Outside Reading, Week 6, Post B

Mr. Hosseini-
Woah! Talk about a dramatic turn of events! Who would have guessed that Tariq would still be alive? Wow, you're so amazing and such a good author!

^Sarcasm

I don't know what you tried to pull in this last section, but whatever it was, it failed miserably. You set the reader up to start living in this oppressive, totalitarian government where it appears that Mariam and Laila have no future, and then bam! You throw Tariq back in the picture? Talk about deus ex machina! When you kill a character, go ahead and kill him. To just tangle the character in front of the reader's emotions like a worm on a line is just cruel and stupid. Laila and Mariam are too concerned about the here and now to be worried about some far off love interest that, for all intents and purposes, was blown to smithereens and has no possible chance of survival. Then, you pull in this far out side story that Rasheed was stalking Laila all along and hired a man to pretend that he saw Tariq die? It..it just doesn't make any sense! If you were trying to go for a plot twist, make it original and exciting, like Laila shoots Rasheed or Rasheed kills Mariam, or Zalmai runs away, but don't go the fake death route. For such a classy book, this was probably the cheesiest and clichéd path that you could have taken. In the immortal words of my third grade teacher, "Tom, I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed."

You had better pull this book on the right course or I will be pissed.

-Tom

Outside Reading, Week 6, Post A

Vocab
crux (272) - a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point

tangential (288) - merely touching; slightly connected

Figurative Language
"His patience with Zalami was a well that ran deep and never dried." (264)

In this passage, the author uses a metaphor to compare Rasheed's patience with Zalami to a deep well. Because Zalami is a boy and his biological son, Rasheed has much more patience with him than he has with Aziza, who he scorns and kicks aside with little thought. The well analogy is significant because at this time in the book, there is a severe drought in Afghanistan, so the author could be using the metaphor to reference the current situation.

"Laila watched the arch of her closed fist, slicing through the air, felt the crinkle of Rasheed's stubbly, coarse skin under her knuckles. It made a sound like dropping a rice bag on the floor." (266)

In this excerpt, Hosseini uses a simile to describe the way Laila punches Rasheed after he suggests that Aziza become a street beggar. The object that Hosseini uses in his comparison, a rice bag on the floor, could, again, be a reference to the setting. Rasheed's shop as burned down and that family is very low on money and as a result, even a bowl of rice is extremely rare in the house. So, the author could be saying that this kind of rebellion is extremely rare, as is a bag of rice.

"And there was the battered tennis court, the ragged net lying limply in the middle of it like dead skin shed by a snake." (277)

When Rasheed takes Mariam and Laial to the hotel to call Jalil, Mariam decides to wander around and see how badly the hotel has worn. In this line, she sees that the famous pool and tennis courts are now downtrodden. The author uses a simile to compare the "ragged net" to a "dead skin shed by a snake" to show that the hotel and city, like the tennis court, are worn down.

Quote
"She watched him walk away, shivering where she stood. She thought, Volumes, and another shudder passed through her, a current of something sad and forlorn, but also something eager and recklessly hopeful." (306)

One day, Tariq, much to Laila's surprise, arrives at her door. Laila had been told that Tariq is dead due to Rasheed's fear that Tariq may steal her away from him. However, now that Tariq is alive and still unmarried, Laila is starting to fall for him, which could mean freedom for her, but most likely confrontation between Tariq and Rasheed.

Theme
Overall, the theme seems to be improving, especially in the last few pages. Although things seemed to be getting really bad at first (Rasheed losing his store, Aziza being put into an orphanage, drought), Tariq coming back puts a positive spin on Laila's entire outlook on life. Now, she actually has something to shoot for, something to hope for, instead of just Rasheed.

Outside Reading, Week 5, Post B

I would just like to start out by issuing the following statement: Owned! I totally called it!..**ahem** So last B post, I believe I called that Mariam and Laila would be uniting forces to change their lives for the better. Well, they totally did! Laila, Aziza and Mariam took their money and sneaked out of the house to the bus station. There, they bought bus tickets and attempted to board the bus with a man who was posing as their husband, but they were ratted out, sent to jail, and forced back home to Rasheed. Once the door was closed, Rasheed showed no mercy. Both were severely beaten and several days until Rasheed finally allowed them out of their rooms. Although this may seem like a crushing defeat for Laila and Mariam, I believe that there is a deeper theme rooted in this event

Even though Laila and Mariam's plan miserably and both suffered severe consequences, their spirits are not crush. They both still remain optimistic about the possibility to change their lives and escape from their current state. So, while Rasheed and Mariam represent the oppressive and cruel views of the older generation in Afghanistan, Laila represents the possibility for change in the roles of women. Until Laila arrive, Mariam simply accepted the fact that she was lower on the social ladder than men and didn't do much to challenge it. However, Laila, being of the newer generation, the generation that has grown up under the power that women had with Soviet, believes that she is entitled to a certain level of respect and won't stop until she achieves it. With these emerging conflicts and opposing viewpoints, it will be interesting to see how the story plays out. Will Laila win and gain respect or will Rasheed maintain his reign of terror over the women? I suppose only my further reading of the book will tell.

Outside Reading, Week 5, Post A

Vocab
tortuous (208) - full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked

guilelessly (226) - free from guile; sincere; honest; straightforward; frank

Figurative Language
"On and on he went. Mariam sat watching the girl out of the corner of her eye as Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul." (206-207)

In this passage, the author uses the simile in the line "Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul" to demonstrate both the conditions that the women had to endure when living with Rasheed and the overall anxiety in Kabul at the time due to the civil war. It could also represent that the war and death were always on the minds of the women.

"The baby's screeching rose and fell like a cleaver on meat." (213)

The author uses a simile in this excerpt to describe the general attitude of Rasheed towards the baby. Rasheed was praying for a boy, but when Laila delivered a girl, he lost all respect for both her and the baby and now treat them as nuisances. So, instead of describing the baby's cries as innocent or cute, he uses an ugly and blunt comparison to a cleaver on meat.

"...suddenly Mariam started telling her about Jalil, and Nana, and the jinn. Laila stood with her hands idle on Mariam's shoulders, eyes locked on Mariam's face in the mirror. Out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery." (228)

In this excerpt, the author uses the simile "out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery" to describe how Mariam tells her story to Laila. Mariam is very conservative and shy and has never been able to express her emotions and feelings to anyone until Laila shows up. So, all of her pent up emotions spill out at once in a massive rush, much like blood coming from an artery.

Quote
"She ran to the living room, found Laila already at the window, Aziza mounted on her shoulders. Laila turned and smiled. "The Taliban are here," she said." (244)

I believe that this quote will foreshadow a major shift in the plot line. Up until recently, the plot has been pretty static, with the exception of Laila and Mariam's breakout attempt. But with this quote, and especially with the way the author isolates it from the rest of the paragraph, I believe that some real change will come to the lives of Laila and Mariam.

Theme
The novel is staying pretty true to its pessimistic theme. Laila and Mariam devise a plan to escape to Pakistan by slowly taking Rasheed's money and saving up enough money to buy a bus ticket. However, when they attempt to execute the plan, they are ratted out for not have a male escort and are later returned to Rasheed via the police. Rasheed beats them both and starves them for several days until he finally lets them out with a severe lecture. So, it appears that Laila and Mariam are stuck in this dismal state until something major happens.

Outside Reading, Week 4, Post B

I think the theme (and plot) in A Thousand Splendid Suns is finally starting to come full circle. The book started out with the story of Mariam's arranged marriage, which was a tragic but extremely common one in the Middle East. Her mother died and she was forced to marry a man thirty years older than her, subsequently forcing her to remain indoors all day and essentially become a slave for him. This story, and the subtle nuances in it, hinted at this theme of overall oppression of women in the time period of the book. However, just as things were getting started, gears shifted dramatically to the story Laila and her childhood sweetheart, Tariq. The two are deeply in love, but Tariq is forced to move. After several months debating whether or not to leave Kabul, Laila's family decides that it is time to leave Kabul as well, but right before they are about to leave, their house is hit with a rocket and Laila's mother and father are killed. We later find out that Tariq was killed leaving Kabul as well. However, this is where the story starts to connect.

Up until now, the only real connection between the stories has been the theme (the mistreatment of women), but now the plots directly overlap. Rasheed, Mariam's husband, saves Laila from the rubble and marries her. Now, Mariam and Laila, two abused and mistreated women share the same home. The two lived in general isolation from each other until Rasheed confronts Mariam and Laila pushes Rasheed over to save Mariam. Now, I think that the two will work together to both unite the theme (or reverse it) and overcome Rasheed.

In terms of symbols, Rasheed clearly represents the general will of Afghanistan at the time in terms of attitude towards women. Rasheed is intolerant of new ideas and insists that his wives wear burqas outside the house. In addition, he believes in the outdated role of women in a marriage: that they should only be used for reproduction and household chores, nothing more. However, I believe that Laila represents a new hope for women. She is extremely intelligent and driven and although she is stuck in this marriage, I believe that she possesses the potential to escape and make something of herself. However, Mariam does not. She is older than Laila, and her ideology shows this. Mariam is pessimistic and simply accepts the fact that she is lower than Rasheed and is doomed to be a housewife her entire life. This is, until Laila shows up. The author seems to be hinting that Laila will somehow impact Mariam in such a way that it will dramatically change her life. I guess I will have to keep reading...

Outside Reading, Week 4, Post A

Vocab
tawny (196) - of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.

brusquely (171) - abrupt in manner; blunt; rough

Figurative Language
"Laila can't hear anything but the ringing. But she can see the words, like thick black syrup, spilling out of the woman's mouth."(174)

This passage is part of a sequence of small stanzas that comes after Laila's house is hit with a rocket. The whole section embodies Laila's disoriented state and over delirium that she experiences in the hours following the blast. Laila temporarily loses hearing on one of her ears and relies primarily on sight for the following days. This explains why she uses a simile to compare words to the "thick black syrup", as she can only see the woman talk but cannot actually hear the words.

"From the walls of the room, Ahmad and Noor smiled down." (170)

In this excerpt, the author uses a personification to describe Laila's mother's attachment to her sons, Ahmad and Noor. Although Ahamd and Noor died a while ago, Laila's mother still adorns the house with their photos. The author gives the pictures of Ahmad and Noor the human ability to look to show that a) the mother still is obsessed with them and b) their pictures are everywhere in the house.

"So she let him kiss her, and when he pulled back she leaned in and kissed him, heart pounding in her throat, her face tingling, a fire burning in the pit of her belly." (159)

The author captures the heat of the moment that Laila and Tariq were experiencing with such hyperboles as "heart pounding in her throat" and "fire burning in the pit of her belly". The author doesn't really mean that there was a heart pounding in Laila's throat or that there actually was a fire burning in Laila's stomach, but he uses this extreme imagery to demonstrate to the reader the emotions at the time.

Quote
"Laila took grim inventory of the people ni her life. Ahmad and Noor, dead. Hasina, gone. giti, dead. Mammy, dead. Babi, dead. Now Tariq..." (196)

I felt that this quote best demonstrates the current theme in the book, that you cannot truly love or hold onto anything, and perhaps foreshadows Laila's actions later in the book.

Theme

As I said before, I think that the current theme is that you cannot love or hold onto anything, because it can all be ripped apart from you. Laila's friend, Hasina, and lover, Tariq, both move from Kabul and leave her. She tries to follow them, but the day she is supposed to leave, her mother and father are killed by a rocket, so she is left with nothing and no one. Then, to make matters worse, Tariq is killed.

On The Waterfront

Tom

Mrs. Burgess

Enriched English 10

26 November 2007

On the Waterfront: A Lesson on Class

“You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” Oh, if only Mr. Brando knew how wrong he was. These lines, now immortalized in the film On the Waterfront, show no foresight into Marlon Brando’s later success in his acting career and the overall prosperity and excellence of the movie. Where other mob dramas before its time fail, On the Waterfront thrives and is able to depict a truly gripping story of the fall from grace of an ex-boxer turned mobster and the woman who helps him take down the corrupt organization from which he had come. On the Waterfront seems to take the best from all aspects of the movie industry and fuse them together into an experience that can only be described as “explosively eurphoic”. Whether it be Marlon Brando’s superb acting ability that, like an international ring of theater robbers, captures the audience and never lets go, Elia Kazan’s suspenseful and real directing style, or Leonard Bernstein’s over-the-top dramatic and heart-pounding score, On the Waterfront dominates every element of the art of cinema. As a result, this masterpiece creates a true delight for the viewer and is now widely regarded as the golden standard for both movies of that era and now.

Perhaps the most obvious and central theme in On the Waterfront is the struggle between good and evil; altruism and egoism. Terry Malloy, played by Marlon Brando, best exemplifies this theme. At the beginning of the film, Malloy is in cahoots with the mob and assists in the murder of Joey Doyle, Edie’s brother, who was planning to testify against Johnny Friendly, the mob leader and the source of evil in this film. This clearly demonstrates the doctrine of egoism: that Terry’s interests are more important than equal treatment for all dock workers, as the mob control the workers union. However, after learning about Joey Doyle and how the community reacts to the incident, Terry starts to question the ethicality of his actions. This gradual transition to altruism is furthered by Father Barry and Edie and their impact on Terry. Edie, the altruistic beacon of light in On the Waterfront, slowly convinces Terry that one has a greater responsibility to their community with lines such as “Shouldn’t everyone care about everyone else?”, but perhaps the final straw that finally forces Terry to end this injustice is when his brother, Charley, is murdered by the mob for not turning Terry over to them. Terry finally snaps and sets out to take down the institution which has caused him and the other workers so much pain. He testifies against them and is able to bring Johnny Friendly’s illegal actions into the spotlight in order to fulfill his responsibility to the workers. But the struggle between altruism and egoism finally climaxes at the boatyard between Terry and Johnny Friendly’s gang. Johnny and his goons absolutely pulverize Terry in front of all the dock workers, believing that they have won the war. However, much to their avail, the dock workers revolt and throw Johnny Friendly into the water after they see that Terry is able to stand, thus demonstrating altruism’s victory over egoism.

However, Elia Kazan may have thrown some of his own bias into the film. For example, just look at the static point of view throughout the movie. The viewer only gets to see the events from Terry and Edie’s eyes. As a result, Johnny Friendly and the other mobsters are cast in a very negative light and everything Edie or Terry does is automatically assumed to be “right” or “good”. This could just be because it was the cliché thing to do at the time, but it could also represent Elia’s preference of altruism over egoism. This bias carries into the many symbols that Elia uses in the film. Edie best demonstrates Elia’s bias with her fluorescently blonde hair, which comes off as white on the screen. This could demonstrate that Edie’s altruistic views are “holy” or “light”, which is furthered by the fact that Edie is training to be a nun. However, if one looks at the other side of the struggle, egoism, there are many clear negative symbols. For example, Charley Malone, Terry’s brother, is killed by the mob, or egoism. This is represented by the manner in which Terry finds him: hanging from a hook that is used at the dock where the mob works. Clearly, Elia uses both symbols and point-of-view to express his belief on the struggle between altruism and egoism.

One of the many areas of the cinema that On The Waterfront excels in is acting. But, of course, with two powerhouses like Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, how can it not? Much like the rhinoceros and tick bird, Brando and Saint play off of one another beautifully to create something that is mutually beneficial. Saint’s light and good girl attitude creates a wonderful contrast to Brando’s icy cold “tough guy” façade and helps the viewer appreciate the ongoing struggle. Perhaps the best scene in the entire film is the bar scene where Brando and Saint are able to remove themselves from other actors and truly show what they can do together. Just by viewing that lone scene, one can fully appreciate the entire struggle that is taking place. Of course, the debate between egoism and altruism has its not so subtle extremes too, exemplified by Karl Malden as Father Barry and Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly. While Eva Marie Saint plays the more conservative and refined altruistic guide, Malden is able to let loose and go crazy with passion. Malden gives fiery speeches and takes action against the mob bosses, as opposed to Saint, who takes a more diplomatic stance on the issue. On the other side, Cobb takes the stereotypical “bad-guy” image to the extreme. By the end of the film, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he picked up a puppy and started sucking its blood. In addition, Cobb may have been an important tool in helping Kazan express his thoughts on the theme. Johnny Friendly is often more evil than necessary in order to get the viewer to see the greed and destruction that lie in egoism. There is much more to each character than there appears on the surface.

In addition to this fantastic acting, Kazan employs a variety of lighting styles that are able to truly define the mood for a scene. For example, in the scene in the beginning of the film where we are first introduced to Johnny Friendly, Kazan makes the entire scene very dark, with a small overhead light shining partially on Terry. This may be in part because it is a bar, but because of Kazan’s constant hinting at theme throughout the movie, it is extremely plausible that he is using light and shadow to demonstrate his tendency to favor altruism and cast egoism “in a negative light”, literally. However, on the other hand, in scenes that feature Edie, Kazan is always sure to make her illuminated and almost seem holy or divine, such as in the scene where Edie and Terry attend the wedding. In doing this, Kazan exposes his bias yet again, as Edie represents altruism. Clearly, both acting and lighting play a huge part in On the Waterfront’s success.

To complement the many other areas of film that On the Waterfront perfects, Kazan absolutely dominates the cinematic aspects of film, and when coupled with a deep and engaging story, helps the movie become a true masterpiece. Kazan is able to “feel” the story, so to speak, and as a result, creates a directing style that is visually exhilarating. One of the many surprisingly stimulating scenes is when Terry first meets Edie in the park. Although most directors would only capture the mundane and sappy walk together, Kazan is able to capture the terrific and exhilarating shoreline in the background. In doing so, Kazan hints that although Terry and Edie may be falling madly in love, they are still part of a bigger community and there is still a war to be fought. Many directors, on the other hand, would only use close-ups of the couple and turn an emotionally moving story into a sappy love drama. In addition to this unique and innovative take on a scene, Kazan demonstrates his mastery of the art of cinema in the scene on the docks where Dugan is killed by Friendly’s men. Father Barry and Pop Doyle rise out of the cargo hold of ship on a crane that is used to hoist crates, but this is not what is original. What is captivating is the way Kazan shoots this, with a low angle, from the viewpoint of the other workers. In this shot, Father Barry and Pop Doyle appear like saviors, rising from the ashes and ascending above the mob and workers, demonstrating altruism’s victory over egoism, Terry’s victory over Friendly. However, these shots would be lost and meaningless if there was not a powerful score to back it up and boy is there ever. Leonard Bernstein does not disappoint and delivers a selection of music that feels as if the power of a ban hammer has been released into sound waves and has ascended into your spiral ganglion. Just one of the many scenes where Bernstein’s music plays a crucial part in setting the tone is the scene right before Charley talks to Terry during the cab ride. As Charley exits the mob meeting house, loud, angry brass and the tenor drum blast out syncopated rhythms that throw the viewer off balance, yet at the same time, foreshadow the coming confrontation. By simply hearing the heavy music, one can imply that something big, dangerous, and plot changing is going to go down. Truly, Elia Kazan’s and Leonard Bernstein’s work supplement each other to round off this amazing piece of art.

Although seemingly removed from each other, All My Sons and On the Waterfront share many of the same characteristics and underlying themes. The strongest connection between the books is between Terry Malloy and Joe Keller. Both demonstrate changes from caring only about themselves and believing in egoism, to shifting over to altruism after seeing the devastating effects that egoism can have. Terry starts out in cahoots with the mob and receiving the benefits of selfishness, but after witnessing the death of Joey Doyle and the later murder of his brother, Charley Malloy, Terry realizes the error in his ways. After talking to Edie and Father Barry and learning about the crimes that the mob has perpetrated, Terry is finally convinced that he has a responsibility to society and wellbeing of his fellow man, as well as himself, and sets out to take down egoism in favor of altruism. This almost directly mirrors Joe Keller from All My Sons. At the beginning of the novel, Joe Keller, although he feels badly about what he did to Steve Deever, believes that he has a greater obligation to his family and his own prosperity than what is deemed right or wrong by society. As a result, he allows fractured cylinder heads for airplanes to go through to the army and 21 pilots die due to the error. This, combined with the fact that his son, Larry, killed himself after learning of his father’s involvement in the deaths, and that his other son, Chris, cannot forgive him for what he has done and refuses to accept his money, forces Joe to see the error in his ways. In one of Joe’s last lines before succumbing to his incredible guilt and killing himself, he utters, “Sure, he was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were” (170). In this quote, Joe realizes that although he may have an obligation to support his biological sons, he also must do what is best for the community because, in a sense, they are all part of his family. Although both protagonists come from extremely different backgrounds and are placed in dissimilar plot lines, they both share the transition from egoism to altruism.

On the Waterfront is often referred to as one of the greatest American films of all time, a title that is well deserved in the mind of this reviewer. On the Waterfront does something that not many films are able to do to: it dominates every aspect of the art of film. The plot is captivating, the cinematography is breath-taking, the acting is top-notch, and the score is heart-pounding. There is absolutely nothing to not like about this film. It truly has something for everyone and can grab even the pickiest of movie goers. The deep thinker can dive right into the thick and complex plot, the film buff can analyze the way Kazan works the camera and fully appreciate his skill, and the music student can sit back close his eyes, and let Leonard Bernstein’s magical score fill his ears with expertly crafted sound. However, I would not recommend this film to everyone. Some adults may find the themes and actions in this movie too strong or mature for young children, so in that case, there would be an exception. Other than tots and tykes, everyone should go see this film. It is truly one of those pieces that redefines film making for all generations to come.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post B

I think I am finally beginning to understand why Khaled Hosseini dedicated this book "to Haris and Farah, both the noor of my eyes, and to the women of Afghanistan". After a little research, I found that Haris and Farah are his son and daughter, respectively, and that Hosseini is a goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. In addition, I found that Hosseini was living in Afghanistan during the time of the Soviet invasion and the following war, which explains why his novel is set in that time period. Because of all these things, Hosseini was able to see first-hand the abuse and mistreatment that women suffered during that time period and even today in parts of the Middle East.
For example, let's look at Mariam. She is a bastard child who is forced to live out in the country with her demented and outcast mother and visited very seldomly by a father who doesn't even love her. Eventually, her mother dies and Mariam becomes old enough to marry off and is given to the highest bidder who only wants her to cook, clean, and reproduce. Needless to say, Mariam's situation is not the typical childhood that an American girl would expect. However, this process is far too common in the Middle East. Hosseini, being the worldly and experienced man that he is, saw this and believed that this injustice must be exposed. Hosseini tells the story from Mariam's point of view and lets us see her thoughts so we can empathize with her. In doing this, Hosseini exposes one of the many forms of abuse that women in the Middle East endure everyday and in turn, lives up to his dedication.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post A

Vocab
waylaid (137) - to lie in wait for and attack from ambush

perfunctory (129) - performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial

Figurative Language
"She would never leave her mark on Mammy's heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy's heart was like a pallid beach where Laila's footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed." (130)

In this passage, Laila uses as similie to compare her mother's heart to a beach with waves the continually wash away footprints. Laila's brothers have just been killed in the war and Mammy is absolutely devastated. She cared more about her sons than she did about Laila. So, while Laila tries to live up to the expectations left by her brothers, she can never please Mammy. Because of these constant attempts and failures that are seemingly forgotten by Mammy, Laila compares her Mammy's heart to a beach with waves that also wash away and forget.

" The two Buddhas were enormous, soaring much higher than she had imagined from all the photos she'd seen of them. Chiseled into a sun-bleached rock cliff, they peered down at them, as they had nearly two thousand years before..." (133)

In this excerpt, Laila, her father, Babi, and her friend, Tariq, take a road trip to ruins in the mountains of Afghanistan. When they first arrive, Laila is overwhelmed by the massiveness and life-like appearance of the statues at the ruins. So, Laila uses personification to describe the statues in the line "they peered down at them", giving them human characteristics despite being inanimate.

"Mammy was now the curator of their lives' museum and she, Laila, a mere visitor." (128)

After Laila's brother's pass away, Mammy becomes extremely depressed and spends most of her days in bed, reminiscing about all the times she had with her sons. Laila uses a metaphor to say that Mammy is now the "curator of their lives' museum", meaning that Mammy is now consumed with talking about her sons. However, Laila is "a mere visitor", meaning that Mammy is overlooking her and neglecting her needs.

Quote

"They both laughed, but briefly, nervously, this time. And when the film ended and they stepped outside, Laila was relieved to see that the sky had dimmed, that she wouldn't have to meet Tariq's eyes in the bright daylight." (142)

I felt that this quote both a) summarizes Tariq and Laila's awkward relationship very nicely and b) hints that there may be more to come between them. The author has been hinting at this the whole section and I feel that this chapter may be leading into something larger.

Theme

After reading about Laila's brother's deaths and the way Mammy reacted to them, I feel that the current theme is "While it is good to mourn and remember, you must move on". Mammy is too caught up on her sons and as a result, continually neglects Laila. Laila realizes this and begs her mother to move on, but she can't and suffers because of it.

Outside Reading, Week 2, Post B

Wow. Just wow. Mariam, you take so much crap, yet you do nothing about it? This is getting absolutely ridiculous. After being lied to by your father and being sold into marriage with a man who only wants you for your cooking skills, you still are submissive to a man's will? You need to man up and act like you have a pair (even though biologically speaking, you don't). You are the best wife that you can be. Despite being abused every day and essentially being forced into slavery, you still strive to cook the best meals possible and keep the house tidy. Why? Does Rasheed ever notice? No, he is an arrogant and unlovable husband. He simply nitpicks everything that you do and then takes advantage of you at every opportunity. And then, on top of all of this, he claims that he is "old-fashioned" and makes you wear a burqa, yet he flirts with other women in the city and looks at porn! How do you put up with this? He doesn't deserve you.
Probably the worst offense that Rasheed has committed was accusing you of ruining your son. How dare he! It was not your fault in anyway that you had a miscarriage. Rasheed is just a generally negative person and is taking it out on you. He is not only assaulting you, but the entire female gender.
However, throughout all of this abuse, there is a lesson to take away. Despite having fewer possessions and lower quality of life with Nana, you were still happier than you are with Rasheed. Nana cared for you and loved you and tried her best to provide for you, but all you did was reject her and claim that you wanted more possessions. But now that you have all these possessions, you realize that it was your family that gave you happiness, not items. I guess the moral would be "The grass isn't always greener on the other side. In fact, sometimes it's brown."

-Tom

Outside Reading, Week 2, Post A

Vocab
disheveled (90) - hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt

sustenance (87) - means of sustaining life; nourishment.

Figurative Language
"This man's will felt to Mariam as imposing and immovable as the Safid-koh mountains looming over Gul Daman." (64)

Although this reference is pretty obscure to most Western readers, one is able to see to what Hosseini is implying. Mariam's marriage to Rasheed is clearly awkward and loveless and as result, Mariam both fears and hates Rasheed. In this excerpt Mariam is comparing Rasheed's will to large and immovable objects, the Safid-koh mountains, using a simile.

"And the burqa, she learned to her surprise, was also comforting...like a one-way window." (66)

In this passage, Mariam tries on a burqa for the first time. Although she was scared of it at first, it grows on her, as she enjoys the privacy. For this reason, she compares her burqa to a one-way window using a simile.

"She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world." (82)

At this time in the book, Mariam is experiencing her first snowfall away from Nana. She is reminded of this quote by Nana in which she compares each snowflake to the sighs of aggrieved women using a metaphor. Nana doesn't mean that each snowflake is literally "a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman", but rather, she uses snow to represent the large number of women who endure hardships.

Quote
"'Good,' Rasheed said. His cheeks were quivering. 'Now you know what your rice tastes like. Now you know what you've given me in this marriage. Bad food, and nothing else.' Then he was gone, leaving Mariam to spit out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars" (94)

After Mariam continually fails to produce a child, Rasheed is fed up and makes her chew on pebbles. I felt that this was significant because up until now, their relationship had just been strained, but not violent. However, now Rasheed may be abusing Mariam, which could shift the focus of the story completely.

Theme
Up until the very last page where Rasheed abuses Mariam, I would say that the book changed to a theme of the potential for good behind every setback. Mariam was beginning to fit into her life with Rasheed and although their relationship was strained, she had a stable life. However, with that very last quote, the theme of the book may be shifting entirely.

Life mimics vocab!

Here

Lol, vainglorious.

Outside Reading, Week 1, Post B

Ouch, that's gotta hurt! I mean, seriously, that is just downright inhumane what Jalil did to Mariam. Throughout her childhood, Jalil led Mariam on, convincing her that he loved her and that it was her no-good mother who was lying to her. Whenever Nana, Mariam's mother, would say something bad about Jalil, Jalil would simply counter it and Mariam would believe it because Jalil treated her so nice. But, now, once the truth has come out that Jalil actually sees Mariam as a disgrace, Mariam is crushed. Her whole life has been turned upside down: her mother is dead, her father doesn't love her, and now she is being forced into marriage by Jalil.
Unlike in The Glass Castle, Mariam doesn't really have anything to live for. She has no discernible talents, family, or place to go. She is simply stranded with strangers who are unloving and selfish. Mariam seems like a nice enough girl; it's just that she was brought into the wrong social class in the wrong matter. Mariam is viewed as scum: the result of a scandalous and ugly affair between Jalil and Nana. However, even though she seems to have no hope for the future, I believe that Mariam still has potential. Mariam is loving, proactive, and somewhat intelligent, and those three things will get her pretty far in life. I realize that she is trapped in an oppressive and suffocating environment, but she has to plow forward in order to reach something better. Her situation reminds me of a Winston Churchill quote: "If you're going through hell, keep going". Mariam, listen, I realize how dire your situation may seem, but you must keep pushing forward. You still have Mullah Faizullah, your spiritual guide and true father figure. All is not lost.

Outside Reading, Week 1, Post A

YAY NEW BOOK!
This quarter I am reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

Vocab
woebegone (35): beset with woe; affected by woe, esp. in appearance.

amiable (40): having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; affable

Figurative Language
"Mariam always stood in the doorway and watched him exit the clearing, deflated at the thought of the week that stood, like an immense, immovable object, between her and his next visit." (22)

This passage demonstrates the use of a simile in the line "...the week that stood, like an immense, immovable object". Mariam is comparing the week between Jalil's visits to an immense, immovable object because Jalil is the only source of happiness in Mariam's life at the time.

"Mariam remembered him telling her that on the screen a human face looked as big as a house, that when a car crashed up there you felt the metal twisting in your bones." (25)

This excerpt demonstrates the use of an hyperbole in the line "...when a car crashed up there you felt the metal twisting in your bones." Jalil didn't actually meant that one could feel metal twisting in their bones, but rather that the image and sound appeared very lifelike.

"A gust of wind blew and parted the drooping branches of the weeping willow like a curtain, and Mariam caught a glimpse of what was beneath the tree: the straight-backed chair, overturned." (34)

In this passage, the author compares the way the wind blew the weeping willow branches to the way a curtain opens using a simile. I feel that that author used the word "curtain" rather than another similar word to also represent Mariam's future revealed unto her: her mother had hung herself (revealed by the swaying branches) and now Mariam had to live with her father, Jalil, who was also revealed to be a liar.

Quote
"One afternoon, a week later, there was a knock on the door, and a tall woman walked in. She was fair-skinned, had reddish hair, and long fingers.
'I'm Afsoon,' she said. 'Niloufar's mother. WHy don't you wash up, Mariam, and come downstairs?'
Mariam said she would rather stay in her room.
'No, na fahmidi, you don't understand. You need to come down. We have to talk to you. It's important." (41)

This quote comes later in the reading, after Mariam has moved in with Jalil and his family. Mariam is treated as an unwanted visitor and stays in her room all day. However, this disturbance in the natural order of things and the urgency of the dialogue indicates that there is going to be a major change in Mariam's life.

Theme
Right now, the novel seems to have a very pessimistic theme. Mariam lived with her mother and loved her very much, but then after going into the city (against her word), her mother killed herself. Also, Mariam always viewed Jalil as a source of joy in her gloomy life and saw him as the type of man she wanted to marry. However, it is revealed to her that Jalil is a liar and a crook and in fact, does not love Mariam. So, I'd say that the theme is "Do not attach yourself to anyone or anything, because you will only be betrayed".

Outside Reading, Week 5, Post B

What the hell, Jeannette? You finally make it to New York City, get a good job at a company that you like, and start your first year in college and what do you do? You take in your parents? Ughhh! What have they done for you? Nothing! These people are psychotic. Your Dad is clearly a raging alcoholic and need some serious therapy. He beat you when you were little and took that money that you needed for food and you let him back into your life? I thought you went to NYC to escape Welch and the problems that your family caused you there, not to start a whole new set of issues in a new city! These people are nut cases, Jeannette. Your dad has actually said that he enjoys living on the streets! Why? There is nothing for them there! You've seen how they are when they come back to your house: tired, dirty, and putrid. And he enjoys that? There's clearly an issue with him. Or take your mom, for instance. She views living on the streets as "an adventure". "'You can't just live like this,' I said. 'Why not?' Mom said. 'Being homeless is an adventure!'" (255). Honestly, is smelling like garbage and spending all of your money on alcohol an adventure that you want to take on, Jeannette? I wouldn't.
On top of all of this, you have things to do and people to see! You have an excellent job at a local magazine doing what you love, writing. Also, you are starting your first year of college, which is very demanding, and you don't need any more stress in your life. There is no room for these people in your life, Jeannette! Now, I'm not saying you can't have family in your life. Lori is a perfect example of what you want in a family member: caring, self-sufficient, and sane. Why don't you spend more time with her? Or what about Brian for that matter? He, too, is successful and sane and is someone that you can depend on.
Listen, I get it. "Your family is your family and have to support them through thick and thin." However, hear my out. You can't just have a definitive rule for all events. There are so many exceptions and so many limits that it just doesn't make sense to continually accept those that abuse you. Your parents are terrible people. They may have good intentions at points, but most of the time, they are too drunk to remember what they were. You need to cut the umbilical cord, Jeannette.

-Tom

Outside Reading, Week 5, Post A

Vocab
rotgut (277) - cheap and inferior liquor.

squatter (267) - a person who settles on land or occupies property without title, right, or payment of rent.

Appeals
"'You mean you own land worth a million dollars?' I was thunder-struck. All those years in Welch with no food, no coal, no plumbing, and Mom had been sitting on land worth a million dollars? Had all those years, as well as Mom and Dad's time on the street -not to mention their current life in an abandoned tenement-been a caprice inflicted on us by Mom? Could she have solved our financial problems by selling this land she never saw?" (273)

This passage most assuredly demonstrates an emotional appeal. After Jeannette's Uncle Jim dies, it is revealed to her that her mother owns land in Texas worth a million dollars. Jeannette is dumbstruck and uses the repetition of questions to shows this. This demonstrates her anger and confusion at this time. Why would her mother hold this money from them? Why did they have to live such poor lives when they had all of this money? It made no sense to Jeannette and she is absolutely confounded, which is shown through her emotional appeals in this passage. This is intended to connect the reader and outrage or confuse the reader as well, which I was.

"Maureen did not want any of us to see her off. I rose just after first light the morning she was scheduled to leave. It was an early departure, and I wanted to be awake and thinking about her at the moment her bus pulled out, so I could say farewell in my mind...I'd always had mixed feelings about bringing her to New York, but I'd agreed to let her come. Once she arrived, I'd been too busy taking care of myself to look after her. 'I'm sorry, Maureen,' I said when the time came, 'sorry for everything.'" (276)

This passage also demonstrates an emotional appeal. Maureen has decided to run away to California after being released from a mental hospital. She has led a life of crime and drugs up until this point and has not been successful like any of her siblings. As a result, Jeannette feels like she has failed Maureen because she promised to protect her and care for her. However, as stated in the passage, Jeannette had been too busy taking care of herself and trying to further her own success to look out for her little sister. Jeannette feels like she has let down her sister and that she is partially at fault for her poor life choices. This clearly demonstrates Jeannette's sorrow for Maureen. This is intended to transfer to the reader and make them feel compassion for Jeannette and Maureen.

"Lori had been writing to us regularly from New York. She loved it there. She was living in a hotel for women in Greenwich Village, working as a waitress in a German restaurant, and taking art classes and even fencing lessons. She'd met the most fascinating groups of people, every one of them a weird genius. People in New York loved art and music so much, she said, that artists sold paintings right on the sidewalk next to string quartets playing Mozart. Even Central Park wasn't as dangerous as people in West Virginia thought. On the weekends, it was filled with roller skaters and Frisbee players and jugglers and mimes with their faces painted white." (235)

I felt that this passage demonstrated a logical appeal. Jeannette is stuck in a cold, filthy, and overall crummy shack in the middle of a coal town in West Virginia. Needless to say, it's not exactly the nicest place to live. However, when she receives these letters from Lori, the details are so magnificent that Jeannette is almost transported from her dismal life and into the wonderful and enriching experience that Lori is having. This demonstrates a clear logical appeal as the reader is able to see the contrast between Jeannette's terrible life and Lori's life in New York.

Quote
"She held up her glass. 'Life with your father was never boring.' We raised our glasses. I could almost hear Dad chuckling at Mom's comment in the way he always did when he was truly enjoying something. It had grown dark outside. A wind picked up, rattling the windows, and the candle flames suddenly shifted, dancing along the border between turbulence and order." (288)

This quote is at the very end of the memoir and I felt that it very effectively sums up the theme of Jeannette's story. It shows that although they had some rough times and led a very difficult life, they always stuck together and had an overall good time. Also, I felt that the very last line "dancing along the border between turbulence and order" perfectly sums up Jeannette's childhood experiences. The Walls family was never quite ruined, but they were never perfectly stable either, which is present throughout the book.

Theme
After finishing the book, I feel that the theme of the book is "Your family is your family and have to support them through thick and thin." This is clearly demonstrated many times throughout the book when the Walls children stay with the family even through the most dire of circumstances. Also, this is exemplified near the end of the book through Jeannette's treatment of her homeless mother and father. Although she embarassed by them, she still supports them and helps care for them.

Outside Reading, Week 4, Post B

I hate to keep flip-flopping, but I think Jeannette is finally coming to terms with how terrible her family is. This week, her mother gets a job teaching and the family finally has a steady and decent income. Jeannette sets up a very easy to manage budget for each month and believes that everything will turn out okay if they stick to it. However, Jeannette soon learns how weak her mother is. Her mother refuses to stick to the schedule and constantly gives into demands by Jeannette's father: "'Mom, what happened to it all?' I asked as we ate our ice-cream slices. 'Gone, gone, gone!' she said. 'It's all gone.' 'But where?' Lori asked. 'I've got a houseful of kids and a husband who soaks up booze like a sponge,' Mom said" (197). Jeannette briefly attempts to control the money herself, but she too gives into her father's demands. It seems like her family was doing so well, but then her father plunges back into his alcohol and they are back at square one. Several times during this section, Jeannette suggests to her mother that the only way to ever achieve a decent life is to run away from her father. However, her mother completely rejects and they are left to rot at their shack.
In a way, I feel kind of bad for Jeannette and her siblings. They are so talented and have so much potential, but their parents are deadbeats and are dragging them down. On the other hand, I feel like the children need to take initiative and leave the house. They are almost all in their teens by now and are more than capable of surviving on their own. It's at times like these that I don't feel pity for them, but rather I am angry. Angry that they are just throwing their lives away when they all do so well in school. I truly do hope that Jeannette leaves her parents in a future section. At first, I did see her parents as caring and loving, but just unorthodox. Now, I see that they are just selfish pigs who only care about their own wellbeing.

The 400 Blows Review

Tom

Mrs. Burgess

Enriched English 10

30 September 2007

The 400 Blows: No, it really does

Fail. These four letters sum up François Truffaut’s attempt at a touching and memorable film. Although The 400 Blows starts with good intentions and an interesting directing style, it falls flat when the viewers are smacked across the face with an incoherent and meaningless script. The plot is very weak and many of the scenes feel random and thrown in, as though they don’t impact the storyline at all. Also, many of the characters have confusing motives and emotions. Why does Antoine hold Balzac in such high regard? Why is the mother cheating on the step-father? Why does he run away after getting an F on his paper when much worse things have been done to him? Truffaut doesn’t even attempt to plunge into these underlying side-stories, and as a result, the film has a very awkward and choppy flow. Lastly, Truffaut doesn’t sympathize with Antoine at all and in doing so, sheds any feelings or compassion that the viewer may have had for Antoine. The only thing that The 400 Blows excels in is cinematography and the art of cinema. François Truffaut is an expert at this craft and creates a truly outstanding visual piece for the audience. However, this is not enough to salvage a terrible plot and makes for a very boring and incomplete film.

The plot of The 400 Blows is actually quite simple. Antoine Doinel is a troubled youth whose mother is divorced and has remarried. Antoine persistently acts out at school and plays hooky with his friend, René, because he is not well liked by his teacher and receives very poor letter grades. Antoine’s home life is harsh as well. His parents are always fighting and treat him as an unwanted burden. Eventually, he runs away and attempts to steal a typewriter but is caught. His parents choose to send him to a labor camp where he eventually escapes and visits the ocean. The plot is very choppy and has a terrible flow, which often times is distracting to the viewer and causes the film to lose its appeal. Although the movie is intended to be a memoir, the film has a very neutral and third-party point of view and does not explore Antoine’s thoughts or feelings. This third-person limited perspective could represent Antoine’s isolation from those around him, especially his mother and father. In addition, René, Antoine’s equally irresponsible friend, constantly gets Antoine into trouble and represents temptation and delinquency, which eventually overcome Antoine. Antoine, himself, doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities. He is continually rude to his classmates, parents, and teacher and acts as though he is above everyone else. Overall, The 400 Blows has a very uninteresting plot and subsequently, creates characters that have no appeal to the viewer and detract from the quality of the film.

One aspect of the cinema that The 400 Blows excels in is acting. The actors all feel very natural in their parts and do a very good job in mastering their characters. Jean-Pierre Léaud is wonderful at conveying the “holier-than-thou” attitude that emanates from Antoine throughout the movie. Also, Claire Maurier does an excellent job in creating the self-absorbed and rude Gilberte Doniel. In addition to the fantastic acting, the film has some great lighting effects. When Antoine runs away and spends a night on the street, the whole scene is extremely dark and depressing. Truffaut shows the viewer that it is wet and cold outside not by showing rain, but by allowing a few street lights to show their reflections off of puddles in the alley. However, when Antoine finally runs away and at the end of the film, the setting is much lighter than it should be, signifying Antoine’s freedom from both the observation camp and society. Clearly, The 400 Blows does an excellent job at utilizing the dramatic aspects of film.

To compliment the fantastic acting and lighting, The 400 Blows follows up with unique and thrilling cinematography from the mind of François Truffaut. Truffaut does not confine himself to one style of film or one traditional type of shot, but rather creates a hodge-podge of photography styles that play off of one another to create some true eye candy. For example, whenever Antoine and René skip school, Truffaut uses wide, sweeping shots and focuses more on the freedom and thrill of the moment, rather than the characters. However, when Antoine is confined to his small, uncomfortable apartment, Truffaut uses very close angles and short shots which, when coupled with the dark setting, convey the anxiousness and longing to be free that Antoine felt. In addition to the provocative filming style, The 400 Blows features a unifying melody throughout the film that helps both provide filler music and set the mood for the scene. Truffaut changes the key to a major to Antoine’s freedom and happiness, or to a minor, to express Antoine’s depressing state. Also, the melody changes from just the bare melody at moments that are intended to be touching, or to a full chords and harmony at times that are lighter and less serious. Although The 400 Blows severely lacks a clever and touching script, Truffaut attempts to salvage it through a beautiful film style and a unifying score.

Although Antoine Doniel and Richard Wright have completely different backgrounds and come from different parts of the world, they share many strong ties. For example, although for different reasons, Antoine and Richard are both rejected by society. For Antoine, the rejection is mutual, as he rejects society by not going to school or following his parents’ rules, yet also, society rejects him. His teacher hates him and his parents disown him and send him to an observation camp. Richard Wright too rejects society, although for other reasons. Richard is fed up with the white-supremacist institution that society has set up in the South and moves to the North, but he also rejects the religious institution and as a result, the norm that society has put in place. However, there is much contrast in their lives as well. When Antoine runs away from home and is later put into the observation camp, he completely rejects his family and doesn’t wish to contact them. However, Richard Wright, through all of his rebellion and toughness, he still cares deeply for his mother and other family, as evident when he escapes to the North with them. Clearly, Antoine and Richard, although different in many aspects, are still very similar.

Although it was a nice attempt at a touching film, François Truffaut amazing sense of style is done a huge injustice by being accompanied with such a terrible plot. The writer fails to develop any sort of compassion or sympathy for Antoine as the movie progresses and, as a result, creates a very lackluster and boring film. The viewer is only able to see Antoine as a selfish jerk who has no real justification for rebelling and running away. Also, the story line feels very thrown together and many scenes, such as the shrine of Balzac or taking Antoine out to movies, have no effect on the story and feel very awkward and unnecessary. The one saving grace of The 400 Blows is the imagery and cinematography. Truffaut is a true master of the cinema and does an excellent job in creating some stunning images for the viewer. So, would I recommend this film? If you are looking for a wonderful literary work to sink your teeth into, absolutely not. The plot is completely incoherent and meaningless. However, if you love going to movies for magnificent images and spectacular eye candy, then, by all means, see this film. I truly hope that François Truffaut moved on to other movie and better scripts, because although The 400 Blow is a stunning work of art, it fails in the script department, and as a result, fails as a complete film.

Outside Reading, Week 4, Post A

Vocab
concentric (195) - having a common center, as circles or spheres

corregated (189) - to draw or bend into folds or alternate furrows and ridges

Appeals
"The rubber band was small but thick and had a good, tight fit. But it pressed down uncomfortably on my tongue, and sometimes it would pop off during the night and I'd wake up choking on it. Usually, however, it stayed on all night, and in the morning my gums would be sore from the pressure on my teeth...So I got some larger rubber bands and wore them around my whole head, pressing against my front teeth. The problem with this technique was that the rubber bands were tight...so I'd wake up with headaches and deep red marks where the rubber bands had dug into the sides of my face" (201)

This passage describes in detail the homemade braces that Jeannette wore. This made me cringe and definitely demonstrates a logical appeal. As someone who has had braces and has experienced this type of pain, I can relate to her situation and feel what she felt physically. It sounds like she used just a coat hanger and rubber bands to push her front teeth back every night and she describes the pain that it caused her. She also goes into detail about the physical results of her braces and just reading this passage makes me feel all that metal inside my mouth.

"We stood on our hands and stuck our legs out of the water, did underwater twists, and played Marco Polo and chicken with the other kids. We climbed out to do cannonballs and watermelons off the side, making big geyser like splashes intended to drench as many people sitting poolside as possible. The blue water sparkled and churned white with foam. By the time the free swim was over, my fingers and toes were completely wrinkled, and my eyes were red and stinging from the chlorine, which was so strong it wafted up from the pool in a vapor you could practically see. I'd never felt cleaner." (191-192)

Jeannette goes swimming for the first time in Welch with her black friend Dinitia in this passage. I felt that this text demonstrates both logical and emotional appeals. At first, the logical appeal is evident. Jeannette goes into detail about her day at the pool and the effect on her body. One can visualize these effects thanks to her vivid imagery. However, at the very end, there is a possible emotional appeal. When she says "I'd never felt cleaner", she could be talking about the obvious physical sense of her going swimming and showering. However, I felt that Jeannette could be also talking about her escape from her hectic household and that this provides a cleansing of her mind.

"Lucy Jo Rose, who had just graduated from Bluefield State College and was so fat she could barely squeeze behind the steering wheel of her brown Doge Dart...She refused to say much during the trip, instead playing Barbara Mandrell tapes and smoking filter-tip Kools the entire time. As soon as Mom got out of the car, Lucy Jo made a big show of spraying Mom's seat with Lysol...When Mom mentioned Jackson Pollock once, Lucy Jo said that she had Polish blood and therefore did not appreciated Mom using derogatory names for Polish people." (196)

This passage describes Jeannette's Mom daily ordeal after accepting a teaching position at the local elementary school. She is forced to ride with Lucy Jo Rose, who, from what we are told, is a positively vile and horrible woman. This demonstrates both a logical and emotional appeal. One could view this and see the logical appeal that is present when Jeannette describes her physical appearance and her behaviors in the car. This helps the reader visualize Lucy Jo Rose, which leads into being able to feel Jeannette's emotional appeal of disgust. Lucy Jo Rose treats Jeannette's mom as subhuman and shows that by acting as if Jeannette's mom is dirty and carries disease, thus the Lysol. One cannot help but feel for Jeannette's mom and see the emotional pain that she went through daily.

Quote
"Whenever I was at the Daily News, I watched the editors and reporters at work in the newsroom. They kept a police scanner on all the time, and when an accident or fire or crime was called in, an editor would send a reporter to find out what had happened...This appealed to me mightily. Until then, when I thought of writers, what first came to mind was Mom, hunched over her typewriter, clattering away on her novels and plays and philosophies of life...What the reporter wrote influenced what people thought about and talked about the next day; he knew what was really going on. I decided I wanted to be one of the people who knew what was really going on." (204)

This quote is extremely significant, both in the book and the overall life of Jeannette Walls. Up until this point, Jeannette had always done well in school, but didn't really have a goal in life or anything to shoot for. However, now she has a focus and something that she really loves. Also, the reader knows that she does eventually become a reporter, so it signifies her change to her current career, which is pretty significant.

Theme
I believe that now the theme is "Writing is a beacon of light in the life of Jeannette Walls". Before, there was definitely a theme of good in the midst of bad, but now it is more specific. Jeannette sounds so happy and so fulfilled when she is in the newspaper editing room, more so than any other time in the book. It is clear that she loves writing and reporting, which is also evident in her career later on.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post B

I believe I have finally figured out Jeannette. In previous posts, I have tried to analyze her and try to comprehend her logic, but there really seemed to be no rhyme or reason. Why would she continue to live with these abusive parents? Why would she want to sacrifice her education and constantly have to surrender her previous life when fleeing from town to town? Jeannette seemed like a bright girl, but these actions made no sense. However, I think her entire mentality is summed up perfectly in this chapter.

One thing that you have to know about Jeannette's family is that they are very anti-conformist. Her mother and father don't believe in doing anything by the book and are constantly breaking the rules. This is taken to the extreme when Jeannette and her family go to the zoo. Her Dad is upset that the animals have to stay locked behind chain-link fences all day and is determined to do something about it. He and Jeannette sneak into the cheetah cage and coax it over to them. Jeannette's father shows Jeannette that, in fact, the cheetah is a very tame animal and is not as dangerous as society portrays it to be. However, they are soon kicked out of the zoo. On the way out Jeannette perfectly sums up her beliefs. "I could hear people around us whispering about the crazy drunk man and his dirty little urchin children, but who cared what they thought? None of them had ever had their hand licked by a cheetah" (109). This clearly shows that Jeannette lives in the moment, and doesn't care what other people think of her. This explains why she continues to live with her family. A majority of the time, she has fun and that is all she thinks about. She doesn't think about the possible repercussions that her actions may have on her later in life, nor does she consider what others may think of her.

To love a group of people that strongly is very impressive. To trust someone else with your life, both physically and socially, requires an large amount of love and compassion, which is what Jeannette shares with her family.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post A

Vocab
shylock (111) - to lend money at extortionate rates of interest

hedonism (105) - the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good

Appeals
"Dad took my hand and slowly guided it to the side of the cheetah's neck. It was soft but also bristly. The cheetah turned his head and put his moist nose up against my hand. Then his big pink tongue unfolded from his mouth, and he licked my hand...the cheetah licked my palm, his tongue warm and rough, like sandpaper dipped in hot water. I felt all tingly" (108-109)

This passage describes the author's trip to the zoo, where she and her dad break into the cheetah cage and pet it. This definitely demonstrates a logical appeal. Jeannette uses a lot of good metaphors and imagery, so that the reader can imagine what it is like to have their hand licked by a cheetah. Also, the whole passage is much slower and more in depth than the rest of the text surrounding it, so it shows that the author wanted to put emphasis on this part.

"In the morning Dad told me that for the next few days, he was going to keep himself in his bedroom. He wanted us kids to steer clear of him, to stay outside all day and play. Everything went fine for the first day. On the second day, when I came home from school, I heard a terrible groaning sound coming from the bedroom...he was thrashing about, bucking and pulling at the restraints, yelling "No!" and "Stop!" and "Oh my God!". His face was gray and dripping with sweat" (117)

Although I could only fit a portion of the passage in, I felt that this somewhat summarizes Jeannette's dad's detox. This passage clearly shows an emotional appeal of fear. Jeannette tells her dad that she wishes he would stop drinking. Then, her dad locks himself in his bedroom for the next week and goes into detox. In the full passage in the book, Jeannette uses mysterious and powerful word choice to convey the fear and uncertainty that she was feeling at the time. At this point in the book, Jeannette is only 10, so she isn't quite sure of what is going on, or what alcohol is. The author uses words like "delirium" and phrases like "particularly hideous cry" to convey what she was feeling at the time.

"'Those bikes aren't for us are they?' I asked. 'Well, they're too damn small for your mother and me,' he said. Lori and Brian had climbed on their bikes and were riding up and down the sidewalk. I stared at mine. It was shiny purple and had a white banana seat, wire baskets on the side, chrome handlebars that swept out like steer horns, and white plastic handles with purple-and-silver tassels." (99)

This passage describes when Jeannette's dad buys them all bikes because of his successful new job. I felt that this shows both an emotional and logical appeal. Later in the text, Jeannette talks about excited she was, not just for the bikes, but for Dad's new job and the second chance at life they were getting and how the bikes were symbolic of that. Before they moved to Phoenix, they mainly hopped around from job to job. However, they inherited their Grandma's old house and started a new life in a new community. This is supposed to help the reader feel Jeannette's excitement and optimism. However, in the specific text that is quoted, there is more of a logical appeal. Jeannette goes into detail on the features of the bike and what it was like to look at a brand-new bike when almost nothing they owned was new.

Quote
"I could hear people around us whispering about the crazy drunk man and his dirty little urchin children, but who cared what they thought? None of them had ever had their hand licked by a cheetah." (109)

The above quote comes from when Jeannette and her dad break into the cheetah cage and are escorted out. In my previous post, I had talked about how poorly Jeannette is treated and how she is able to put up with it all. However, I now see Jeannette's reasoning: she doesn't care. She just lives in the moment and accepts whatever happens. I felt that this mentality is perfectly captured in this quote and will explain more of her actions and stories later on.

Theme
Right now, I believe the theme is "Do what you want and don't care about what others think". This is perfectly exemplified in the above quote. Jeannette has taken on the mindset of both her mom and dad, which is the theme. It is stated several times throughout the book that her mom and dad both believe in rebelling against the status quo and not fitting into conformity. Maybe Jeannette wrote this book to give credit to that idea.

Outside Reading, Week 2, Post B

Last week, I talked wrote a letter to Jeannette telling her to run away and escape. But this week, I really got a chance to see the connection that she has with her family. Despite all the tough events and abuse that she goes through, she really loves her family and lives a happy life. Her dad believes that people who pay a lot of money to live life are fools and that one can live a perfectly normal and healthy life with only the materials they find around them and the things that they can create by themselves. This actually works out pretty well for them a majority of the time. Jeannette's family is able to buy items from surplus, use items creatively to maximize their use, and use the rules and laws of life to their advantage.

Jeannette actually seems pretty happy through all of this. Several times through the novel, she comments on how lucky they are to have these experiences. For example, when her family moves to Battle Mountain and Jeannette and her siblings have to live in cardboard boxes: "We liked our boxes. They made going to bed seem like an adventure" (52). It could just be that Jeannette is an extreme optimist and is not able to see the poverty that surrounds her. Jeannette also never complains when conditions are dangerous or even life-threatening. When her parents force her and her siblings to ride in the back of the U-Haul and the gate opens up on the highway, her writings style doesn't change and she remains calm: "I was holding Maureen, who for some strange reason had stopped crying. I wedged myself into a corner. It seemed like we'd have to ride it out" (49). This clearly demonstrates her "make lemonade out of lemons" mentality.

It will be interesting to see if this mood is maintained throughout the book. There is only a certain amount of abuse that a human can take.

Outside Reading, Week 2, Post A

Vocab
commissary (56) - a store that sells food and supplies to the personnel or workers in a military post, mining camp, lumber camp, or the like.

barite (54) - a common mineral, barium sulfate, BaSO₄, occurring in white, yellow, or colorless tabular crystals: the principal ore of barium

Appeals
"And we'd smile and order hamburgers or chili dogs and milk shakes and big plates of onion rings that glistened with hot grease...poured the milkshakes from a sweating metal container into our glasses." (55-56)

I felt that this appeal could be both emotional and logical. I thought that it had an emotional aspect to it because Jeannette goes into more detail on the taste and tries to convey the relief and the feelings that she felt after eating the same poorly prepared food for weeks at a time, and then finally getting a chance to eat something much more fulfilling and flavorful. However, I thought that this could also demonstrate a logical appeal. She goes into more detail on the way the food looked too and how it was absolutely picture-perfect, but this could be exaggerated to appeal to the reader.

"Mom bolted out of the car and ran into the darkness.
'You crazy bitch!' Dad hollered. 'Get your goddamn ass back in this car!'
'You make me, Mr. Tough Guy!' she screamed as she ran away. Dad jerked the steering wheel to one side and drove off the road into the desert after her. Lori, Brian, and I braced one another with our arms, like we always did when Dad went on some wild chase that we knew would get bumpy." (43)

This passage is from when Jeannette's mother is pregnant and is on her way to the hospital. On the way there, the Dad and the Mom start arguing about how long she has been pregnant and Mom runs out of the car. This demonstrates an emotional appeal. Jeannette is trying to convey a feeling of safety in the midst of chaos, sort of the way it feels right before or after a storm. Although her life and the lives of her family members are in danger, she uses no wording that would indicate fear or anxiety. I thought that this may be a difficult appeal to pull off because not many people have felt this before or if so, feel it often.

"We hit a huge pothole and the back doors on the U-Haul flew open. The wind shrieked through the compartment. We were afraid we were going to get sucked out, and we all shrank back against the Prospector. The moon was out. We could see the glow from the U-Haul's taillights and the road we'd come down, stretching back through the silvery desert. The unlocked doors swung back and forth with loud clangs.
We banged on the sides of the U-Haul and hollered as loud as we could, but the engine was too noisy and they didn't hear us." (49)

This quote, again, could demonstrate either an emotional or logical appeal. I think that emotional is probably the most prominent and obvious. Just from reading this small excerpt, you can feel the sense of urgency and disaster that Jeannette was feeling. This is amplified when she and her siblings try to warn their parents that the back of the U-Haul is open, but are unable to reach them. However, I felt that this could be logical too. Jeannette describes this with almost a movie-like quality too it. I can easily visualize this in my mind with help from all the detail that she gives.

Quote
"Mom and Dad enrolled us in the Mary S. Black Elementary School, a long, low building with an asphalt playground that turned gooey in the hot sun." (58)

Although this quote is not very descriptive or interesting, I think that this is going to signify a turning point of Jeannette. Up until this point, she has not had any formal schooling, so this may allow her to have a good education and have potential.

Theme
I'd say that the theme hasn't really changed much since last time. Despite her conditions, Jeannette is still surprisingly happy and loves her family. She hasn't mentioned anything about running away or longing for a better life. So, overall, I believe that there is still a theme of safety in the midst of chaos.

Outside Reading, Week 1, Post B

Jeannette-
Why do you put up with it? The constant fleeing? The sense that someone is always watching you? Having to leave everything you have known behind in search of the unknown? It's embarrassing that a girl as strong and determined as you has to put up with this lifestyle. Your father acts like he loves you, but that's only when he's sober. When he's drunk, his true feelings come out and the sad truth is that he's a raging alcoholic that would be better off on his own. How do you put up with something like this: "Dad turned into an angry-eyed stranger who threw around furniture and threatened to beat up Mom or anyone else who got in his way" (23). He doesn't love you. He obviously doesn't love his family.

Run, Jeannette. Run. You deserve so much better. Sure, there are the happy times: "...they let us go out and play in the warm, driving water. We splashed and sang and danced" (22), but do these really outweigh all the abuse you are put through? You parents have no regard for you own health or well-being. They let you cook hot dogs as a 3-year-old! That is not a grant of freedom. That is just being irresponsible. Not to mention, after you were admitted into the hospital for severe burns, your dad took you out of the hospital even though your treatments weren't finished! You still had a giant scab on the side of your body!

I know. I get it. Family is family and you love them no matter what, but hear me out on this. These people are a threat to your safety. You Dad has no issue with driving drunk with kids in the backseat. You Mom lets you shoot a magnum at bottles when you are 4 years old. Also, have you ever thought about the malnurishment? According to you, you go without food for days at a time, only to eat nothing but fruit for several weeks. Please. For your own good, leave.

Outside Reading, Week 1, Post A

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls

Vocab
prospector (25) - One who explores an area for mineral deposits or oil

sluice gate (24) - an artificial channel for conducting water, often fitted with a gate (sluice gate) at the upper end for regulating the flow.

Appeals
1) "We ate irregularly, and when we did, we'd gorge ourselves... vineyard owners let people come pick their own grapes for a nickel a pound. We drove about a hundred miles to the vineyards, where the grapes were so ripe they were about to burst on the vine in bunches bigger than my head. We filled our entire car full of green grapes" (22). I thought that this quote demonstrates both an emotional and logical appeal. The author tries to demonstrate the large gaps of hunger and the subsequent waves of food that they would receive by exaggerating measurements and trying to connect with the reader. However, it could have some logical appeals. If someone wants to take this passage literally, they could get a grasp of how many grapes they had, although it is not specific.

2) "I turned to see where it was coming from and realized my dress was on fire. Frozen with fear, I watched the yellow-white flames make a ragged brown line up the pink fabric of my skirt and climb my stomach. Then the flames leaped up, reaching my face. I screamed" (9). This passage clearly demonstrates and emotional appeal. Jeannette Walls starts out her memoir with the story of when she was seriously burned as a child. We can tell from the level of detail she puts into her descriptors and the general sense of panic in the scene that she is trying to connect with the reader. She wants them to feel the sense of urgency and fear that she was feeling at the time.

3) "Later that night, Dad stopped the car out in the middle of the desert, and we slept under the stars. We had no pillows, but Dad said that was part of his plan. He was teaching us to have good posture...we did have our scratchy army-surplus blankets, so we spread them out and lay there...I told Lori how lucky we were to be sleeping out under the sky like Indians" (18). Walls makes it clear in the very beginning of the novel that debt collectors are always after her family, and as a result, they are always on the run. However, her dad always tries to put a good spin on things and make them seem fun when they are actually quite bad. This creates an awkward sense of calmness that the author tries to convey to her readers.

Quote
"When Dad wasn't telling us about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do. Like build the Glass Castle...All we had to do was find gold, Dad said, and we were on the verge of that. Once he finished the Prospector and we struck it rich, he'd start work on our glass castle" (25). This passage describes Jeannette's dad's plan to invent a machine that would find gold and then build them a house made out of glass, or "The Glass Castle". I felt that this quote is significant because it explains the title of this book, which Walls puts a lot of emphasis on in the reading. Also, it sounds like the Dad really believes in his get-rich-quick scheme, which is most likely going to follow up on later in the book.

Theme
Right now, I'd say that the overall theme of the book is that there is always a silver lining. Although Walls' family is always on the run and has a very unstable life, it sounds like they are always having fun and no one is particularly worried.