Post #13 Form A

Vocab
usurious (111): practicing usury; charging illegal or exorbitant rates of interest for the use of money.
palatial (149):befitting or suitable for a palace; stately; magnificent.
Figurative Language
"...even if we stayed in the basement and kept as quiet as church mice." (149)
This is a simile using the word as. It compares the children's quietness to the quietness of church mice.
"One corner of the kitchen ceiling leaked like a sieve." (153)
This is a simile using the word like. It compares the leakage of the kitchen ceiling to the easiness liquid has in going through a sieve.
"...who had little eyes set practically on the sides of his head, like a whale." (165)
This is a simile using the word like. It compares the boys eyes being on the sides of his head to the eyes of a whale.

Quote
"Sew it up," he said.
"Dad! I can't do that."
[...]
"Go ahead," he said again.
I pushed the needle and felt a slight tug when it pierced the skin. It was like sewing meat. It was sewing meat.
"I can't, Dad, I'm sorry, I just can't do it," I said. (169)
This is significant because it shows the stuff Jeannette and her family dealt with when she was young. Stuff like sewing up an injury her father had gotten while fighting someone.
Theme
Life is hard but know, it can always get worse. But if it does get worse, remember, the important thing is being able to scrap by.