So, we've reached the point where the school year is drawing to a close, and this is the last blog entry to be written by Megan Grey about the novel the Cather in the Rye.
so, here are the questions
1. Where does Holden go after talking with Pheobe?
2. Holden claims that people get pervy with him all the time... is this one of the reasons why he's so strange?
3. Is the teacher student relationship usually as close as that of Holden and his teachers? How would this be seen as today?
4. Is the student teacher relationship a huge factor in a student's education?
5. What does Holden's father symbolize?
I'm going to answer question number 4.
I stronly believe that the student teacher relationship is critical to a person's education, because how can someone be motivated to learn if they aren't in a comfortable environment? If a teacher uses their power to influence their students in a negative way, then the students will have no desire to learn and do well in the class. If their influence is used in a positive way, then the students have the opportunity to excell.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
SONGSONG
I chose the Finger Eleven song One Thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FQO1fj1MJU
even though its not really a complex song (really simple actually) it still has great meaning. in the first verse, it opens up and reveals much of Holden's attitude in NY city, even though i don't believe that its directly referring to Holden
Restless Tonight
cause i wasted the light
between both these times
i drew a really thin line.
throughout the past couple of chapters Holden deals with many different ups and downs and character changing events. he does indeed draw a really thin line between death and life, thinking about how often he might kill himself. and also there are those few points in the book when he pretends that he's mortally wounded, and doesn't want anyone to see.
its nothing i planned
but not that i can
but you should be mine
from across that line
i believe that if this were Holden speaking, he would be talking about innocence, and Pheobe at this point in time, because he lost his at such a young age, and wants her to preserve her's forever. when he buys the record, he buys it for her, and represents his desires in a physical way. he is also crushed when it breaks, and is brought down to earth when it happens as well.
if i traded it all
if i gave it all the way
for one thing
just for one thing
if i sorted it out
if i knew all about
this one thing
wouldn't that be something
again, i feel that Holden is talking about innocence, because this is one of the few things that makes Holden the way he is. he struggles with the transition into adulthood, and maybe if he could understand it, he would be better off... for instance how he deals with people like Sally. at one point they act like teens, and in the other he's being unrealistic and wants her to run away with him. conflicting emotions based on the unknown.
even though its not really a complex song (really simple actually) it still has great meaning. in the first verse, it opens up and reveals much of Holden's attitude in NY city, even though i don't believe that its directly referring to Holden
cause i wasted the light
between both these times
i drew a really thin line.
throughout the past couple of chapters Holden deals with many different ups and downs and character changing events. he does indeed draw a really thin line between death and life, thinking about how often he might kill himself. and also there are those few points in the book when he pretends that he's mortally wounded, and doesn't want anyone to see.
its nothing i planned
but not that i can
but you should be mine
from across that line
i believe that if this were Holden speaking, he would be talking about innocence, and Pheobe at this point in time, because he lost his at such a young age, and wants her to preserve her's forever. when he buys the record, he buys it for her, and represents his desires in a physical way. he is also crushed when it breaks, and is brought down to earth when it happens as well.
if i traded it all
if i gave it all the way
for one thing
just for one thing
if i sorted it out
if i knew all about
this one thing
wouldn't that be something
again, i feel that Holden is talking about innocence, because this is one of the few things that makes Holden the way he is. he struggles with the transition into adulthood, and maybe if he could understand it, he would be better off... for instance how he deals with people like Sally. at one point they act like teens, and in the other he's being unrealistic and wants her to run away with him. conflicting emotions based on the unknown.
Mawwage
there was something in the air.
obviously, but it was different to everyone...
to some it was just another gig... the chance to
earn benefits off the happiness of others. this day revolved
around 2 different individuals who were soon to become one.
no one really cared if it would last. no one
really knew if it would. all everyone knew was that on
this day, they were supposed to be happy.
right down to the individual who was rejected
again
and again
and again.
he was there, but in the shadows. alone with his thoughts on the
sanctity of this holy act.
his thoughts were not in favor of it.
but no one cared... no one even saw him.
all of the many eyes were fixed upon the alter, where
two people were to become Man and Wife.
and that's the way it always is, thought the man at the back of
the church.
that's how it always will be.
his feet descended the front steps with purpose as he walked away
from what was expected of him.
obviously, but it was different to everyone...
to some it was just another gig... the chance to
earn benefits off the happiness of others. this day revolved
around 2 different individuals who were soon to become one.
no one really cared if it would last. no one
really knew if it would. all everyone knew was that on
this day, they were supposed to be happy.
right down to the individual who was rejected
again
and again
and again.
he was there, but in the shadows. alone with his thoughts on the
sanctity of this holy act.
his thoughts were not in favor of it.
but no one cared... no one even saw him.
all of the many eyes were fixed upon the alter, where
two people were to become Man and Wife.
and that's the way it always is, thought the man at the back of
the church.
that's how it always will be.
his feet descended the front steps with purpose as he walked away
from what was expected of him.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
contradictions...
So, I chose the passage in chapter 17, where Holden is talking about how no one cares if a date is late as long as she looks fabulous... this is when Sally finally shows up and he's talking about how he fell in love with her a little because she's so beautiful.
I'm gonna combine the last 2 things for the blog...
I feel that this statement contradicts Holden's character. For this, he worries more about her appearance rather than her timing or character, which really comes to show that he does have a "phony" side as well as the Holden side to him.
I also believe that this is one of the points when hints of a mental illness start to crop up, because his changes in behavior and character becomes increasingly unpredictable. This also comes up later in the chapters too, when Sally keeps asking him, "why are you shouting?" and Holden always thinks that he isn't... I'm really curious right now as to what position he's writing all this from... because its all from the perspective of someone who's reflecting... but that's what makes it interesting i think....
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
something along the lines of the godfather....
THE FAMILY.
Holden's family is unique and has influenced him in many ways. And not all of them are good!
Holden mentions his family when he's talking about how he's really a "spendthrift" at heart, or else he looses money. The way he talks about his family he doesn't seem to connect with them, and feels a pretty "whatever" vibe from all of them, or concerning all of them. And yes, it is very consistant with the previous chapters.
I think what he means when he talks about this is that he's moved on from his family. He talks about them as if he knew them ages ago and doesn't seem to connect emotionally with them. For instance when he says, "my mother hasn't felt too healthy since Allie died," he says it without emotion, as opposed to, "my poor mother... she hasn't felt too great since Allie died."
I find this intriguing to say the least. I think that this just fits his uncaring character-it just shows that he really doesn't think of things like other people do. I think his thoughts can simply be described as Holden's thoughts. Not any other way. He is genuinely unique.
I think that J.D. Salinger included this in his book because he wanted to show that not everyone was supposed to care like the others do, and that all thought processes are truly unique. I think that they influence the impact of Holden's character to the readers, and make it more defined in the book.
Holden's family is unique and has influenced him in many ways. And not all of them are good!
Holden mentions his family when he's talking about how he's really a "spendthrift" at heart, or else he looses money. The way he talks about his family he doesn't seem to connect with them, and feels a pretty "whatever" vibe from all of them, or concerning all of them. And yes, it is very consistant with the previous chapters.
I think what he means when he talks about this is that he's moved on from his family. He talks about them as if he knew them ages ago and doesn't seem to connect emotionally with them. For instance when he says, "my mother hasn't felt too healthy since Allie died," he says it without emotion, as opposed to, "my poor mother... she hasn't felt too great since Allie died."
I find this intriguing to say the least. I think that this just fits his uncaring character-it just shows that he really doesn't think of things like other people do. I think his thoughts can simply be described as Holden's thoughts. Not any other way. He is genuinely unique.
I think that J.D. Salinger included this in his book because he wanted to show that not everyone was supposed to care like the others do, and that all thought processes are truly unique. I think that they influence the impact of Holden's character to the readers, and make it more defined in the book.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
lack of respect
This is in response to the prompt by Mrs. Jorgensen.
First of all, I believe that a lack of motivation, disrespect to authority, and not playing by the rules are three entirely separate things.
However, I do believe that sometimes one will trigger another, or that some of them are constantly being intertwined.
For one thing, I believe that Holden has a fixed and firm belief in his mind about what real authority is, and how it should be respected. If a person doesn't fit his predetermined image of what an authority figure should be like, he could care less about what that person thinks or wants him to do (Thurmer). However, if Holden respects another person, he'll at least be a little humble, and will at least listen to what they have to say (Mr. Spencer).
I believe that Holden definitely has a lack of motivation for things that the general public sees as important to a person's life, but he doesn't for things that he feels are important. Or else if he feels something is important that he's doing he'll do it in his own unique way, leaving it open for criticism from the general public (the essay on the baseball mitt).
I definitely believe that this applies to today, mainly because a lot of the people who fit this description don't know how much they have compared to other people in the world, and there for take things for granted because its not their first option of what they want to do... so fine. If my classmates want to waste their life and opportunities away and end up flipping burgers at McDonalds the rest of their life, so be it (no offense Charlie).
In my own opinion the only way that these issues can be counteracted are if more people are exposed more and learn how much they really have can't be taken for granted. I'm always mildly disgusted by people like this who don't do anything with their life and have no excuse for it. But that's just my personal opinion.
I'm not one of those people.
First of all, I believe that a lack of motivation, disrespect to authority, and not playing by the rules are three entirely separate things.
However, I do believe that sometimes one will trigger another, or that some of them are constantly being intertwined.
For one thing, I believe that Holden has a fixed and firm belief in his mind about what real authority is, and how it should be respected. If a person doesn't fit his predetermined image of what an authority figure should be like, he could care less about what that person thinks or wants him to do (Thurmer). However, if Holden respects another person, he'll at least be a little humble, and will at least listen to what they have to say (Mr. Spencer).
I believe that Holden definitely has a lack of motivation for things that the general public sees as important to a person's life, but he doesn't for things that he feels are important. Or else if he feels something is important that he's doing he'll do it in his own unique way, leaving it open for criticism from the general public (the essay on the baseball mitt).
I definitely believe that this applies to today, mainly because a lot of the people who fit this description don't know how much they have compared to other people in the world, and there for take things for granted because its not their first option of what they want to do... so fine. If my classmates want to waste their life and opportunities away and end up flipping burgers at McDonalds the rest of their life, so be it (no offense Charlie).
In my own opinion the only way that these issues can be counteracted are if more people are exposed more and learn how much they really have can't be taken for granted. I'm always mildly disgusted by people like this who don't do anything with their life and have no excuse for it. But that's just my personal opinion.
I'm not one of those people.
The Change....
Recently I've established with myself that the transition from childhood to adulthood is one of the hardest transitions in a person's life. Everyone deals with this transition differently, including Holden Caulfield.
I believe that Holden is a very confused teenager for several different reasons. For one, he had to grow up a lot faster than any other teen his age, and experienced things, like the death of his brother, that many adults don't experience for the longest time. Ok so, any 'normal' person would have moved on by now right? No. Because when dealing with grief, there are no genuinely normal responses.
It is true that there are different stages that every person goes through when dealing with grief, and it is true that people have their own ways of expressing grief. However, Holden's situation is different from others situations.
Any time someone looses someone, it is normal for a person to get support from loved ones and family members, and there for is helped through the painful ordeal in that way. But, with Holden, there was no support. Jane didn't come into the picture until later, and his parents didn't understand him in the slightest. Holden is like a child because he doesn't know how to cope with himself and get over this dramatic event in his life. He is also like a child because, In my opinion, he is insecure and fears the way people will view him-hence the name/personality switching.
However, Holden is also like an adult... for instance when he talks about his respect for women, and how he thinks that a person shouldn't do anything with another person unless they're in love with that person.
I respect Holden's views, since I believe that they are unique and quite interesting as well. When it comes to thinking about these things for my own life, I am excited for the opportunities/challenges of adulthood. Perhaps what I'm most looking forward to is the chance to specialize in something that I am genuinely interested in and that I really want to pursue. However, I find the transition difficult as well, and miss childhood sometimes because of all of the innocence that I have lost so far. For another thing, one thing I hate the most about the transition is how much I have to pick and choose and do different things with my time that I normally wouldn't have to think about.
Overall, I feel that I am similar to Holden in certain respects, and different than him. I'm not lost like he is, but I do have some of the confusing emotions that he has as well.
I believe that Holden is a very confused teenager for several different reasons. For one, he had to grow up a lot faster than any other teen his age, and experienced things, like the death of his brother, that many adults don't experience for the longest time. Ok so, any 'normal' person would have moved on by now right? No. Because when dealing with grief, there are no genuinely normal responses.
It is true that there are different stages that every person goes through when dealing with grief, and it is true that people have their own ways of expressing grief. However, Holden's situation is different from others situations.
Any time someone looses someone, it is normal for a person to get support from loved ones and family members, and there for is helped through the painful ordeal in that way. But, with Holden, there was no support. Jane didn't come into the picture until later, and his parents didn't understand him in the slightest. Holden is like a child because he doesn't know how to cope with himself and get over this dramatic event in his life. He is also like a child because, In my opinion, he is insecure and fears the way people will view him-hence the name/personality switching.
However, Holden is also like an adult... for instance when he talks about his respect for women, and how he thinks that a person shouldn't do anything with another person unless they're in love with that person.
I respect Holden's views, since I believe that they are unique and quite interesting as well. When it comes to thinking about these things for my own life, I am excited for the opportunities/challenges of adulthood. Perhaps what I'm most looking forward to is the chance to specialize in something that I am genuinely interested in and that I really want to pursue. However, I find the transition difficult as well, and miss childhood sometimes because of all of the innocence that I have lost so far. For another thing, one thing I hate the most about the transition is how much I have to pick and choose and do different things with my time that I normally wouldn't have to think about.
Overall, I feel that I am similar to Holden in certain respects, and different than him. I'm not lost like he is, but I do have some of the confusing emotions that he has as well.
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