Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Road Warrior Essay Example
Road Warrior Essay Example Road Warrior Paper Road Warrior Paper Morons in Miami (and Other Cities and Countries, but Mostly Miami): Analysis of Dave Barryââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Road Warriorâ⬠While driving on any road in America, and perhaps any other road on earth, motorists are not calm, not cool, not collected. They disobey the rules of the road by driving slowly in the left-hand lane; they disobey the rules of the road by trailing in extremely close vicinity behind the drivers ahead of them (so close that their front bumper occasionally collides with the alleged normal driverââ¬â¢s rear). Oblivious ââ¬Å"MORONSâ⬠(76) would be a well-deserved name for these people according to Dave Barry and the ââ¬Å"opinion-makers in the news mediaâ⬠(75). In the essay ââ¬Å"Road Warrior,â⬠Barry intertwines the use of a humorous and sarcastic tone as well as exaggeration to construct his argument that rage is an unnecessary, yet common, issue on the roads (in Miami) and beyond. Barryââ¬â¢s comical and satirical tone indicates the absurdity of the anger and hostility felt while traveling the highways. Beginning with a completely bizarre statement, Dave Barry writes: ââ¬Å"If you do much driving on our nationââ¬â¢s highways, youââ¬â¢ve probably noticed that, more and more often, bullets are coming through your windshieldâ⬠(75). Unless on an on an episode of Cops, Barryââ¬â¢s statement is truly fabricated. He explains that this effect of Road Rage is caused mainly by ââ¬Å"the realization that manyâ⬠¦motorists have the same brain structure as a cashewâ⬠(76). Seeming irrational, Barry reveals that even the National Institute of Traffic Safety believes that most motorists are MORONS. To continue his sardonic attitude, Dave Barry declares that these MORONS ââ¬Å"drive in the left-handâ⬠¦lane, even though they are going slower than everybody elseâ⬠(76). In Barryââ¬â¢s mind, there is a possibility that ââ¬Å"[these moronic drivers] belong to some kind of religious cult that believes the right lane is sacred and must never come in direct contact with tires,â⬠or there is another possibility that at one point, while driving in the left lane, ââ¬Å"their favorite song came on the radio;â⬠since then ââ¬Å"theyââ¬â¢ve driven over thereâ⬠¦in hopes that the radio will play that song againâ⬠(76). Barryââ¬â¢s rib-tickling thoughts of Road Rage transform into sidesplitting views of Shopping Cart Rage and Way Too Many Product Choices Rage. He clarifies that Shopping Cart Rage is generated by ââ¬Å"the same people who always drive [slowly] in the left-hand laneâ⬠(77). These people accidentally place their cart in such a way that it ââ¬Å"[blocks] the entire aisleâ⬠(77). Yet again, Barry utilizes his ysterical tone and jokes that ââ¬Å"if [the government] really wants to keep illegal immigrants from entering the United States, [they] should employ Miami residents armed with shopping cartsâ⬠¦to block the Mexican borderâ⬠(77). Way Too Many Product Choices Rage adds to the congestion in supermarkets. Barry personally knows that this rage results from the fact that ââ¬Å"every productâ⬠¦comes in an insane number of styles and sizesâ⬠(77). He highlights a recent situation in which he needed Tropicana Orange Juice: I had to decide whether I wanted Original, HomeStyle, Pulp Plus, Double Vitamin C, Grovestand, Calcium, or Old-Fashioned; I also had to decide whether I wanted the 16-ounce, 32-ounce, 64-ounce, 96-ounce, or six-pack sizeâ⬠¦I would have called Tropicana and complained, but I probably would have wound up experiencing Automated Phone Answering System Rage (ââ¬Å"â⬠¦For questions about Pulp Plus in the 32-ounce size, press 23. For questions about Pulp Plus in the 64-ounce size, press 24. For questions aboutâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ) (77). Here, Dave Barry demonstrates how too many choices can easily lead to anger. When all the heart desires is a container of Tropicana Orange Juice and thirty-five choices exist, all different styles and amounts, the heart becomes confused. In the end, confusion leads to frustration and Way Too Many Product Choices Rage. Barry hints that in the supermarket, Way Too Many Product Choices Rage is a serious problem: ââ¬Å"If you do muchâ⬠shopping in todayââ¬â¢s supermarkets, ââ¬Å"youââ¬â¢ve probably noticed that, more and more often,â⬠hazardously thrown cereal boxes are flying through the air (75). These boxes are thrown by MORONS (the same people who perfectly position their shopping carts to block the entire aisle). Still remaining sarcastic and witty, Barry adds in a little exaggeration. He first labels himself as one of the few ââ¬Å"Miami drivers who actuallyâ⬠uses the passing lane correctly (76). Barry writes mockingly that while wandering the highways he ââ¬Å"[finds himself] constantlyâ⬠¦trapped behind people drifting along on the interstate at the speed of diseased livestock, while at the same time [he is] being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind byâ⬠unstable adolescents and their sound systems (76). Other drivers are too busy ââ¬Å"[holding] family reunions, [barbequing] pigs, [and playing] volleyballâ⬠to notice their slow speed (76). His replica rage begins to surface when Barry complains that ââ¬Å"nobody EVER signals or yields, and people are CONSTANTLY cutting [others] offâ⬠(77). Creating a unique hyperbole, his capitalization illustrates the rage felt by many drivers on the highway and in parking lots. While searching for a spot to park, drivers usually ââ¬Å"see people get into their car, clearly ready to leave, so [they] stop [their] car and wait for [the person] to vacate the spot, andâ⬠¦nothing happens! (77) At this point, Dave Barry describes extreme Parking Lot Rage as the point when the waiting driver shrieks: ââ¬Å"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING IN THERE!! COOKING DINNER â⬠(77) The capital letters and repeated punctuation create a successful overemphasis of Parking Lot Rage. The so-called normal (not insane) response to a dilemma similar to t his would almost certainly consist of nothing but the question: Whatââ¬â¢s taking so long? Dave Barry effectively proves that road rage is avoidable, while still confirming its inevitability. While pulling into their driveways, motorists are calm, cool, collected. They become relieved to be off the dangerous roads where MORONS tailgate while idiots drive too slowly. Dave Barry pointed out in his essay that ââ¬Å"there are many causes for rage in [the] modern worldâ⬠(77). He makes one last witty and contradictory statement by explaining how all drivers need to ââ¬Å"avoid unnecessary violenceâ⬠in order to ââ¬Å"keep [their] coolâ⬠(77). And what if they donââ¬â¢t listen? ââ¬Å"[He] will kill [them]â⬠(77).
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