Place And Road

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, is an enticing, but soul-wrenching novel that perfectly conveys the precise conditions of a cold, desolate world, in which one feels utterly isolated. McCarthy does not hesitate to go into detail about powerful or foul events within the plot. He says exactly what he means, and can effectively incorporate forceful interactions between the characters and each other, as well as characters and their given environment. By using the literary devices of symbolism, imagery, and theme, McCarthy handcrafts a novel with such eloquence and grace that such a bleak and miserable world is perhaps a seemingly beautiful one.

A man and his son travelling alone amidst the ruins of a previously prosperous nation; a young man venturing into a treacherous land to tie up the loose ends in his life; a broken ranch hand that suspects he had a conversation with death: in the most desolate and uncertain environments, the surrounding world can lend a bleak and lifeless perspective to one’s struggle to survive. In lands without accompaniment from other humans, the will to live can be as difficult to muster as shelter for the night or the first meal in days. Cormac McCarthy explores the difficulties of survival under the tension of barren landscapes and youthful inexperience and their effects on the loss of innocence. Gained maturity enables humans to persist and stay hopeful, even in the least hopeful situations. These environments and mindsets play an important role in the messages of three novels by Cormac McCarthy: The Road, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain.

This novel is separated into three ‘parts’. Each section tells of one of Sal’s travels from New York to the West. The sections are ordered chronologically, and arguably by importance to the development of Sal’s ignorance. He stumbles blindly into his first trip chasing unrealistic dreams of the western world. As his travels continue, he learns how to ignore how people live across the continental United States and in Mexico. Each trip is anti-climactic for Sal, as well as the reader, as he is never satisfied with what he finds. He chases cheap thrills and never finds the true contentment that he was searching for. Beginning with a clean palette however, each ‘part’ encourages the reader to think that he will find his true west, but that it just hasn’t happened yet. Structure provides interest to the story as well as draws out the anticlimactic ending to each story

The ability to paint beautiful ideas on a canvas of dark events and imagery is an essential skill in the arsenal of an accomplished writer. In his novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy demonstrates his understanding of this skill. A reviewer from the San Francisco Chronicle described The Road saying, “[McCarthy’s] tale of survival and the miracle of goodness only adds to McCarthy’s stature as a living master. It’s gripping, frightening, and, ultimately, beautiful.” These descriptions of the tale are true throughout the novel, but particularly at the ending of the story. In the final pages of the book, McCarthy continues to engage the reader with gripping and frightening moments, to emphasize the theme of survival, and to reveal beauty and “the miracle of goodness.”

In the Robert Frost poem ‘’The Road Not Taken’’ there is a pervasive and in many ways intrinsic sense of journey throughout. In such, the poem explores an aspect associated with human decision, or indecision, relative to the oxymoron, that choices with the least the difference should bear the most indifference, but realistically, carry the most difficulty. This is conveyed through the use of several pivotal techniques. Where the first such instance is the use of an extended metaphor, where the poem as a whole becomes a literary embodiment of something more, the journey of life. The second technique used is the writing style of first person. Where in using this, the reader can depict a clear train of thought from the walker and understand

Through the immersion of one in a variety of physical environments, the manipulation of genre, form and perspective presents a polysemic representation of a diverse range of landscapes, in turn allowing responders to develop complex understandings into the human psyche. Specifically, through the interwoven utilization of complex allusions and personalized outlooks Alain De Botton’s The Art Of Travel shapes humanities greater knowledge of traveling’s impact on the human behavior and perception. Likewise, this notion is extended amongst Kenneth Slessor’s minimalistic, poetic piece North Country in which the composer highlights man’s dichotomous relationship with the physical world, and how ongoing, differentiated experiences cultivate interpersonal growth and develop individualized standpoints towards the wider globe. Consequently, both texts elicit portrayals of innumerable landscapes, which foreground the intricacies of civilization through the construction of a piece that reveals the subjectivity of our human mentalities today.

Journey is an act of travelling from one place to another which can be seeking permanent home in a different country or travelling in the same country. It can affect different people in many different ways as they get emotional, intellectual and imaginative experiences individually in their life. All of these have been explored in some of Bruce Dawe’s meaningful poems ‘migrants’ and ‘drifters’ and a related text ‘Still Life’ which is a short film by Martin Sharpe. The poem ‘migrants’ was about group of European migrants seeking permanent home in a completely different country to escape from war and have better standard of life but the poem ‘drifters’ was about a family journeying in the same country. In comparison, the short film, ‘Still Life’ is about a man who has boring and meaningless life. The composers employ poetic and film techniques to convey the possible positive and negative ramifications of journeys.

In the city of Las Vegas, people go through the daily trails and tribulations that the city has to offer. People constantly on the go, worried about the collection of money, pollution filling our lungs and tackled with the constant worries of reality. Being in the city, it seems as there is no escape from the madness that is being offered. Surrounded by the man made building and artificial light that illuminates the struggle of these streets. Although, there is a place that offers freedom about fifteen minutes away from the cities madness. A place where the air is fresh, a place where gargantuan rocks act as buildings, a place where the sun, moon and stars are the source of light and a place that provides freedom from the worries of the city. This center of nature providing freedom from the busy city life is Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon as a space has a rhetorical significance as a location of freedom from city life with the multitude of space it provides. Red Rock Canyon serves as an example of space and place in rhetoric and also creates ties to visual rhetoric with the unique scenery and imagery being offered. In addition aspects of memory such as cultural memory and public memory can be connected to Red Rock.

Why do you think McCarthy has chosen not to give his characters names? How do the generic labels of “the man” and “the boy” affect the way you /readers relate to them?

Understanding oneself is one of the most important factors in living a free life, and living on the road can be a big part of this process. In the novel, Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer writes about a boy who ventures into the wilderness and inevitably learns more about himself on a journey right before he dies. In order to avoid his problematic family, Chris McCandless journeys into danger where he meets people who help him learn more about the world. Although he does eventually meet his end in Alaska, he leaves the world without worries or regrets. By living on the road and in nature, Mccandless is able to live the life that he wants and be free from the clutches of society. While living on the road can prove fatal, it allows a person to find themselves and avoid the problems of society; therefore, people should look to nature in order to better understand themselves.

The journey that Mccandless went through, was done all by himself. Not one time in the book did the author say that he was tired or he wanted to stop adventuring. He always wanted to do more. My generation is filled with technology and electronics, and sometimes I wonder if I could even live without electronics, but now I know that Mccandless lived a life without the new phones and laptops. He navigated the world by using nothing but the stars and a map. The book made me believe that there really is a beautiful world behind a screen and we can’t ever enjoy the items we receive unless we have fun outdoors. Mccandless did not care that he didn't have his car anymore, or that he burned all of his money. He was having a great time exploring the world, and that was his main

The modern world today has become more gender-inclusive since the beat generation of the 1950s. Women have been fighting for their rights as far back as we can remember. Even to this day, women are not treated with equality one hundred percent of the time. In “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac, several references are made to women that are not respectful at all. Most of the word choice used throughout the book is degrading to women as a whole.

Jack Kerouac is considered a legend in history as one of America's best and foremost Beat Generation authors. The term "Beat" or "Beatnic" refers to the spontaneous and wandering way of life for some people during the period of postwar America, that seemed to be induced by jazz and drug-induced visions. "On the Road" was one such experience of Beatnic lifestyle through the eyes and heart of Jack Kerouac. It was a time when America was rebuilding after WW I. Describing the complexity and prosperity of the postwar society was not Karouac's original intent. However, this book described it a way everyone could visualize. It contained examples and experiences of common people looking for new and exciting

In the poems “The Wanderer” and “The Dream of the Rood,” anonymous authors give way to the idea that an Almighty God will solve every problem a person has by doing two things: 1) drawing upon the memories of a warrior who has lost everything near and dear to him due to war, and 2) entering the dream of a man who has been exiled and isolated. Each piece takes its reader through the trials and tribulations that one may not relate to in this era, yet the reader is still there alongside the character wanting them to find peace with their world and themselves. Initially, it is believed that the characters will overcome their hardships and achieve the happiness they seek. However, as the reader delves deeper into the character’s story, there is an overwhelming sense of incompleteness. What actually happens at the end of each piece is not written in stone - telling us the story is not whole - nor has a conclusion been reached. The intrapersonal thoughts being shared with the reader reveal the obstacles that keep an overall wholeness from occurring.

     Jack Kerouac is the first to explore the world of the wandering hoboes in his novel, On the Road. He created a world that shows the lives and motivations of this culture he himself named the 'Beats.' Kerouac saw the beats as people who rebel against everything accepted to gain freedom and expression. Although he has been highly criticized for his lack of writing skills, he made a novel that is both realistic and enjoyable to read. He has a complete disregard for developed of plot or characters, yet his descriptions are incredible. Kerouac?s novel On the Road defined the post World War II generation known as the 'beats.'