the glass castle (the joshua tree) (excerpt)
after we pulled up stakes in san francisco, we headed for the mojave desert. near the eagle mountains, mom made dad stop the car. shed seen a tree on the side of the road that caught her fancy.
it wasnt just any tree. it was an ancient joshua tree. it stood in a crease of land where the desert ended and the mountain began, forming a natural gateway. from the time the joshua tree was a tiny sapling, it had been so beaten - down by the wind and sand that, rather than trying to grow skyward, it had grown in the direction that the wind pushed it - parallel to the ground - like a giant outstretched arm, leaning over so far that it seemed ready to topple. yet, in fact, its roots held it firmly in place.
i thought the joshua tree was ugly. it looked scraggly and freakish, permanently stuck in its twisted, stunted position. but it made me think of how, somehow, it had managed to survive in one of the most beautiful deserts shed ever seen. she told us she had to paint it. while mom set up her easel, dad drove up the road to see what was ahead. he found a scattering of weather - beaten shacks. some of the shacks were falling into the sand, and others had rusty tin roofs. it was called midland. one of the remaining shacks had a sign. \what the hell,\ dad said, his place is as good as any other.\
the house we rented had been built by a mining company. it was white, with two rooms and a sway - backed roof. there were no trees, and the desert sand ran right up to the back door. at night, you could hear coyotes howling.
when we first got to midland, those coyotes kept me awake, and as i lay in bed, id hear other sounds - ginny mothers rustling in the underbrush, moths knocking against the screens, and the wind whistling in the wires. one night when the lights were out and i could see a sliver of moon through the window, i started imagining all sorts of things.
\i think theres something under my bed,\ i said to lori.
\its merely a figment of your overly active imagination,\ lori said. she talked like a grown - up when she answered.
i tried to be brave, but i had heard something. in the moonlight, i thought i saw a move.
\somethings there,\ i whispered.
it grieved mom that the mine was destroying so much white rock - she said it was real marble and deserved a better fate and that, by making her sculptures, she was at least immortalizing some of it.
mom was pregnant. everyone hoped it would be a boy so brian would have someone to play with other than me. when it got time for mom to give birth, dads plan was for us to move to blythe, twenty miles south, which was such a big town it had two movie theaters and two state prisons.
in the meantime, mom devoted herself to her art. she spent all day working on oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal drawings, pen and ink sketches, clay and wire sculptures, silk screens, and wood blocks. she didnt have any particular style; some of her paintings were what she called primitive, some were impressionistic and abstract, some were realistic. \i dont want to be pigeonholed,\ she liked to say. mom was also a writer and was probably always typing away on novels, short stories, plays, poetry, fables, and childrens books, which she illustrated herself. moms writing was very creative. so was her spelling. she needed a proofreader, and when lori was just seven years old, she would go over moms manuscripts, checking for errors.
while we were in midland, mom painted dozens of variations and studies of the joshua tree.
wed go with her and shed give us art lessons. one time i saw a tiny joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. i wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. i told mom that i would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight.
mom frowned at me. \youd be destroying what makes it special,\ she said. \its the straight, straggle that gives it its beauty.\
1. above is an image of a joshua tree in the desert. write at least three complete sentences that describe this tree in your own words.
2. rex and jeanette play a game after she says theres something under her bed. what do you think that this game shows about rexs personality? use evidence from the story to support your answer.
3. re - read the following quote about the rescued cats:
\it doesnt seem right,\ i told mom. \were rescued them. now were going to kill them.\
\we gave them a little extra time on the planet,\ mom said. hey should be grateful for that.\
why do you think that jeanettes mom thinks this way?
4. what does jeanettes mothers approach to art and writing show you about her personality?
5. how is the walls family symbolically like the joshua trees that they see? (what things do they have in common?)

Question

the glass castle (the joshua tree) (excerpt)
after we pulled up stakes in san francisco, we headed for the mojave desert. near the eagle mountains, mom made dad stop the car. shed seen a tree on the side of the road that caught her fancy.
it wasnt just any tree. it was an ancient joshua tree. it stood in a crease of land where the desert ended and the mountain began, forming a natural gateway. from the time the joshua tree was a tiny sapling, it had been so beaten - down by the wind and sand that, rather than trying to grow skyward, it had grown in the direction that the wind pushed it - parallel to the ground - like a giant outstretched arm, leaning over so far that it seemed ready to topple. yet, in fact, its roots held it firmly in place.
i thought the joshua tree was ugly. it looked scraggly and freakish, permanently stuck in its twisted, stunted position. but it made me think of how, somehow, it had managed to survive in one of the most beautiful deserts shed ever seen. she told us she had to paint it. while mom set up her easel, dad drove up the road to see what was ahead. he found a scattering of weather - beaten shacks. some of the shacks were falling into the sand, and others had rusty tin roofs. it was called midland. one of the remaining shacks had a sign. \what the hell,\ dad said, 	his place is as good as any other.\
the house we rented had been built by a mining company. it was white, with two rooms and a sway - backed roof. there were no trees, and the desert sand ran right up to the back door. at night, you could hear coyotes howling.
when we first got to midland, those coyotes kept me awake, and as i lay in bed, id hear other sounds - ginny mothers rustling in the underbrush, moths knocking against the screens, and the wind whistling in the wires. one night when the lights were out and i could see a sliver of moon through the window, i started imagining all sorts of things.
\i think theres something under my bed,\ i said to lori.
\its merely a figment of your overly active imagination,\ lori said. she talked like a grown - up when she answered.
i tried to be brave, but i had heard something. in the moonlight, i thought i saw a move.
\somethings there,\ i whispered.
it grieved mom that the mine was destroying so much white rock - she said it was real marble and deserved a better fate and that, by making her sculptures, she was at least immortalizing some of it.
mom was pregnant. everyone hoped it would be a boy so brian would have someone to play with other than me. when it got time for mom to give birth, dads plan was for us to move to blythe, twenty miles south, which was such a big town it had two movie theaters and two state prisons.
in the meantime, mom devoted herself to her art. she spent all day working on oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal drawings, pen and ink sketches, clay and wire sculptures, silk screens, and wood blocks. she didnt have any particular style; some of her paintings were what she called primitive, some were impressionistic and abstract, some were realistic. \i dont want to be pigeonholed,\ she liked to say. mom was also a writer and was probably always typing away on novels, short stories, plays, poetry, fables, and childrens books, which she illustrated herself. moms writing was very creative. so was her spelling. she needed a proofreader, and when lori was just seven years old, she would go over moms manuscripts, checking for errors.
while we were in midland, mom painted dozens of variations and studies of the joshua tree.
wed go with her and shed give us art lessons. one time i saw a tiny joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. i wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. i told mom that i would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight.
mom frowned at me. \youd be destroying what makes it special,\ she said. \its the straight, straggle that gives it its beauty.\
1. above is an image of a joshua tree in the desert. write at least three complete sentences that describe this tree in your own words.
2. rex and jeanette play a game after she says theres something under her bed. what do you think that this game shows about rexs personality? use evidence from the story to support your answer.
3. re - read the following quote about the rescued cats:
\it doesnt seem right,\ i told mom. \were rescued them. now were going to kill them.\
\we gave them a little extra time on the planet,\ mom said. 	hey should be grateful for that.\
why do you think that jeanettes mom thinks this way?
4. what does jeanettes mothers approach to art and writing show you about her personality?
5. how is the walls family symbolically like the joshua trees that they see? (what things do they have in common?)

Accepted Answer

# Brief Explanations:
1. The Joshua tree in the image has a unique, gnarled appearance with spiky branches reaching skyward. It stands alone in the desert, a resilient and ancient - looking plant. Its rough texture and sparse foliage are typical of desert - adapted plants.
2. When Rex plays a game after Jeanette says there's something under her bed, it shows him as playful and perhaps trying to ease her fears. He uses humor and a light - hearted approach, like when he jokes about an old demon, which indicates he is a fun - loving and somewhat reassuring figure.
3. Jeanette's mom thinks the rescued cats should be grateful for the extra time they got on the planet because she sees the act of rescuing as a kindness, even if the ultimate outcome might not be ideal. She has a practical and somewhat fatalistic view of life.
4. Jeanette's mother's approach to art and writing shows her as creative, free - spirited, and non - conformist. She doesn't want to be pigeonholed into a particular style, indicating a desire for artistic freedom.
5. The Walls family is symbolically like the Joshua trees in that they are resilient, having faced many challenges and still standing. They are unique and have adapted to a difficult environment (like the desert for the trees), and they have a certain wild and independent quality.

# Answer:
1. The Joshua tree in the image has a gnarled trunk, spiky branches, and stands alone in the desert. It appears ancient and resilient.
2. Rex's game - playing shows him as playful and reassuring, using humor to ease Jeanette's fears.
3. Jeanette's mom thinks the cats should be grateful as she sees rescue as a kindness, with a practical view of life.
4. Her approach shows her as creative, free - spirited, and non - conformist.
5. The Walls family is resilient, unique, and independent, like the Joshua trees, adapting to a difficult environment.

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