44 pages • 1 hour read
Phil KnightShoe Dog: Young Readers Edition
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Middle Grade | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Discuss the conclusion that Knight comes to in the Prologue when he wonders why he still feels like a kid despite being away from home for six years in college, graduate school, and the US Army. How does this influence his decision-making in the events that follow?
Why is the memoir titled Shoe Dog? Discuss the significance of this phrase and how it symbolizes Knight in his pursuit of creating Nike.
What is the role of spirituality in Shoe Dog? Choose three of the spiritual traditions discussed in the memoir and describe how they are important to Knight’s personal and professional journey. Use examples from the text to support your response.
The memoir begins in 1962. What changes were happening in American society culturally, politically, and economically at the time that influenced or shaped Knight’s experiences?
What is the significance of Knight’s relationship with his father? Is his father supportive of Knight’s desire to travel and start a shoe business? Is the rest of his family? How do they help and/or hinder his progress?
The 2023 film Air chronicles the origin of the Air Jordan sneaker. How does the film portray Knight and the Nike company? Does the portrayal align with how Knight and Nike are portrayed in Shoe Dog? Discuss the similarities and differences.
In Chapter 8, Knight discusses the behavior of Adidas and Puma at the 1968 Summer Olympics. What is the history behind Adidas and Puma, and how did their competition develop? How do Knight and Bowerman feel about the practice of paying athletes illegally to wear and endorse their products?
Knight mentions that he identifies with Holden Caufield, the protagonist of Catcher in the Rye. Compare and contrast Knight and Caufield. Which aspect of them are similar, and which are different?
Discuss the ethical dilemma that Knight finds himself in when he chooses to go through Kitami’s briefcase without his knowledge and read private documents. Does this prove to be a beneficial choice in the end? What other ethically questionable behaviors does Knight engage in for the sake of his business, and does he ever express regret over these actions? Why is this significant?
Knight mentions this line from Naked Lunch: “The junk merchant doesn’t sell his product to the consumer, he sells the consumer to his product” (25). What does this mean, and how does it apply to Knight’s approach to being a salesman?
