John Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley" by Camille Murray: 2010

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Websites and picture

1. How did you experience the book? It's not always helpful to talk about whether or not you liked the book, but rather how you felt as you were reading it? Were you pulled effortlessly into the book...or did you have difficulty getting into it? Why?
I liked the book. One of the things that it taught me not to judge someone for their appearance. I felt that I learned a lot more about John Steinbeck than the man who just wrote great books. I was pulled in effortlessly because I felt I could relate to his story and I liked him and the people he met. Some of the words and phrases he used were hard to understand but I really liked the story.

2. Were you happy about your book choice? Why or why not?
Yes I was happy with my book choice because Steinbeck is a great author and writer and I learned a lot about how he lived his life.

3. Which place discussed in the book did you find the most intriguing? Why do you think that was the case?
The part that was the most intriguing was when he was talking about seeing the Northern Lights and how it lifted his spirits. I think it was because of the colors and how they were aligned in the sky. It almost seemed magical.

4. What central ideas might the author be exploring-the novel's themes? Consider ideas about the nature of love, the requirements of goodness, the meaning of justice, the burden of the past...basic human issues that are at stake in the book.
The central idea of this book seems to be that the country is different than he has experienced before.

5. What do you feel you learned from this project? Please consider the book, the technology involved with producing the project, or any other aspect regarding the project.
I not got to read an entertaining book, but I also got to learn about how blogs can be used on the internet.

6. What was the most enjoyable part of the project? Please explain why you felt this way.
My favorite part of this project was the reading because I love to read.

7. What was the most difficult part of the project? Please explain why you felt this way.
My least favorite part of the project was the typing because I am not a big fan of typing, but I have to admit it did help my typing.

Interview with John Steinbeck's son about Travels With Charley

Map of My Trip

Here is a map I made of my trip

Blog Entry #12

Dear Diary,

While in Texas, I heard about a group of women in New Orleans who insulted some Negro children who were going to school. This group of women was known as the "Cheerleaders" and I wanted to go see it for myself. As I drove to New Orleans, I encountered more racism not only towards blacks, but also Jews. I did not even want to visit my favorite places, so I went to the Mississippi River and met some other interesting people.

As I drove back towards New York, I was exhausted and just wanted to get home. When I finally got near my home, I was terribly lost, but eventually found my way.

Blog Entry #11

Dear Diary,

When I got to Texas, I remembered how different Texans sound. My wife is from Texas and when she gets around other Texans, she talks with a thick Texan accent. Texas has many types of climates and regions that are all unique.

Charley got sick and I took him to a veterinarian in Amarillo who said he had Prostatitis. I had to wait four days but he was completely healed when I picked him up. My wife and I went to a friend's ranch to celebrate Thanksgiving. I did some hunting.

As I was traveling towards the South, I started to think about the racism that was still there. I thought about a Negro family I knew in Salinas, CA, the town I grew up in. We never saw them as being different than we were and never thought we were better than them.

Blog Entry #10

Dear Diary,

I traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

As we drove into Arizona, I remembered how frightening it was to drive through the desert in the old cars we used to have. Now it is easier with more reliable cars and more places to stop. I am amazed by the way plants and animals are able to survive in these harsh conditions.

I got to admire the mountains a lot more. I admired the beauty of every hill we passed. I then went to Texas to celebrate Thanksgiving with my wife and friends.

Blog Entry #9

Dear Diary,

I traveled to Seattle, Oregon, and California. I saw he city has changed since the last time was here. First I traveled to the West Coast. I visited Seattle, Washington and I saw that the city had changed a lot. I have also noticed that America is becoming a "do it yourself" society.

I traveled to Oregon and got a flat tire and this man helped me fix it. I then understood by my experience that you cannot criticize an individual by the way they look.

When I got to California, I took Charley to see the Redwoods that I had seen when I was young. I was still impressed with the trees but he was not interested. Before I left California, I went to visit the places where I lived when I was young. Some of the people I knew in the past are now dead but I will always have the memories of my childhood.

Old Faithful Video

Blog Entry #8

Dear Diary,

We traveled to Montana, Yellowstone, Idaho, and Washington. I have decided that I love the state of Montana. The people of Montana are much more relaxed and friendly. Then we traveled to Yellowstone National Park. I was astounded at Charley's disruptive and insane attitude at the fact that there was a bear in sight. He turned into a maniac and I have never seen this side of him before.

Then Charley and I went to Custer where we paid our respects to the battle of Little Big Horn.

We then traveled to the Great Divide in the Rocky Mountains. I thought about how the explorers, Lewis and Clark had spent over 2 years traveling from St. Louis to the Pacific and back and realized that people today are spoiled.

Blog Entry #7

Dear Diary,

I next visited Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois, and Minnesota.

My wife and I had agreed to meet in Chicago, so I reserved a room at the Ambassador Hotel. Charley was taken away to be cleaned and boarded because he could not stay with me. I was allowed to stay in another man's room who had checked out until mine was ready. I named him "Lonesome Harry" because of the clues he left about himself.

Another thing I have noticed about Americans is that people are afraid to speak out about our government.

From Illinois, we went to Wisconsin and then to North Dakota where I visited Sauk Centre where the author, Sinclair Lewis, lived.

Blog Entry #6

Dear Diary,

I continued my journey to the Midwest States. As I reached Ohio, I noticed that the cities and towns had grown tremendously, and there was more traffic than I remembered.

The biggest difference I noticed between the Midwest and New England was that the people here are much friendlier. An example of this was a more pleasant experience with the waitress at a roadside diner than I had in New England. This waitress was much friendlier and strangers were more willing to talk to one another.

One thing that I observed was the different ways people spoke in different parts of the country. Since my previous travels people from different areas are starting to sound similar. I think this is because of television and radio.

When I got to Michigan, I noticed that it was covered with trees and lakes, and was very beautiful.

Blog Entry #5

Dear Diary,

Later, I discovered the travel trailers that many people used to travel across the country. They are new and modern and have everything you need just like home. I wondered how people could live without having one place to come back to but they did not mind having a home that was in a different place all the time.

I traveled to Vermont. The final day I was there, which was a Sunday, I got all spiffed up to go to church. The minister spoke about his outlook on sin and I was very impressed. I even put $5 dollars in the collection plate and talked to him afterwards.

Blog Entry #4

Dear Diary,

Next I went to Connecticut. I noticed that the New Englanders are shy and not anxious to talk to strangers.

I continued my journey and went to Niagara Falls. After that, I tried to take a short cut to get to Eerie, Pennsylvania through Canada. Charley has not been recently vaccinated for rabies, so I had problems getting across the border. I have decided that I hate governments and their rules.

I resumed my journey and noticed that traveling on the big highways did not give people a chance to see anything when they passed. I found places to stop along the highway where there were vending machines for everything you could ever want....even coffee and soup!

The travelers who I felt the most comfortable with were the truckers. Even though they traveled back and forth across the country they did not really know anything about where they had been.This seemed odd to me.

Northern Lights video

Blog Entry #3

Dear Diary,

I next went to Maine and a lot of the shops were closed for the winter. I explored the different parts such as Deer Isle, and Bangor.

I stopped at a diner I encountered in Bangor. My server was very unfriendly and absorbed the cheerfulness out of everybody with her dim disposition. Now I am unhappy as well.

The thing that raised my spirits later was seeing the Northern Lights. I rented a room near Bangor and it seemed that everything was made of plastic.

I also notice that people are not always trusting as used to. They don't seem willing to talk to strangers and it made me feel lonely. I drove further north and the weather became very dreary which made me even more depressed.

I later met Canadians who come here to work on the farms during the harvest. They were very friendly and reminded me of the way people here used to be.

Blog Entry #2

Dear Diary,

As soon as my wife and I said goodbye, Charley and I took several ferries to get to Connecticut.

I met some very interesting people. The first person I met was a sailor assigned to a submarine. The second person I met was a kind farmer who let me camp out on his land.

We talked about important issues including the visit to the U.S. by the Russian president, Krushchev, and whether people talk about politics as much as they used to. We also talked about the presidential election.

I tried to visit with people in the local restaurant, but found they were not very talkative in the morning. I discovered that the local radio stations are a good way to find out what is going on with the people. My dog attacked another traveler's dog and we left.

Music - "On The Road Again"

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Travels with Charley: Blog Entry #1

My name is John Steinbeck and I am an American writer. I am 58 years old, and I was born in California. I now live in New York. I have written many books that you may have read including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, and more.

I write about ordinary people. I have been writing for most of my life and I realized that I have been writing about America, which I have not really seen up close in many years. This is why I have decided to spend a few months seeing America.

I have decided to take my dog Charley, who is an old French gentleman Poodle and quite a mind reader. My dog can only understand commands in French. He is properly trained and has no interest in loud noises that would bother other dogs. My mode of transportation is a new camper that I have named Rocinante after Don Quixote’s horse.