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J. D. VanceA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.
Short Answer
1. In the years after World War II, the midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin were important hubs for industrial production. With the increase of globalization and the movement of jobs from the US to overseas manufacturing facilities in the 1970s, however, these states experienced a loss of industry and employment. The resulting economic difficulties incurred the use of the nickname “the Rust Belt” by many academics and politicians.
Teaching Suggestion: This question will initiate discussion on the historical and geographical contexts of the region in which the author was born. Students should consider the larger effects of economic decline on societies, particularly as it relates to unemployment and the effects of job insecurity on families. Consider linking this question to U.S. History and Government curricula related to the topics of the 1970s recession, the Reagan era, political election strategies and the theme of Appalachian Migration.