This week in my Rhetoric of Travel Writing course we read and analyzed some very interesting articles. Mary Suzanne Schriber, in “Writing Home, American Women Abroad 1830 - 1920” took the reader through a partial history of women as travelers. Schriber explained that “motives behind women’s travel are complex” (22) and she “examined why women traveled and how their travel was gendered, and how their travel was perceived” (13).
I also looked at Holland and Huggan’s 1998 Introduction to “Tourists with Typewriters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Travel Writing.” They compared travelers and tourists saying, “...travelers, unlike tourists, are “nonexploitative” visitors, motivated not by the lazy desire for instant entertainment but by the hard-won battle to satisfy their insatiable curiosity about other countries and peoples” (2).
I also looked at Holland and Huggan’s 1998 Introduction to “Tourists with Typewriters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Travel Writing.” They compared travelers and tourists saying, “...travelers, unlike tourists, are “nonexploitative” visitors, motivated not by the lazy desire for instant entertainment but by the hard-won battle to satisfy their insatiable curiosity about other countries and peoples” (2).
By far, my favorite assignment this week was watching and listening to a TEDTalk video by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie! Her talk was extraordinary! With an emphasis on “The Danger of the Single Story” I learned three important things about the single story: (1) the single story shows people as one thing over and over again and that is what they become, (2) the single story creates stereotypes that are incomplete, making one story become the only story and (3) the single story robs people of dignity by emphasizing differences, not similarities.
Adichie’s final words were profound: “When we reject the single story, when we realize there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk awakened in me a better understanding and comprehension of how I, as a writer, can move toward a more complex awareness and appreciation of culture.
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This week in my blog post, I am being challenged to incorporate an interview in order to show the concept of “multiple stories.” In fact, last week I did just that when I interviewed Joe about his memories of meeting me on the Greyhound Bus! Below you will find the continuation of a story that began as “my story” morphed into “Joe’s story” and now is a merging of “multiple stories” into “our story.” Enjoy!
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They proceed to introduce themselves making small talk and chit chatting about the usual topics of destination and why, family, hometowns, summer plans, but mostly about the differences in their schools; his being full of daily regiments of marching and yelling memorized rules to upperclassmen;
They proceed to introduce themselves making small talk and chit chatting about the usual topics of destination and why, family, hometowns, summer plans, but mostly about the differences in their schools; his being full of daily regiments of marching and yelling memorized rules to upperclassmen;
...and hers being open, especially during the lunch hour when different political groups and religious organizations such as the Hare Krishnas would pontificate and proselytize from the corners of the common grounds called The Mall .
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He found himself thrilled by the fact that he met this girl and was able to spend time on a three hour bus ride, being a perfect example of what he wanted to do for the summer. No ties, no strings, just enjoying every minute of traveling and being away from the Academy.
She on the other hand found herself impressed by a young man who seemingly had goals and dreams in life - he knew what he wanted to do in his future and he was determined to accomplish what he set out to do.
The Greyhound Bus stopped at many small towns picking up passengers along the way to its final destination of Tucson, but the young couple, so engrossed in conversation, hardly noticed that the trip was coming to a close.
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He found himself thrilled by the fact that he met this girl and was able to spend time on a three hour bus ride, being a perfect example of what he wanted to do for the summer. No ties, no strings, just enjoying every minute of traveling and being away from the Academy.
She on the other hand found herself impressed by a young man who seemingly had goals and dreams in life - he knew what he wanted to do in his future and he was determined to accomplish what he set out to do.
The Greyhound Bus stopped at many small towns picking up passengers along the way to its final destination of Tucson, but the young couple, so engrossed in conversation, hardly noticed that the trip was coming to a close.
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Not wanting it to end - he felt she was pleasant and well-spoken; he without a doubt, enjoyed being around her and talking to her. Since she had never been back east, he promised he would send post cards as he traveled across the country.
She ripped out a deposit slip from her checkbook, tore it in half and they exchanged addresses.
He slipped her address into the plastic slot on the inside of his cover and she safely secured hers in a pocket in her purse.
And so began a four year, long distance, letter-writing, up and down, friendship and love affair.
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Next week I will be finishing up my Rhetoric of Travel Writing course and my blog entry will need to address the idea of becoming an "agent of change" in my travels. My goal is to conclude the “Downtown Bus Station” story, showing examples from my own travel experience (riding on a Greyhound bus) and the travels of somebody else (Joe), how we contributed to changing a small part of the world and how we made the lives of each other better.
Next week I will be finishing up my Rhetoric of Travel Writing course and my blog entry will need to address the idea of becoming an "agent of change" in my travels. My goal is to conclude the “Downtown Bus Station” story, showing examples from my own travel experience (riding on a Greyhound bus) and the travels of somebody else (Joe), how we contributed to changing a small part of the world and how we made the lives of each other better.