Jeannette's Life: A Reflective Essay

In her memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls describes her unique childhood through motifs, complex symbolism, and progressive tones in order to demonstrate how one’s past positively influences their future. Throughout her writing, Jeannette implements the rhetorical device of a motif in order to demonstrate to her audience how the recurring themes affected her future. Beginning when Jeannette was only three years old and continuing into her time as an adult, the Walls family used the phrase, “doing the skedaddle” (10) to represent their need to move. Seeing as most children and families do not move as frequently as the Walls did, “doing the skedaddle” was their way of turning a normally tragic thing into something lighthearted, if not almost humorous.

Scout demonstrates the idea that adversity does strengthen an individual by learning how to take her life situations, furthermore turn them into positive outcomes, resulting in her building an emotional wall in order to prevent her past from breaking her down, leading her to show the world that she is transitioning into a mature, young woman. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise Finch (Scout Finch) becomes exhibited to adversity in her early childhood. Scout begins by having an arduous time trying to be herself without facing the wrath of people narking on her about the way she dresses as well as the way she acts. Without a mother figure present in her life, the only way she feels like herself is by doing what she knows best, acting as well as dressing like a boy.

She always saw the good in whatever situation and turned it around. While Jeannette took the time to question almost anything, she also took the time to understand the beauty of everything. This quite perfectly foreshadows the ending to her book. Throughout The Glass Castle Jeannette is facing a battle of creating a pleasant outcomes for each and every tribulation she faces, trudging through the miserable times, but she always wonders what the point of that is if she is just going to end up disappointed again. However, while Jeannette is having this conversation with her mother, she is reminded that her story is not over.

“Life’s too short to care about what other people think” (Jeannette Walls). It is good to not care what other people think, so stay true in life and live it to the fullest. The book, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, is a memoir that tells the story of Jeannette’s difficult family and her poor living conditions, that cause life to be difficult for her. She struggles to move past all the hardships in life and she learns how to overcome the majority of them, so she can develop into her own person. Even though her family can be a little peculiar, they possess a strong bond with each other and they always seek to help one another out.

For example, in “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki it talks about how a young girl made an impact on her family. She had to go into a camp and had to go through a lot of obstacles in her life. She wanted to persuade the reader, reading the book. If you want to make an impact on someone or something, you have to do something rememerable or even something nice and just work your way up.

But she glides through life remembering the past and trying to get through everyday to care for her daughter that I think seems to be the same. Because of Sethe’s past, plus what happened with her daughter, it is probably hard to notice the colors of life that make life better and more special. In the beginning of this page, she

Maya Angelou author of I know why the caged bird sings. Writes about her childhood. Vivian Baxter taught Maya about life how it's rough but to keep going .Even though her presence wasn't present in her childhood it was in her teenage years. Vivian might not be the best for Maya in her childhood but she is essential for her teenage years with her life lessons about life. One person that changes Maya's life with advice and books was ms. Bertha flowers and her way of

As Alike struggled with being able to come out to her family she kept a notebook full of writings that she only shared with her advisor. In the beginning of the film when she read her work to her advisor she told her it was okay, just average. As the film progresses she experiences a lot more hardships and life changing moments that help shape her. She using her writing it express all of her emotions. She expresses her sufferings and fears, while also expressing her new strengths and contentment with life.

When looking at The Author to Her Book we can appreciate Anne Bradstreet on a personal level. This understanding happens by the way she views her own work, which was presumably published without her consent. Bradstreet refers to the book as her “child” that was snatched. Therefore, was not fully grown when it was sent off into the world, and even calls it “ill-form’d” and “irksome” to her sight. Yet, Bradstreet is truly attached to her work since she wants to fix its flaws, and seriously wishes she could.

With limited knowledge of the outside world our view on life was restricted to our surroundings. My sister had embedded in my mind that there is more out there than there is in here. Convinced that I wanted more, I began to read more and listen more. The local newspaper and television was my means of knowing what was happening outside of our community. The first real acknowledgement was watching the “March on Washington” on

In the book, The Tale of Despereaux, the character I most highly think of because of their personality and style is Miggery Sow. Miggery Sow appears in book three of The Tale of Despereaux. Kate DiCamillo illustrates to us Miggery’s childhood showed here, “Ah, child, and what does it matter what you are wanting?” Said her mother. She squeezed Mig’s hand once, twice and died, leaving Mig alone with her father,” (DiCamillo, page 126).

After my mother brought St. Jean Baptiste to my attention, I was intrigued enough to visit this high school’s website. As soon as I opened the webpage, I became engrossed in the positive energy it gave off. I had to visit this amazing school. Even though I wasn’t an accepted student, my mom signed me up for the mega shadow day. The neighborhood was quaint and not too crowded.

Forgiveness is the theme of the Glass Castle because although Jeannette Walls was neglected, betrayed, and even belittled by her parents she doesn’t hold any negative feelings towards them. She exemplifies the theme of forgiveness by never blaming her parents for neglecting them, when her mother and father both squander her money on themselves, or when her parents allowed Erma to treat them as horribly as she did. Jeannette knows who her parents are, accepts and forgives, to the point that she can have a Thanksgiving dinner with Lori, Brian, and Mom reminiscing about the days of past.