Essay Questions

Which appeal does Miranda exploit when her mother tells her “But skating lessons are very expensive”?

Miranda responds, “It’s about the money, isn’t it? There’s money to send Jonny to baseball camp this summer, but not enough money for me to have skating lessons.” Miranda employs deliberate Pathos. Miranda covertly suggests that her mother's unwillingness to invest money in her skating lesson is a confirmation that her mother does not adulate her. She cites Jonny's case as evidence of her mother's bias.The citation is intended to persuade her mother that her skating lessons ought to be paid for.

Why is the moon inspirational for Miranda?

Miranda explicates, “I never really thought about how when I look at the moon it’s the same moon Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and Cleopatra looked at. Not to mention all those zillions of people I’ve never heard of. All those Homo sapiens and Neanderthals looked at the very same moon as me. It waxed and waned in their sky, too.” Outlining influential people who behold the same moon as Miranda depicts her fascination with the moon. All individuals, no matter their social standing, are categorically equalized by the moon. Accordingly perceiving the same moon as legends thrills and motivates Miranda.