Well, I'm writing this blog late. It was supposed to be after chapter 5 but I forgot about it.. :P
After reading Catcher in the Rye, I think Holden changed only a little bit. I think he became more self-aware about who he was and the problems in his life and his personality. When Phoebe wanted to run away, Holden didn't want her to and I think that was because he knew that he might drag her down with him. Towards the end of the book he talked about being psychoanalyzed and I think that meant that he was writing from inside a mental hospital. This means that he checked himself in; they don't just go out on the street and grab you. This shows signs of maturity from Holden; he had no where to turn and knew that he had issues so he decided to get help.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Socratic Seminar questions
1. Do you think that Holden changed (got more mature, less mature) from the beginning of the book to the end of the book?
2. What do the gold rings on the carousel symbolize about childhood?
3. Why does Holden want to catch children from running off a cliff?
4. Did you find Holden and Phoebe's relationship unusual for brother and sister?
5. Where do you think that Holden is writing this book from?
2. What do the gold rings on the carousel symbolize about childhood?
3. Why does Holden want to catch children from running off a cliff?
4. Did you find Holden and Phoebe's relationship unusual for brother and sister?
5. Where do you think that Holden is writing this book from?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Marriage..
A perfect wedding would be nice
with the flawless white dress
and every flower petal in its perfect place.
A perfect marriage would be nice
with a perfect life and perfect love.
But here's the problem.
The whole idea of marriage scares me
and gives me a knot in my stomach.
What if I marry the wrong person?
What then?
I want to fall in love
and have that beautiful wedding and marriage
and have an exciting life with the man I love.
But I have my doubts
and that scares me.
with the flawless white dress
and every flower petal in its perfect place.
A perfect marriage would be nice
with a perfect life and perfect love.
But here's the problem.
The whole idea of marriage scares me
and gives me a knot in my stomach.
What if I marry the wrong person?
What then?
I want to fall in love
and have that beautiful wedding and marriage
and have an exciting life with the man I love.
But I have my doubts
and that scares me.
Holden and the Museum
One of my favorite parts of chapters 16-18 was when Holden was in the museum. It was when he was the happiest and it was interesting to actually see him happy for once. He didn't call anything phony or annoying or crumby.
What the scene really showed about Holden is that he really hates change. He loved seeing the eskimos doing the same thing every time he came, the birds frozen in flight, and the same pottery still in those glass cases.
"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you." He remarked that nothing had changed except himself. Going into a museum where everything is alway the same made him notice more how he had changed.
With regard to how I think the rest of the book will go: I think that Holden's adversity to change will make it very difficult for him to have relationships and friendships with other people because everyone changes. If he can't handle that then he will be alone.
What the scene really showed about Holden is that he really hates change. He loved seeing the eskimos doing the same thing every time he came, the birds frozen in flight, and the same pottery still in those glass cases.
"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you." He remarked that nothing had changed except himself. Going into a museum where everything is alway the same made him notice more how he had changed.
With regard to how I think the rest of the book will go: I think that Holden's adversity to change will make it very difficult for him to have relationships and friendships with other people because everyone changes. If he can't handle that then he will be alone.
Holden and Religon..
In chapter 14, Holden mentions religion and disciples.
One night, when he is going to bed after reliving guilt about Allie, he feels like praying but says he's kind of an atheist because he didn't like the disciples. According to him they were "about as much use to Him as a hole in the head."(pg 99) After reading the preceding 14 chapters I wasn't surprised about him being an atheist. It seems to me that of all the things Holden finds phony, a lot of Jesus's followers like the disciples and ministers and stuff would fall under that category.
His attitude when explaining this seems normal for him and I think that he mentioned it because throughout the book he hasn't really hidden anything from the readers or kept anything out. Readers of Catcher in the Rye read all of his thoughts.
I think that Holden is an atheist because everyone in his family is. Not everyone but most kids end up in the same religious denomination as their parents. I think that this is kind of relatable to teens because I think a lot of people have their doubts about God and whether or not everything in the bible is true and that you should live by it. I think that what Holden is thinking and feeling is normal because a lot of other people think this way too.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Holden's Diagnosis
Background:
I went on to Web MD to search for symptoms that may be exhibited in certain diseases Holden might have. Some people suggest that Holden's not "all there" and wonder if he has a mental illness of some sort. He certainly has odd behavior and it's hard to really figure him out.
Analysis:
The patient exhibits the following observed symptoms: anxiety, confusion, compulsive behavior, difficulty concentrating, depressed mood, impaired social skills, poor concentration, sadness, and unusual behavior. Perhaps this is in response to a traumatic accident or tragedy in the patient's life.
Diagnosis:
In my professional opinion, Holden Caufield exhibits many of the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Perhaps the recent loss of a loved one triggered these symptoms and this disease.
Prescription:
As I am not really a doctor, unfortunately I cannot prescribe pills that will really help him. The next best thing to that is sending the patient, Holden, home for several weeks to get away from everything that stresses him out. (relationships, school, etc.) It will help him reconnect with his family and hopefully the depression will subside. As for the other symptoms, I'm not really sure because, like I said, I'm not a doctor.
Prognosis:
Hopefully, these symptoms will go away and he will be able to have a normal life. If they don't, he may not be able to live normally relationship and career wise. It would be pretty bad.
I went on to Web MD to search for symptoms that may be exhibited in certain diseases Holden might have. Some people suggest that Holden's not "all there" and wonder if he has a mental illness of some sort. He certainly has odd behavior and it's hard to really figure him out.
Analysis:
The patient exhibits the following observed symptoms: anxiety, confusion, compulsive behavior, difficulty concentrating, depressed mood, impaired social skills, poor concentration, sadness, and unusual behavior. Perhaps this is in response to a traumatic accident or tragedy in the patient's life.
Diagnosis:
In my professional opinion, Holden Caufield exhibits many of the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Perhaps the recent loss of a loved one triggered these symptoms and this disease.
Prescription:
As I am not really a doctor, unfortunately I cannot prescribe pills that will really help him. The next best thing to that is sending the patient, Holden, home for several weeks to get away from everything that stresses him out. (relationships, school, etc.) It will help him reconnect with his family and hopefully the depression will subside. As for the other symptoms, I'm not really sure because, like I said, I'm not a doctor.
Prognosis:
Hopefully, these symptoms will go away and he will be able to have a normal life. If they don't, he may not be able to live normally relationship and career wise. It would be pretty bad.
Chapters 9-11 Analysis
In these chapters, Holden is wandering around the city to escape his lonliness, the heart of all his problems and angst. Even though he is lonely I don't really know or think that he even knows what he's hoping to find by hooking up with random women and going to random nightclubs.
He complains about people being phony, but what does he expect to find by calling some girl he doesn't even know just to have sex with her? If he really wants companionship, he needs to overcome his aversion to confrontation with other people (and his own problems) and call his sister or Jane or his brother D.B.
Holden exhibits qualities of both a child and an adult. He is like an adult because he needs companionship and love to make himself happy but he is like a child because he is lazy in actually pursuing it.
Honestly, adulthood is not something I'm looking forward to. I know that you get more freedom and what not but being a child is so great because you don't have responsibilities to worry about and terrible people to deal with.
He complains about people being phony, but what does he expect to find by calling some girl he doesn't even know just to have sex with her? If he really wants companionship, he needs to overcome his aversion to confrontation with other people (and his own problems) and call his sister or Jane or his brother D.B.
Holden exhibits qualities of both a child and an adult. He is like an adult because he needs companionship and love to make himself happy but he is like a child because he is lazy in actually pursuing it.
Honestly, adulthood is not something I'm looking forward to. I know that you get more freedom and what not but being a child is so great because you don't have responsibilities to worry about and terrible people to deal with.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Phoniness..
Holden often talks about people being phony. By nature he is a very judgmental person and we see that whenever he meets someone new or introduces them to the story. I think that Holden calls people phony that act or try to act like everyone else or try to fit in to a certain group or stereotype. I think this shows that Holden writes people off immediately after judging them, not getting to know them enough to form a real opinion of them.
As for phoniness in our society, a lot of kids and young adults think that their lives will be made better, that they'll have more friends, if they fit in to a certain stereotype or have more money, etc.
Personally, I don't think that Holden is phony. He doesn't know how to be. As far as I can tell, he doesn't care at all what people think about him and he isn't trying to project an image of someone he wants to be. He flunked out of a 'prestigious' school and wears a strange-looking hat.
Finally, I think that it is possible to grow up in America and not be phony but it's really hard. It's hard to not project an image of yourself of who you want to be rather than who you really are.
As for phoniness in our society, a lot of kids and young adults think that their lives will be made better, that they'll have more friends, if they fit in to a certain stereotype or have more money, etc.
Personally, I don't think that Holden is phony. He doesn't know how to be. As far as I can tell, he doesn't care at all what people think about him and he isn't trying to project an image of someone he wants to be. He flunked out of a 'prestigious' school and wears a strange-looking hat.
Finally, I think that it is possible to grow up in America and not be phony but it's really hard. It's hard to not project an image of yourself of who you want to be rather than who you really are.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sympathy, Empathy, or Judgement?
After reading the first four chapters of The Catcher In the Rye I decided that I am sympathetic for Holden. Stradlater is doing better in school, more athletic, and better looking than him and is taking the girl he likes on a date and doesn't even know her name. Holden is lonely because he doesn't have any friends; he isn't close with his roomate or Ackley, who he just makes fun of. Even though he makes Ackley seem like a gross person who has nothing to live for, they are both very similar in the way that neither of them have friends. Also, neither of them went to the football game. My general impression of Holden thus far is that he is lonely because he doesn't try in school or outside of school to make friends or be connected with anybody or anything.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What is the difference between adulthood and childhood? When do you move from one to the other? Are you looking forward to becoming an adult? Why or why not?
Technically, you're not a child anymore once you turn 18. But it's much more than just age that separates children from adults. Children haven't experienced as much and are more naive. We're more carefree and fun and everything that comes with being young. Adults may have more freedom to do what they want but carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. They have much more responsibility and problems to worry about solving. Even with all the benefits of being an adult, I don't think it's worth it to have to worry about everything all the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to all the freedom and privileges that come with being an adult, but what I'm not looking forward to is all the worry and responsibility. I know that it's inevitable if I don't want to be a homeless person but it doesn't sound as fun as being a kid. We can get away with a lot without getting more than a slap on the wrist or a small fine. If you do that same stuff when you're an adult you'll probably get fired from whatever job you have and maybe ruin your chances for a better one.
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