Summer Reading- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls In the memoir “The Glass Castle” some characters seek complete freedom from society’s rules, while others seek the comforts and security that come from a “normal” life. However, what is more important to children: freedom or …show more content…
security? free·dom- noun- the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without restraint. se·cu·ri·ty- noun- the state of being free from danger or threat. A common question that passes through a parent’s mind is whether they should let their child have more freedom but be more vulnerable to harm, or do their best to make their child’s world as safe as possible. Both are very important matters in this world; freedom and security help us in so many ways. However, I think it leans a bit towards freedom, especially regarding children. Absolute security is not possible, especially nowadays. Absolute freedom is simply anarchy. However this applies differently for children. They are not as mature as adults are, and have a lot of learning to do. Even though both are very important, freedom slightly tops security. From what I’ve seen, most children would rather socialize with friends and family than be isolated by themselves.
If they have too much security, it usually means less of an opportunity to experience new things firsthand. The more security you have, the less knowledge of the outside world you’ll have. Without knowledge of the outside world, you will probably have a really hard time finding a job, or have trouble adapting to the rush of new things. Nevertheless, some people think freedom is a negative thing and would prefer security over freedom, because it can harm you if you dwell too deep into it. But like Rick Warren said, “We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it,” meaning that we learn from our mistakes, and our mistakes help us grow. Maybe we wil take advantage of our freedom one day and destroy ourselves, but “the sweet taste of it is so damn irresistible.” Children across the world need to have freedom, for it will assist them in the situations that they will face when they grow older; when they start to live in the outside world. A person’s adolescent years are their most important and valuable. During this time, they learn how to adapt, learn what’s wrong and what’s right, figure out how to do things, etc. However, if you trade freedom for security, you’re throwing away the meaning of “living life to its fullest.” The less security you have, the more freedom you …show more content…
have. Think about Jeannette's life with her family. Her family traveled all over the place, and unfortunately, Jeannette got bullied, Everything has its price. Jeannette had so much freedom, but got hurt a lot from other classmates etc. Nonetheless, her father just told her to stand up for herself. However, later on in her life, it paid off, and Lori, (Jeannette’s older sister) and the rest of the family eventually moved to New York, where Lori and Jeannette fulfilled their dreams.You only live for a certain amount of years; the average man lives about 77 years. You should take this time to experience the wonders of the world, and to learn and grow, rather than being isolated in your “security.” I agree with our 44th president, Barack Obama, when he says: “You can’t have 100-percent security and also have 100-percent privacy and zero inconvenience. We’re going to have to make some choices as a society.” “No pain, no gain.” This simple exercise motto is a quote you hear in your everyday life but can be interpreted and used in many ways.
Human beings have a natural instinct for being curious, and learning new things with their five senses, especially when they’re younger and less mature. Most people have been told that it’s “ok” if you make a mistake once in a while, as long as you don’t make the same mistake in the future. If you prefer security over freedom, you have no mistake to fix anyway, because your world will be most likely safe from harm, and risk-taking adventures. A little bit of freedom and curiosity can help you learn new things. Although “curiosity killed the cat” , which according to Wikipedia, “is a metaphor used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation,” I think it just means not to risk something too big like your life. Freedom can come in big or small amounts, depending on the situation. In “The Glass Castle” Jeannette decided to play with fire, because it looked so fascinating. I wouldn’t do something like that, because it could cost you your life; some forces of nature are rather disastrous. Nonetheless, she was sent to the hospital, where Jeannette learned how destructive yet fascinating fire could be. As said by John Dewey, “We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on
experience.” Overall, “sacrificing freedom for security is like staying a virgin for a fear of STD's.” Everyone one out of one person dies, no one known so far is immortal. Even though some extraordinary people can live maybe even past 100 years old like Misao Okawa or Jeralean Talley one day they will eventually pass away. It’s similar to those movies with heroes in them, saying that they can die peacefully, because they have fulfilled their duty in life. In a movie called “The Tales of the Gallant Jiraiya” he thinks to himself before he dies fighting, “ In this world it's not how you live, it's how you die. A person’s life is not measured by how they live but rather it's measured by what they accomplish before their death. And looking back, my life has really been full of nothing but failure and continually rejected by Tsunade. “ If you can’t enjoy your life, what is the point of living? Unless you’re a gloomy person who doesn’t like to socialize, I suggest you you add a cup of freedom into your recipe of life. Try to enjoy your years, and strive and reach the stars. “Eat bitter, taste sweet.”
Every day the safety and well-being of many children are threatened by neglect. Each child deserves the comfort of having parents whom provide for their children. Throughout the memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls explains the childhood from being born into the hands of parent who neglect their children. Many may argue that children need to grow with their parents; however, the removal of children is necessary if the parents disregard the kid’s needs and cannot provide a stable life for their children.
Jeannette Wales, author of The Glass Castle, recalls in her memoir the most important parts of her life growing up as a child that got her where she is now. Her story begins in Arizona in a small house with her parents and three siblings. Her parents worked and didn’t do much as parents so she had to become very independent. Her parents and siblings were the highlights to most of her memory growing up. She is able to recall memories that most small children wouldn’t be able to recall with as much detail.
In “The Glass Castle”, the author Jeanette Walls describes her childhood and what motivated her to chase her education and move out to New York City with her siblings and leave their parents behind in West Virginia. The main struggle Jeanette and her siblings had was the conflicting point of view that they had with their mother on parenting. Despite their father Rex Walls being an alcoholic, constantly facing unemployment, and being a source of hope for his children, Rose Mary Walls had her list of attributes that shaped her children’s life. Rose Mary had a very interesting view on parenting in Jeanette Wall’s memoir and this perspective of parenting influenced her children both positively and negatively.
The Struggle Of Building Adversity means difficulties or misfortune. When someone's dealing with things or a situation turns out to go against them, they face adversity. Adversity is something someone comes across in life, it's like being part of a person. Decisions and actions are influenced by a lot of things. Conflicts influence all kinds of actions and decisions, depending on the person.
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.
The novel The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, brings to the surface many of the the struggles and darker aspects of American life through the perspective of a growing girl who is raised in a family with difficulties financially and otherwise. This book is written as a memoir. Jeannette begins as what she remembers as her first memory and fills in important details of her life up to around the present time. She tells stories about her family life that at times can seem to be exaggerated but seemed normal enough to her at the time. Her parents are portrayed to have raised Jeannette and her three siblings in an unconventional manner. She touches on aspects of poverty, family dynamics, alcoholism, mental illness, and sexual abuse from
The Glass Castle is a memoir of the writer Jeannette Walls life. Her family consists of her father Rex Walls, her mother Rose Mary Walls, her older sister Lori Walls, her younger brother Brian Walls and her younger sister Maureen Walls. Jeannette Walls grew up with a lot of hardships with her dad being an alcoholic and they never seemed to have any money. Throughout Jeanette’s childhood, there are three things that symbolize something to Jeannette, they are fire, New York City and the Glass Castle, which shows that symbolism gives meanings to writing.
When you think about your childhood, how would you describe it? Lonely? Happy? Different? Chaotic? Restrictive? Angry? Whatever word or phrase you use to describe your childhood, undoubtedly you would agree that how we are raised as children impact and shape our life as we grow up. Whether we duplicate our parents style of teaching, habits, or behavior we usually are affected by what we see and deem to be the right or wrong course of action. In The Glass Castle, the Walls children experience a very dysfunctional, chaotic, and untraditional way of life. Their parents believe in nonconformity and they are very permissive in terms of parenting. They would spend most of their time wrapped up in their own interests foregoing
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.
1.Though The Glass Castle is brimming with unforgettable stories, Which scenes were the most memorable for you? Which were the most shocking, the most inspiring, the funniest?
In conclusion, the novel The Glass Castle was an attempt to represent the challenges we face throughout our life. Every challenge should be confronted and solved. Family matters contribute to why many individuals have difficulties, but at the end we should know that they’ll always love us. No matter what happens we face the unknown and deal with it. We forgive many people who are significantly associated to us and most of all we take the responsibilities. It is important to always take action and solve the challenges we
Education plays a big role in our daily lives. Education is commonly defined as a process of learning and obtaining knowledge. The story takes place beginning in the late 1950s to the early 2000s. Jeannette Walls is the main character of the story and the narrator. She tells the events of her life living with careless and yet loving parents. This family of six lived in many cities and towns and went through tough states to stay alive. Her mother and father never kept a good steady job, but they had great intelligence. Jeannette and her siblings barely went to school to get the proper education they needed. In the book The Glass Castle, author Jeanette Walls discovers the idea that a conservative education may possibly not always be the best education due to the fact that the Walls children were taught more from the experiences their parents gave them than any regular school or textbook could give them. In this novel readers are able to get an indication of how the parents Rex and Rosemary Walls, choose to educate and give life lessons to their children to see the better side of their daily struggles.
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.
Could the dysfunction of the Walls family have fostered the extraordinary resilience and strength of the three older siblings through a collaborative set of rites of passage? One could argue that the unusual and destructive behavior of the parents forced the children into a unique collection of rites of passage that resulted in surprisingly resilient and successful adults. In moving back to Welch, Virginia, the children lost what minimal sense of security they may have enjoyed while living in their grandmother’s home in Arizona. The culture and climate (both socially and environmentally) along with an increased awareness of their poverty resulted in a significant loss of identity. As they learned new social and survival skills in this desperate environment, there is a powerful sense of camaraderie between the older children. Their awareness, drive and cunning survival skills while living in Welch result in a developing sense of confidence in their ability to survive anything. This transition, while wretched, sets the stage for their ability to leave their environment behind with little concern for a lack of success. As the children leave, one by one, to New York, they continue to support one another, and emerge as capable, resourceful young adults.
Most often, in most families, children look up to their parents for guidance as children view their parents as role models. However in The Glass Castle, this was not the case but the exact opposite.