“I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes of as a consequence of it – Oscar Wilde” (Page before page number one).This quote comes from the book Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos. The main topics involve recovering from mistakes and overcoming setbacks. Everyone should read his book because everyone can take something away from it. Audience, voice, and content are the key points for review. First to be reviewed in Hole In My Life is audience. Many people can benefit from reading Hole In My Life. These people are teenagers, people living in poverty, and people hoping to achieve dreams. Teenagers will benefit from reading this book because Jack Gantos was a bright student who was led down the wrong path …show more content…
by fellow peers and lack of guidance. An example of this, “‘Let’s sell some weed and make some cash.’ He ran his hands through his long blonde hair. ‘We’ll drive to Tallahassee and cop from the guys in the lab there’“(45-46). That was the beginning of Jack’s life of crime. People living in poverty will benefit from this book by watching Jack struggle through it, and after a bumpy road, rise above it all. For example, “I didn’t Spanish so I couldn’t afford publics schools in San Juan, and without any money we couldn’t afford private school” (10). Not having money to afford high school was just one of the many things Jack was deprived from by growing up in poverty. Also, people who want to overcome obstacles and achieve dreams will be able to learn from Jack. One example of this is, “I would not let myself make this kind of mistake again. No matter how desperate for money I was, I knew giving in would reveal that I was desperate on the inside in an even worse way – and I wasn’t, not anymore” (200). That was Jack discussing how he almost fell back into his life of crime, but would not give up pursuing his dream of becoming a writer for crime. Next, this book does a great job of fitting its language and its level to its audience. The language used is very candor and articulate. One example of it being candor is this, “When I look at my face in the photo I see nothing buy the pocked mask I was hiding behind” (1). An example of it being articulate is, “Fear of being a target of irrational violence haunted me day and night” (4). The official language level of Hole In My Life is 7.1. In conclusion, language and level again does fit its audience because Jack writes very descriptively when needed, but short, meaty, and to the point sentences elsewhere which makes it appealing to teenagers, people hoping to achieve dreams, and people living in poverty. Now, the voice of Hole In My Life will be reviewed.
The tones Jack uses in Hole In My Life are vulgar, gloomy, and blunt. An example of a vulgar tone is here, “‘Where the hell are you?’ he shouted back. Before I could answer he went into a harangue. ‘For Christ’s sake, the FBI have been all over my ass’“(121). The author used vulgar tone in this book to make it more real. People weren’t clean and proper. During this time in his life, people swore and that was that, so he kept it in the book to not censor any part of his experiences. An example of the gloomy tone in this book is here, “Drugs were available everywhere at all times. Especially reefer. You could smell it on every breath of air. In bars, on street corners, in passing cars, on buses, at beaches-people grew it in their home gardens and smoked it like cigarettes” (57). Jack used a gloomy tone in the book at times to make the reader feel like he felt, which was uneasy and somewhat nervous because of all the uncertainty at the time. The last example of the authors tone is about him being blunt, “I stood up and went downstairs. But I didn’t sleep. …show more content…
Hamilton had read my mind-I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just afraid of punishment’ (85). In Hole In My Life Jack uses a very blunt tone to be sure that people get how he felt without using long, impressive words. If you have a good story, you don’t need to look impressive, you just need to get your point across, and that is how the Jack wrote this book. Also, Jack keeps the reader very interested and always wanting to know more in Hole In My Life. He does this by stirring curiosity, which makes people want to know more. For example, “I looked into the lobby. There were two agents. It was sentencing day, and they didn’t want to lose me” (140). Jack ended that chapter without any answers, which draws readers in, wanting to know what happens next. Now, here is a quote to show Jack’s voice, “Someone once said anyone can be great under rosy circumstances, but the true test of character is measured by how well a person makes decisions during difficult times. I certainly believe this to be true. I made a lot of mistakes, and went to jail, but I wasn’t on the road to ruin like everybody said. While I was locked up I pulled myself together, and made some good decisions” (8). This quote is about how Jack truly did learn from his past faults and wanted too and did make himself to the person he always wanted to be. As a final point, this reflects the author’s voice because it shows how straight-forward and simple Jack’s writing is, yet it is still powerful and impactful. To change the topic, content is the last thing to be reviewed in Hole In My Life.
The amount of pages in the book is 200, and every single page is filled with quality and progressive work. Jack’s purpose in sharing his story is to inspire people to not make the same mistakes he has made, and if you have already made mistakes, to provide hope because you can overcome them, and he is living evidence. Proof of this in his writing is how he always explains every detail about the issues he has had and always thoroughly tells how he has beaten the tough time. The other features in this book are the cover and Jack’s mug shot. The cover contains his mug shot in a pattern along with the title and his signature; this is to show the impact of his experience with jail. The back of the book cover contains a brief description of the memoir and at the bottom a picture of custom agents at the 79th Street boat basin search yacht that was reputedly used to smuggle hashish, which is to make the reader feel more connected to the story by witnessing the boat mention throughout the story. . The mug shot (One page before page one) is again, to symbol his experiences with jail time. Hole In My Life is divided into three sections with chapters within each section. These sections and chapters are in chronological order. In addition, Jack mixes in some personal style into the writing. At the beginning of each section, he has pictures of number the numbers one, two, and three from his mug shot. He
also starts the book, every section, and each chapter with his handwriting which fades into typed text. Lastly, in the part of the story when he and his companion Hamilton are on the boat, he has some of the story written in diary formant with the date. Finally, the audience, voice, and content portions of Hole In My Life have been reviewed. Again, Hole In My Life is highly recommended, especially to teenagers, people hoping to achieve dreams, and people living in poverty. Whenever you feel hopeless and lost, remember this; Jack wanted to write so badly, and even after all of his struggles, he has done it. Proof you want? He finishes his memoir like this, “What remains of the rotted hash is hidden in the hole I dug for it. And I’m out in the open doing what I’ve always wanted to do. Write” (200).
The novel Tangerine, written by Edward Bloor, perfectly demonstrates how a character can change their ways and learn lessons. When the protagonist, Paul Fisher, was first introduced, he was a shy, quiet kid, who never tried to change his situation. He has a terrible relationship with his brother, Erik, and is literally terrified of him and what he will do to him. In the beginning of the book, he was moving from Houston, Texas to his new home in Tangerine, Florida. In his fresh start to life in Tangerine, he learns that he shouldn’t be scared, and that he needs to start standing up for himself and letting his voice, thoughts, and opinions be heard. Even though Paul starts off scared, afraid, intimidated, and full of self doubt, he learns that he needs to change his ways and attitude towards his life, and to take action to make things right.
The narrator writes from a participant-limited point of view allowing him to have a certain writing style to make the tone of the story more believable. A carefree and reckless attitude can be described as the tone and it is apparent in certain terms that are repeated. Terms such as, “Motherfucker” and when he says “we were bad” referring to himself and his friends allows the reader to imagine times when they too may have used diction similar to these young teens (T. Coraghessan Boyle, 168).
In life there are times when things go wrong and you are out of fortune. The only way to evaluate your self-identity and character is to get back up on your feet and turn your problems around. In this memoir, A Place to Stand, Jimmy Santiago Baca (2001), demonstrates his adversities throughout his life. Baca’s parent was a big influence in process of creating his own identity. He encounters many obstacles as well as meeting a wide range of different people in society in positive and negative ways. At times in his life, he feels, the world is his worst antagonist. However, Jimmy has overcome the challenges he faces. Baca experiences challenges and difficulties during his youth and prison; However, he managed to overcome
The American Dream is something everyone strives for, it's different for everyone. The only important part is how they achieve it, some people try to take the easy way out which can lead to them getting in more trouble than they bargained for. In the memoir Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos, it is about how he grew up striving to be a young writer then his life took a turn for the worst. When Jack was in high school he moved to an island called St. Croix for his father's job, it turned out to not be such a good deal, his family ended up struggling to pay for rent, food, and other basic necessities. He needed to find a way to get off this island and make money for his family and quick, like too many people he decided that he would take the easy
“hole” that the narrator refers to is the basement home that he discovers later in the novel.
We all experience a rite of passage in our lives, whether it be the time we learned to swim or perhaps the day we received our driver’s license. A rite of passage marks an important stage in someone’s life, and one often times comes with a lesson learned. Three selections that provide fine examples of rites of passage that individuals confront include “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherell, “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins” and “First Lesson” by Philip Booth.
When you do not live up to your full potential some people will say that is a waste of talent. Even if someone were to go down the wrong road there is still a chance to redeem yourself. Flannery O 'Connor the author of “A good man is hard to find” is a great example of that situation. When a family of six a grandmother, her son Bailey, the mother of his three children John Wesley, June star and a baby boy. After the family decides to have a road trip to Florida, they encounter a man known as the misfit. The misfit has been through so much trouble that the grandmother sees the lost potential in the man. The grandmother shows her indifference for creation by selfishly manipulating and nagging to get her way on the family 's vacation (Keil).
He has a specific problem that provokes issues in his daily life. Through the whole novel, we can observe how this little boy strives to solve his problem and how he manages to conquer and overcome his fears . In this isolated and rural society exists a contention that causes countless obstacles. This issue includes the fact that adults in this community are constantly distancing themselves from their children, invariably shutting the doors of their houses. Michele comments regularly on "the grown-ups [that] stayed shut up indoors, like toads waiting for the heat to die down." (Ammaniti 6) Sigmund Freud theorized that repeated uterine images of enclosed, round spaces like holes and circles often portray ideas of entrapment and protection. These adults are afraid of the outer world, the real world. Subsequently, those role-models, that are supposed to set an example to their offspring, aren 't doing their part in the growing of the child. Thus, this issue leads us to the main problem Michele has to endure. Michele is trapped in his town with gender stereotypes with no escape. He wants to constantly escape this torturous reality, yet to no avail. There are strict boundaries to the way of life these people are living. Subsequently, gender role issues and adult roles are brought in. Michele 's feeling of entrapment is unceasingly echoed by uterine images."The boy [who] was in the hole." (Ammaniti 35)
In the novel, Holes, by Louis Sachar, two of the familiar themes were represented which were teamwork and leadership. The two themes were used by Stanley Yelnats and Hector Zeroni. Teamwork and leadership are two essential points that summarize the novel.
At the end of the story, Jack realizes that blending in with society is not ideal. He regrets the past decade that was full of loss and regret when it could've been full of trust and love. People may be tempted to make unwise decisions to blend in with society. But think about it: the world is like a crowded marketplace. If you don’t stand out, you are invisible. Unique qualities define your identity. Without them, you are not yourself. At least on Qingming, the mother’s poor spirit can rest easy, knowing her son is with her in heart, but that can never make up for the years of hurt and betrayal directed at
In this short story “ The Parsley Garden ¨ William Saroyan suggests that by doing something wrong will give you consequences in the long run. It is important that you work hard for what you want , make good choice and be successful. Making good choices will make your life brighter, successful
Mid-twentieth century humorist Sam Levenson once said, “You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” As much as I have tried to follow this advice in my life, there have been many instances where I have challenged Mr. Levenson’s theory.
This whole experience of escaping is a difficult adjustment for Jack. At this stage in his life, Jack is entering middle childhood. He is confused at the beginning why the would leave Room – its safe, its secure, and its his home. He fights and struggles with the thought of an outside world. However, through the escape, his entire world changes. At this time, Jack was experiencing Piaget’s Concrete Operational stage. (Santrock, 2016). He begins to think more logically – almost through the need of the situation he was raised in. Although it was difficult for him at first, and Jack claimed to hate his mother, he was able to follow through with a plan of escape. This plan focused around Jack pretending to be died, and Old Nick carrying him outside. Jack lived a sheltered life, and then was forced into a world of unknowns and make-believe. He was starting to be able to connect and make conclusions based on the information provided to him. He trusted his mother and worked together, trying to understand her logical
The concept of living and learning, is that an individual needs to live and make mistakes in order to learn and become wiser. Many people would acknowledge that they have learned more from the mistakes they have made then the advice they have received. This concept is demonstrated in A.E. Housman’s poem “When I Was One-and-Twenty.”
When I left my room, my mother knew that I had gone through a rough time, and I did not want to talk to her about it. Even though there was only a month left in my school year, I promised myself that I would be completely truthful to my friends, my family, my heritage, and myself. I expected all my friends to leave me, but I was fully prepared for this. However, none of this ever happened. My friends didn’t leave me, I wasn’t alone at the lunch table, I wasn’t even seem differently by those around me. I had failed my family by doing this, and I wished I had stopped acting like someone I wasn’t sooner. This is one of the only mistakes I have made which I consider a failure because it had taken me close to a year to fix, and this is why I consider it my most successful failure.