Why We Travel

This reading aimed to be existentialistic and philosophical. The author cited several writers and philosophers, such as George Santayana’s “Philosophy of Travel.” From my reading, it became clear that the author’s moral meaning behind her travel writing had to do with looking for meaning by getting lost in order to find oneself; this trope used throughout all different forms of media for centuries. They stated that traveling for her means leaving her beliefs at the door and seeing the world and things you thought you knew in a different light. They created a contrast between tourist vs. traveler, which I found to be an interesting comparison. I also found the perspective that this writer comes from is definitely one of privilege. For example, “we travel, then, in part just to shake up our complacencies by seeing all the moral and political urgencies, the life-and-death dilemmas, that we seldom have to face at home.” Not everyone has the desire to travel, and not everyone has the ability to travel. Those “moral and political urgencies” are something that someone faces on a daily basis. The author’s perspective affects the kind of readership that taps into these stories, but perhaps that is what the author wants. I enjoyed the different quotations from authors and philosophers like Camus’ “what gives value to travel is fear.” These quotes made the piece richer.

Fifty Shades of Greyhound

I enjoyed this reading because of its dark humor; it made the piece really engaging and mildly disturbing. The rhythm and pacing of this story made me realize why the “Why We Travel” reading didn’t feel quite right; this author did a brilliant job at joking, weaving the deeper meaning, and including dialogue–I wasn’t bored, and it felt like the writer wasn’t just rambling. The writer created bits like Bus People vs. Airplane People that created a multi-layered story. The specific details sprinkled throughout the piece like meeting a woman from Wichita Falls who was possibly the first person to drink Dr. Pepper may be one of those things you laugh about but never share. This is something that I struggle with, my instinct is to give the overarching story about my travels, but I need to remind myself that the bizarre details are what liven up a story and make it memorable.

The Basics of Good Writing in Any Form

I found this reading to be helpful in thinking about my own writing. Nonfiction is not my comfort zone; I’ve always felt better writing fiction, but I appreciated what the author said about nonfiction still being something of prose and poeticism. Sentence length variation is important. Reading about the different between expository writing and scene was helpful. I’d like to keep writing and find my balance between both. I thought the chapter being broken down into sections like “developing character” and “image and metaphor” to be straightforward and helpful.