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Aesthetics And Reality In Pico Iyer's Why We Travel

1788 Words8 Pages

Beginning around the twentieth century, the universal concept of traveling confused individuals to distinguish the differences between aesthetics and reality. Through Hamera 's and Bendixen 's discussion towards the effects of the industrial revolution, "the automobile, available early in the century, … fostered an American love affair with speed, distance, and the solitary euphoria of piloting one 's own vehicle across the miles" (Barros 228). The adrenaline felt from a spontaneous car ride soon became the leading drive for people to expand towards a greater trip abroad. As a result, the era of travel writers reached its peak when they felt there was a need to persuade these "tourists" to be more observant of the truth hiding under the covers of beauty. …show more content…

The characteristics that define a tourist are evidently distinct from a "traveler" since tourists tend to mentally identify a place for how visually appealing it is, while a traveler looks beyond the visual appeal. A more critical analysis of the situation "lies between those who leave their assumptions at home, and those who don 't" (Iyer 1). Being open and appreciative describe that of a traveler, entitling each one to act upon the role of becoming a messenger between two cultures, in which beliefs and customs are passed on. They break idealistic images and reveal the underlying reality. In the essay, "Why We Travel," Pico Iyer is able to convince his readers to become a traveler, by describing his personal experiences as a traveler, displaying the appeal to the exposure of multiple cultures, and discussing the negative characteristics of a tourist. Each aspect displays Iyer 's well-rounded personality and contribute in building multiple personas that make the readers feel obliged to not only travel with a purpose, but go as a traveler and not as a

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