... I don't really like this book. Well, I guess that's not all true. The further I get into it, I'm enjoying some of the things that the writer decides to talk about--Jane specifically. But Holden... he's very prideful and not a very humble person at all. I appreciate J.D. Salinger's attempt, but some of the things seen through the eyes of a teenage boy are just plain... disgusting. Can't we read about ponies and unicorns instead? Or at least something mildly pleasant?
Questions:
If you were Holden, and you had just been kicked out of school, where would you go? Why?
Alright--let's change the scenario a little bit, because the idea of getting kicked out of school would never even remotely be an option. But if I had to go somewhere--anywhere? I might go to Paris. I don't know--something about the city just inspires me from what I've seen and heard about. Great artists come from that city: I want to be one of them. =) I would love to go abroad for a time, maybe go to Ireland or Scotland too. But if it had to be in the states? For some reason I'd want to go to Forks, Washington. (And not because Twilight was shot there.) I really, really want to see the scenery and the La Push. They're so beautiful in the movie and in pictures that I've seen.
Free-write about Jane's character and her importance to Holden.
From what I can tell so far, I know that Jane's a pleasant girl. Determined, strong-willed, easy to get along with (if Holden managed to do it, I'd think anybody could,) but I also think that she's a terrific liar. I don't think that her step-dad treats her right, just by the way he carried himself in the few pages that he managed to squeeze himself into. He just sounds like a disgusting man and he probably did abuse Jane at one point or another.
But she hides it. I think she's a bit on the prideful side too--considering how she wouldn't really open up to Holden and wouldn't talk to him about the big fuss his mother made over their dog. She's only really been talked about in one chapter so far, but I really hope she comes into play later in the story. I like her and her character--that's one character in this book I think I really honestly like.
At the end of chapter 12, Holden says "people are always ruining things for you." Discuss whether or not you think this is true. Can you think of a time someone ruined something for you?
Well... it's a bit of a broad question, isn't it. Of course people sometimes ruin things for you. That's just a bit of common nature for you: a dose of reality. Things like that are going to happen. I think it's really based on the type of person where you should draw your reaction from. If a person--a kind person--accidentally ruins something for you? I shouldn't be a big deal. But if a mean, terrible person went out of their way to ruin something for you? Then yeah, that deserves a fuss.
But whether or not you can rationally react to it, things will get ruined. It's always going to happen, and it happens to everyone. I remember one time I was so pleased with myself that I had such a good lesson in band and I managed to ace a hard challenge piece. Then this jerk had to ruin it by kicking my stand over and tripping me as I walked by to put my things away. That kind of ruined my good mood for me, but hey, it happens.
...Come to thing of it, that guy goes out of his way to ruin things for a lot of people. Just another reason why I shouldn't let it get to me, am I right?
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Reading Log: CitR Chapters 1-6
Weekly Overview of the Reading:
So. I've seen this book before--sitting on the Barnes and Nobles' shelf. I wanted to read it really badly, but I'd always heard bad things about the language, the sex talk, the message. This gave me a good excuse to start what I've been wanting to do. However... I've got mixed feelings towards J.D. Salinger's only novel. It's a good one, certainly, but a little big much. The constant swearing, all the mention of sex, and the disgusting descriptions of the boy's bodily features.
I suppose this must have been what life was like for boys in this time... I'm glad I wasn't a pubescent male back then, that's for sure.
Questions:
What does it mean to be unique?
Well... unique in itself is an almost indescribable word. It means to be something special: something away from the norm. I usually view unique as different in a good way. I wouldn't go around saying that a serial killer was unique because he enjoyed the thrill of killing somebody... no. Somebody who takes advantage of their differences and uses them for good, as corny as it sounds. A painter may be unique because they find joy in painting, as does a writer in writing and a student in studying. Everybody's unique, even if it's not in completely unique ways.
How do we keep individuality in an adult world?
I think this ties in with last week's writing prompt pretty well. All of us should retain an essence of childlike curiosity and innocence, which all helped us view the world in a different way, once upon a time. By doing that, we can truly determine what makes us individuals, and what makes us happy. What makes us "unique," one may say.
How is Allie's character similar to a person you know?
From the brief description that Holden gave us, he seemed like a great person. I don't really get how watching his brother play golf made him a ginger... but anyways. He seemed to know how to enjoy life, like a lot of my favorite people in school. There's a certain group that he really reminds me of. There was a member of PATH class last year that still goes to my school--he and our friends really know how to have a good time. I value that in people.
So. I've seen this book before--sitting on the Barnes and Nobles' shelf. I wanted to read it really badly, but I'd always heard bad things about the language, the sex talk, the message. This gave me a good excuse to start what I've been wanting to do. However... I've got mixed feelings towards J.D. Salinger's only novel. It's a good one, certainly, but a little big much. The constant swearing, all the mention of sex, and the disgusting descriptions of the boy's bodily features.
I suppose this must have been what life was like for boys in this time... I'm glad I wasn't a pubescent male back then, that's for sure.
Questions:
What does it mean to be unique?
Well... unique in itself is an almost indescribable word. It means to be something special: something away from the norm. I usually view unique as different in a good way. I wouldn't go around saying that a serial killer was unique because he enjoyed the thrill of killing somebody... no. Somebody who takes advantage of their differences and uses them for good, as corny as it sounds. A painter may be unique because they find joy in painting, as does a writer in writing and a student in studying. Everybody's unique, even if it's not in completely unique ways.
How do we keep individuality in an adult world?
I think this ties in with last week's writing prompt pretty well. All of us should retain an essence of childlike curiosity and innocence, which all helped us view the world in a different way, once upon a time. By doing that, we can truly determine what makes us individuals, and what makes us happy. What makes us "unique," one may say.
How is Allie's character similar to a person you know?
From the brief description that Holden gave us, he seemed like a great person. I don't really get how watching his brother play golf made him a ginger... but anyways. He seemed to know how to enjoy life, like a lot of my favorite people in school. There's a certain group that he really reminds me of. There was a member of PATH class last year that still goes to my school--he and our friends really know how to have a good time. I value that in people.
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