Show:
Characters
Plot Points
Figurative Language Terms
Literary Analysis
Vocabulary Chart #3
100

Who is Jeannette's only brother who becomes a cop by the memoir's end? 

Brian

100
What happened at the Phoenix zoo that horrified many people?
Rex Walls had his children pet a cheetah
100

In the beginning of the memoir, Rex takes Jeanette from the hospital reassuring her that “you don’t have to worry anymore, baby...you’re safe now.” This is a good example of what kind of figurative language device?

Irony

100
Is Rex Walls a caring father?
In some ways Rex Walls does care: he gives Jeannette money to help fund her college tuition; he also gives her a planet for her birthday. In other ways, Rex Walls is the total opposite of a caring father. He dumps money into alcohol, stays away from home for days, etc.
100

The Walls family moves around from place to place. The word used to describe such movement is known as being what?

Nomadic

200
Which character can't get up in the morning to go to work?
Rose Mary
200
What does Rose Mary own that she could sell, but doesn't even though she and Rex are homeless in New York.
She owns land. Also she owns the house in Phoenix.
200

“I’ve got kites to fly and fish to fry" is a good example of what figurative language device?

An idiom

200
Why didn't Rose Mary split with Rex?
- She is an excitement addict and Rex provides excitement. - She and Rex Walls complement each other: they're both free-spirited. - She loves arguing with him
200

An antonym for rustic would be ______________.

palatial

300

Which character makes money at pool and poker as they are "games of skill and not chance"?

Rex Walls

300

Jeannette defines "living somewhere" as: 

If you unpack all of your things

300

Name one symbol within the memoir and what it represents. 

Joshua Tree

The Glass Castle

Fire

300

What role does fire play in the book (specific scenes) and what does it ultimately symbolize? 

Fire symbolizes the chaos and danger that is ever present for Jeannette and her siblings, primarily due to her parents. There is the hotel fire in San Francisco, the fire that burns her at 3 years old, and the "laboratory" fire. Interestingly, the end of the  memoir closes with a description of a candle flame that shifts and "dance[es] along the border between turbulence and order" (Walls 288). This might signify that Jeannette finally finds balance in her own life between the adventurous/rebellious spirit her upbringing and her father instilled her with and the order of knowing who she is and choosing a different path for her future. She can hold space for both. 

300

Duke and North Carolina basketball programs are notorious ____________________ as are Ohio State and Michigan football programs.

adversaries

400

Who locks Jeannette and her siblings up in the basement?

Grandma Erma

400
Describe Rex and Rose Mary's move to New York.
They cause a huge traffic jam during the morning commute after breaking down in one of the tunnels leading into the city.
400

A word or phrase used in everyday relaxed speech, but rarely found in formal writing. For example, when the Welch principal asks Jeannette, "Wuts et them seen!" to test her mathematic skills (Walls 136).

Colloquialism

400

What does the glass castle represent for Jeannette?

For Jeannette, the glass castle symbolizes hope. As a child, she can only believe that her father will hit it big. As she grows older, she realizes that the glass castle will never be built, and as a result, it becomes a symbol of her dad's failures. New York replaces the glass castle for Jeannette, as it is a place that is real and that she gets to on her own and with the help of her siblings. 

400

With all due ______________, I think the council should reconsider its decision on tax increases.

deference

500
Which character at first beats Jeannette up, then befriends her?
Dinitia
500

What is the ultimate cause of Dad's death? 

He has a heart attack.

500

The comparison of two unlike things. For example, when dad discusses his "demons" he is really talking about his traumas, fears and anxieties. 

Metaphor

500
Overall, did Jeannette enjoy the life she lived with her family during childhood?
In many ways, she lived an adventurous, happy life. On the other hand, her childhood also featured pain, hunger, and tough obstacles.
500

Someone has been spreading ____________ gossip about me on social media.

malicious