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At the beginning of this course, we talked about the elements for an American
road trip. Among all the elements, many of them can fit into the legend
of the Great American Road Trip (abbreviated as GART). Furthermore, these
elements can help to explain why American need to take road trips. But
what does legend exactly mean ? According to Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia,
"legend is a traditional narrative or collection of related narratives,
popularly regarded as historically factual but actually a mixture of fact
and fiction." In the following paragraphs, I will talk about the essential
elements for the legend of the GART.
Meeting
new people: In the two books that I've read, Paradise and Steinbeck
both met many new people while they were on the road. The advantages of
meeting new people are that we will know different perspectives on a single
issue, and we will know more about ourselves from the conversation. Moreover,
the friendship on the road will be something that we can remember after
the road trip. As in On the Road, Paradise met Terry in Los Angeles,
they had a very good time together. Although they could not stay together
forever, they would have a good memory that survived forever.
Quest:
GART is actually a quest. People must have a reason in order to take a
road trip. No matter you are escaping from the present, finding truth,
looking for freedom, or searching for IT; you are on a quest. In the comedy
Vacation, Clark's family went all the way from Chicago to California
for one thing, having fun in Walley World. Also, John Steinbeck took a
road trip because he wanted to search for American identity.
Landscape:
When you go on a road trip, you will definitely able to see different kind
of landscape. But how can landscape fit into the legend of the GART? People
have a desire to see the unique places in America, and the way of looking
at the landscape will be affected by the mood. In Hallelujah on the
Bum, Edward Abbey saw the magical vision in the front range of the
Rocky Mountains.
Freedom:
Many people in this society thinks that they has freedom; however, they
don't have the real freedom. It is because they are trapped by the stress
in their work, and the boredom of everyday life. Real freedom can only
be found in transit, or on the road, where you are free from everything,
you can do whatever you want. In the classic road trip movie Easy Rider,
'ordinary' people were jealous of Wyatt and Billy because they had the
true freedom. Life is limited, we should do what we want in our free time.
Make each day count! |
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