gives life to the personalities of the men that shaped the ideas that guided al-Qaeda. In the book, the actions of these men are built around narratives of their pasts; narratives of sexual obsession and repulsion, humiliation, torture, and resentment. The novel is rich with detail and divulges the reader in the particularly emotional and personal nuances of men such as Sayyid Qutb, Ayman Zawahiri, and Osama bin Laden. In 1978, Edward Said wrote the groundbreaking book, Orientalism, which has since given clarity to the power dynamic between the East and the West, the Occident and the Orient. Orientalism is the pervasive and largely Western tradition of building stereotypical and negative archetypes of people of the Middle East and Asia. Or...
King is right when he argues that people like the sudden excitement of watching a horror film. The horror genre keeps us on the edge of our seats and has us entranced with the overstimulation that comes with them. When he says “To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this rollercoaster” he is implying that a horror movie is similar to riding a rollercoaster (King 1). The analogy lets the reader know he is saying people revel in the emotion of a horror movie, even if it scares them. People enjoy riding roller coasters because of the excitement and the rush that comes with it, just like people enjoy horror. The
The Tower of London arose as a result of the fight concerning who would succeed King Edward the Confessor as the next King of England. King Edward had initially promised William I, the Duke of Normandy, that he would have the throne upon King Edward's death. However, upon his deathbed, he was persuaded to relinquish the throne to his brother-in-law Harold, Earl of Wessex, who was English. This enraged Duke William, who led his army into England from France to obtain what he considered was his rightful throne. He easily defeated Earl Harold at the Battle of Hastings and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day. However, Duke William-who was now called King William the Conqueror-was in a country that was largely hostile toward him. In order to provide protection for himself, he built wooden forts across the country. Realizing that he needed a more permanent structure to show the English he was there to stay, and in case of a large attack, he decided to build a fortress to protect himself.
Amusement parks are by far one of the most thrilling places on earth. As you wait in a long line to get in park, you can hear numerous kids, adults, and tourist shouting off the top of their lungs due to a tremendous jaw-dropping drop on their beloved roller coasters.
The Haunted Palace, an allegory written by Edgar Allan Poe, conveys a story about a king whom seems threaten for himself and his palace. Edgar Allan Poe uses the uses of imagery, foreshadowing, and close attention to diction. The poem opens up in the green valleys. Poe shows the calm and green valleys to illustrate and foreshadow peace and tranquility early in the presents of the king. Edgar Allan Poe introduces his palace and the environment as a calm, beautiful, and established happy place, but seems to foreshadow a change. The speaker draws attention to the beautiful yellow banners that used to fly from the roof of the palace. The yellow from the banners represent sunshine, hope, and happiness. Edgar Allan Poe also states the smell of the atmosphere around the palace smells fresh, clean, and pure. The imagery and moment Edgar Allan Poe displays for the setting of the palace encourages untouchable and uncorrupted land; however, the moment seems too perfect by enabling the thought of corrupted evil through the usage of this allegory.
When I heard my parents talking about going to Disney World I was so excited. It was a long trip down to Florida and I could not sit still, because I was so excited. We finally arrived that evening and decided to stay in a hotel near the theme park. When it was time for bed I could not go to sleep for a long time, because I was so excited about going at Disney world. When I saw the big mirror ball from the entrance, I was amazed. Disney world had a wide variety of rides. There were tons of rides that shocked me. Some of these rides made you feel like you were riding in a jet because of how fast they were. There was even a roller coaster ride in the huge mirror ball. It was a slow ride, but I still liked it because there was air conditioning inside the ball. We spent all day at the park until we had ridden everything. That night Disney World had a firework show. The fireworks seemed like they lasted forever with the amazing colors bursting in the air one right after another. When the firework show finally ended my parents told me that it was time to leave. I was...
I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a food processor. It amazes me that at some time in history someone thought that people would enjoy this, and that person invented what must have been the first of these terrifying machines. For me, it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having survived the ride that keeps me coming back for more.
The Tower of London, in central London, has a gloomy past. There was bloodshed, ghosts, wars, imprisonment, torture, and jewels. The Towers past maybe dark and gloomy but the history surrounding it is fascinating.