Outside Reading-Week 5, Post A

Vocab

Chipper (287): a machine that grinds up logs, tree trunks, discarded Christmas trees, etc., into wood chips.

Spires (245): A structure or formation, such as a steeple, that tapers to a point at the top.

Appeals

1.) “Mom and dad survived the winter, but every time I saw them, they looked a little worse for the wear”(pg 260). This is an emotional appeal because when you read it, you think about the difference between what surviving means to them and what it means to you. Surviving each day was a lot harder for them that it is for most normal people. Also the ‘but’ shows that even though they are surviving, they are having a harder and harder time.
2.) “‘But you always loved your old man, didn’t you?’ ‘I did, Dad,’ I said ‘And you loved me.’” (pg2 279). This is an emotional appeal because Jeannette is sad her dad is dying, and reminds herself that her dad always loved her even if he wasn’t always doing the best things for her. It is especially sad because she has not always realized this, and has not always been as nice to him ad as she maybe should have.
3.) “He’d been sober longer than any time since the Phoenix detox.”(pg 262). This emotional appeal makes you feel really happy for Jeannette because she can enjoy her dad now, and happy for her dad because he is sober. It is also a logical appeal, because it is a fact.

Quote

“She held up her Glass. ‘Life with your father was never boring.’”(pg 288). This quote is on the last page of the book and is when Jeannette’s mom is making a toast to Jeannette’s dad, who is dead. I think this shows that even though got them into a lot of trouble and wasn’t always home, but he was always there for them. He always loved them, and tried to take care of them, even if they we obscure ways. Though the toast can be taken as a joke, I believe it is also very true.

Theme

I think that an overall theme of the book has been to not take things for granted even though they may seem bad or unimportant; you might miss it in the future. This is true of the way Jeannette feels about her father, her family life, and her home.