The most interesting panel on page 134 of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home is the 3rd panel, which consumes more than half the page in its depiction of Bechdel’s childhood gothic revival home. There are several images that are overlaid, which may be described as internal panels. They magnify the individual studies of the family inside, and their solitude is amplified by their silhouetted forms. Despite the fact that the entire family lives under one roof, Bechdel seems to imply that they are only able to do so thanks to their solitary pursuits of individual passions. The internal panels fracture the complete image of the collective home, placing greater emphasis on the individual and ultimately how isolated each of the Bechdel’s are from one another.…
The Glass Castle tells the story of author, Jeannette Wall’s, life as she grows up with quite peculiar parents. Jeannette is a middle child with an intelligent older sister named Lori, a tough younger brother named Brian, and later on, an even younger sister named Maureen. The book opens in present time showing Jeannette as an adult on her way to an event. She then saw her homeless mother digging in the trash.…
The picture book Steamboat School is about an African-American boy named James that lives in Missouri in 1847. In this time period, people of his race were not allowed to go to school. Instead, they snuck downstairs to the basement of a church to learn to read and write from a man named Reverend John Berry Meachum, who everyone had nothing but the utmost respect for. The basement had no windows, so it was naturally very dark. However, as Meachum says, “We make our own light in here”, (Hopkinson 8 ).…
Since the time we were little, we became invested in childhood tales. We became connected to the characters and their stories. They teach us to be brave, kind, and adventurous. Little did we know, we were also being taught another lesson. Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and many others all have something in common; an absent mother.…
Is America’s academic “boat” being taken over by the Chinese? In the New York Times article, “Amy Chua is a Wimp”, by David Brooks, touches on whether Chinese parenting is better than American parenting, and criticizes one parent’s, Amy Chua, method of raising her own kids. In this piece, Brook uses effective literary strategies in order to turn us against Chua, but at the same time opens our eyes to the idea that she is no better than us Americans. He exploits Chua’s parenting flaws right from the beginning, and takes repeated stabs at the way she punishes her kids. Statistical data is included in the article to establish supporting evidence , and to make his writing credible.…
Neha Sampat Professor Urbanic College Writing I 15 September 2017 "The Sanctuary of School" By: Lynda Barry The author's topic is important because it talks about issues like abandonment and negligence. Those types of issues still go on in the world. She was seven years old and she was living with her parents who were not happy with each other. Lynda talks about in the story on how her parents took in relatives and made them sleep in the girl's room.…
In “Rules of the Game,” Tan highlights some issues that appear in mother-daughter relationships. Although Waverly’s mom is supportive, she is overbearing and too critical when it comes to her children. Waverly’s mom lives vicariously through her daughters success. She cares more about the attention that Waverly’s success brings, rather than how her daughter is feeling after all these events occur.…
In the book, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap by Stephanie Coontz, the author deconstructs various types of stereotypes and myths embodied by television shows that romanticize family life and gender roles. Coontz (1992) states that these idealizations promote the “traditional family” myth which she describes as “an ahistorical amalgam of structures, values, and behaviors that never coexisted in time and place” (p.9). The notions derived from this myth are a compound of characteristics that resemble mid-nineteenth century and early 20th century paradigms concerning family life (Coontz, 1992, p.9). Coontz (1992) describes both components in detail in Chapter 1 describing the first as a mother-child oriented family…
Jeannette Walls, a once low class, immature child blossomed into an amazing woman and journalist. While her parents fail to provide some of the simplest needs for her and her siblings, instead of letting it get to her and giving up, she makes the choice to face her problems and even learned to grow from them. Although her family held her back from many opportunities, Jeannette still kept trying her best to become a better person as she grew up. While trying to find herself in an unorthodox, dysfunctional, and crowded family, Jeannette learns self sufficiency and her true identity, which demonstrates how hardships in life create motivation. Being let down is always hard, especially when let down by family, and while not being able to further…
Growing up is something we go through from the time we are born to the time we die. We start off being helpless, alone and wondering what our next move will be. We rely so much on our parents to give us guidance, knowing right from wrong and learning how to survive on our own. As time goes on, we grow up into a teenager where we think we know everything about the world and that we are entitled to everything. After we grow out of the teenager stage we begin into adulthood where we make our choices, decisions, and plan out our career path.…
Having been homeschooled for the first twelve years of my life, I had a rather untraditional childhood. While my friends were required to go to school from 6:20 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon, I was at home studying or on a field trip to some relevant lecture, the library, or a museum. Because of this less rigid environment, I usually had a lot of time available to me in addition to my school time. Using this excess time for my own personal interests, I developed a penchant for reading at an early age.…
In The Glass Castle, the author named Jeannette Walls thinks of a plan to aright a bended Joshua tree that she sees in the Desert. The tree that Jeannette discovers grows sideways due to the harsh weather conditions and struggles to survive every day. Jeannette’s mother tells her to leave the tree how it is because it is “the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty” (Walls 45). Similarly, the tree symbolizes Jeannette’s life. Both of these living creatures are negatively impacted by their environment, face criticism, work hard regardless of what they are provided with and live an admirable life.…
In The Sanctuary of School by Lynda Barry she tells a story of when she was 7 years old. The story was about her first time sneaking out of the house and why she does so. Growing up, she tells us that her brother and she had to give up their bedrooms for other relatives. These relatives were only supposed to be staying at their house for a short while, however most of them never did leave and ended up living with them. Their parents were always fighting and arguing over finances.…
Jessica has always been told she wasn't good enough, or smart enough to strive academically. I would constantly receive phone calls and emails from teachers who were determined to place her into inclusive education programs. Jessica begged me not too, and when questioned about it, she stated that she did not want to be considered “stupid” like all her teachers believe she is. That broke me apart. If a child is told they have a certain trait by a superior, they tend to believe it.…
In the movie, Sweet Home Alabama, Melanie Carmichael, a woman in her early twenties moves away from her charming town of Greenville, AL to New York City to pursue her dream of being a fashion designer. She becomes very successful and one of the top designers in the city and is enjoying her life in New York until she finds herself engaged to one of the most eligible men in the city. She is then forced to return home to Greenville to tell her parents the news and obtain a divorce from her husband after seven years of separation. An analysis can be made of Melanie’s relationships with her fiancé, her husband, and the relationship between her parents and between her fiancé and his parents. Through this analysis, character development and relational…