Listen to this podcast:
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles
You can write a reflection about “Three Miles” or you can use one of the questions below.
*PICK ONLY ONE QUESTION TO ANSWER!
1. Why did Melanie drop out of school? What reasons does she give? Why do you think she dropped out of high school? Why didnt she go to college? Should she have?
2. How did the Fieldston visit impact Raquel? What are some of the difficulties Raquel experienced in college? Name some resources that are available at St. Johns to address some of the challenges Raquel experienced.
3. Raquel, Melanie, Jonathan, and Pablo all describe what is called imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. Talk about how imposter syndrome impacts each of these people.
4. Chanah Joffe-Walt is the narrator and the reporter for this story. She says:
I met Melanie in November, and I still call her most weeks just to say, so what happened– with your dentist, with your grades, with that meeting with your professor? I keep expecting there to be news, like she’s about to get her big break or something and things will happen for her. It feels suspenseful, but nothing has happened for her for 10 years.
I think it’s some special brand of American pathological optimism that so many of us believe the story of Melanie has to turn out to be happy. And that if it doesn’t, something unusual has happened– and not just this is what happens all the time, that the supermarket might be full of Melanies.
What are your thoughts on the framing of this story and also these last lines?
5. Discuss Jonathans story as a group. What were the obstacles he faced at Wheaton College? Why didnt he reach out for help? Who could he have reached out to? Why do you think his relationship with Raquel ended?
