Topics for Discussion
1. Read the 1966 Life magazine article, “The Pied Piper of Tucson,” which inspired Oates’s story, and compare the fictional and journalistic interpretations of the same event. How does each writer try to shape the reader’s opinion through presentation of individuals, Setting, and events?
2. What role does popular music of the 1960s play in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Does music continue to influence young people today in a similar or different manner?
Ideas for Reports and Papers
Research the crime of acquaintance or date rape, focusing on its presentation in the media, the stories of its victims, and its status in the American legal system. In the 1960s, when the story was written, who would most likely have been blamed for Connie’s fate? Who would be blamed if the same thing happened today?
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