From
the peak of the mountain, you take in the views from all directions and begin
to think about what you might find if you just start going in that direction.
If you head north, you can have your breath taken away by the Niagara Falls.
Head south and you can hike through the Andes or explore the Amazon. The west
can show you the both the great accomplishments and the horrific atrocities of
Manifest Destiny. Travel east and you’ll end up in Europe, with all of its
history and beauty, which seems to exist just for you (or maybe you for it). Go
further to see the Great Wall of China. No matter which direction you choose,
you will inevitably find yourself surrounded by awe-inspiring beauty, or
monuments to celebrate the achievements of mankind.
Traveling can be daunting. The thought of being surrounded by unfamiliarity, not knowing what you might be getting yourself into is scary. But you’ll never know what’s out there unless you go. The thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself lost, no matter which direction you choose to go you'll eventually find your way back home.
This blog, though simple, gets the message across very well. The title of the post is "Just Go" which automatically inspires a response. Where are we going? The question is answered almost immediately as we as the reader are placed on top of a mountain. The language is straightforward just like the layout of the post itself. If you head north, you'll find this. If you head south, you'll find this. Not a very difficult move, but it helps to create a sense of place and makes the reader think about each of the places they mention. North to the Niagara Falls and South to the Amazon puts us somewhere in the United States or Mexico. Mentioning the horrific atrocities of the Westward expansion seems out of place with the other descriptions, but serves as a break in consciousness from the rest of the piece. Likewise, the quote used in the middle of the post to break up the two paragraphs serves its purpose well.
ReplyDeletePlacing the image at the top center of the article lightens the mood of the post immediately. The image is of a beautiful landscape of a mountain with the sun emerging from behind a somewhat cloudy sky. The bright rays shining on the scenery create an optimistic mood for reading the rest of the post. If the title was "Just Go" and the image is of a person skydiving, one could infer that the post was going to be about going skydiving. By adding this image it sets up the desire to travel and see places like this image.
The separation of the two paragraphs serves as a break in ideas. The first paragraph talks about the different places we can travel, and the second is an urge to action. It aligns the author with the reader and employs the latter to go out and travel despite whatever inhibitions they may have.