Assignment #10, Part A
1.“It’s like having an armed camp, a condition of constant fear.” (p.128/p.24) This quote is showing how Hunter S. Thompson compares the town to an armed camp. How he lives in fear because of dangers around him.
“After only ten days in this town I have noticed the Fear Syndrome clouding even my own mind: I find myself ignoring black hitchhikers, and every time I do it I wonder, ‘Why the fuck did you do that?’” (p.129/p.26) This quote is expressing how Thompson subconsciously fears black people because the population in Washington is mostly black therefor more crimes are committed by them making relatively wealthy white people nervous. This fear creates racism.
“I set the blinker lights flashing on the Volvo and started walking back up the road, in pitch darkness, with a big flashlight in one hand and a .357 magnum in the other.” (p.130/p.28) Thompson feels that he has to always be alert because he lives in fear. The fear has made him paranoid even, so he carries a gun in order to protect himself.
2.“‘That’s why I’m going to Washington,’ I said. ‘To check out the people and find out if they’re all swine.’ ‘Don’t worry,’ said Lester. ‘They are. You might as well go looking for cherries in a Baltimore whorehouse.’” (p.132/p.32) Thompson feels that all politicians are swine. This is a generalization made by many people, and of course although many act like it, there are exceptions.
“It sure as hell wasn’t the AFL/CIO that ran LBJ out of the White House in 1968; and it wasn’t Gene McCarthy either. It was the people who voted for McCarthy in New Hampshire that beat Johnson…” (p.133/p.34) Thompson is saying that people play a large role in politics. Their votes are the truly powerful thing.
“I listened, glancing up now and then toward the food-bar, half-expecting to see somebody like Robert Kennedy pushing his tray through the line…” (p.134/p.36) Washington DC is the center of politics so there are politicians everywhere, or so it feels like. Thompson doesn’t feel shock to be in similar places with politicians, in fact, he expects it.
3. Richard Milhouse Nixon (p.24) 37th president of U.S., serving from 1969 to 1974. Advocate for fighting crime.
John Mitchell (p.24) Attorney General of the U.S. form 1969 to 1972.
Spiro Agnew (p.28) 39th Vice President from 1969 to 1973.
4. Thompson feels that the youth vote is underrepresented. If youth went out and voted, it would drastically effect the turnout.
