Hillbilly Elegy Analysis

glorify the good and ignore the bad in ourselves.” (20) J.D. Vance introduces his readers to a world which many didn’t know existed, the world of white working class people, known as hillbillies, living in Rust Belt towns. Vance gives an inside look by telling stories of his life that are common circumstances in the hillbilly society. But as he says in the quote above, humans, no matter their race, background, or hometown, have a tendency to stretch the truth. Often we avoid putting ourselves or those

The multidimensional expression “hillbilly” carries different cultural significances throughout the book Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. First, Vance utilizes the term “hillbilly” to refer to the working class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree (3). Second, Vance uses the term hillbilly to refer to a group of people from a specific geographic area, namely the area of the Appalachian Mountains. According to Vance, the area stretches from Alabama to Georgia in the South

state of Ohio. Since his book “Hillbilly Elegy” is based on his real-life experiences, the small Ohio town he actually grew up in, can be easily compared to the small Ohio town we live in now. The arising problem is very real and even reading about it in his book makes it easier to be more aware of what’s going on. With the rise of drugs comes with hopelessness, and decreased motivation to want to make life better then what it already is. In the book “Hillbilly Elegy”, J.D Vance is not shy when it

Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir that is chronologically structured and consists of 15 chapters about the author’s life and family members. In the first chapter, he begins by talking about Jackson, Kentucky, where he used to live but later moved with his grandparents to Middletown, Ohio. Although he liked Ohio because he grew navigationally skillful, the town he lived in carried dark and painful memories for Vance. The author continues introducing his other family members and telling details of their

In the memoir Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Vance is portrayed as achieving the American Dream. This comes from Vance being determined and by working very hard so he can make something out of his life. So, in the memoir Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, it is shown that Vance's argument about developing success is that hard work leads to success. Vance argues that hard work leads to success by using positive language and diction that have connotations. Vance is a graduate from one of the top law schools

Hillbilly Elegy Final Discussion The final reading of Hillbilly Elegy starts with J.D applying to law school. This was J.D’s goal, and I was so happy that he was about to achieve this. I found it interesting that J.D did not apply to Stanford Law School because to be admitted, you need a letter of recommendation from the dean from your undergraduate school. Vance did not apply because he didn’t know the dean from Ohio State. I think this says a great deal about how Vance views outsiders. I feel

from the Appalachia mountain area throughout the book. By reviling his accounts and struggles, he opens the eyes of the readers who view these individuals as lazy, inbreed, rednecks, buy giving them a glimpse of his life struggles. The book, Hillbilly Elegy was a simple story of a poverty-stricken boy who grew up surrounded by negativity. The author took notice of all the people, events, failures, and his surroundings and use these to help mold him into who he is today. He would use the mentorship

Literary Analysis The memoir Hillbilly Elegy, written by J.D. Vance, is the remarkable story of a young man’s challenges of growing up in poverty. The book focuses on the difficulties that come along with living in Appalachia, and the family issues that go on as well. Living in poverty introduced Vance to a world filled with toxicity and violence. This unhealthy environment caused Vance to develop a conflict within himself, making him struggle with his self-identity. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance uses

In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance talks about his rise from the poor, working class Hillbillies of the Rust Belt to the more affluent middle class. In doing so, he talks about the work needed to move up the economic ladder (to a different social class), expressing that it is always possible but very difficult. Vance talks about the struggles he faced within his family and his community, as well as how he overcame them. Vance’s reason to write this book was because he accomplished something ordinary

Vance in Hillbilly Elegy, I felt that the personal experiences he had to go through within the surroundings truly provided fascinating insight as to current challenges the Rust Belt faces. Since the 2016 presidential election, I can’t stop myself from pondering why Michigan and Wisconsin, that have been consistent blue states during these election decided to vote the Donald Trump. I needed to understand what caused such a dramatic change for Rust Belt Americans, also known to J.D. as hillbillies, and