Blog Task #3: Travels With Charley

To review for the exam, answer the following set of questions. Pay attention to the keywords in the
question stem to plan your answer, and to the grading indications of each to ensure you are meeting the
requirements.
1. Based on the second reading from Travels with Charley, what observations does Steinbeck make
about American culture in the 1960s?
( /3 K /3 I /1 C)

2. On page 4 of his novel Travels with Charley, Steinbeck states the following: We find after years of
struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Discuss the significance o
f this statement. You
may refer to any of the literature we have read so far this semester.
( /2 K /2 I /1 C)

3. An overarching theme of American Literature is the concept of the great escape. America is a
society built around individual identity; in literature, we see the development of this personal identity
through outward exploration. Connect this theme of the great escape to the literature we have looked at
so far this semester.
( /2 K /2 I /1 C)

4. Oftentimes, the individual is threatened by society; therefore, the abandonment of society often goes
hand-in-hand with the development of the individual. What is the difference between society and
community? How does distance from the society/community present itself in the literature from this
semester, and what is the effect on the individual?
( /2 K /2 I /1 C)

5. A goal of many American writers is to challenge our conventional views a

nd place societal norms
into question. How do the novels from this semester promote non-conformity?
( /2 K 21 I /1 C)