Thelma and Louise: Proposal

Our group is following the theme of “Thelma and Louise.” Our goal is to bring out the bonding and freedom/self-discovery while relating back to the movie. Our journey will start from Austin, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada and then back to Austin, Texas. Our main point where we plan on spending the most time is going to be the Grand Canyon. We chose this route because we firstly wanted to start off from where we live now just like Thelma and Louise started off from where they lived and we chose the Grand Canyon as our main point because that is where Thelma and Louise finished (except we won’t stop there). Our goal of bonding relates to the movie because throughout the trip, both Thelma and Louise learned more about each other and became closer after going through so much. In our trip, Julie, Kim, and I will definitely bond because it is a long trip and we will get to know more about each other and we will all have stops where we will get a chance to bond with each other and do things that we all like to do. This trip will also give us a chance to escape from studies and let us have the freedom to explore, have fun, and choose a perfect spot to be ourselves. Throughout our trip, we are going to have many stops that will relate to such themes which were the major themes of “Thelma and Louise.”

Zombieland #1

For our group (Claire, Greg, Alex, and myself), we're following our road trip based on two themes from Zombieland: reconnecting with our youth and bonding with one another. We're all classmates who hardly know each other, just as the main characters from the film hardly know each other prior to their journey. Our trip begins in Austin and continues to Orlando, FL; New York City, NY; Akron, OH; and ends in Hollywood, CA. Along the way, we'll be incorporating one rule from the film with each stop. Each of us has a particular stop we want to take during our trip--these stops allow for one of us to reconnect with our youth and allow us to share our pasts with each other, thus leading us closer and closer together. Between these "youth-seeking stops," we'll be stopping at various places across the country, where we will participate in team-building experiences such as rock climbing. On the other hand, danger lurks at some of these stops. When we stop in New Orleans, for example, a drunken man attempts to assault Claire, who is quickly saved by one of her travelmates. This ties into one of Columbus's rules: Get a kickass partner.

We'll be stopping first in Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World. It's a place I go to about once a year, and all four parks give me many, many great memories. I'll show everyone the ins and outs of the parks as well as how to "enjoy the little things."

Next up is New York City, New York. Alex actually got the hookup from Roger Federer while planning for the trip, so we'll all be able to get behind the scenes of the US Open, a tournament that Alex has always dreamed of attending.

The crew from Zombieland got to meet a celebrity in his own house, and our crew is no different. Our third stop is Akron, Ohio, where Greg takes us to meet his hero: Lebron James. King James actually has a bowling alley and a casino in his house, making it an ideal place to relax together. If we have time, we might even catch a Cavs basketball game before we hit the road in the morning.

Our final stop is Hollywood, California, home of one of the world's most famous theatres: Grauman's Chinese Theatre. This Hollywood must-see landmark features The Walk of Fame, but it's a very special place for Claire, who actually grew up in Hong Kong. Here, Claire can remember her life in China and fill in her companions about China's culture.

Allons! (Let's Go!)

Jose, Spencer and I have decided to journey “Whitmanesquely” from Brooklyn, New York down on to New Orleans, Louisiana and then back up north, ending in Camden, New Jersey. These destinations were chosen after researching and learning of Whitman’s own personal travels throughout his lifetime. In order to travel “Whitmanesquely” we have decided to keep the trip as simple as possible. The plan, for the most part, is to resist the big inner-city life and travel lightly. Thus, we have decided to take our camping (and fishing!) gear and rest on public camp grounds throughout our journey. We believe Whitman would coincide with this idea as Song of the Open Road does say: “Now I see the secret of the making of the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” Indeed, we all agree that “the earth…[shall be] sufficient” for us. Moreover, we feel that camp ground areas and the like would be the perfect place to meet interesting folk to invite to travel with us, or to simply encourage to take their own journey some time. Although Whitman does emphasize the need for companionship, we felt that he ultimately pushes more for self-discovery. The line “I am larger, better than I thought; I did not know I held so much goodness” embodies this theme of learning about oneself along the way. The multiple stops we plan on making while on the road will encourage this growth and allow us to become more open to new thoughts and ideas, perhaps even leading us to being “reborn”.


When it comes down to it, our road trip will not occur at a fixed pace. We will come and go as we please. Of course, our final destination shall always be kept in mind. However, there will never be any sense of urgency. The purpose of this trip is to be free and do as we please and if one place calls to us more than another, then so be it: “You but arrive at the city to which you were destin’d, you hardly settle yourself…before you are call’d by an irresistible call to depart.” Whitman gave us this basis in thought in regards to the road: The world is at our [the traveler’s] feet and is ours for the taking, if we will but take it:


To conceive no time, however distant, but what you may reach it and
pass it,
To look up or down no road but it stretches and waits for you,
however long but it stretches and waits for you,...
To see no possession but you may possess it, enjoying all without
labor or purchase, ...
To take the best of the farmer's farm and the rich man's elegant
villa,…
To carry buildings and streets with you afterward wherever you go…
To know the universe itself as a road—as many roads—as roads for traveling souls.

Zombieland Proposal

Using Zombieland as an inspiration, our group has designed a trip in a Winnebago from Austin Texas to Disney World in Florida. Keeping with the spirit of Zombieland, each of us has chosen a stop where we will attempt to introduce outside and alien experiences to other members of the group in the hopes that some piece of that experience becomes part of the group as a whole.
Some of the stops along the way will include Denver Colorado where I will introduce everyone to the concept of survivalist/minimalist backpacking; even though we will be traveling in a Winnebago hopefully the experience that will stick with the group is that less is more. Another stop along our journey is Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta we will try to find the World of Coca-Cola (a stop inspired by Tallahassee's obsessive quest for a Twinkie) and Crissy will attempt to convince at least some of us that Diet Coke actually tastes good.
Our last stop will be Disney World where, even though we can't ram the gates with the Winnebago and shoot the zombified occupants, I'm sure we can play laser tag or at the very least ride the roller coasters.

Steinbeck Journey Proposal

Our group is using the Steinbeckian type journey as a template for our exploration of America. We are going all around America, starting in Austin and hitting some iconic areas along the way until we get back to Austin. The idea is to get a taste of every region of America and learn what only the locals know. We want to check out cute little cafes, bars, churches, and festivals to get to know the real America in that region. The idea is to find where the natives hangout, not where the tourists go. This is very much like what Steinbeck did, but we are following a different route as well as looking for areas frequented by the younger natives of the area.
Jackie suggested an awesome website, couchsurfing.com, that would give us the chance to get to know America in a way Steinbeck did not necissarily have access to. The premise of the site is you search for someone who is willing to let you sleep on their couch for a few days, and they show you around the area. This would be an absolutely terrific way to really get to know at least a few people in each area, and form ties to most of America. Which is really the whole idea of Steinbeck's journey, discovering an America you have become out of touch with. In our case we are discovering an America we may not really know yet, but definitely want to discover.

Proposal

Proposal for last group (group 6?): Nina, Jonash, Luke

We are taking a Kerouac-ian road trip across southwest America. Our stops include: Denton, TX; Norman, OK; Colorado Springs, CO; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; and possibly the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We are investigating to find locations within these cities/areas that are normally unseen, interesting, off-beat attractions. For example, while in Los Angeles, the group will be visiting the Museum of Death, a peculiar small business on the end of Sunset Strip owned by a married couple. Within this project, we are projecting themes of hedonism and self-discovery, parallel to those in the novel On The Road. We are also visiting friends along the way: Jonash has friends in Denton, Luke has a friend in Colorado Springs military base, and I have a cousin and friends in Los Angeles.  Along the way we are faced with a few difficulties/road blocks, such as lack of financial funds.  Overall, we are traveling where ever the road takes us.

Roadtrip with friends

It could be because I chose to write my last paper on Thelma and Louise, but if I were to take a road trip I would like it to resemble theirs.
To begin, I would load up my car with a close friend or friends, the more the merrier. Like Thelma and Louise, the comfortable friendships bring a sense of safety and security, so even though we would be doing something we never had before, we would be there to support one another. We could together choose our main destination- if it were up to me, I'd choose a beach, so we could head somewhere warm like Orlando.
I like the idea of experiencing new things on the road, but having a sense of familiarity along the way, as we saw in Zombieland, and On the Road. On our trip to Florida, each person on the trip could choose someplace that is comforting and familiar to them, whether visiting relatives and friends, or revisiting someplace they had gone on a previous trip.

zombies are real...and ones in the back seat

I like the idea of taking a road trip with a buddy and having to take on the hurdles that come along the way. The challenges you face may not be zombies, but being stuck in a traffic jam when you need to go to the restroom is almost as terrifying. The one main thing that this road trip does not address the major issue of getting suck with an a$$hole as a travel buddy. I have gone on a trip with someone who I could not stand the very sight of much less having to sit and talk with in a small space with no escape. By the end of this trip I was just wishing that I had a gun to put this bastard in a box where he couldn't bother anyone anymore. So for me I would rather have a zombie in the car than this person, because it is not socialy looked down upon to throw a zombie from a moving car.

A sense of freedom

I was really inspired by the journey of Thelma and Louise: how they try to overcome such obstacles as escaping from her husband, robbing a store, getting away from the cop, etc. The idea of women power is really eye catching in this movie and the feeling of being able to choose your way is what makes the movie exciting. I believe the idea of change is what makes this roadtrip: how Thelma changed into a stronger, daring, and a much bolder at heart woman from a woman who always did what her husband expected her to do. Being able to become a different character given the chance that no one is there to tell you what to do and choosing what you want to do is what I would hope for in my idea of a road trip; leaving out the craziness (robbing a store, shooting, etc) that Thelma and Louise did.

You're Stuck With Me, and I'm Stuck With You

I guess I would want to take a Zombieland style trip. I would pack up my things, gather my closest friends, and head off toward Colorado. I've never been on an across the country road trip--let alone with other people. I don't know what to expect. Maybe the people I travel with will become annoying, or maybe I'll learn a little more about who they are, but I do know I have people by my side who are there to help us get where we need to go. The characters in Zombieland couldn't predict where the next zombie was quietly lurking around the corner, but they figured they need one another to survive. This is the only way to travel. To be around people you love will make the experience richer, happier, and more enjoyable.

On the Road

The road trip Sal took in On the Road was the one that was most appealing to me through all the texts. His trip was encouraged by his need to be around something more, and along his journey he met new people and experienced things he would not necessarily be able to at home. I think that being able to take part in these unfamiliar experiences is what makes a road trip. Being able to be around new people, and having a chance to be someone different, whether you are or not, seems like a great opportunity to take advantage of. There is a greater sense of freedom when you are in an environment that is foreign with no one around to really be held accountable to. Though, I may not approach a road trip in the way that Sal did, I would hope that the outcome would leave me with a better/different perspective on life as well as great memories to cherish. 

Free Sprit

Any road trip I would take would most likely be similar to Sal's journey in On The Road. The main reasoning behind Sal's travel is his thirst to be with "mad" people and just go across the country and experience an invigorating sense of life. That's what I want. I want to just be around unusual/out of the norm folk, work a random job somewhere far away from my actual home, travel with and get to know people I've never met before, and possibly fall in love with some one that I meet along the way (but then again Sal never REALLY fell in love, did he?). I wouldn't really know exactly where I'm trying to get to. It sounds like the ultimate hippie experience but I'm all for it. Sure, it's a risky situation but as T.S. Eliot once said, "The journey not the arrival matters."

So my journey would be just to see where the road takes me.

Out On the Road

The text that appealed to me the most was On The Road. Sal didnt make too many plans for his road trip and was more or less spontaneous in how he got from place to place. He met up with friends and partied with them but he was also not reluctant to make new friends with complete strangers and have a good time with them as well. Mainly Sal just wanted to break the monotony of his normal life and get out and experience a new world.

This is the kind of trip I would take. I love his destinations of Colorado and California and would definitely stop in those two places. I wouldn't hitchhike necessarily and probably wouldn't go alone but I wouldn't hold myself to only the people I know. I would meet friends in Colorado but make plenty of new ones on the way. The trip would be carefree, enjoyable, relaxing, and a hell of a good time. I would check out the scenery, the mountains, the ocean, and everything in between. Good times would never be far away. I would stop in Vegas and do a little gambling, then head on to LA, San Francisco, and end up in San Diego before returning home. It would be enjoyable to really get out of the everyday routine and do my own thing for a few weeks. I might even learn a thing or two about myself. Overall the experience would be something that only a road trip could deliver.

Whitmanesque

The journey whose spirit inspired me the most was that which Whitman describes in his "Song of the Open Road." While I don't know if I would drop everything and become a traveling street person, the almost religious epiphanies which Whitman speaks of that can only happen onthe road are almost dreamlike to me. I don't know if I would welcome complete strangers to travel with me but I also wouldn't travel with a group of friends. Possibly only myself or one friend. The thing that got me most about Whitman's messages was how much the road can change you. The beautiful nature that will surround you and hold you which can inspire a person to great heights. The complete strangers that you meet along the way that will impact the rest of your life. And of course the wisdom that a Whitmanesque traveller will come back with. The road in a sense can become one’s home because of how much it provides a person, spiritually, intellectually and physically. I think there is so much in Whitman's words that rings true to most people's inner soul. I think that this is why he is still read and studied and admired and loved by so many. I need this kind of journey. I don't know what I would do or where I would go but I know that I would not take any of it for granted and I would be completely open to everything that came my way. I would have to travel somewhere in which a stop to Monument Valley was made. I am a big fan of John Ford Westerns and I have always wanted to go here, where a hero of mine was inspired so greatly to have filmed roughly 85% of his Western pictures within this region. Maybe some of the magic of this place could rub off on me and inspire me to think about life in a different way or enlighten me in another way. I would have to take this trip with only one friend or myself because I think that otherwise I would miss a lot of the journey along the way. I would be too caught up with them, in something I already knew, to truly make this a Whitmanesque journey. I’ve been too dormant for too long.

zombieland.

Considering all of the road trips we have studied thus far, Zombieland appealed to me the most. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, not only would my ultimate road trip destination be an amusement park but also, I would revel in earning the title of Zombie Kill of the Week…every week (because this would happen). In my opinion, no good road trip is without friends to share it with therefore I would not be alone on my epic quest for excitement.
I'm a big fan of Google so I turned to my trusty pal to find the best amusement park in America. Apparently, this road trip will take my friends and I from Austin to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Just to spice things up, everyone will get to choose a place they'd like to stop along the way as long as it is reasonable and in a northerly direction. For example, we could stop in New Orleans, Memphis, and maybe even North Carolina to do North Carolinian things. To sum it all up, a zombie apocalypse is not required (just preferred), detours are not out of the question, and some amigos would make it fantastic.

On My Own Road

On The Road has been the most meaningful work to me. The way Sal ventured out into America without a definite plan is the way I think the best road trips begin. He managed to have some genuine experiences with old friends, new friends, and even strangers. What impacts me the most about his trip is that he didn’t seem very sure about what he was looking to gain from his trip, but he knew that he needed to get away from the way he was living. This is something that I can definitely relate to. Sometimes I have the urge to just go somewhere, to get away from the routine of my life.

My road trip would be similar to Sal’s in that I would head west ending in California. Instead of hitchhiking though, I would probably drive a car and take along one worthy companion, most likely my best friend. We would leave from Texas and like Sal’s trip, my first extended stay would be somewhere in Colorado. Colorado is a place that has provided me with many fond memories. We would drive through the state, and stop at places where we could get in touch with nature. Perhaps we would visit some friends and party at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After that, we would drive through Utah and Nevada. I don’t really know what there is to see in these two states, so this part of my trip would provide for the most adventure. Finally we would make our way to California. There we would stay with one my best friends at USC and explore the city of L.A. Once we see the beach, I think my trip could be complete. On the way back, we would go through Arizona and New Mexico, hopefully catching the spectacle of the Grand Canyon. This trip would contain a good balance in terms of the types of places we would see. There would be a good mix of city living and nature. There would be chances to meet new people and chances to grow closer to old friends. Overall, this trip would give me the best chance to have a meaningful experience and break free from the same old routine that is my everyday life.

Survival of the Fittest

The road trip I found it easiest to come to terms with is Zombieland because I felt that it portrayed a road trip similar to what I believe a true road trip to be - a learning experience. The survival situations that all the characters find themselves in causes them to learn something not only about how to survive a zombie apocalypse but something about themselves as well ( I won't go into detail, we've all seen the movie and can think of such instances).
I do find it hard to recreate such a journey to meet my tastes though because I feel that there are two ways to think about "my trip"; realistic in the zombie apocalypse sense, and realistic in the here and now sense .
Part of me agrees with Jake in that I enjoy envisioning my actions if zombies did rise from the dead. Would I go around kicking zombie ass, or would I run and hide. If there really were hordes of zombies out to eat my brains my trip would be pretty lackluster. I would simply make a run to McBrides, load up on everything I could and go relax behind the 12ft tall game fences at my family's ranch eventually coming out due to boredom in order to lay waste to some zombies.
However, if I really wanted to create for myself a learning experience, a survival story that is somewhat plausible then I would choose two of my friends and go backpacking in Alaska only taking knives, a compass, the clothes on our backs and a GPS. We would map out our route and do our best to survive along the way.

Travels

Avedon shooting for In the American West

Out of all the texts we have studied, the one that I found most impactful was Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck. The aspect that I liked most about this work was the fact that he was not only seeking time alone to learn more about himself, but also his primary goal was to meet other people and learn more about their lives. The whole idea of taking a trailer across the country simply to experience it, without many other goals than that in mind is very appealing to me because there aren't a lot of plans in mind, just one general goal. Steinbeck felt he could not write about society if he did not truly know it, and I like this idea of having an obligation to get to know the world around you.

I would recreate this by doing this same thing nearly, only I would include someone to come along for the ride. I am a photographer, so taking a cross-country roadtrip in a car taking portraits of those I meet along the way would be ideal to me. Richard Avedon did this in a way, and many people found these portraits to be most impactful because they were real people and real faces of America. 

Zombieland

The text that inspired me the most was Zombieland. The bond created amongst the four individuals in the movie is the driving force behind the road trip. When I think of a road trip, it is the memorable experiences that I share with those around me that makes the trip worthwhile. The encounters on the road being that they might be unplanned and spontaneous is the true driving force behind the bonds made on the road.

To recreate a trip along the lines of Zombieland, I would set out to go to New York with three other friends of mine. We would strictly set off with the only goal of getting to New York City. How we got there wouldn't matter as long as we were taking it day by day, as you would in Zombieland fending off attacking zombies. Through the encounters to New York, I'm sure we would see and experience things that we were never previously exposed to before, being that the trip is unplanned, which would allow us to come together and bond through these new experiences on the road.

The Open Road

After all that we’ve read and seen I still love the way Whitman portrays the road. I love the idea of just dropping everything and taking off. One would be able to forget all about their problems and responsibilities and just do whatever they chose. For some reason Las Vegas immediately comes to mind. I guess because it’s known for being such a wild, irresponsible, vacation-like city. After that, I’d simply take the time to explore America because that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’d like to see the Grand Canyon, take a look at Mt. Rushmore, and even, stop by and grab one of those famous Philly cheesesteaks from Philadelphia. In the end, my journey would be carefree and entirely up to me.

Common Goal

I’m all about bonding when road trips come to mind. They are definitely times when the radio just doesn’t do, site-seeing is not enough, and entertaining oneself eventually becomes unappealing. Because bonding is an essential part of the long journey, Zombieland is what inspires me when road trips come to mind. The movie at its heart is a risky adventure that a group of people go through together so they could succeed and reach their goal. While the goal for the people in Zombieland is to survive (or maybe get a Twinkie), they definitely achieved a great deal of bonding and understanding of each other along the way.

Surely, there are those places where your friends would tell you that it’s the “scariest place to go to” and everybody would be frightened to even get near it. However, this is just the kind of thing a small group of people can go together and explore the mystery of the place. If I were to mirror it with a bit like Zombieland, I would bring along people who are merely my acquaintances. Then we would drive over to the so-called “haunted” place and we would walk together to explore the place—cross the river, climb over the woods—do anything other than just standing there so we could get a feel of the place. Our goal? Just to have fun and be proud of ourselves after we get through it. Our hidden goal? Bonding, because chances are, we would have to help each other to get across the river or to go up a hill. We might have to joke around to comfort ourselves or talk to just keep us busy thinking about something else other than anticipating something to pop out. Having a common goal really does pave the way to at least a great start in relationships.

My favorite trip is Zombieland by far. I wish that I could do exactly what they did, zombies and all. Recreating a trip to just have some of the attributes that the movie had would be second best for me for the sole reason that I want it all! This was my first zombie movie that I had ever seen and it brought out a secret fantasy of mine, kill zombies. I have to admit that my adventures would not be as fun unless I had Woody Harrelson to banter with. I actually got an adrenaline rush from watching Harrelson take down the undead with all his creative ways. It would also be nice to have a gorgeous girl to hijack all my belongings every once and a while, just to keep life interesting.

Did anybody else figure out what they wanted to do with their life from watching this movie?

Almost Famous

Although it's not one of my favorite movies from the bunch, I like the type of road trip in Almost Famous. It seems like a different experience for me, being how I can see alot of myself in William. There's just something so unique and exciting about following a band around the country. It's a time where your parents aren't there watching, and a time for freedom. During this trip, you make the decisions, including the decision to drink, do drugs, or have sex. It can show how responsible a person you are, or just how wild you can get. In the end, no one judges you on the road and your parents never have to know about anything. It sort of reminds me of how college is right now except with studying. Destination doesn't matter to me, as long as you get to have fun. The trip could be a duplicate of Almost Famous, as long as I get to bring a best friend with me, I'm open to anything.

Roughin' it in Zombieland

I'm going with Zombieland for my chosen text that inspires me most. As someone who's normally a horror-averse moviegoer, I was pleasantly surprised and entertained at both the material of the film and how the film was presented. Zombieland was a breath of fresh film air for me.

If I had to recreate the spirit of Zombieland, I'd gather three friends to embark on a trip from
Austin to California. Obviously I can't turn the world's entire population into zombies, so instead we'll challenge ourselves as if we were on our own. We would leave with only a set amount of money to use, and we couldn't use our phones or ask for help. Zombieland's message about the road is simple: You can change for the better on a road trip with others. The road is filled with challenges, but by working together, everyone is the group will change for the better as they become closer.

It's important that two of the friends I bring along aren't best friends of mine. I'll bring along one best friend to mirror the already close-knit relationship between Wichita and Little Rock, but the other two friends won't know each other. And yes, I should technically bring along two strangers, but let's face it: The world's just not as safe as it's portrayed in movies.

Our destination in California will be Disneyland, our mirror to Pacific Playland. I've been there before, but it's been at least five years since I went, so my mental layout of the park is likely fuzzy, just as Wichita's is of Zombieland's Pacific Playland. My other three friends should have never visited there (I realize that Little Rock has been to Pacific Playland before, but I'm assuming that since she's so young in the film that she hardly remembers the physical layout of the park.). We'll enter the park without grabbing a map before heading to the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction, where we will board the ride and then head to the entrance of the park. Once we got off the ride, we would quickly seek places we could hide from zombies if they were actually attacking like they did in the final scene of Zombieland. Once we found a place to hide, we would note how long we had been at the park and then decide if we realistically stood a chance against the incoming zombies if they had attacked. We would, of course, have to take into account that we will be waiting in line to ride our ride, while Wichita and Little Rock didn't have to wait in lines at all to ride their ride.

What do you recommend?

The Steinbeck journey is still my favorite. I love the way he takes off to explore and learn. He isn't journeying to cure an ill in his existance, he is journeying because he sees that he needs to. He takes off cross-country to learn about people and places. Thats the type of journey I would want to go on. I would want to go alone or with one close friend and just explore. Once me and a friend were so crazy stressed out that we took my car out in the country, and rock-paper-scissor chose which direction we would turn every time we came to an intersection. I would want to do something like that, turn down every appealing road for days and months on end in my journey. I would want to stop at all those tiny little cafes in cute little small towns and order the special, or the waitress's favorite. I think it that would be a very Steinbeckian way of journeying, and I also think it would satisfy my need to make the journey my own.