I have just started reading 29,  by Adena Halpern. It is a comedy/fictional novel about a seventy-five year old woman name Ellie, who hates being old. On Ellie's seventy-fifth birthday her daughter, Barbara takes her out to eat to celebrate. Although this was a kind gesture, Ellie did not want to celebrate her birthday because she didn't want to be reminded of her old age. At the party, Ellie's granddaughter, Lucy comes along who is a beautiful twenty-five old with an amazing life. Ellie envies Lucy because Lucy has a good education, she isn't being pressured to get married, and of course, she is gorgeous. When Ellie was nineteen, her mother made her get married to an older man named Howard whom she didn't even like that much. He recently died to years ago, though. At that time, in the early 1950's, woman were not encouraged to be highly educated. Ellie found this unfair and sexist. She wishes that she could go back in time and re-do everything.

So, can you guess what Ellie's birthday wish is? Her wish is to be twenty-nine again for just one day. When she wakes up the next morning Ellie feels... strange. She notices that her voice is high-pitched, she feels more lively, and her vision is actually clear! When she looks in the mirror she is speechless when she sees her reflection. On page 24 it says, "My face! The skin was smooth, with no wrinkles. The skin around my eyes was tight. There wasn't a crow's foot to be seen." Ellie suddenly gets very worried and tells her daughter and best friend that she cannot see them today. They are very suspicious...

This book is quite hysterical! I recommend it to anyone who wants an easier read and loves to laugh! The author, Adena Halpern does an amazing job using imagery in her writing. For example, when Ellie describes her aged body she says, "I don't know what happened - my body just... sagged. It looks like... oh, you know when you put too much paint on a wall and it starts to drip down? That's what my body looks like" (Halpern 13).I predict that Ellie is going to not return to seventy-five the next day. What will she do if this is the case?

 

Satire

 

McDonalds real slogan is "I'm lovin' it." This slogan wants the audience to believe that their food tastes really good. McDonalds also advertises a really happy and fit Ronald as their mascot who is always playing outside and staying active. The satirical advertisement shows a fat Ronald with a slogan of "still lovin' it?" The purpose of this advertisement is to make the audience realize that eating McDonalds will make you fat because their food is horrible for you. This slogan mocks the original slogan by asking the consumer, "Will you still love McDonalds after your obese?" I know this advertisement is an example of satire because it uses innuendo, stereotype, hyperbole, farce, and burlesque. This is a type of Horatian Satire because it is humorous and produces a wry smile from the audience (not anger, like Juvenalian).