feelings....

So, here we are, and I have a pretty good opinion formed about Holden Caulfield, and what type of a person he is. If I had to pick between the words sympathy, empathy, and judgment, I'd have to be somewhere in between the words sympathy and empathy.

I don't particularly like the term sympathy, because I always connect that with feeling sorry for a person...and I really don't feel sorry for Holden at all. I do have an emotional response towards him, and that's where empathy comes in.

The feelings that Holden has expressed about some of the teachers and students being 'phony' greatly connects, in my opinion, to my experience at Peet Junior High, which was a living hell. Apologies, but it was.

It reminds me of a certain time when I was a young 7th grader and in the position of not having time for my cello lesson because of my teacher's schedule, and because of my swim team workouts. So, my mom and I decided that it should be fine to skip Key Comp. (where you learned how to type) once a week and go to a cello lesson with a college professor. the teacher claimed that it was fine...but the Principle pitched a fit.

He claimed that I was missing valuable one-on-one instruction for learning how to type, and that it was unacceptable to skip class once a week to go to a petty cello lesson, even though he and the orchestra teacher already took all the credit away from me for all of my orchestral accomplishments while at that school...

It was horrible. I hated it. I didn't have any real friends. It was wrong in general. This is how I feel connected with Holden Caulfield. The same thought processes that he has would go through my mind daily, and I would hate every second of it...except, I didn't use the word 'phony'....I was too consumed by hate to truly analyze the situation... but now, I see that everything about that school was just, in itself, perversely wrong and dignity robbing.

I'm glad that I attend NU.

First Impressions....

I'm about to be honest. I LIKE THE CHARACTER HOLDEN CAULFIELD.

I believe that his view of the world is completely unique and that he has a very aged view... but I connect with him and understand his feelings and the way he does things at times...

And in answer to the question of can we judge him at this point? I believe it is impossible... I think that there is a lot more to his character than meets the eye, because where else does that kind of depth come from?

I think that Salinger is trying to make a statement saying that not everyone follows the norm. And that's just to put it into simple terms. I think that to say that not everyone is perfect is one of the reasons why this book was censored so much, and because of the fact that it followed a path that led down a darker and more thoughtful road of human existence.

Prewriting?

HHHHHMMMM!!!!!!!!!! .......................................................................... And after that short reflection we begin!


So here we are, within the final 5 weeks of our Sophomore year, and its time to prep for reading Cather in the Rye!
.... wait why am I saying 'we?' THIS IS MY BLOG!!!

AnYwAyS.....

After being asked to respond to a prereading question, I have chosen number 8, as I'm guessing many people have, Is life a game? If so, what are the rules? What happens if one does not play by the rules?
Well, first off, I would agree with the statement that life is a game, but think that the use of the term 'game' gives off the impression that life is all fun and 'games,' which it most definately is NOT. But then again, the not so naive would also know that not all games are fun-- for instance Jumanji... was that board game fun? NO (not that I ever played it...I just loved the movie.. but was always scared of the drums as a little kid....hhhhmmm.....going back to Catcher in the Rye now!)
I claim that its a game because it, like many games, involves strategies. In the game of Murder, you don't just go blundering randomly around in the dark for a victim and then talk loudly so that everyone knows your the killer. In order to kill someone in Murder, you have to be stealthy!
Its the same with life: you have to be STEALTHY. For instance, you can't just go offend some one one day and then ask for a favor from them the next day-NO! Its all about who has the connections, and who is placed correctly on the board... because then you can ask for FAVORS. For instance, you don't want to be an enemy of the Godfather- you want to be his friend.
As for the second part of the question, what are the rules, I've partially explained the answer above. In my opinion, the rules are those society creates, and also the rules which are also known as social politics. This all has to do with connections and how YOUR EVERY MOVE WILL COME BACK TO BITE YOU IN THE FUTURE IF YOU DON'T PLAY YOUR PIECES CORRECTLY.
And lastly, What happens if one does not play by the rules. The answer is quite simple. YOU LOSE. (eventually) or, life simply becomes extremely difficult, and, consequently you get NOWHERE. So ends the reflection of a cynic.

music=life? I THINK YES

Which is one of the reasons why I chose to make a soundtrack for my Death of a Salesman multimedia project. But, since this is my blog, and since I have become rather EGOTISTICAL, I shall talk about what I will do, and what I will make out of it, and what I WILL DISCOVER ABOUT MYSELF :O

(funny.... I think that that was the assignment....)
(not to say that the assignment was egotistical...just that I am because I like talking about myself)



the Candandians won't be able to stop me now!!!!! MUAHAHAHHAHA

ok... we're gonna give this another shot... now that I've kinda CALMED and picked a new font this should be better...

So, for Death of a Salesman, I have decided that I will stick to my roots since I have grown up past the point of sapling and have learned to appreciate my roots, and make the soundtrack completely out of classical music.

since I'm egotistical, I can also say that I think I know more about it than a lot of people, so that I can also go in depth and talk about the piece from a historical aspect, as well as explore the musician's point of view... for this, I will use pieces that I have played/worked on, or that my mother has done, or that I just know...


sneak peek!

in the soundtrack I'm thinking that I'll explore the character's different sides... maybe have a theme for each of them, then pick different pieces for different parts of the play... hhmm... I'll have to make an executive decision later... BUT FEAR NOT! it will be made

here's what I believe is one of the main possibilities for LiNdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhTqkl_RjTs

Where I'm From

Where I'm From

I am from original thinkers
from laying on the soccer field during a game,
from refusing to dance in ballet.

I'm from phrases such as, "you're late,"
even though I was always punctual.
from aggravating moments when counting to five seemed like the hardest thing in the world,
from the key signatures of B flat and A major,
from the smell and sound of Rosin being put on horse hair.

I'm from a father who would read about the Third Reich and the History of the Potato,
but who would always have time to take me fishing.
I'm from a mother who would practice her violin, so that it
echoed through the house, filling every fiber of your being with notes composed by
either opera dude, or symphony man.

I'm from screaming about the violin,
from crying over the cello's effect on me.
From secretely loving every second of practicing's agony,
from knowing that what you put in, is what you'll recieve.

I'm from spending more time with family friends than with relatives,
From acting out our own soap opera, complete with a grass fight which ensued after
almost every installment.
I'm from parties where everyone contributed,
from people who always would recognize you for who you were.

I'm from a home made swing set,
from dumpster diving for materials and finding treasures such as the
pieces of wood with painted dolphins on them.
From an overgrown garden and a messy house,
from caring more about what the product turned out to be instead
of the process you took to reach it.

I'm from big dreams,
from not fearing the menacing ripples of water,
from hitting the wall hard and using it to your advantage.
I'm from preferring to be pushed when I was on the red tricycle,
from not wanting anyone to help me hold a pencil.

I'm from the outliers of Cedar Falls.
From the unique who will never hide it,
from the strange who will never deny it.
I am from basics,
from things surrounded by confusion.
From not growing up with poetry, John Lennon, or the Rolling Stones,
from living, surrounded with thoughts of my own.
Including thoughts about myself.