2. In "Mescalito," Thompson described his typewriter arrow "jumping along like a ___ in one of those sing-along movie shorts, bouncing from word to word with the music."

3. What were the police and ambulances scrambling toward as Thompson watched in the beginning of "Mescalito"?

4. Who was a civil rights activist, a leader of the American civil rights movement of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, and the initiator and organizer of the 1961 Freedom Ride which eventually led to the desegregation of interstate busing in the United states?

5. The clerk at the liquor store asked Thompson, "Aren't you the guy who did that ______ thing?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Why had a dope freak tried to steal the Goodyear blimp in "Mescalito"?

2. To what radio station did Thompson vow to send a check? Why?

3. To whom did Thompson make a phone call in "Mescalito"? Why?

4. Who was James Farmer? Why was he on the news in "Mescalito"?

5. What metaphor did Thompson made in describing his brain while tripping?

6. Who was Hubert Humphrey and why did Thompson discuss him in "Mescalito"?

7. What conflicts did Thompson face in "Mescalito" after his drug trip began?

8. How did Thompson feel about the hotel workers in "Mescalito"?

9. What comparisons did Thompson make between acid and mescaline?

10. What was Thompson able to do with extraordinary speed and precision while tripping?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the narrative structure of "Death of a Poet." How does the narrative point of view in this story differ from the other selections in Screw-jack?