- Does the argument make sense? Why or why not?
- What flaws are evident in the argument?
- Are the kids learning a valuable lesson, or are Rose Mary and Rex just using their logic to excuse their negligence?
Rose Mary and Rex have interesting logic to back up how they're raising their kids (and their lifestyle in general). Chose a quotation that demonstrates their logic and analyze it closely:
14 Comments
Blake H.
10/1/2015 11:31:24 am
I think the parents are using this to excuse their negligence because they don't want the burden of raising children but love the family feeling and the whole thought of settling down without actually doing. In my opinion, they actually cant handle the responsibility of having children as if they are still children themselves because they're arguments make no sense like a painting will last forever but so will your kid and breaking your kid out of a hospital when they clearly need the help, both without reason. For the quote I chose it was the same one shown above, "Why should I cook a meal that will be gone in an our when I can do a painting that will last forever." (Walls 57). I chose this quote as it directly relates to my above point and it really shows were the mothers priorities are, she'd rather make a painting then dinner for her family. All this is why I strongly believe Rex and Rose Mary are definitely not responsible parents in any way.
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Alex F.
10/1/2015 05:10:10 pm
"Dad got into an argument with the doctor. it started because Dad though I shouldn't be wearing bandages. 'Burns need to breath,' he told he doctor. The doctor said bandages were necessary to prevent infection. Dad stared at the doctor. 'To hell with infection,' he said. He told the doctor that I was going to be scarred for life because of him, but, by God, I wasn't the only one who was going to walk out of there scarred."(Walls 13). This argument does not make sense because the dad who most likely does not know too much about medicine is arguing with a doctor about how to heal burns. Also, the argument is very flawed because for one it is a man who has no medical education versus a man who has gone through extensive training to become a doctor, so therefore, the argument should not really have taken place. Also, another flaw is that when the father realises that he is probably wrong, he takes a violent path and threatens the doctor. Further more, she has been burned seriously so pretty much no matter what there will be scars so you would think that the father would be worried about infection more so than the scar that is pretty much guaranteed. There is no lesson learned by the children with this argument other than Rex is just worried about his kids. In addition, it seems as though Rex may be using his logic to excuse his neglect in the way that he wants his daughter to think that he cares and perhaps he felt bad that this happened to her so he acted in this way.
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Ben
10/2/2015 06:54:05 am
good job!
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Carmen D
10/1/2015 05:19:02 pm
"Why should I cook a meal that will be gone in an hour when I can do a painting that will last forever?"
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Cam
10/1/2015 05:53:05 pm
"Why should I cook a meal that will be gone in an hour when I can do a painting that will last forever?"
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Kyle P.
10/1/2015 05:53:24 pm
When Jeannette asks her mother about why their family lives in poverty, she receives just about every justification possible, usually based off of her mother's values. Near the end of The Glass Castle, Jeannette is told, "Things usually work out in the end" (Walls 259) by her mother. When she replies with "What if they don't?", the mothers answer is, "That just means you haven't come to the end yet" (259). This lesson can be interpreted both positively and negatively. On one hand, the mother seems to be encouraging Jeannette to chase her dreams, saying that if things are not working out, that she should not give up as it is not yet the end . On the other hand however, Rose Mary's lessons usually have slightly twisted meanings. The mother could just as well be using this quote as justification for not taking action to improve their lives, by saying that it will all be better soon. Jeannette at this point though is older and smart enough to see both sides of what her mother is saying, and that makes the quote much more valuable to her. Rose Mary is always on the defensive, and most likely said this quote while thinking heavily about herself, and subconsciously intended it to be justification for her negligent parenting. However as Jeannette now sees through her parents logic, the lesson is both an example of her parents excusing their own actions, and Jeannette learning a valuable life lesson.
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Mylinh T.
10/1/2015 06:57:17 pm
"Dad kept telling me that he loved me, that he never would have let me drown, but you can't cling to the side your whole life, that one lesson every parent needs to teach a child is 'If you don't want sink, you better figure out how to swim'" (66).
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Hanna G.
10/1/2015 07:03:41 pm
While Rose Mary and Rex Walls supposedly believe in teaching their children to be independent from young ages, this belief could easily be viewed as a cover for their own negligence as parents. As an adult, Jeannette Walls reflects on her parents' morals, saying, "Mom believed that children shouldn't be burdened with a lot of rules and restrictions" (Walls 59). This is a direct representation of her parent's views on life as well as how to raise their children. In the novel, the parents definitely do not burden their children nor themselves with many rules or restrictions, and instead let their children run free unsupervised wherever they happen to be living while they carry out their own free-spirited and spontaneous lifestyles. This parenting style could be viewed as an interesting way to teach self-sufficiency and independence, but it could also be considered as neglect. On the majority of occasions, neither parent pays attention to the safety of their children, whether they are aware of the dangers their children are facing or not. While this method of parenting is definitely enforcing some lifelong lessons in each child's brains about being self-sufficient, Rose Mary and Rex's logic is definitely an excuse for their own negligence, whether they are aware of it or not.
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Narmeen S
10/1/2015 07:15:42 pm
The Wall family is known for letting their children learn for themselves. Jeannette’s parents have strong beliefs and values, which they firmly stick to. Her parents may have questionable morals, but many leave a positive effect on their children’s lives. As Jeanette was terrified of large bodies of water, her father was extremely prescient to “teach” her how to swim in an open and endless Hot Spot. After her father had let her swim for herself, leading her to almost drown in multiple occasions, he later explains that he was only looking out for her. She is later told “if you don’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim” (66) by her father. Rose Mary and Rex Wall refuse to coddle their children, which results in their children maturing and growing up much faster than parents who protect their children from the harsh world. In the end, Jeannette understands the way her father thinks, and starts to appreciate him for it.
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Meagan S.
10/1/2015 07:45:23 pm
" 'Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten' Dad said, 'You'll still have our stars' " (Walls, 41)
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Yasmine Du
10/1/2015 08:45:42 pm
"Mom got angry. She was saving it,she said ,to butter the bread. We already ate all the bread, I said. Mom said she was thinking of baking some bread if the neighbor would loan us some flour. I pointed that the gas company had turned off our gas”. (Walls,69). This argument does not make sense because normally a mother should benefit her children first. But instead of trying to get the children food,she would rather think more about herself. She does’t even care about whether the kids are starving or not. She blamed the kids for eating the whole thing which she said she was going to make a bread out of but since they had no flour and no gas, they all knew that it was not true that she wanted to make bread out of it , instead she actually wanted on behalf of her own :“Mom wasn’t making any sense to me. I wondered if she had been looking forward to eating the margarine herself. And that made me wonder if she was the one who'd stolen the can of corn the night before, which got me a little mad. ‘It was the only thing to eat in the whole house,’ I said. Raising my voice, I added, ‘I was hungry’”(69).She stole the can of corn from her children, like she always puts herself before them, pampering herself which showed how selfish she was.This shows her logic of herself taking priority, and of course was an excuse of her negligence.
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Khadija J
10/2/2015 12:07:26 am
Jeannette and her siblings are basically starving with the money for food being spent down at the pub by their father Rex and quite often they have to prepare little meals they have on their own, because of their mother's philosophy and logic, "Why should I cook a meal that will be gone in an hour when I can do a painting that will last forever? This quote does make sense because yes a painting will last forever because it is long term and food can devoured in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds depending on the circumstances. However in this context there are many flaws in this quote. Rose Mary would rather work on her art than provide a meal for her children. This negligence really does reflect on Rose Mary's values as a parent and how she sees things. She rather do things that satisfy her needs and put herself first rather than her own children, and fails to provide them with a basic necessity such as food and using her logic as a pathetic justification as to why she can't provide a meal for her children. While her children starved she painted with ease completely lost in her art and not seeing the importance of parenting.
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Sophia
10/2/2015 06:03:58 am
The quote by Rose Mary does seem to make sense. It is true that a painting will last much longer than a meal. Although there are serious flaws in this argument. The biggest and most obvious one being that a meal is necessary for your health and survival and a painting is not. Mary rose has her priorities a little bit mixed up, rather than feeding her hungry family she would rather be making a painting. This is not a good message to send her children because it is important to eat and stay healthy. More important that creating a nice painting.
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Katie
10/4/2015 02:04:38 pm
Rose Mary's quote from above does make sense that dinner will be gone in an hour and her paintings will last forever but, the reality is, her children's starvation will also be gone in that hour and that is a flaw that rose Mary can't see. This quote is not a good lesson for the children because maybe they will grow up and have the same point of view on life as their mother. In this case, their children will also starve just like Jeanette and her siblings did in their childhood and this technique of parenting will go on for generations.
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