Why might a person take a journey without a specific destination in mind? What could a person learn from such a journey? Think about these questions and take several minutes to record your responses. As you read the excerpt from Blue Highways, try to identify the author’s purpose in taking his journey and in writing the book.
1. Follow along in your text as your teacher reads Chapter 14 aloud. What does the author say he is looking for? What is his purpose for this journey? How does he describe what he is looking for? How does he seem to go about finding it? Jot down brief answers to these questions.
2. With a partner, take turns reading the remainder of the text aloud. Stop periodically and reflect on the questions above. Jot down any answers to the questions. When you have finished reading, discuss with your partner the conclusions you have drawn about the author’s purpose for taking the journey and his purpose for writing Blue Highways.
If you have difficulty reading the text aloud, try varying your reading rate. When you encounter dialogue and dialect, pause briefly and try to hear how the words sound in your mind. Then, read them slowly or quickly, whichever the writing calls for. Differ your reading rate for the narration and the dialogue throughout the text.
With your partner and another pair of students, discuss the notes you took and the conclusions you made about the author’s purpose. As a group, write your answers to the questions included in the first part of the During Reading activity.