In
the first half of my IRB #1, Hole in my
Life by Jack Gantos, the beginning immediately starts off with the main
character behind bars at the young age of twenty-one. Gantos, who is a
prosperous writer, primarily of children and teen novels, is telling this
memoir from his own first-hand experiences, which immediately establishes the
credibility of the story. It highlights how his love and passion for writing
was still able to thrive throughout his six-year sentence in jail, and how his experiences in prison opened his eyes to what truly matters in life.
Following the introduction of the serious and twisted setting, the audience is thrown back in time to the events leading up to Gantos’ conviction, in which his troubled youth and rebellious behavior is deeply explained. He starts off as a successful high school student, but once his family moves to the Virgin Islands, leaving Gantos alone in Florida, he is unable to fend for himself. In attempts to meet back up with his family he travels to the Islands, but quickly falls into the wrong crowd and begins abusing drugs, specifically marijuana. This causes him to be rapidly thrown away from his family, studies, and interest in writing. The continuous lack of focus and constant partying that he displays gradually leaves him alone on the streets, and after countless drug exchanges Gantos eventually reaches his ultimate low. Tim, one of his closest friends and reason behind his drug usage, convinces Gantos to assist him in shipping two thousand pounds of marijuana to New York from their home in St. Croix. Upon approaching the middle of the story, their plan is then busted and Gantos is thrown into jail. The plot later returns to his jail cell, which the story initially began with, and explains how his exposure to this new environment has motivated him to get back into writing and whip himself back into the correct mindset.
Countless rhetorical devices can be observed in the first half of Hole in My Life, such as the usage of foreshadowing and metaphors. On page 7, when Gantos’ father says, “These folks zigged when the world zagged. And once you cross that line, there’s no coming back. Mark my words," it is hinted to the audience that Gantos is going to lose his sense of self at some point later in the story, and that his neglect towards following his father’s advice is one of the reasons why. Also, metaphors such as, “The ship was a strange floating cell”, on page 80, help describe how trapped in Gantos and the crew felt when they went on their drug route to New York. They weren’t physically locked in a cell, but the limited ability for them to go anywhere and escape the sameness that they were surrounded by each day created insanity. Overall, these devices help Gantos get his message across clearer, and give the plot more support towards setting up his existence behind bars.
Following the introduction of the serious and twisted setting, the audience is thrown back in time to the events leading up to Gantos’ conviction, in which his troubled youth and rebellious behavior is deeply explained. He starts off as a successful high school student, but once his family moves to the Virgin Islands, leaving Gantos alone in Florida, he is unable to fend for himself. In attempts to meet back up with his family he travels to the Islands, but quickly falls into the wrong crowd and begins abusing drugs, specifically marijuana. This causes him to be rapidly thrown away from his family, studies, and interest in writing. The continuous lack of focus and constant partying that he displays gradually leaves him alone on the streets, and after countless drug exchanges Gantos eventually reaches his ultimate low. Tim, one of his closest friends and reason behind his drug usage, convinces Gantos to assist him in shipping two thousand pounds of marijuana to New York from their home in St. Croix. Upon approaching the middle of the story, their plan is then busted and Gantos is thrown into jail. The plot later returns to his jail cell, which the story initially began with, and explains how his exposure to this new environment has motivated him to get back into writing and whip himself back into the correct mindset.
Countless rhetorical devices can be observed in the first half of Hole in My Life, such as the usage of foreshadowing and metaphors. On page 7, when Gantos’ father says, “These folks zigged when the world zagged. And once you cross that line, there’s no coming back. Mark my words," it is hinted to the audience that Gantos is going to lose his sense of self at some point later in the story, and that his neglect towards following his father’s advice is one of the reasons why. Also, metaphors such as, “The ship was a strange floating cell”, on page 80, help describe how trapped in Gantos and the crew felt when they went on their drug route to New York. They weren’t physically locked in a cell, but the limited ability for them to go anywhere and escape the sameness that they were surrounded by each day created insanity. Overall, these devices help Gantos get his message across clearer, and give the plot more support towards setting up his existence behind bars.
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