Our Travelers: Walt Whitman, Horatio Nelson Jackson, Tom and Ma Joad,
Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, Johnny (The Wild One), John Steinbeck, Billy and Wyatt aka “Captain America” (Easy Rider), William Least Heat-Moon, Kit and Holly (Badlands), Thelma and Louise
The Texts: song of the Open Road, On the Road, Travels with Charley: In Search of America, Blue Highways: A Journey into America
The Films: Horatio’s Drive, The Grapes of Wrath, The Wild One, Easy Rider, Badlands,
Thelma and Louise
Consider the following prompts. Choose 1 or more of the prompts and choose at
least 3 of the works we have considered in class (2 must be texts!). Develop a thesis
that responds to the prompt(s). In a 7-9 page paper, explore and defend your thesis using specific examples from the texts and films.
• How does one’s reason (or reasons) for going on the road impact the course of the journey? What are some other determining factors that only come into play once the journey has begun?
• The road is a place of both self-discovery and self-determination. If this is so, how do the road and the specifics of traveling it make this possible? What do our travelers find out and/or decide about themselves?
• How is the road different from the city, town or village? How is traveling
different from staying put? What are the possibilities open to the traveler
that are not open to the settled person? What about challenges? Hardships?
• The road is a social equalizer, where class, race, ethnicity, gender, age and
occupation do not matter. How is this true? How is this false?
• What is the destination?
• What are some basic elements of the road trip across America? How do they manifest (similarly or differently) in the various works we have explored?
Be specific. Site examples from the texts or films. Keep plot summary to a minimum.
Be bold in the development of your thesis. Feel free to combine, bend, mix and match the prompts as you see fit. You may also choose to write on something other than the provided prompts. you must use at least 3 works, 2 of which must be texts.
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