William Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways

The Road portrays the journey of the father and son across a black and white world that is analogous to my experiences of the quest of survival in Afghanistan and the refugee camp in Pakistan. Where many have abandoned their beliefs and morals to survive the hellish situation. Those who survive with their beliefs and values still in intact are constantly challenged on a day-by-day basis. Their survival must be persevered to keep the fire burning, however small for their own children. There must be some goodness that remains for their children to carry into the next generations. They must always remain

Various roads and their influence on the west are explored in chapter 9, “The Power of the Road” in The American West: A New Interpretive History by authors Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher.

Life on the road means being completely dependent on nature. Many people travel outdoors because of the compelling beauty of nature. Travelers of the road do it for the thrill, and others for soul-seeking. Nature has a strong effect on humans, whether it’s positive or negative. For example, a travel can either end in acknowledging the beauty of nature or a fatal accident. So many famous writers and philosophers write about the value of nature; Henry David Thoreau, Jack London, Boris Pasternak, and many others. Life on the road has its advantages and disadvantages. This can be seen when Jon Krakauer wrote about Chris McCandless, a very famous traveler and an intelligent man, after his death in the book, Into the Wild. Chris McCandless was a

was a new route and this was only the second time that Mendez had taken it.

The first journey is the trip he and his brother, Lyman, took to purchase the red convertible. The second is his journey to Vietnam to fight in the war. Finally, the third journey is the trip he and Lyman took to the Red River where he ultimately committed suicide. Korb suggests that while Lyman has a natural talent for making money on the reservation, he still “experienced his share of difficulties” (Korb ). These difficulties are potentially the reasons behind Henry and Lyman feeling the need to escape by means of the red convertible. The red convertible is the brothers’ ticket to a life off the reservation and a way for them to experience joy, peace, and adventure different to what they are accustomed. Korb specifically puts emphasis on Henry and Lyman’s trip to Alaska by stating that this particular trip was idyllic and felt as though it was a “pleasant dream world” (Korb). After a pleasurable time spent in Alaska, the brothers’ head back south when winter begins. After he has completed his first journey, Henry embarks on his second to Vietnam. The Henry that leaves the reservation to fight in the war is not the same Henry who returns three years later. “Even the red convertible brings no life to Henry,” Korb claims. The author focuses on Lyman’s attempts to bring his brother around to his old self, including the destruction of the red convertible. On the final journey, the trip to the Red River, Lyman is hopeful and believes that his brother is finally turning a new leaf. However, Henry is still just as haunted and troubled as before. Korb reinforces that losing the red convertible is losing the ability to experience freedom and joy, which explains why Lyman refuses to accept the car when Henry offers it to him. Lyman tries to “beat feelings of hope back into his brother”

The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea is undeniably a book that is absolutely worth reading. It recounts a nightmarish tale through a desperate landscape and the tales of struggle of 26 real men who risked everything in search of a better life. The Devil's Highway is a real geographic destination; it refers to the Arizona desert on the Mexican border. Some assert that in order to survive this particular region, one would need two gallons of water per day, as the temperatures can be higher than 100 degrees. In fact, some say the Devil's Highway is so hot that dead bodies naturally mummify when left by the side of the road (8m.com). This demonstrates one of the main reasons that the book is so worthwhile to read: it tells the story of human survival against a hostile environment. In many ways this has been the fundamental story of human beings from the beginning. Human beings have continually fought to overcome adverse or difficult environments as an aspect of human survival. Nature and the elements even if nature manifests simply by an inhospitable temperature can be one of the most formidable threats to a human being because human beings cannot control nature; they can only react to it as best as they can. Thus, one can easily argue that people will never tire of reading this story because of its dominance to the human condition.

Have you ever wonder why they built borders? Or who built them? Or who prevents and controls illegals from crossing, and what they do to accomplish them from crossing? In the book, The Devils Highway, by Luis Alberto Urrea defines the effects the desert has to offer for the immigrant’s entrance. The Devils High Way is a measureless desert past Mexico and Sonora, which is one of the most isolated and driest deserts in the U.S. This is a desert which few

William Least Heat-Moon writes Blue Highways: A Journey into America to describe his trip around the United States after he loses his job and goes through a divorce. He takes a life changing trip around America and meets some amazing people throughout his travels. Heat-Moon packs his necessities in Ghost Dancing, his van, and takes off to find himself on a 13,000 mile journey around America. Heat-Moon learns about balance and harmony and how they affect one another and life. Harmony is a noun that describes an agreement, such as in feeling, sound, look, or smell.

My Kia Soul was loaded with boxes from living in the dorm all year, which made the airflow of my car disappear. The lack of airflow in my car made my skin feel hot, no matter how high I turned on the A/C. On top of the heat, the only way to travel to Bullhead is on one mundane, never-ending road. Lucky for me, there never seemed to be any cars on the road. In a way to distract myself from the impending doom of a summer in Bullhead, I focused on the road ahead. The colors were the first part that caught my eye; there were varying shades of brown because of the wide-open spaces of desert sand. The mountains were tall enough to cast a shadow over the desert, which gave me some relief from the blazing sun. Every once in a while, I would pick up shades of green for all the cacti and bushes that I passed. The desert was an open landscape and was flat enough that I could identify the road miles ahead. The openness of the desert was incredibly bare and dry; I felt lonely the longer I stared. After four hours of watching endless deserts, I finally noticed the

In Conclusion “Drifters” “Lucky Miles” “Last seen at 12.10AM” and “The Ivory trail” all have impacts which affect each traveler in different

The Road takes place in post-apocalyptic America after an unknown disaster occurs. The novel centers around a boy and his father, both of whom are never given names. In an analepse, the reader learns that the mother of the boy kills herself with “a flake of obsidian” as she fears that she would be raped and murdered (McCarthy 30). “[The man] hadn’t kept a calendar for years” and the reader is left unsure what year or month it is (McCarthy 2). The man is sure, however, that winter is approaching and it would be best for him and the boy to travel south where it is warmer. They have nothing but a pistol, their clothes, and a cart with food they scavenged for. The world is barren with “dust and ash everywhere” (McCarthy 3). The story chronicles the man and boy’s journey to the south while they look for food, supplies, and shelter. The pair must fend off “bad guys” during their journey as well (McCarthy 39). When one of these “bad guys” puts his knife at the boy’s throat, the man is left with no other option than to shoot the “bad guy” leaving a “hole in his forehead” (McCarthy 34). Another gruesome event occurs when the man and boy are looking for food in a house they found. While walking down a cellar’s stairs, they smell an “ungodly stench” (McCarthy 56). In the cellar, there are “naked people” who are whispering “help us” and a maimed man on a mattress with his “legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt” (McCarthy 56). These people are being kept to be eaten eventually and the man and his son

For someone to be on the road, people usually assume that they have lost hope in life, or that they were not that determine to maintain a place in our social class.Those who decided to live on the road do it for a different reason, reason that are either a push or pull factor. Someone who has helicopter parents, or having a difficult time trying to fit into society can find a reason to venture out and find self. Someone who felt like they no longer have a purpose in life, can find it by going on the road, because no one know you better than yourself. When writing a story of your life, do not let anyone else hold the pen. Just like the north star, which helped slaves find their way from slavery and captivity. In order to find true self, risk must be taken. While life on the road can seem like an act of avoidance of reality and problems, it can help someone find a purpose for life and their true self, therefore I believe that life on the road, is helpfully for those who are struggling with problems.

How can an author effectively convey a universal message to the broadest audience possible? Simple. The author must simply create a completely impartial narrator, devoid of sex, status, or age. The Road Not Taken is a poem told by an impartial narrator who has come to a crossroads in his/her life. The crossroads is represented by a forked path that leads through a forest. The setting is also impartial; the forest is anytime and anywhere the reader desires it to be. The narrator is forced to make a life-decision, thus changing the course of his/her life forever. Symbolism and imagery are used effectively to reinforce the main theme of the poem.

Very often, there are things that sit directly in front of one, but many are oblivious, and cannot recognize it. It could be something one sees everyday, constantly. Robert Frost speaks of this in his poem, “Fragmentary Blue,” which conveys the themes of realizing what is right in front of one and learning to appreciate it all.

The analysis of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost has been up for debate since the poem release in 1916. It is known to be one of the most frequently misinterpreted poems of all time, and even Robert Frost himself has said the poem is “tricky” to comprehend (The). When analyzing this poem many readers tend to focus only on the last lines of the poem and get caught in a trap of selective-interpretation. Quite a few people after reading Robert Frost’s poem firmly conclude that this poem is about non-conformity and individualism, however, that is not the case. Robert Frost’s poem is meant to be analyzed line by line for a complete interpretation. Readers can conclude that the poem represents making choices in life, but that is not the