1a. What questions does the waitress ask the narrator?
2a. According to Madison Wheeler, who is moving out of the "hollers"? Who is moving in?
3a. What do the Wattses do for the narrator while he talks with them?
1b. What do these questions indicate about the waitress's interests? lifestyle? dreams? beliefs?
2b. What lifestyles are people looking for when they leave the hills for the city? What do they want when they come out of the small towns and farms?
3b. What do you think the Watts family gets in return for their hospitality?
4a. On page 143, Madison Wheeler tells the narrator: "A man got to honor what he believes in too." What does Wheeler value? How does he view satisfaction? What do Thurmond and Ginny Watts value? Support your answers with details from the selection.
4b. Do you think that the waitress, Mr. Wheeler, and the Wattses would be as generous or have the same values if they lived in the city? Why, or why not? How do you think selling his store will affect Watts? Will he lose his honor?
5a. Locate the passage in the selection that includes the quote, "…being alone on the road makes you ready to meet someone when you stop. You get sociable, traveling alone." To what extent does solitude have this effect? Evaluate the effects that living away from people has on rural Southerners. Do people act the same way to strangers in the city, where no one is ever alone?
5b. Compare the reactions that Gainesboro and Nameless residents have to a stranger in town to those of the speaker in "Southbound on the Freeway." How are their reactions similar?
Setting. In what ways does Heat Moon describe the settings in this selection? What, in your opinion, are the most effective examples of describing setting? Explain.
Dialogue and Dialect. What does dialogue reveal about the characters in this selection? What does dialect contribute to the dialogue? What do you learn about the narrator through dialogue?
1. Create a travel guide entry for the town of Nameless, Tennessee. Give as many details about Nameless as you can find in the story, such as population, local industries, interesting local person, what kind of people would like to live or visit there, and what type of hospitality people can expect.
2. Write a short travelogue about somewhere you've been. Include interesting characters you met there or traveled with, making their actions and dialogue reflect their personalities.
3. Imagine you are a resident of Nameless, Tennessee, and that the state has announced plans to build an interstate freeway through your town. Write a support letter or protest statement to send to your congressperson.
Learning about the Past: Interview Log. Use this log to record your interview questions and responses. Record your conclusions about the differences between small town and big city living.
Q1.
A1.
Q2.
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Q3.
A3.
Q4.
A4.
Flight to the Cities: Research Log. Use this log to keep track of the sources you use, the information you find, and your reactions to what you learn.
Books and other print sources.
Internet sources.
Notes.
Example
amlance ambulance
1. Dialect: Standard English:
2. Dialect: Standard English:
3. Dialect: Standard English:
4. Dialect: Standard English:
5. Dialect: Standard English:
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9. Dialect: Standard English:
10. Dialect: Standard English:
Review the Words for Everyday Use from the selection from Blue Highways: A Journey into America. Then, from the drop-down box, select the letter of the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
1. Evident click to select answer a. insincere b. confident c. obvious d. witness
2. Refugee click to select answer a. umpire b. banker c. vacationer d. immigrant
3. Effete click to select answer a. strong b. weak c. daring d. scholarly
4. Ailment click to select answer a. scandal b. gesture c. illness d. antidote
5. Debate click to select answer a. argue b. coerce c. tantalize d. commiserate
6. Blight click to select answer a. blemish b. aircraft c. windfall d. disease
7. Meditative click to select answer a. argumentative b. talkative c. reflective d. bizarre
8. Incised click to select answer a. engraved b. sewn c. portrayed d. mishandled
9. Saturated click to select answer a. bored b. disillusioned c. soaked d. confused
10. Ifallible click to select answer a. reliable b. airborne c. dangerous d. ridiculous
