Fifth Assignment

The project of The Catcher in the Rye, I think, is to describe the life of a teenager which some of us can relate to. The character isn't made to seem like an amazing guy like in a fairy tale. We know his flaws and some of us relate to them. It helps us see that we are all somewhat alike, we are all trying to find ourselves and fit in to society. We make many mistakes before we do, but we always learn from them.

I think there is two main conflicts in this story. Character vs self and character vs society. During our teenage years we try to determine who we are, and many of our problems start with ourselves. We are finding who we are and we struggle to do so. We'll have problems with ourselves physically and mentally and we try to overcome them no matter how hard it can be. These problems we have with ourselves are related to society because we are trying to fit in or be different from everyone else. It's not easy, and this book tells us that.

Throughout the book we see how Holden admits to being a liar and not the best influence on anyone. But we also see him as this boy trying to find himself. After the death of his brother things have been hard. He has been kicked out of schools, he drinks and smokes, and he feels lonely. All of these problems Holden has contribute to the project of the book. We see how he has problems with himself and he admits them, and we see how he doesn't really fit in with other people and he dislikes or judges most of the people he knows or meets.

Holden describes a hat in the beginning of the story which he continues to talk about throughout the book. Other people who have seen him with the hat make fun of him and tell him its a really unique hat. I think that this hat symbolizes how different and unique Holden is in this book. It makes the reader see that he is slowly finding himself. There is a few metaphors that contribute to the conflict of character vs society. Some of the things Holden says to other people to describe them are not literal but they help us see how liberal he is and how he speaks his mind, but at the same time we see how judgmental he can be.

Fourth Assignment

Symbol: Holden's Red Hunting Hat. He describes this hat in the beginning of the book but he continues to talk about it throughout the book. I know it's a symbol because he continues to talk about it and it gives him some uniqueness that is very noticeable. It kind of makes the character become a symbol himself.

Metaphor: "I don't think I'll ever forgive him for reading that crap out loud." In the beginning of the book Holden visits his old teacher who reads him one of his tests which he knows he did completely horrible on and he resents that his teacher reads it to him again. This is a metaphor because the teacher is not literally reading him crap.

Metaphor: "I just want to thank you for being such a goddamn prince, that's all." Holden and one of the guys who go to the same school don't really get along but their rooms are next to each other. Holden isn't patient at all and Ackley is just obnoxious and just says stupid things. Holden goes to Ackley's room and Ackley keeps telling him he can't stay there. Lets just say he isn't a very good host. So Holden, being sarcastic, tells him he is a prince, which he literally isn't, for his hospitality and how nice he is.

For the two metaphors I found the characters say things that can't be literally applied. And for symbol, it just makes the character unique and when you think of the character you can picture the hat. The hat represents more than just a fashion item. Plus, Mr. Downing told us that if we think its an element, then it is, we just need to back it up and understand it.

The red hunting hat's job in the book is to make you remember the character for its uniqueness. All the other characters talk bad about his hat and make fun of him, but every time you picture Holden you can see him with his red hunting hat with the peak in the back, just like he likes it.

When Holden says he will never forgive him for reading that crap we know its a metaphor because it isn't literally crap. The reason this metaphor was put in the book is so the reader can see that Holden was being kicked out of school for a reason. He didn't do well and he knows it, he knows his work was bad and he knows he deserves to be kicked out but it just hurts him when people see it I guess and they remind him of it and throw it in his face.

Calling Ackley a prince allows Holden to describe him without going into detail. When you read the whole paragraph you realize his sarcasm and how Holden wants you to see what a rude person Ackley can be. So this metaphor was made to describe a character in a way that is funny and very simple. Ackley isn't literally a prince, but with the sarcasm you can see that he really is rude, a jerk, a bad host and just a very unlikeable person.

I guess I don't know exactly the project of this book. I mean it's one of those books that make you see the life of a teenager who has problems, he knows it but he doesn't change. He has problems like people in real life and I guess what the author it trying to do is let the reader see how bad the life of someone who is different , speaks their mind, is a terrific liar, has pain inside and feels lonely, can be. Holden is a very unique character, he isn't the perfect character we see in movies where they live happily ever after. He lost his brother, which you can feel he misses terribly, he has moved from one school to another for being kicked out, he lies very well and although he does regret it sometimes, he just doesn't stop. Many teenagers have some, all or even more of these qualities which just makes the reader think of their teenage years, or if its a teenager like myself reading it, how their life is similar to his, and it just makes you want to have some sort of change I guess and become a better person.

Third Assignment

I would say that Dr. Thomas Forester isn't completely wrong, yet not completely right.
The Catcher In The Rye is about teenage angst, and yes, this has been in many other books I'm sure but it's the way this book is written that makes it so much better. The plot of the book may not be like any other one, but I've read other books where the teenager feels like he is different or how weird they are or how they have changed during the years. So I guess Forester is right, but what matters is how the book is written and how interesting the characters are made.

Although I have read stories like this before, this book just really had no boundaries. The way it is written and how the protagonist acts, speaks and thinks is just like a real person. He curses, he is a liar, hypocritical, and the author wants you to know and feel that, and you do.

Books will always just keep getting better and better. I'm sure someone will make the standards of writing novels even higher and the stories will become even more personal. A new story that hasn't been heard can probably be written but right now, we love the stories that have been written, even if there is some similar ones, because every author will makes every character different.

Second Assignment

The main character in The Cather in The Rye is Holden Caulfield. He seems to be one of the odd teens from the prep school he was kicked out of. Yet he seems like a very smart guy, liberal and kind. "I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything".
He's honest yet he is "the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life", and he is straight to the point. He likes to say the interesting things he knows and also he likes to listen to the interesting things, not the boring ones, but for certain people he will listen. "I had to sit there and listen to that crap. I certainly was a dirty trick".

There is certain parts of this book where I really relate to Holden. He likes the interesting things, but if it comes down to having listen, I will. I just can't seem to lie as well as he does, I usually get caught in my lies at that precise moment, or eventually. It's amazing how mothers can tell right? haha =) This boy just seems so liberal. He says what he thinks is right, even if it's a lie, and he has said good-bye to many different places. That's one thing I can definitely relate to. I've said good-bye to al ot of people and left different places, and just like Holden, I've only accomplished to have complete closure with one place only.

If I was Holden I would see Mr. Spencer. The old man he has been close to. I would smell Vicks Nose Drops and see his "bumpy old chest.".. and his "white unhairy legs". Also I would see everyone at Pencey be the total opposite of what Pencey advertises. They are supposed to become these impeccable teens who do the right things, yet they all are the total opposite. Some are crooks, mean and I would be able to see that. I would feel like one of them but so much different. I would definitely cuss like a sailor and I wouldn't take much from anyone. What I would feel I would say and what I wanted I would do.

First Assignment

A Novel by J.D. Salinger. Was first published in the U.S. in 1951. This novel has been frequently challenged in its home country for its liberal use of profanity & portrayal of sexuality and teen angst.

Originally published for adults, the novel has become a common part of high school & college curricula throughout the English-speaking world; it has also been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million.

The novel was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.

The novel's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion and defiance. Written in the first person, The Catcher In The Rye follows Holden's experiences in NYC in the days following his expulsion from Pency Prep, a college preparatory school.

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