Movie Rides: I Paid How Much For This?!

1. A YEAR AT THE MOVIES by Kevin Murphy David M. Waselko Movie Rides: I Paid How Much For This?!

2. PROMPT • Kevin Murphy, in his book A Year at the Movies, tries to capture the movie-going experience and share his thoughts with fans. Read his chapter “Movie Rides: I Paid How Much for This?” Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Murphy utilizes to convey his attitude towards movie rides and Universal Studios. Support your analysis with specific references to the chapter.

3. INTRODUCTION • Hook • “I was really bugged by the fact that so many people buy into this. It means that America on vacation is willing to wade through all this hassle and expense because we can’t figure out on our own how to have a good time.” • Transition • In the chapter “Movie Rides: I Paid How Much for This?!” Kevin Murphy draws on his experience at Universal Studios Hollywood to convey his disdain for the commercialism and fakeness of the movie industry and willingness of Americans to buy into it. • Thesis • Through his critical diction, structure, and various rhetorical techniques, Murphy urges consumers to avoid falling into the trap of the studios, regardless of how tempting what they are selling may appear.

4. DICTION: ADJECTIVES/VERBS • Adjectives to describe his reaction to the park • Depressed • Disappointed • Verbs to describe his reaction to the park • Bugged • Hate • Stank • Adjectives to describe Universal Studios/rides negatively • Overplanned • Overcrowded • Creepy • Pretend • Fake • Orchestrated • Artificial • Forced

5. DICTION: ANALYSIS • Adjectives - Universal studios/Rides • Murphy refers to the entire experience as “fake.” Adjectives such as “pretend,” “artificial,” and “creepy” allow the reader to glimpse his disappointing vacation experience. • Adjectives – Park/Experience • The adjectives “depressed” and “disappointed” bolster the idea that park experience is not a true experience and not truly enjoyable. • Verbs – Park/Experience • Verbs like “bugged,” “hate,” and “stank” further express Murphy’s disdain for the phoniness of the, the park, and the ideal vacation experience.

6. SYNTAX: FIG. LANG./COMP • To show the hype and disappointment • …this place is purported to be the Olympian mount of Hollywood (hyperbole), the Elysian fields (Greek – resting place of heroic and virtuous) of American entertainment (allusion) • To compare • Church bake sales and backyard carnivals are probably as much fun and cost a lot less • To show the pain • …lines for rides and attractions snake like Russian bread lines (simile) along the boiling pavement (hyperbole)…

7. SYNTAX ANALYSIS • Pain • Analysis here • Disappointment • Analysis here • Comparison • Analysis here

8. SYNTAX: MISC. • Rhetorical questions • I understand that there’s a lot more to this place than the movie rides, but what of it? • Is it possible to have a fake experience? Aren’t all experiences real? • Long repetitive sentence with parallel structure followed by short repetitive sentences with parallel structure • Long one here • Short ones here • Short transitional paragraphs • For this I was paying seventy bucks. • In 3-D! • Repetition • It’s fake, you see, the whole thing is fake. • I can’t do it. I can’t abide.

9. SYNTAX ANALYSIS • Rhetorical Questions • Analysis here • Short Transitional Paragraphs • Analysis here • Repetition • Analysis here • Long Repetitive Sentence followed by Short Repetitive Sentences • Analysis here

10. CONCLUSION • Re-State Thesis • Murphy’s use of rhetoric clearly conveys his disdain for the movie ride experience and discourages readers from wasting their time and money on them. • Refer to intro / draw conclusions • It is a shame that Americans have so much money and such a difficult time figuring out to do with their vacation time that they feel compelled to have their vacation choices dictated to them by those who profit most from them while caring little for them. Murphy prefers a roller coaster at a free fair. Others will have different ideas, if they allow themselves to think. For truly enjoyable vacations, Americans need to dig deep and find the simple pleasures of doing the things they love most with the people they love most.