Analyzing Norton Juster's 'Phantom Tollbooth'

Decent Essays
In the novel Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster tells of a world where people literally eat their words. If I had to eat my own words after I said them, then I would be very selective with what I said. I would say, “one small chicken taco made with shredded chicken, a flour tortilla and shredded mexican cheese, three small peeled uncooked carrots and two small ripe red strawberries.” I chose this because I try to eat healthy so I would be sure to have fruits and vegetables. Also, I would want to be specific so that my words would not be misunderstood. And lastly, I tend to have a lot to say so I would want to be careful not eat too much or I would get sick.

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    NIGHTMARE CODE Analysis

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Great horror movies stick with us because they have a great story and a chilling underlying fear sitting under the surface to stick with us. Subpar horror films have the story, but lack the underlying fear. Bad horror films lack both. NIGHTMARE CODE is a subpar horror film. The same problem afflicted this this year’s highly acclaimed IT FOLLOWS, but in reverse order.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In De Quincy's philosophical essay On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth, De Quincy develops certain theories towards this topic. Based on his essay I agree with his theory due to the reason that he states "some great storm of passion--jealousy, ambition, vengeance, hatred--which will create a hell within him; and into this hell we are to look." Macbeth as well as Lady Macbeth let jealousy and vengeance consume them that when they executed Duncan it was as if their human self left and hey became the Devil and opened the gates of…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Encumbered by highly advanced agricultural inventions, the American diet has evolved into a dilemma producing detrimental health affects for our nation. While a plethora of food choices, from chicken nuggets to Twinkies, may appear to be a dietary utopia; the technological advancements in the food industry have produced food-like products rather than authentic food. This nation-wide eating disorder has kept Americans in a cyclical process of attempting to achieve a thin figure while still gaining pounds. Through the course of his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan investigates four meals: a meal from McDonalds eaten in the car, an organic based meal from Whole Foods, a meal from an organic, sustainable farm, and lastly, a meal that Pollan hunted and gathered himself.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The tone in the novel The Phantom Tollbooth is full of fun and great spirit. Even though there are some moments where it could be gloomy or sad, such as Tock’s background story or when they stumbled across with the “Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs”. The main tone of the novel is fun and exciting, like when Milo directed the orchestra the author describes the colors and tone exciting: “Milo was overjoyed because they were all playing for him, and just the way they should” (Juster 129). When Milo brought back sound to “The Silent Valley” everyone was back to being talkative and busy as they were before sound was taken away from them: “The people quickly went about their busy talkative business” (Juster 162). The most…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    George Kennedy Rhetoric

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Before reading George Kennedy’s essay, it never really occurred to me how rhetoric began to exist and how that affected speech as it is today. When I read that rhetoric is shown through many animals and existed long before us humans, I was so intrigued with that idea because it wasn't something I ever thought about in explicit details. When I think of rhetoric or speech, my mind instantly goes to the evolution of humans; how we use our ability to speak effectively to our advantage in our day to day life. I would've never thought that rhetoric would've been heavily shown throughout the animals that exist. I guess that's the beauty of it all though.…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1990, author Wendell Berry released an essay titled “The Pleasures of Eating”. The essay focused on the responsibilities of eating, which includes self-awareness regarding what one’s consuming. Berry discusses how to eat responsibly throughout his piece, often citing the hidden dangers of the food industry, which includes the unjustifiable treatment of animals. Berry uses the rhetorical appeals in relation to these matters which allows him to connect and convey his message more strongly toward Americans, especially those living more rural lifestyles.…

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Torr Neverwhon Analysis

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Movie Night at Torr Neverwhon It was movie night in Dr. Aeon's tower sanctum of Torr Neverwhon, or, more accurately, it was Sturdiman Serial night. Sunset Aeon had long since finished her housekeeping chores; simple specialized magical cantrips long-since perfected for mundane tasks. Her Sanctum was neat as a pin, she had available ample refreshments such as popcorn and adult beverages. Most importantly, her magical Sturdiman Movie Maker simulacrum had finished generating tonight's exciting episode, The Super-Speed Zombie Machine, with special guest star The Rush.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Journal #1 In the first few Chapters of my book, Andy Mc-Nab's Firewall. The Story is a little hard to figure out at first but from what I've gathered it's about a man by the name of Nick Stone. He is an ex-SAS agent working for British Intelligence that's desperate for cash even its doing the right or wrong mission. It takes place in Helsinki, Finland 6th of December 1999.…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reading, writing, speaking, and various other forms of communication have been essential to the evolution of human beings. Our species’ dominance today was preconditioned by communication, allowing us to excel in fields such as abstract thought, logic, and rationality. Thousands of years have elapsed since the alphabet, one of our most essential mediums of communication, was invented. This invention altered the methods in which we structure our thoughts and ideas, thus domesticating the human species into the cooperative junction it is today. However, this was only an invention, not a natural occurrence imbedded into the human intellect.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of my roommates in college was gay. He confided in me about his sexual preference, knowing I’d respect his confidence. Back then, gay people were openly ridiculed and rejected and attacked. I wish I could say this was no longer true, but obviously I can’t. We’ve come a long way, but what happened in Orlando and the reaction to it provide harsh reminders of how people hate those who are different from them in some way.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Eating dog food for dinner. What a revolting idea to many, but in Ann Hodgman’s “No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch”, that is exactly what our minds palate is in store for. Hodgman spins a tale of selecting many different brands of dog food to try out as her bemused and hungry dog looks on. She…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Language has been a part of society for as long as history can remember. What about language makes it so vitally important? How does language shape our society? In Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler, she explores the meaning of language and how it affects the world we live in. Butler uses a post apocalyptic setting to show the ways that communication are part of and define society.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Language is what allows us to interact and communicate with others and comprehend what they are saying instead of just sitting there with blank stares. So what happens when there is disconnect between our brains and our ability to communicate? Neurologists have termed the word aphasia which refers to “the collective deficits in language comprehension and production that accompany neurological damage” (Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind, pg. 472).…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Beginning of this podcast “Words” the speaker immediately grabs the reader's attention and gives the reader vivid imagery of what she was experiencing. Which gives the reader an idea of what she had gone through so the reader would be able to have a better understanding of the situation and what the speaker is really trying to get out of this experience. The usage of imagery allows the reader to feel that they are at the scene and physically seeing her getting into the accident. Toward the middle of the podcast, they were talking about the importance of language and words. How they play a major role in our everyday life.…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Zainab Saleem Khan Section K It is often thought that the reality expressed in spoken word is the very same as the reality which is perceived in thought. Perception and expression are frequently understood to be synonymous and it is assumed that our speech is based on our thoughts. This idea presumes that what one says is dependent of how it is encoded and decoded in the mind. (Badhesha, 2002)…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays