Blog#1: Rhetorical Strategies
• Simile: “…the way the sky at sunset looked like a sheet of fire,”(21).
• Personification: “’She already fought the fire once and won...’”(15).
• Situational Irony: “’You don’t have to worry anymore, baby,’ Dad said. ‘You’re safe now’”(14). [Ironic because he had just kidnapped her from a hospital.]
• Parallelism: “Other kids wanted to fight us because we had red hair, because dad was a drunk, because we wore rags and didn’t take baths, because we lived in a falling down house…because they’d go by our dark house at night and see we couldn’t afford electricity,”(165).
• Rhetorical Questions: “All those years in Welch with no food, no coal, no plumbing and Mom had been sitting on land worth a million dollars? Could she have solved our financial problems by selling this land she never saw?”(273).
Rhetorical Strategies play a key role in the description and overall understanding of Jeannette Walls’ memoir. She uses techniques like parallelism and similes to draw attention to real imaginable circumstances that she faced growing up. She uses them to describe her conditions in a discrete polite way, instead of just ranting or complaining about her living situations. In addition, Walls uses rhetorical questions to illustrate her on confusion with her parents to the reader. Walls makes it evident that she does not understand her parents’ reason or purpose for their chaotic lifestyle more then anyone else. While she uses rhetorical questions to show her own confusion with her parents, Jeannette Walls uses situational irony to show flawed reasoning of her parents that she might have believed in younger years. Its because of this that most situational irony can be found in the beginning of the novel, when Jeannette Walls is younger and gullible; while most rhetorical questions are found towards the end of the novel. Overall Jeannette Walls uses rhetorical strategies to share complex or personal emotions about the circumstances of which she grew-up in.
20100613
Character Anaylsis: Rex Walls
Blog #2: Character
While most of the characters in the novel, The Glass Castle, are compelling and complex, I found the character Rex Wells, the father figure in the story, to be the most compelling. Since Rex Wells is not the protagonist of the novel, most of what the reader knows about Rex is based on the observations and details that Jeannette chooses to share with the reader. From what Jeannette shares with the reader, one can see Rex Walls slowly loss control of his family and loss faith in himself as he turns to alcohol and crime.
In first initial chapters of Jeannette’s memoir, Rex Wells is seen as a respectable parent who encourages himself and others to dream. He believes in himself and aspires to be better then he is. “When dad wasn’t telling us about the amazing things he had done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do,”(25). He may not be the most traditional parent but his intentions were clear, always aspires for better. Because of his own terrible childhood, Rex is conscience to not make the same mistakes that his parents did. While his attempts are somewhat respectable, examples being; he teaches the children how to survive on next to nothing, properly fight attackers and encourages them to work hard in school; Rex still can’t not escape his past and poverty, and consequently falls subject to alcoholism. Once the Walls family has to move back to Rex Wall’s parents’ house, his downfall and loss of hope becomes a permanent state of mind. Back at his parents' house, Rex is forced to face reality that he is not able to provide for his family and he has not achieved any of the things that he aspired to do. Rex is described to “had taken to disappearing for days at a time…his explanations [for disappearing] were either so vague or improbable that I [Jeannette] stopped asking,”(171). Once Rex realizes the improbability of his dreams, he gives up and falls into a deeper dependence on his children and alcohol. Rex changes from a loving, idealist to a mad drunk, leaving behind all previous faith that he had in himself and the quality of his life.
While most of the characters in the novel, The Glass Castle, are compelling and complex, I found the character Rex Wells, the father figure in the story, to be the most compelling. Since Rex Wells is not the protagonist of the novel, most of what the reader knows about Rex is based on the observations and details that Jeannette chooses to share with the reader. From what Jeannette shares with the reader, one can see Rex Walls slowly loss control of his family and loss faith in himself as he turns to alcohol and crime.
In first initial chapters of Jeannette’s memoir, Rex Wells is seen as a respectable parent who encourages himself and others to dream. He believes in himself and aspires to be better then he is. “When dad wasn’t telling us about the amazing things he had done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do,”(25). He may not be the most traditional parent but his intentions were clear, always aspires for better. Because of his own terrible childhood, Rex is conscience to not make the same mistakes that his parents did. While his attempts are somewhat respectable, examples being; he teaches the children how to survive on next to nothing, properly fight attackers and encourages them to work hard in school; Rex still can’t not escape his past and poverty, and consequently falls subject to alcoholism. Once the Walls family has to move back to Rex Wall’s parents’ house, his downfall and loss of hope becomes a permanent state of mind. Back at his parents' house, Rex is forced to face reality that he is not able to provide for his family and he has not achieved any of the things that he aspired to do. Rex is described to “had taken to disappearing for days at a time…his explanations [for disappearing] were either so vague or improbable that I [Jeannette] stopped asking,”(171). Once Rex realizes the improbability of his dreams, he gives up and falls into a deeper dependence on his children and alcohol. Rex changes from a loving, idealist to a mad drunk, leaving behind all previous faith that he had in himself and the quality of his life.
20100609
Theme: Loss of Childhood Innocence
Blog #3: Theme: The Loss of Childhood Innocence
One consistent theme that can be found through out the novel is the loss of childhood innocence. The Walls children experience the loss of a real childhood when they are exposed to poverty, alcohol, and later sexual assaults at a very young age. As it is mention in the beginning of the novel, their parents believed that “…Suffering when you’re young is good for you…it immunized your body and soul and that’s why she [their mom] ignored us kids when we cried,”(16). This belief, as one can imagine, lead to an unusual childhood. The theme, loss of childhood innocence, is exposed early in the novel and builds to become a central theme of the novel.
The theme is established early in the novel, when the parents command the children to gather only their important items and gather in the car, only to drive away in the middle of the night. The Walls children have to literally and metaphorically leave behind childhood. As they drive, their lives take a downhill turn from there, as their mom commands them to stop crying and says, “’Don’t be so sentimental…’”(18) among other insensitive comments. The Walls children’s loss of innocence can also be seen in their early exposure it weaponry and alcohol. Jeannette Walls tells the reader “By the time I was four, I was pretty good with Dad’s pistol…I could hit five out of six beer bottles at thirty paces,”(21). The Walls children possess knowledge and skill about things that most four-year-olds do not know even exists. As time goes on, their parents grow more dependent on them, almost making them be the “parents” of the family. By the time the children are in mid-teen years they have to force or encourage their mom to get out bed to go to work every morning, regulate how much money their dad receives in attempt to limit his spending on alcohol and gambling. These are all tasks are things a child should not have to worry about. By sharing these anecdotes, the author, Jeannette Walls, is expressing the theme, loss of childhood innocence, as the Walls children have to grow-up at an early age and have to take care of themselves.
This theme is essential in providing in conveying the overall purpose of the novel. It helps expose the real childhood of Jeannette Walls and share with society just how lucky one can be to have two loving parents.
One consistent theme that can be found through out the novel is the loss of childhood innocence. The Walls children experience the loss of a real childhood when they are exposed to poverty, alcohol, and later sexual assaults at a very young age. As it is mention in the beginning of the novel, their parents believed that “…Suffering when you’re young is good for you…it immunized your body and soul and that’s why she [their mom] ignored us kids when we cried,”(16). This belief, as one can imagine, lead to an unusual childhood. The theme, loss of childhood innocence, is exposed early in the novel and builds to become a central theme of the novel.
The theme is established early in the novel, when the parents command the children to gather only their important items and gather in the car, only to drive away in the middle of the night. The Walls children have to literally and metaphorically leave behind childhood. As they drive, their lives take a downhill turn from there, as their mom commands them to stop crying and says, “’Don’t be so sentimental…’”(18) among other insensitive comments. The Walls children’s loss of innocence can also be seen in their early exposure it weaponry and alcohol. Jeannette Walls tells the reader “By the time I was four, I was pretty good with Dad’s pistol…I could hit five out of six beer bottles at thirty paces,”(21). The Walls children possess knowledge and skill about things that most four-year-olds do not know even exists. As time goes on, their parents grow more dependent on them, almost making them be the “parents” of the family. By the time the children are in mid-teen years they have to force or encourage their mom to get out bed to go to work every morning, regulate how much money their dad receives in attempt to limit his spending on alcohol and gambling. These are all tasks are things a child should not have to worry about. By sharing these anecdotes, the author, Jeannette Walls, is expressing the theme, loss of childhood innocence, as the Walls children have to grow-up at an early age and have to take care of themselves.
This theme is essential in providing in conveying the overall purpose of the novel. It helps expose the real childhood of Jeannette Walls and share with society just how lucky one can be to have two loving parents.
Symbolic Stories
Blog #4: Symbols
Jeannette Walls does a great job using symbols in her novel, The Glass Castle, to either foreshadow events to come, illustrate themes, or further characterize the gripping complex characters in the novel. One symbol that caught my eye in the novel was Rex Wells’ stories that he shares with Jeannette and her siblings. His stories symbolize a desperate attempt to escape from reality and provide the reader with more insight into Rex Wells’ dreams, life experience or personality traits.
Rex Wells frequently tells his stories to Jeannette and her siblings during times of confusion or as “bed time stories”. He would tell stories about his past that would grasp the kids’ attention. “…He’d tell us about how, when he was in the air force…he made an emergency landing…or the time when he resulted a pack of wild dogs…or the time when he fixed a broken sluice in the Hoover Dam,”(24). His stories were often exaggerated and held, little if any, truth to them. But they did symbolize Rex Walls’ need to have his children belief that he was strong and a respectable man. It is no coincidence that in all of Rex’s bedtime stories, he is made out as the hero and all problems are easily solved. Again, this symbolizes how Rex wants his children to view him and what he wants his life to be.
As these stories symbolize Rex’s desires, we learn more about his character. We learn that he is uncomfortable with not being to able to provide for his family and he does not want his children to look down oh him because of that. He feels the need to prove to himself and his family that he was, perhaps still is, strong and intelligent and not the poor alcoholic that he really is.
Jeannette Walls does a great job using symbols in her novel, The Glass Castle, to either foreshadow events to come, illustrate themes, or further characterize the gripping complex characters in the novel. One symbol that caught my eye in the novel was Rex Wells’ stories that he shares with Jeannette and her siblings. His stories symbolize a desperate attempt to escape from reality and provide the reader with more insight into Rex Wells’ dreams, life experience or personality traits.
Rex Wells frequently tells his stories to Jeannette and her siblings during times of confusion or as “bed time stories”. He would tell stories about his past that would grasp the kids’ attention. “…He’d tell us about how, when he was in the air force…he made an emergency landing…or the time when he resulted a pack of wild dogs…or the time when he fixed a broken sluice in the Hoover Dam,”(24). His stories were often exaggerated and held, little if any, truth to them. But they did symbolize Rex Walls’ need to have his children belief that he was strong and a respectable man. It is no coincidence that in all of Rex’s bedtime stories, he is made out as the hero and all problems are easily solved. Again, this symbolizes how Rex wants his children to view him and what he wants his life to be.
As these stories symbolize Rex’s desires, we learn more about his character. We learn that he is uncomfortable with not being to able to provide for his family and he does not want his children to look down oh him because of that. He feels the need to prove to himself and his family that he was, perhaps still is, strong and intelligent and not the poor alcoholic that he really is.
20100608
My Thoughts
Blog #5: Personal Review
I thought that the novel The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was very well written. It was captivating and contains well-written anecdotes of her childhood. She gives an unbiased view of her childhood and accurately describes her surroundings. The novel offers cases of irony and imagery, which only made the novel more compelling. I personally liked the way Walls described each character. Every character that Walls mentioned had some importance or relevance in her life. Through the comments and discussion of other minor but important characters, one is able to further understand Jeannette Walls’ childhood. Since the novel covers a couple decades, the reader is also able to see the character develop and change through out the novel. This is an important aspect to the novel and, in my opinion, makes the novel a lot stronger.
The Glass Castle was an excellent book, however there was one thing that I did not like about it. The only problem I have with this novel is that since it is a memoir, there are very little rhetorical strategies and other literary devices. It was hard to analysis this novel since it was simply an anecdote without a deeper meaning or purpose.
While the memoir format may create a problem when it comes to annotating the novel, it is also something that makes this novel unique. It leads to a more casual tone and creates a more personal bond between the author and the reader. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it helps me appreciate my stable home life, which I so often take for granite.
I thought that the novel The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was very well written. It was captivating and contains well-written anecdotes of her childhood. She gives an unbiased view of her childhood and accurately describes her surroundings. The novel offers cases of irony and imagery, which only made the novel more compelling. I personally liked the way Walls described each character. Every character that Walls mentioned had some importance or relevance in her life. Through the comments and discussion of other minor but important characters, one is able to further understand Jeannette Walls’ childhood. Since the novel covers a couple decades, the reader is also able to see the character develop and change through out the novel. This is an important aspect to the novel and, in my opinion, makes the novel a lot stronger.
The Glass Castle was an excellent book, however there was one thing that I did not like about it. The only problem I have with this novel is that since it is a memoir, there are very little rhetorical strategies and other literary devices. It was hard to analysis this novel since it was simply an anecdote without a deeper meaning or purpose.
While the memoir format may create a problem when it comes to annotating the novel, it is also something that makes this novel unique. It leads to a more casual tone and creates a more personal bond between the author and the reader. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it helps me appreciate my stable home life, which I so often take for granite.
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