One theme that the two stories have in common is the idea that although life is often difficult and unfair, there is no choice but to keep going and figure it out. In “Traveling While Black,” Camille Dungy listens while her husband exchanges stories about being victims of racism. At first their stories are funny, …
Author Archives: keirramacdonald
Module 12 Blog (#6)
One common theme between each of the stories from this week is the desire that people have to create a home, or a safe space for themselves. In Goodbye, My Brother, Elliot Ackerman goes back to Fallujah where he fought in the Iraq War in 2004. He notices how it has barely changed, but there …
Module 11 Blog
One of the most significant ties between the Pirahans’ language and culture is the emphasis on immediacy of experiences. In their culture, they do not see any need to speak about the past or anything that is not relevant to the current moment. Because of this, their language does not have many ways to speak …
Module 9 Blog
As Thompson’s “Travel Writing” discusses, it is common for travel writers to document their journeys and the people that they meet with a tone of superiority. Many travelogues, such as the logs kept by Europeans visiting the Americas for the first time, treat the natives not as equals, but as primitive beings ready for them …
Module 6 Blog
In order to gain a reader’s trust, it is important for an author to establish who they are and what they have to say. According to Thompson’s Travel Writing, “Travel writing has frequently provided a medium in which writers can conduct an autobiographical project, exploring questions of identity and selfhood whilst simultaneously presenting to others …
Blog #2
Heat-Moon’s focus in this section of the book is geared towards understanding race relations. Considering he spends much of his time in the South during these passages, it makes sense that he would try to understand the tenuous relationship between Southern white and black people. At first it seemed as if he was asking just …
Blog #1
Heat-Moon is able to assume authority by showing the readers what he has experienced in a straightforward manner. His account of the events that took place are direct and to the point, without a lot of unnecessary reflections upon finding deeper meaning in ordinary actions. Had he spent a bigger portion of the book telling …
Exploration Aspirations 