Lesson 6: Food, Hunger, and The Glass Castle
An estimated 6.8 million people ages 10 to 17 are food insecure, meaning they don't have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. Another 2.9 million are very food insecure, and roughly 4 million live in marginally food secure households, where the the threat of running out of food is real. "Impossible Choices: Teens and Food Insecurity in America" September 2016
30,000 adults and children in Lake County are considered "food insecure." The News-Herald 2015
30,000 adults and children in Lake County are considered "food insecure." The News-Herald 2015
Part 2 - Analytical Essay for The Glass Castle
Directions: Craft an essay that analyzes the role of food/hunger in The Glass Castle.
In her memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls tells the story of her non-traditional childhood. As part of this experience, she recounts many times when she and her family experienced a lack of food security.
Consider both the times when the family experiences devastating hunger, as well as the moments when they connect with food. Then, in a well-developed essay, discuss the narrator's memories of food and hunger, and analyze how those moments contribute to the tone and the meaning of the text. Honors Seminar: Consider extending the conversation by including information from the supplemental resources (see below), and analyzing how that content connects with Walls' experiences.
Sample Essay PARAGRAPH
Throughout their youth, the Walls’ children experienced recurring bouts of food insecurity. Even in their elementary school years, Jeannette and her siblings were forced to adopt coping strategies, which included sneaking produce from the iceberg lettuce farm and pilfering food from various friends’ houses in order to ensure their survival. In one notable incident, the author recalls “slip[ping] back into the classroom and find[ing] something in some other kid’s lunch bag (68).” Her hunger was so intense that she was “barely able to taste” the food that she quickly devoured (68). Walls language suggests the shame and trauma she experienced due to hunger. Words such as “slip” and “gulp” hint at the embarrassment and desperation brought on by the family’s food insecurity, and the notion that “we kids usually kept our hunger to ourselves” only serves to reinforce the psychological effects of hunger. That shame and trauma continued to haunt Walls into adulthood, as she spent years hiding her truth from the world.
Directions: Craft an essay that analyzes the role of food/hunger in The Glass Castle.
In her memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls tells the story of her non-traditional childhood. As part of this experience, she recounts many times when she and her family experienced a lack of food security.
Consider both the times when the family experiences devastating hunger, as well as the moments when they connect with food. Then, in a well-developed essay, discuss the narrator's memories of food and hunger, and analyze how those moments contribute to the tone and the meaning of the text. Honors Seminar: Consider extending the conversation by including information from the supplemental resources (see below), and analyzing how that content connects with Walls' experiences.
Sample Essay PARAGRAPH
Throughout their youth, the Walls’ children experienced recurring bouts of food insecurity. Even in their elementary school years, Jeannette and her siblings were forced to adopt coping strategies, which included sneaking produce from the iceberg lettuce farm and pilfering food from various friends’ houses in order to ensure their survival. In one notable incident, the author recalls “slip[ping] back into the classroom and find[ing] something in some other kid’s lunch bag (68).” Her hunger was so intense that she was “barely able to taste” the food that she quickly devoured (68). Walls language suggests the shame and trauma she experienced due to hunger. Words such as “slip” and “gulp” hint at the embarrassment and desperation brought on by the family’s food insecurity, and the notion that “we kids usually kept our hunger to ourselves” only serves to reinforce the psychological effects of hunger. That shame and trauma continued to haunt Walls into adulthood, as she spent years hiding her truth from the world.
Learning Targets - Hunger and Food Security
- Read to infer/interpret and cite text evidence
- Analyze how the author's choice of words, text structures, and point of view shape the meaning tone, and style of a text.
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Essay Checklist/Rubric
- The writer crafts a thesis that responds to the assignment clearly
- The writer crafts an essay with a clear purpose, and shows originality/independent thought
- The writer demonstrates ability to read texts accurately and comprehensively
- The writer demonstrates ability to read texts critically/analytically
- Texts are synthesized into conversation with one another and with ideas of the writer thoroughly and effectively
- Style and voice are highly appropriate, as well as original and creative
- Word choice is specific, purposeful, dynamic, and varied
- Sentences are clear, active, and to the point
- Overall organization of paragraphs is logical and purposeful
- The essay is free from grammatical or mechanical errors
- Conforms to MLA rules for formatting and citation of sources perfectly
the_glass_castle_food_analysis.docx |
Hunger, Food and The Glass Castle
Part I - Passage Analysis
Directions: Complete the following guide in order to highlight and analyze issues related to food and hunger in The Glass Castle.
Directions: Complete the following guide in order to highlight and analyze issues related to food and hunger in The Glass Castle.
food_hunger_and_the_glass_castle_2016.docx |
Supplemental Resources
Explore the SNAP and NSLP food assistance programs run by the United States Department of Agriculture. Then read the National Geographic article "The New Face of Hunger,"
Access the Urban Institute's 2016 publication "Impossible Choices: Teens and Food Insecurity in America" by clicking HERE.
September is Hunger Action Month. Learn how to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's year-round efforts by clicking HERE.
Learn more about the Perry Center, our community's local food pantry, by clicking HERE.
September is Hunger Action Month. Learn how to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's year-round efforts by clicking HERE.
Learn more about the Perry Center, our community's local food pantry, by clicking HERE.