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46 pages 1 hour read

William Least Heat-Moon

Blue Highways: A Journey into America

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1982

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Essay Topics

1.

Is Heat-Moon’s journey an escape from the reality of his life, or is it truly an attempt at self-discovery? Explain your rationale.

2.

Heat-Moon often confronts evidence of increasing commercialism and its impact on historical preservation. Is there evidence of commercial culture today? In what ways has current American culture developed greater respect for historical preservation?

3.

How does Heat-Moon treat religion in his interactions with religious people? Is his skepticism justified? What is the evidence of his views changing after his discussions with these people?

4.

When Heat-Moon visits the bar near Selma and hears the racism spouted by the clientele, he blames their prejudice on ignorance rather than evil. Does his narrative treat these racist figures seriously enough? What does the author’s attitude say about his larger philosophical disposition?

5.

Consider the episode in North Dakota when Heat-Moon stumbles upon the nuclear warhead monument, and examine the reaction of the local man whom Heat-Moon interviews. What is the purpose of this anecdote, and why does the author include the details he does?

6.

The environmental degradation that Heat-Moon witnesses throughout his travels is an obvious concern of his. Consider that the trip took place in 1978, well ahead of later environmentalism movements. How has the United States since improved environmental preservation? In contrast, how has American industry created new threats to the environment?

7.

Heat-Moon claims that “[t]here are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won’t” (50). Which one of these is Heat-Moon? Explain your rationale with evidence from the text.

8.

The process of learning is an important concern throughout the book. Discuss the nature of learning as the text presents it. Is there an underlying message about how we learn?

9.

Discuss the connection between honest labor and quality of life as evidenced in the many working-class people Heat-Moon encounters.

10.

Heat-Moon takes along two books: Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks. Choose one of these books and compare its themes with those in Blue Highways.

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