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
Friday, October 19, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The 400 Blows Review
Tom
Mrs. Burgess
Enriched English 10
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.
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, October 1, 2007
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.
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.
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.
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