They were going to live in a glass castle, that was the goal. The memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls shares the story of her life to the world. Growing up, Jeannette and her three siblings (Lori, Brian, and Maureen) had to deal with an alcoholic father who could not hold a job and a whimsical, free spirited mother who rarely fulfilled her parental role. The Walls family never stayed in one place for too long, they were constantly on the move whether it was because Rex (Jeannette's father) lost another job or because they felt like outcasts. Throughout the memoir, Walls recalls her fathers plans to build a house he called their Glass Castle. After years of putting up with and even admiring her parents Jeannette realized the true status of her life. So her older sister Lori and herself devised a plan to move to New York to escape their hell of a life. Soon after they moved the girls were able to convince their other two siblings to move to New York as well. In the end, Rex dies of a heart attack. His death made Jeannette rethink her new life; and with these thoughts came the divorce of her and her first husband, Eric.
I believe Walls wrote this memoir in order to show readers the lessons she has learned from her life while also being able to express (and maybe even release) the feels and experiences she had gone through. These lessons adds character too the book in a unique way. For example in one part of the book, Jeannette was trying to learn how to swim but continuously drowned, Her father told her “If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim”. Although it's not the best way to teach a lesson, it does make a strong point. Overall, I enjoyed this memoir and believe that Walls was able to achieve her purpose in a unique, inspiring, and even heart-wrenching way. Although she had an extremely tough life, Walls was able to make the best of it and in the end (well at least the end of the book) was able to make peace with herself and her life.
Today,
advertising through TV commercials is one of he most common ways to get the
word out about ones company. But, with so many commercials out there businesses
need to find ways to make their ad stand out from all the others. E*TRADE has
done just that by creating a humorous, cute, and most importantly memorable ad.
I mean who doesn’t know about the E*trade baby commercials? One adorable little
baby has quickly become a household face. This little boy is given the voice of
a grown man and is made to seem like he is broadcasting about his love for
E*trade. In this commercial in particular the baby is put in what he calls
solitary confinement because he rode the dog around the house. But of course,
even in time out he hides all his electronic devices so that he can still go
check his stocks on the E*trade app.
The
overall purpose of this commercial is to convince viewers to begin using
E*trade. The main audience is adults who own stocks, but it also appeals to
almost anyone who watches this charming ad. By adding the elements of humor and
the baby captivates viewers. By giving the baby adult characteristics such as
its voice and its possession of multiple electronic devices easily appeals to
the humor element of the ad.However,
by keeping some of the elements of the baby, like the fact that he was given a
time out and that he is in a crib creates a sense of cuteness, which is very
appealing to most.
I
do not believe that the overall purpose of the ad (convincing people to use
their product) was very successful. This is only because I do not know anyone
who has ever used E*trade. But I think it was able to make the companies name
well know because of how darling the ad was. So, even though I do not believe
that they achieved their main purpose, I still think that E*trade was able to
make a memorable commercial which in the long run could help their company
succeed.
From
New York City to London, going to the theater is always a pleasurable
experience for any avid theatergoer. Adam Green, the author of the article “Stage
Notes: Matilda on Broadway and Tales
from London’s West End”, shares his
experience from his five-day theater going trip to London. Beginning with the
play Matilda, Green shares with his
readers a brief summary of the play and his perspective on the atmosphere in
the theater as well. Describing the play as “boisterous” and “ buoyant” is only
the start of Green’s praise towards this wonderful musical. He goes on by
eulogizing the cast for their spectacular performance. As his trip continued,
Green attended many more theatrical performances including Peter and Alice, Untold
Stories, and Macbeth; all of which
he seemed to have theroly enjoyed.
Green’s
purpose in writing this article was to share the new experiences from his trip
and the experiences from the plays he attended. This article is perfect for
anyone interested in seeing the play Matilda or any theater enthusiastic. Green
uses an uplifting and eager tone and insider information makes his article a
pleasurable read for all. Green described the main actress’s (Oona Laurence)
performance as follows: “She sings and dances
up a storm without a trace of how-do-you-like-me-now kiddie-performer treacle,
and she breaks your heart without asking for sympathy”. This gives his readers
a glimpse into the performance and intrigues them to go and see this talented
little girl successfully execute the classic role of Matilda.
Being
a complete Broadway nerd, I obviously loved reading this article! Not only did
Green make me want to hop on the next train to New York to see Matilda, he also
had he online further researching the plays. He incorporated his theatrical
knowledge faultlessly and left me wanting to hear more!
***Note:
I have been singing Matilda songs around the house ever since I read this
article
