Introduction to The Glass Castle
Literary Nonfiction Unit
Standards we will be addressing
today…
• ELACC11-12RL2: Determine two or more
themes or central ideas of text and analyze
their development over the course of the text,
including how they interact and build on one
another to produce a complex account;
provide an objective summary of the text.
• ELACC11-12L6: Acquire and use accurately
general academic and domain-specific words
and phrases.
Consider the following poem by
Langston Hughes:
Ennui
It’s such a
Bore
Being always
Poor.
1. What is the basic situation of
the poem?
2. What is the tone of the poem?
3. What do you think the title
means?
4. The definition of the word ennui
is a feeling of weariness and
dissatisfaction : boredom. Why
did Hughes choose that title?
Themes in The Glass Castle
by Jeanette Walls
• As you can tell from the Hughes poem,
poverty is a major theme of the text as well
as:
– Forgiveness
– Parental Responsibility
– Self-Reliance
– Overcoming Adversity
– Nonconformity
Previewing Activity
• Life is full of tough decisions. Often we have to
make decisions by ourselves, not knowing the
repercussion of each decision. For each
number choose either option A or B and wait
for further directions.
What is a Motif?
• A recurrent
image, word,
phrase,
represented
object or action
that tends to
unify the literary
work or that
may be
elaborated into
a more general
theme.
Motifs and Symbols in The Glass Castle
• Fire
• The Glass Castle
Motifs and Symbols in the Glass Castle
• The Joshua Tree
• The geode
Symbolism Journal
• Apply to our reading of Chapter 1.
Types of Nonfiction HomeworkLook up the definitions of each type of
nonfiction and explain the differences.
• Memoir
• Journal/ Diary
• Autobiography
• Essay
• Biography
• Letter