In the short essay “Summer Escape”. Arin B. Terwilliger gives a detailed look into his summer trip from Florida to his house in New York with his family. He shares his detailed experience while his family and him drove through several different states on their way to home from Florida. Similarly, My family and I drove from our house to Miami, Florida during Spring Break 2015 for vacation. My family and I woke up at seven in the morning with both excitement and anxiety because it was our first time driving anywhere long distance. While we all were rushing to finish packing, my mom went to pick up the rental car that we were using to drive to Florida. Although it felt as if she took forever to pick up the rental car; a half an hour later and they were back. I looked outside my front window to see what it looked like, it was smooth and glossy as if it had just been clean. And once we got all our luggage into the car and started driving, it began to smell like that new car smell. Driving felt effortless, it felt as if we were driving on air. Two hours later, which felt like two years, we were finally out of Wisconsin. As we were driving the scenery would change drastically around us. First, we drove through Chicago, Illinois. Looking out the window with the sun shimmering against my pale skin, I …show more content…
could see the skyline and the busy city life that I desperately desire to live in. The buildings looked as if they were touching the sky itself. Whenever I opened the window, the wind would shove against my skin with full force. It felt like it only took only minutes to drive through Chicago.
The terrain around us changed dramatically from overly energetic city life; to tranquil landscapes and small towns with only a gas station and A Waffle House, Until we arrived to Florida it was like this steadily. Looking out of my window I could see tall grass fields that would go on for miles with small groups of cows and other farm animals scattered everywhere. While driving through tree filled areas, It would look like the trees were running behind me because of how fast we were driving. The air smelt fresh as if it was free of pollution and when I put my hand out the window, the air felt
graceful. Finally, after a long twenty-four hours, we arrived. The Florida air tasted salty and felt thick. It was nothing like Wisconsin. Stepping out of the car made me immediately crave swimming because of how humid it was. The thickness in the air made me feel like I was on vacation. My journey is similar to “Summer Escape” by Arin B. Terwilliger because he explains “As we drive through state after state, it becomes apparent that the world around us is changing”. Which I also related to as I was jumping from Wisconsin, to Chicago, to the countryside, and finally to Florida. The scenery changed so dramatically that it was difficult to keep up with. However, this made it easier to tell where we are.
Gary Soto wrote a memoir called, “A Summer Life.” In a memoir, being yourself, and telling your own story are all important. They are important because you don’t want to lie and say you like something if you don’t. Speaking freely is telling how you really feel and not caring what other people think about it. And telling your own story is very important because the story is suppose to be about you not anyone else.
Could you imagine traveling the United States in just your specially made camper and the only company you have is your pet? John Steinbeck, the author of "Travels with Charley" wrote about his 1960's road trip about visiting multiple states. "What are Americans like today?"; that was the question that started his journey. His travels began in Long Island, New York, then he followed the outer border of the United States; from Maine to the Northwest. After he traveled to the Pacific Northwest, he went to Salinas Valley in California then across Texas, and through the Deep South. Finally after that 10,000 mile journey, he made is back safe and sound to New York.This rough and long trip included: meeting new people, exploring, and visiting different states.
Back in 1990, a man named Gary Soto decided to write an autobiography about himself, titled A Summer Life. One of the more interesting portions of the book was when Mr. Soto described a summer day back when he was six years old. On that day, young Gary found out what it felt like to be a true sinner, as he stole an apple pie from the local bakery. Some readers found this as one of the more interesting parts, not because of the plot, but because of the literary devices used, such as detail, imagery, and pacing. The three aforementioned literary devices are almost a backbone to the story, because without those three, the story would be shortened and fairly bland. The following three paragraphs will each describe a literary devices used by Mr. Soto to enhance the quality of his story.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Willoughby’s writing is that so much change has occurred in the past hundred years. His setting, though the very Everglades we travel through today, is an Everglades where saw grass was ten feet tall, and trails were no where to be found. His Florida, though located exactly where he left it, now has too many hotels, tourists, and residents to count. The change that has taken place in Florida was one that Willoughby foreshadowed, and one that we would not be able to fully comprehend without the writings of people like Willoughby. He captured the moment on paper for the future to see and gave us a means of comparison. He wrote about change in Florida over the course of a year since his previous visit. He mentioned that a big hotel and bustling tourists destroyed the picturesque and that Florida’s “wilderness has been rudely marred by the hand of civilization” (62). I wonder what he would say today. The mere two thousand individuals he wrote about was a number no where near to the number of people who have since marred Florida. Like Willoughby, I regret change. An...
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, [society is a] community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests (Society def. 3). For one to feel supported and content, they must be admitted into a society. This is evident in All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. It is imperative for society to be the most highly valued as should one desire happiness, then the society must accept their actions, words, and identity though it may take time, and a society's consensus produces peace.
Of the lessons of this course, the distinction made between story and situation will be the most important legacy in my writing. I learned a great travel essay cannot be merely its situation: its place, time, and action. It requires a story, the reader’s internal “journey of discovery.” While the importance of establishing home, of balancing summary and scene, and other lessons impacted my writing, this assertion at least in my estimation the core argument of the course.
In the late 20s, life was good down here in the south. The grass was long, tall, and healthy, the wind would graze over the grass like a nice comb over haircut. The crops were plentiful and could be seen for miles. Life was good, we had everything we had ever needed down here on the farm. In the summer, we would have hay bale making contests on our farm. We had a farm of about 27 acres, we grew primarily soybeans and wheat. However, life would change for the worst come the 30s.
It had been raining all of yesterday, and there was still an occasional drizzle now and then. The world looked rather two-dimensional, strange and different. During the car ride, I listened to my music the entire time, the one thing that keeps me from car sickness, and looked out the window. I had never seen anything like it before. Flat land, as far as the eye could see. No houses, fields, or anything but short grass. Combined with the flat gray quality of the sky, the view was rather surreal, a little bit like being on the moon. Sometime after 5 pm, we crossed the Illinois-Wisconsin state line, which was a special moment for me, my first time being over the state border in a little under ten years. The scenery got a little strange again, because we had just got out of the extremely urban area of Wisconsin, because that is our “down south.” But we were now in Illinois’ “up north” area, which consisted of acres of pine forests, dotted with an abundance of biker bars and boat rental
At first I did not know why or how it happened, I just was not afraid anymore. I did not get bored, I did not get sick, and I did not have to painfully wait to use the bathroom. What was once a time of fear and unease turned to a time of tranquility and delight. I was excited to drive my car, and I felt good while driving. Maybe it was because the music I was listening to calmed me. Perhaps it was the beautiful sights I saw outside my window. It could have been because it was a time when I got to leave my troubles behind me and relax. It may have been that I was driving the car rather someone else, or it could have been a combination of all of these things. All I knew was that I had a 35-minute drive to school everyday, and I enjoyed it.
July, July by Tim O’Brien, published in 2002, is a fictional novel about a group of college friends that have been affected by the Vietnam War and the war against themselves. At their thirtieth reunion, the middle-age group looks back on their young lives and considers the outcomes if significant events had gone somewhat differently. The struggles and let-downs throughout their lives convinces them to ponder what would have happened if they would not have dreamed too big. The novel encourages me to not let fantasy consume my life, but supports a theme of hope that does not overpower reality.
I was smacked in the face by a gust of hot, humid Texas air as I found my way off the bus. The once brisk morning was getting hotter by the second. My friend Kristi and I looked towards our left and there she was, the Norwegian Sea. The cruise liner that we would be on for the next week. It was the biggest ship I had ever seen up close. Ten stories high and nearly 1000 feet long. It had an intimidating presence that took one's breath away.
Imagine having to choose to reside in one place for the rest of your life. Which would you opt for? Some people would argue that the hyperactive lifestyle that a big city has to offer has more benefits than living in the country. However, others would contend that the calm and peaceful environment of the countryside is much more rewarding. Several people move from the city to a farm to get away from the hustle and bustle. Likewise, some farmers have traded in their tractors and animals to live a fast paced city life. Of course, not all large cities are the same nor are all of the places in the country identical. Realizing this, ten years ago, I decided to hang up the city life in Indiana to pursue a more laid back approach to life in rural Tennessee. Certainly, city life and life in the country have their benefits, but they also have distinguishable differences.
Personally, that I have been flying regularly for the last ten years. From just a few years before I joined the Navy in 2005, our family started taking their first trips by aircraft. Living on the East Coast, we could always drive to a fairly close location that would involve summer family getaway's, so passenger airline travel was unnecessary for the larger part of 16 years of my life. In fact, I had never flown on a aircraft at all until the summer of 2003, just a few weeks after completing 10th grade. My first flight was on an Air Tran operated Boeing 737, and I will never forget that experience. I gripped the armrests as if I was controlling the aircraft for most of that leg between Richmond, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia. Remembering the smell of the aircraft not b...
The water beats at the bank feel gently, and resides carefully to avoid over soaking it. The air is fresh and overwhelming with cool gushes of wind blowing past, provoking the trees to yawn and some times sleep. It was a lovely Valentine day and perfect for a picnic at Lake Lavon.
This area of the world is so foreign to my Oklahoma life; it infuses me with awe, and with an eerie feeling of being strongly enclosed by huge mountains, and the mass of tall trees. However, when my foot first steps onto the dusty trail it feels crazily magical. The clean, crisp air, the new smell of evergreen trees and freshly fallen rain is mixed with fragrances I can only guess at. It is like the world has just taken a steroid of enchantment! I take it all in, and embrace this new place before it leaves like a dream and reality robs the moment. As I turn and look at my family, I was caught by my reflection in their impressions. The hair raising mischief in the car was forgotten and now it was time to be caught up in this newness of life. It was as if the whole world around us had changed and everyone was ready to engulf themselves in it. The trickling of water somewhere in the distance and the faint noise of animals all brought the mountains to