Michael Dudics
1/23/15
Ron Scott
Journal #1
Travel Writing
I believe that there are many reasons why we read Herodotus in a travel writing class. One reason is what we discussed in class today. It has to deal with getting more in depth with your writing so that others can actually visualize themselves being in the spot that you were. You want to let other people know what to expect when they travel to the places that you have traveled. If you are not very descriptive with your writing the person might not know what they are getting themselves into.
Another reason why we read about Herodotus is to get an insight on how a great travel writer like Herodotus writes. For rookie travel writers they need to gain an understanding on how to travel write. One of those ways is to read blogs and brochures about the places you want to travel. Once you do travel you can throw your own twist on what you have experienced. The start of travel writing should be reading a professional travel writers blog or articles to get a sense of how to actually write like a travel writer. Herodotus is one of the best travel writers and that is why we read about his experiences.
Herodotus has traveled to many places and experienced many different environments. I think that we read his pieces because it shows that if people want to experience something different and enjoyable they should travel. There are a lot of experiences people are missing out on because they just want to sit at home. Herodotus writes so well that it can get people inspired to go travel and write about their experiences. Of course not all travel experiences will be enjoyable and some may be very hard to experience, but that is why you travel to experience it and gain an understanding of different cultures. If you become knowledgeable about different cultures you can educate everyone else about that culture. Herodotus does a great job describing his experiences and inspiring people to travel and that is another reason why we travel.
One point that we brought up in class was about soft travelers. The travelers that should not go to certain places because they might not be emotionally sound in those certain places. Some of the places that Herodotus traveled to would be places that soft travelers should not go to. If we travel to places and become an experienced travel writer we need to make sure we warn people about places that some people wont be equipped to go to.
I agree with your assessment of the depth of Herodotus's work - it can be as exhausting as it is helpful...
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI feel it is always hard when trying to explain a story to people who were not traveling with you. You have to be precisely descriptive about the adventures you went on so that they can better picture it for themselves. The best thing about today’s day in age is the fact that we have the best form of technology to take pictures off of. The pictures now come out way better than they did when they did not have technology but only their eyes to remember things. However, the way you express to the person about your traveling experience also allows them to grasp onto your story and appreciate what you saw too! They better understand the adventure if you express it with passion and gratitude.
You make a great point about the precision of Herodotus' writing; so often while talking or writing about our experiences, we set the scene very quickly in order to get to the main point of the story as it's typically the most exciting part. However, what Herodotus does so well is provide the reader with details that allow us to visualize what he saw, or feel what he felt, which makes his writing all the more powerful as the reader feels so much more. I think it's important to read his writing, especially in a class such as this, as I feel reading Herodotus only improve the reader as a travel writer.
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