The Glass Castle

Today's planned in-class analysis was moved to Tuesday.

Today in class we discussed the strategy of distinctio. Used carefully, distinctio can be quite effective. Since words can be rather ambiguous at times, distinctio allows the author to clarify their point. This clarification can be the difference between a point being understood and a point being taken to mean something entirely different.

1. Distinctio is usually used with a linking phrase like “which is to say” or “by which I mean,” but it can also be used by putting a definition in parenthesis immediately after the term you’re defining.
2. Words that indicate how “good” something is, how “likely” something is to happen, or how “difficult” something is. Many words that often need clarification because of their abstract interpretations.
3. Distinctio should only be used when it’s needed to maintain the integrity of a sentence…if an essay is rife with distinctio it will be ineffective.
4.Distinctio can also be used to add humor to a speech or essay.

We began reading and discussing Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle

As you read, take annotations on the following:
1. The differences between the way Rex and Rose Mary (the author’s parents) view the world and the way the author views the world, based on the rhetoric she uses to convey the differences between these viewpoints.
2. The contrast in the way the author views her life as she grows older
3. The reversal of roles in the parent/child relationship
4. Appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos
5. The symbolism of events, places, people and things. Specifically, how do the parents and children in the memoir view these events, places, people and things differently?


We discussed the purpose of the Dylan Thomas quote at the beginning of the memoir and how it provides insight into Walls' overall purpose. Remember how often I've mentioned that an author does not include a quote just for kicks--there's always a reason.

We discussed the surprising juxtapostion between mother and daughter in the first few pages. Some of the topics we discussed: How does this set up some of the themes for the entire memoir? How does Walls' attempt to demonstrate that she is a reliable memoirist? What suprises you about Rose Mary's homelessness?

The following questions (through p. 25) are due tomorrow:
1. What purpose do you think the quote from the Dylan Thomas poem at the beginning of the memoir serves?
2. What is the purpose of Part I: A Woman on the Street? What do the various anecdotes in this introduction establish?
3. Compare and contrast Jeannette’s home with her parents and her “home” at the hospital, citing rhetorical strategies the author uses to show this view.
4. What similarities did you notice about the way Jeannette viewed her father and the way Zippy viewed her father?
5. List three examples from the book that note an underlying darkness about the author’s upbringing.
6. What is the symbolism of the Glass Castle?
7. Identify and analyze the effect of an appeal to ethos, an appeal to pathos, and an appeal to logos.