Blog 10: Call to the Author

From Activity I of the Wrap-Up on Catcher in the Rye, would you like to call J.D. Salinger/ one of J.D. Salinger's relatives? If you would, write a paragraph on what you would want to talk to him about and what you would say to or ask him. If not, write a paragraph about the reasons you would not want to talk to him.

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If I had the opportunity to call J.D. Salinger i probably would. If i called him my first question to him would be how he came up with the character Holden and how he executed the story in such an interesting way. Once he answered this question i would also ask why he decided to write this story. It seems to me that he wrote this book based of some hardships in his life, but the occurrences in the book seems like he probably stretched the truth which would classify his story as being Phony! J.D. seems like a very smart person for writing this story because of the fact that it caused a bit of commotion for some people. The next thing i would ask him would be if he expected his book to be as popular as it was/is. Also i would ask if he expected his book to be banded. I think if i called J.D. Salinger it would definitely
be an interesting conversation.

Blog 7: Ch. 12, Catcher: Conversation with Horowitz

In addition to providing a comic interlude, what seems to be the point of the scene with the cab driver, Horowitz? How do Holden and Horowitz differ, both in their conversation and as characters?

When Holden is in the cab with Horowitz he is looking to start-up a conversation. Once Holden starts really talking to Horowitz, Horowitz kind of thinks that Holden is a bit crazy in the head. Horowitz can also tell that Holden was not from around here because people usually don't decide to talk with a cab driver who is a complete stranger and you usually don't talk to strangers in the city.

Blog 6: Catch Her in the Oatmeal

Write a stream-of-consciousness piece similar to the "Catch Her in the Oatmeal" handout. Your writing can be about your day/ week, OR you can turn your favorite fairy tale/ myth/ short story into a stream-of consciousness piece. Stream-of-consciousness is a type of storytelling where the writer reveals inner thoughts, feelings, etc., without censoring his/her work; therefore, you shouldn't take your fingers off the keyboard! Don't worry about typos/ punctuation/ grammar until the end!

So like the other day i was at my house bored and stuff like that. then i went outside to go ride my bike and my friend john was passing by my house and i said hey to him. he said hi back and he came up to my garage where i was and we started talking and stuff like that. we both decided to go to 7-11 and go get a snack or something like that and we were gonna walk there since its only like five seconds away from my house. its actually longer then that but whatever it doesnt matter that much. so we were walking down the hill to the place and we decided what to get when we got there. i like twix, ya know that candy with like the chocolate and carmel center and stuff.

Blog 5: Caulfield's Lasting Voice

After reading the article, "Holden Caulfield's lasting voice," react to the article. Are you looking forward to reading Catcher in the Rye? Why/ why not?

The final line of the newspaper clipping shares the impression of a sixteen-year-old girl. Do you agree/ disagree with her opinion on individuals and certain pieces of literature? Can you think of another book from last year's reading selection where students were as divided?

Im interested to read the book The Catcher In The Rye because of how interesting it seems. I think that if i read the book now and then read the book when I'm older i believe that i will view the book differently because of how my life will change. Last year when we read Of Mice And Men i think that everybody thought that when George Kills Lennie he becomes hypocritical. When the girl comments at the end of the article i think that she truly has to understand the book in order for her to give a good comment on the book.

Blog 3: Family vs. Law

David's father shares his insight on page 156: "...I believe that in this world people must pay for their crimes. It doesn't matter who you are or who your relations are; if you do wrong, you pay. I believe that. I have to."
What do you think about these convictions? What other story does Wes share with David about himself? How does this story complicate his belief system? [5-6 sentences minimum, posted by 10.16.09, 4 POINTS]

I think that Davids father is right. A person who commits a crime deservers to pay for their crime. They are the person who did the crime and they will pay. Wes tells david many stories about himself and david learns how to live his life better from Wes' experiences. With Wes saying the quote above he should go and treat his brother like a criminal almost because of what he did to the sioux tribal girls.

Blog 1: Montana 1948, Part I

Question:

What are Wes Hayden's feelings toward Native Americans? How does this view compare to the perspective held by other family members?

Answer:

Hayden's feelings towards the Native Americans is a unlikeable feeling. He does not enjoy them on their land and he just wants to get imports from them and thats all. Other families enjoy having the Native Americans around because they are skillful and they are generous and kind to all people.