The Chest of Broken Glass - Original Writing
John had lived all alone ever since his wife died. He had worked hard
as a tailor all his life, but misfortune had left him penniless, and
now he was so old he could no longer work for himself. His hands
trembled too much to thread a needle, and his vision had blurred too
much for him to make a straight stitch. He had three sons, but they
were all grown and married now, and they were so busy with their own
lives, they only had time to stop by and eat dinner with their father
once a week.
Gradually the old man grew more and more feeble, and his sons came by
to see him less and less.“They don’t want to be around me at all now,”
he told himself, “because they’re afraid I’ll become a burden.” He
stayed up all night worrying what would become of him, until at last
he thought of a plan.
The next morning he went to see his friend the carpenter, and asked
him to make a large chest. Then he went to see his friend the
locksmith, and asked him to give him an old lock. Finally he went to
see his friend the glassblower , and asked him for all the old broken
pieces of glass he had.
The old man took the chest home, filled it to the top with broken
glass, locked up tight, and put it beneath his kitchen table. The next
time his sons came for dinner, they bumped their feet against it.
“What’s in this chest?” they asked, looking under the table.
“Oh, nothing,” the old man replied, “just some things I’ve been
saving.”
His sons nudged it and was surprized how heavy it was. They kicked it
and heard a rattling inside.
“It must be full of all the gold he’s saved over the years,” they
whispered to one another.
So they talked it over and realized they needed to guard the treasure.
They decided to take turns living with the old man, and that way they
growing more and more distant from him. “He had recently become a stranger to me
Jeannette Walls has lived a life that many of us probably never will, the life of a migrant. The majority of her developmental years were spent moving to new places, sometimes just picking up and skipping town overnight. Frugality was simply a way of life for the Walls. Their homes were not always in perfect condition but they continued with their lives. With a brazen alcoholic and chain-smoker of a father and a mother who is narcissistic and wishes her children were not born so that she could have been a successful artist, Jeannette did a better job of raising herself semi-autonomously than her parents did if they had tried. One thing that did not change through all that time was the love she had for her mother, father, brother and sisters. The message that I received from reading this memoir is that family has a strong bond that will stay strong in the face of adversity.
In the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the author's earliest memory is her injury at the age of three, and in this memory she is all but unhappy. Jeannette's childhood was full of inconveniences. The Walls family had a hard time conforming to society and shaping their future life for success. Rex and Rose Mary had different morals than others when it came to raising their children: Brain, Lori, Maureen and of course Jeannette. During her childhood, Jeannette was dealt with hardships, but showed maturity and independence throughout it.
Jeannette Walls did not have your average childhood. She grew up poor and neglected and faced many hardships as a child. Many of the problems she faced as a child were caused by her parents. Her mother, Rose Mary, clearly suffers from narcissistic personality disorder which affects not only Jeannette but the entire family. It is evident throughout the entire story that Rose Mary clearly puts her wants and needs ahead of her childrens showing her narcissistic tendencies.
There are many things that someone can experience over the course of a lifetime that can determine who you do and do not want to be. Though there are many things that can stand in the way of you finding your direct path to happiness, you learn a few life lessons along the way. Jeannette Walls was a young girl whom had many of those experiences thrown her way from the age she was three, and now into her adult life. Having a father, who promised the world and really tried to catch it, was enabled by alcohol and other misfortunes that lead his life. She also had a mother, who followed the lifestyle of her father by enabling him and continuing with a life that was fickle trying to raise four children and becoming established at one place for more than a few days at a time. By taking a look at the summary of The Glass Castle, it is evident that the Walls’ conformed to an inconsistent way of living because of lack of confidence, neglect of their children, and some
The book of "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Wall’s a powerful and emotional memory. It was published in March 2005 in New York City. The novel is about the author's personal life. I'm very thankful for her willing to share her story. In this memoir, she told us the strength, sham and the growth of age she went through.
Question: How did the laws and policies leading up to the night of the broken impact the Holocaust and German people including the German Jews?
Rex Walls While growing up in life, children need their parents to teach them and lead them on the path to a successful future. In the Glass Castle Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, neglects to take care of his duties as a father figure in Jeannette’s life. In the same way, he teaches her to be strong and independent at a very young age. As we read through the story, we see the special relationship that Jeannette shares with her father. Even though he, in many instances, failed to protect his children, refused to take responsibility for them, and even stole from them, Jeannette still loved him until his death for two reasons: one, for his ability to make her feel special, and two, because he is a never-ending source of inspiration.
It is commonly believed that the only way to overcome difficult situations is by taking initiative in making a positive change, although this is not always the case. The theme of the memoir the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is that the changes made in children’s lives when living under desperate circumstances do not always yield positive results. In the book, Jeannette desperately tries to improve her life and her family’s life as a child, but she is unable to do so despite her best efforts. This theme is portrayed through three significant literary devices in the book: irony, symbolism and allusion.
Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle is split into 4 sections A Woman In the Street, The Desert, Welch Section, and New York City. Each section has its own individual sections and each of these sections the first few words is bolded. The book also contains pages for praise from critics, a picture of Jeannette Walls parents on their wedding day, a dedication, and an acknowledgements page.
Generally when some one writes a play they try to elude some deeper meaning or insight in it. Meaning about one's self or about life as a whole. Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" is no exception the insight Williams portrays is about himself. Being that this play establishes itself as a memory play Williams is giving the audience a look at his own life, but being that the play is memory some things are exaggerated and these exaggerations describe the extremity of how Williams felt during these moments (Kirszner and Mandell 1807). The play centers itself on three characters. These three characters are: Amanda Wingfield, the mother and a women of a great confusing nature; Laura Wingfield, one who is slightly crippled and lets that make her extremely self conscious; and Tom Wingfield, one who feels trapped and is looking for a way out (Kirszner and Mandell 1805-06). Williams' characters are all lost in a dreamy state of illusion or escape wishing for something that they don't have. As the play goes from start to finish, as the events take place and the play progresses each of the characters undergoes a process, a change, or better yet a transition. At the beginning of each characters role they are all in a state of mind which causes them to slightly confuse what is real with what is not, by failing to realize or refusing to see what is illusioned truth and what is whole truth. By the end of the play each character moves out of this state of dreamy not quite factual reality, and is better able to see and face facts as to the way things are, however not all the characters have completely emerged from illusion, but all have moved from the world of dreams to truth by a whole or lesser degree.
fact that Jim did im fact turn out to be engaged. I guess that I
This book was chosen to show that coming from a dysfunctional family does not have to hinder the success of a person’s future. Jeannette Walls is a journalist, writer, and former gossip columnist contributor to MSNBC.com. Despite living her childhood in the hands of neglectful parents, Jeannette Walls and her siblings have developed strength and achieved admirable success through their unconventional life of poverty.
The lacking of a positive male role model can be very troublesome for any family; especially during the mid-thirties. Prior to the Second World War, women did not have significant roles in the workforce and depended on their husbands or fathers to provide for them financially. There were limited government assistance programs during the era of The Great Depression, and it was up to the families to provide for themselves. The absence of Mr. Wingfield placed enormous strains on the physical as well as mental wellbeing of his family. The effects the abandonment of their father had on the Wingfield family from Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie are undeniable.
In summary, the three literary elements theme, symbolism, and characterization play a big part in giving life to the play. Starting with the characters having difficulty accepting reality, symbols that represent each of them, and the attitude of their character.