Characterization of "The Glass Castle"

Jeannette- “Second redheaded girl” (p27) “I would have been happy staying in the hospital forever” (p12) “I loved the desert, too” (p21)

Mom- “Light brown hair” (p26) “Don’t be so sentimental” (p18) “Loved the dry, crackling heat” (p21)

Dad- “Coal-black hair and chocolate brown eyes” (p27) “Dramatic storyteller” (p24) “Expert in math and physics” (p23)

Brian- “Tough little guy” (p28) “I heard a loud crunching sound and looked down. It was Brian eating the ice.” (p10) “He was a blue baby, mom said. When he was born, he couldn’t breathe” (p27)

Lori- “Curly hair the color of a new penny” (p27) “Had excellent vocabulary” (p27)
“Jeannette: Did you guys miss me?
Lori: Not really” (p12)

MCAS Short Answer Practice

“Queen Elizabeth’s Speech to Her Navy on the invasion of the Spanish Armada” shows her ability to use her female identity to spur her soldiers on. In her speech Queen Elizabeth tries to persuade her subjects being a woman doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the heart and strength to lead them. She states, “I have but have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king”. Regardless of her appearance, she seems very powerful and motivated to be king. In general Queen Elizabeth persuades us that she is noble, and believes she has the compassion and power to rule England.

First Discussion Question for The Glass Castle

How do you feel about the way these parents are raising Brian, Lori, and Jeannette? And will it affect the kids in the long run?

Initial Impressions: The Glass Castle

Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle concerns the author’s recollections on her upbringing. Walls’ concentrates on the use of imagery to direct the reader into the authors past. The author draws out the setting of the opening scene clearly: “A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes.” While the author’s dress is burning from the cooking accident one can easily picture the flames on her from the diction: “I watched the yellow-white flames make a ragged brown line up the pink fabric of my skirt and climb my stomach.” Another image one obtains from the author is her burns from the fire: “Wadded and covered with smears of blood and yellow stuff and little pieces of burned skin.” This choice of imagery makes the reader eager to continue.

Analysis of Diction in Child of God by Cormac McCarthy.

All authors display their own example of diction. In the excerpt from Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God, the author shows diction which is both strange and southern slang. McCarthy begins by describing a character who enjoys hunting: “He could by god shoot it”. But sometimes the character would get in trouble for shooting at the fair: “Wouldn’t let him shoot no more”. With southern slang like “No more” and “Ye”, McCarthy further explains this diction. As shown, author Cormac McCarthy expresses his own type of diction in Child of God.