Recently I have been doing some research on Elvis, and his property, Graceland. I have learned many things, like that Graceland is named after the previous owners' daughter, Grace. For those of you who don’t actually know who Elvis is, I am speaking of the "King" of Rock'n'Roll, Elvis Presley. He became famous after singing some songs like Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, and Heartbreak Hotel. But that isn’t even how he got his start. Originally, Elvis was a teen-heartthrob actor in some adolescent oriented movies. When his producer realized that the girls went after the singing better than the movies, they asked if Elvis would be willing to make the switch from acting to singing. Elvis of course said yes, and the rest is history.
Graceland is the name that Elvis gave to his home before he died. Like I stated before, he named it after the former owners' daughter, but the name has become a common proper noun in America. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee, along with Elvis' hotel, the Heartbreak Hotel. It is also a common tourist destination, and I'm sure a source of income in Memphis. Some people go as far as to pilgrimage to Graceland, and I personally think some of these people are nuts.
There are two types of pilgrims that go to Graceland, the immigrant and the transient pilgrims. The immigrant pilgrims come from all over, to be where they can be loved and accepted by others who feel the same way about Elvis. “Everyone loves Elvis, and everyone who loves Elvis is loved.” I personally think that the immigrant pilgrims are a little crazy. The transient pilgrims believe that going to Graceland is like coming home, and it gives them a feeling of closeness with Elvis. I believe that these people may be different, but still just as crazy as the immigrant pilgrims.
The final group that goes to Graceland is the tourists. They tend to go to see what it was like, and out of curiosity. They do not believe that it brings them closer to Elvis, and are not crazy. If I went to Memphis, Tennessee I would probably go to Graceland like most tourists out of curiosity. And I would not mind going sometime in my life, just to see what Graceland is really like, he was, after all, the “King” of Rock’n’Roll.
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Liz- I agree with you about the immigrant pilgrims being a little "nuts". I supposse that since this is a pilgrimage, everyone experiences things differently. Something that may seem weird or unusual to us, may be completely normal for them. I cant imagine going to this site and worshiping Elvis, and thinking about him being some type of God. But for these pilgrims, he apparently fulfills this role. I am sure that Memphis does have a good source of income while these pilgrims are here. The tourists that come to Graceland seem to be as you said "A litle less crazy". Elvis was a big part of many people's childhood and sparks memories for many of us; maybe not in such a way that we feel the need to worship him and sacrifice things, but as a remembrance and as always, "The king of Rock and Roll" I think these people have important motives, but I would not really enjoy a pilgrimage to Graceland, mainly because I dont think I know enough about him to honestly be able to worship him for everything he did for the generation of "rock and roll". I agree that these pilgrims take pride in what they do.
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