Senior Blog Post: Due Thursday, April 28

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a multi-layered story, which, in addition to possessing a fascinating plot, calls to mind many important ideas and issues. The author, Joyce Carol Oates, admitted that she had a partiality during this time in her career for writing "allegory," and after all, good allegory invites us to think about and apply the story to our own lives. Respond to one of the five (5) prompts in 200 words or more and post your response before Thursday, April 28. 

1. Fall from innocence into experience

Share with us an incident in which you lost a little of your childhood innocence and you learned the ropes of the real world.

2. The disappearance of religion and the acceptance of the easy values of the modern world 

Share with us parts of your “faith life.” Do you attend Church weekly? Read the Bible? Belong to a Church group? Etc. Discuss how this has benefited you and others.

3. Rock and roll is the Devil's tool: Arnold Friend is the Devil (Ellie Oscar as Elvis)

Talk about a musical artist or group that promotes aberrant or immoral behavior for  followers of that group. Why do you think that teens and young adults attracted to that  group?

4. The story is a feminist parable of the sad situation for women in the 60s—they lose their beauty, youthful innocence, and romantic dreams or become hopeless old maids like Connie’s sister.

Write about a (somewhat modern) famous woman who resisted and won against this  stereotype.

5. Bob Dylan was a “new” realistic voice of reason and experience in 1965

Tell me about a current musical artist or group whose songs promote meaningful thought or messages, especially ones that promote new ideas.