Road Trip Vocabulary: Part Two
In this post, we will learn even more English vocabulary so that, in the future, you will be able to describe your travels fluently. Obtaining English fluency is all about studying your vocabulary in context so I hope that you enjoy our English blog posts and that you find them helpful.
Cultural fun fact: Did you know that road trip movies are a uniquely American movie genre (= type of movie like, for example: a horror movie, a drama, a comedy etc.)?
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, U.S. cinema experienced a great burst of (=explosion of) creativity known as New Hollywood. Before that time, the big Hollywood studios tightly controlled cinematic output (=production) and made sure that most movies would fit into specific genre formulas which had made going to the movies during the classic Hollywood era a quite predictable experience especially during the hyper-conservative 1950s.
The New Hollywood era rang in (=started) a time in U.S. filmmaking that reflected the cultural upheavals (=big changes) of the late 1960s and early 1970s with the student and anti-Vietnam War protests, the civil rights movement and so on. Young people at that time started to question their parent’s generation’s values and way of life longing for a more open and accepting society. Young film directors like Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Peter Bogdanovich, and Robert Altman tried to shake up (=completely change) the old studio system.
Some of the most iconic movies coming out of that era use the open road formula as an important storytelling theme: Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Easy Rider (1969), Badlands (1973). Especially Easy Rider with its heroes traveling on their Harley Davidson (another American icon) motorcycles from the West-symbolizing U.S. counterculture (think: Hippies), and the American Dream- to New Orleans. In the South, they are attacked by some locals in a scene that symbolizes the bigotry of the South. Keep in mind that the movie was made during a time when civil rights activists were often brutally and violently attacked by racist Southern whites defending white supremacy.
Do you remember the song “Born to be Wild”by the band Steppenwolf from the first part of our blog posts about road trip vocabulary? This song also happens to be the theme song (=main song) of the movie Easy Rider.
The symbolism of the open road as a place of freedom and the United States as a country with unlimited opportunities is reversed (= to change to the contrary) in that scene.
Now, let’s dive into our vocabulary, put on some music and hit the road again. Remember to review the text, build your own sentences with the vocabulary, and stay positive. As I always tell my English students, you have to frame your English learning experience positively even if it sometimes seems overwhelming (=too much). You can do this! It can be a fun ride! Believe me!
... while driving down the road out of Savannah, you see a truck coming around a bend (=curve) painted red and think: “ Why are Americans obsessed with gigantic (=huge) vehicles?” And then you remember the symbolism of the open road in American mythology and experience an aha moment (=a moment of sudden realization). It’s all about the vastness of space and freedom; well, and marketing departments figuring out (= realizing) how to use that mythology to sell cars.
Ok, now back to the road! You have just put on some more music so that you can listen to your road trip playlist. Your radio is playing “Going Back to Cali” by L.L. Cool J, and you are really enjoying yourself. Your friend sitting next to you in the front seat tells you to turn down the music (=less volume) though so you turn it down secretly hoping you might be able to turn it up again soon when another one of your favorite songs comes on (=starts playing) “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross. You just finished that thought when your friend asks you to put on something different (=play something different). You refuse. You don’t want to listen to their horrible music. Your friend accepts, and you continue on down the road towards New Orleans, Louisiana knowing that it is going to be a very long drive. You also tell your friend that as soon as you are passed (=you have finished driving through and are in Mississippi now) Alabama , you’ll let them pick (=select) a couple of songs.
The drive to New Orleans is really long. You start getting bored and antsy (=impatient), and your friend asks: “How much longer?” So you decide to pull over (=stop) at the next gas station to move your feet for a bit and get a cold drink. When you get back into the car, you turn up the AC (=make it colder) a bit because it is getting really hot. You look out of the window looking at the forests of Alabama....
To be continued...
