Journal Entry 3 The moment I finished the first paragraph of, Rick Bragg’s, “Upside Down and Sideways” narrative I was taken back to my own ‘slingshot’. Gratiot Avenue, an old state trunkway, begins in Detroit and runs in a southwesterly direction through what used to be the grand estates and historical districts of the motor city, outward toward the sprawling suburbs. Gratiot has history, in fact, it was used as a supply road for old Fort Gratiot in Port Huron, which was tucked into the space between the thumb and the hand in what Michiganders affectionately call the mitten. Even though this road wasn’t unlike any number of others across the united states, it held a special magic. Growing up just outside of Detroit means you live and breathe automobiles. If your dad didn't work for one of the “Big Three” automotive companies, your …show more content…
I gripped the wheel and made a sharp left and went up the curb into the heavily landscaped median. My shiney black Charger went airborne, grazed a tree and landed on top of some shrubbery. A disaster had been averted, I was humiliated and ashamed at my negligence, but we were all alive. The people in the car ahead of me with the terrified eyes never even pulled over, they just kept on going. I sat there atop the shrubbery in my sleek black Charger, first laughing and then weeping. I never played the radio that loudly again, and that was the last time I cruised Gratiot Avenue. It was a lesson that was not lost on me. I still love cars but that moment was a slingshot into adulthood, where my carerfree reckless world gave way to booster seats, and insurance rates. Don't get me wrong, I still get goosebumps when I hear the sound of a six cylinder hemi, but from that night on I learned to understand and respect the responsibility that comes with that kind of
On a sunny afternoon in May of 2013 I learned a very important lesson. I was at a family auction in the small quiet town of Ames, Oklahoma. The dew was still wet on the ground and the air was crisp. There was a lot of my extended family there as well as people I had never met. I got to see my cousin Taylor as well as one of her cousins named Jadey. We decided we were going to go ride four wheelers out in the field and it was at that time I learned a valuable lesson. Four wheeler accidents happen often, but I never expected to be the one involved. Before my accident I thought four wheelers were fairly safe, but afterwards I learned that an accident can happen in a split second and you should never assume you won’t be the one involved.
Detroit, Michigan grew up around the automobile industry. At its peak, Detroit was the fifth-largest city in the United States, becoming the home to over 1.8 million people by 1950 (Davey, Monica 2013). The prolific population was due greatly to the success of the auto industry in the city. At that time, Detroit was flying high, its name coined “The Motor City” (americaslibrary.gov), and automobiles greatly impacted commercialization. From transporting goods to hastening production, to selling parts, to manufacturing and selling new automobiles, the auto industry completely transformed Detroit. Things seemed
“Amanda Clark’s phone conversation came to an abrupt end when her Chevrolet Trailblazer rolled three times before landing on its roof. She had run a stop sign and was broadsided by another driver. Metal caved in around her, but the roof stayed intact and she survived with just scrapes and bruises” (Tracy). Amanda Clark survived her first car accident caused by distracted driving, but wasn’t as lucky the second time. After she started driving again, she pledged to put her phone away and focus on driving. Clark’s Mother, Bonnye Spray, said, “I thought this would be a wakeup call for her, and it was for a short time she wouldn’t talk on the phone, she was more cautious. But she got more confident in her driving and a sense of ‘Hey, I survived one, I’m invincible, nothing is going to happen to me now’” (Tracy). A year after her accident, Clark was driving on a highway. She
As depicted in this novel, during the Depression, traveling West was a chance for a job or money, but one of the few ways to get there was by the railroads. However, it wasn’t just during the Depression that railroads offered hope for a better life. Railroads have been depended on various amounts of times in America’s history. It seems during some of the hardest obstacles America has had to face railroads were an influence to the positive solutions. They have revolutionized our country and have also contributed to a number of benefits. With today’s far advancements in technology, people overlook the significance of railroads. Although many people may underestimate the importance of railroads to our nation, I believe that railroads were one of the biggest advancements for America.
Here I am captured in this irritating street where all I can do is listen to music and look at Facebook. I am waiting for cars to start moving and continue with their destination. Little do I know that ahead of me is a two hour traffic. I am already tired, bored, and furious. I cannot believe I took this road home instead of my usual route. Why do I have to try new things? I should stick to what I know. While I sit in the drivers’ sit I am still wondering why I had the bright idea of taking a new way home, a way that I had little knowledge of.
Mrs. Anderson had her driver’s license at the age of 19 years old and reminisced of gasoline then being 23 cents a gallon. She told the story of learning to drive with much humor. Her father had been attempting to teach her regularly from the time she was a little child by holding her on his lap and guiding her to steer. By the time she was 12 years old, she could barely reach the pedals, but she could
Ford was raised on a small farm ran by his father outside of Detroit (Mitchell,1). As a child Henry was very interested in machinery. He always wanted a simpler way to do everything. “His Father would go to town and ask the children what they wanted. Henry's brother and sister would ask for candy but henry always asked for clock wheels.”
Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler Corporation, Dodge Brothers and Packard Motor Car Company all had automobile manufacturing and assembly processes in the city. Detroit provided many manufacturing jobs, shopping, entertainment, transportation, and housing. The 143 square miles of Detroit wasn’t quite enough room so the suburbs also began to develop. (The rise and fall of Detroit: A timeline. (2013, July 19). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from http://theweek.com/articles/461968/rise-fall-detroit-timeline) Detroit would be defined as urban because it had a build-up of the central city and spread into the suburbs. The population wasn’t high enough for it to be a megacity and with the globalization of auto production, Detroit never really reached the world city
I sat on the driver’s seat nervously and took a deep breath. It was a hot Saturday afternoon; the sun was starting to fall and my mom and I were at the Department of Public Safety practicing for my driver’s test. My mom was sitting on the passenger’s seat and reckoned, “Aggie, you will be fine” as I finished parallel parking. This was probably the hundredth time we had practiced and every single one had different outcomes.
Reaching across the center console of my car, I imagined the commute that I had into school. My 1992 Jeep Cherokee courageously braved the snowstorm of the year, with only one functional windshield wiper and a forlorn four wheel drive system. As I turned onto the Merritt Parkway, a Honda Civic swerved past me and proceeded to weave in and out of the afternoon traffic. Fast-forward sixty seconds and that Honda was now engulfed by the powder white trees which bound the highway. Instinctively, I pulled up behind the crash site, dialing 911 as I ran over to the mangled wreck. I peered into the car, my pupils the size of marbles, and the driver seemed uninjured; regardless, I proceeded to reassure the driver that Emergency Medical Technician’s/Paramedic’s
The first of the excitement started right away. Instead of reverse, I put the car in drive… I rammed right into the lawn mower! Addi and I laughed hysterically while I nervously checked the front bumper and the lawn mower. There was no damage, thank God. I ignored this first red flag that clearly should have told me that this was a terrible idea. I put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway (much faster than my mother would have preferred, I’m sure). I took a right onto Bahnson Avenue and headed down the
Immediately, when I turned sixteen I woke up in the morning and saw a pair of shinny silver keys sitting on my desk. I jumped up with excitement and rushed out the door wearing only my boxers, with the keys dangling in my hand. There it was: my brand new GMC Envoy, dark hunter green with a wax that could blind you. I stared at the car with excitement and admiration; it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and it was mine. I took it for a test drive around the block and opened it up on the highway only three blocks from my house. It had a V8 under the hood, black leather seats, a Bose sound system and enough horsepower to tow anything I desired. After my first test drive around the neighborhood, I picked up
In November 2008 I was on my way to get car insurance, when in an instant my life had changed. It was that day that I vowed never to drive without insurance ever again.
The most significant factor that catapulted Detroit, Michigan to becoming a prosperous city in America was the mass production of the automobile in the early 20th century. Three companies encompassed the auto industry in America and they were Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Consequently, the three companies were referred to as the “Big Three.” The “Big Three” established their headquarters, and assemble plants in the Detroit area. David Littman, Senior Vice President & chief Economist, Comerica Bank (retired) stated, “what really built the city of Detroit were the thing of substance of a market system entrepreneurship and incentive…come to
Driving fast in a car may be unsafe but the thrill and excitement of high rates of speed gave me a rush I had never felt before. Seeing, feeling and hearing everything go by faster made the whole driving experience so much better. My mouth watered with envy as I approached the drivers' seat every time I went out for a drive. The automobile, as a whole, became a high interest of mine; the styling, the sound and the speed of it. I loved driving and I loved cars and all of this new found love was from the birth of my drivers' license. Such a simple piece of paper opened up such a broad area of learning for me; it was of much amazement to me.