The novel Chinese Cinderella is an autobiography written by author Adeline Yen Mah, which describes her experiences…
Their family always was pleased and in check with the bills for the first few months when they moved to a new house. Two places where they stayed the longest was Phoenix and Blue Mountain. In both areas Dad found good paying job as miner or electrician in a mine and for the first few months all the family’s needs were full filled according to the writer. However, when dad lost his job, things around the house would go back into chaos and left mom no choice but to teach and this made life better with their needs met again. During these days everyone was happy and the children received presents regularly like a new bicycle. These events were when the most smiles and happiness in kids was shone off. Finally towards the end of the book everyone moved to New York City and from beginning to end in their stay everyone was joyful. However their dad did die and Maureen moved to California after stabbing her mother but order was still there. Jeanette went to an Ivy League college and after graduating she became a journalist which was what she always wanted to be since high school. The author made this time seem very cheerful except when they talked about her parents in the streets. Towards the end the thanksgiving dinner brought the family all together witch it brought forth a conclusion worth reading. The Glass Castle states on the last paragraph “We raised our glasses. I could almost hear Dad chuckling at Mom's comment in the way he always did when he was truly enjoying something.” This showed at the end of all the pain and suffering there was true peace for their family at…
In the autobiographical novel The Glass Castle by Jennette Walls, Jennette is a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family full of hard circumstances and extreme poverty. Yet her experiences are still very exciting; having many adventures. Her father is an alcoholic, but when sober is expressive and brilliant, teaching Jennette and her two siblings Brian and Lori about the wonders of life. Jennette changes throughout her struggles from being a wondering naïve child, to becoming bitter towards her parents for the lifestyle they have put her in to finally developing into a resilient and independent young lady finally accepting her parents for who they are.…
Furthermore, not only do the parents disregard their kids and cause them to face difficult situations on their own, but they also hindered their [the kids] progress. “Someone had slashed him [Oz] apart with a knife and stole all the money. I knew it was Dad … stoop this low … I just want to win a stupid little scholarship” (Walls 228,227). The siblings acquired jobs to help them escape to New York because they felt unfulfilled with their current life in Welch. Ordinarily, Dad’s interest was solely in the money he used for buying alcohol or gambling and he refused to care about the children’s dreams. When Dad stole the money, intended for Lori’s escape, the kids’ challenge was to work harder to recoup the lost money. Jeannette matured through her new experiences with her father as she realized that her Dad was not a hero but an alcoholic who would steal money from his kids for his desires. With his strong opinions, Dad did anything in his will to prove Lori wrong and his frustration caused him to ruin Lori’s sculpture for a scholarship. Living with neglectful parents was hard enough, but the worst result was that it brought out mental anguish in the children, especially…
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” (Albert Einstein). This quote especially applies to the main character of Chinese Cinderella, Adeline. Many people gave her the impression that she was worthless, but some believed in her. In the memoir Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline has a very tough childhood. However, her grandfather, Ye Ye, and her aunt, Aunt Baba, continuously support her, and Adeline would not have risen above her abusive childhood without them.…
Being an only daughter in a family of six brothers not only affects her identity, but it also has a huge impact on her future. When she was little her brothers would not play with her…
When they were younger they stuck together and even though they had problems they had faith in their parents. Their parents made them strong and gave them a lot of experiences. Some of which would be being able to pet a real tiger, sleeping under the stars in the desert, and many more. At times it made it seem like the kids were the most wonderful, important part of their parents’ lives, but at others it seemed like they were either too busy to be parents or had better things to do with more important things. When they were younger they believed that the adventures they were going on were actually that, but it was really the family just needing to move to stay away from certain people and unpaid bills. But for all of the good experiences there was also a not so great experience. Their dad was drunk for a lot of their life and when he was drunk he would yell at them and not be a good father. He took Jeannette to a bar and pretty much let a stranger do anything he wanted with her just to get some money. Their mom would have mental break-down type of things and the kids would have to do everything around the house. It seemed like at times their dad would do anything just to get some money for alcohol or who knows what; he would even take the money that the kids needed to buy food and pay the bills, which the kids shouldn’t have to be worried…
1. How many siblings does Adeline have? What are they like? 7 and they all neglect Adeline.…
This story is told from the view of the younger sister, Katie, who learns about life, love and perseverance through the perceptive guidance of her sister Lynn. The two sisters have a bond that makes this story heart touching and holds the 6th-8th grade readers ' imagination. The format uses a child 's view to gradually introduce readers to topics of prejudice, cultural differences, and hardships. The following is an example from page 34.…
Yen Jun-ling grew up in an extreme environment. She was an unwanted child, as she was blamed for her mother’s death during childbirth. Her father resented her, her stepmother resented her, and even her own siblings resented her. Her struggle to find freedom from her oppressive house hold is evident throughout her memoir. Yen Jun-ling was at the top of her class since her first day of school.…
The children in the novel, The Glass Castle, had a rough childhood filled with instability and crazy parents. They experienced many hardships throughout their life however, the children were given many rare opportunities that some people can only dream of doing. At the time, these opportunities may not have presented themselves as great gift but the memories created were soon appreciated by the children, especially Jeannette. For example, during one of the family’s skedaddles, they were forced to spend the night in the vast desert under the stars. At the time, the child complained about the circumstances. Later in the novel, when her father passed away, Jeannette recalls that night and treasures the memories created by such a unique event.…
The book Chinese Cinderella is a true story written by Adeline Yen Mah based on her life as a child. The book is about Adeline Yen Mah and the struggles and successes she faced as a child growing up in many different places. She was known as the unwanted daughter and was also known as bad luck because of the passing of her mother after she was born. After her mothers death her father re-married her evil stepmother who doesn’t like her. She is treated badly from all of her family except from Aunt Baba, Nai Nai and Ye Ye. She is treated badly by most of her family because she is bad luck in their eyes. As Adeline grows up as a child she learns to understand and to cope with the negativity most of her family gives her. Along the way in her…
Their father says to them “he would rather have them be more involved in school and go to college; he gives them the option to work on the farm if they want to”. No longer having to mandatorily work on the farm, she becomes more involved in school and even took on a job as a waitress. She still notices that she’s different, very mature, and can handle more responsibility than others. Some days she reflects back to life on the farm and realizes that it has taught her a “valuable lesson making her the person she is as an…
1. ‘full of foreboding’ Alliterated phrase emphasizes Yen Mah's sense of anticipation thus arousing melancholy as we've already been informed of her terrible life but sympathise with her for what's about to happen.…
Estella tries to make ends meet as a market vendor. Miling, a school teacher, looks down on her daughter-in-law's lack of formal education, and blames the family's misfortunes on her. Estella finds her role in the family and her self-respect dwindling.…