The Catcher in the Rye - Is Holden the hero?

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger was a fantastic book. It followed the journey of Holden Caulfield as he went back home to New York after being kicked out of his boarding school. The book focused a lot on Holden trying to find himself and his fear of growing up. Holden was a very realistic and relatable character, and I learned to love him throughout the book. I really could identify with him and the story itself. However, while I was reading, I always questioned whether Holden was the hero. I have come to the decision that no matter how much I love Holden, he would not be classified as the hero.Someone unexpected is actually the hero.

Holden was a very lost and confused seventeen year old. He didn't want to grow up so instead he remained childish and immature. He was afraid of adulthood, and thought of most adults as phonies; he was afraid of becoming a phony, where in fact if he was on the outside looking in, he would probably consider himself a phony. He was always distracting himself from his loneliness, fears, and hidden frustration. For example, Holden hired a prostitute (93 Salinger), but not for the reason you would think. He actually just wants to talk to her because he feels so alone. He also never addresses anything, he just ignores it and hopes for it to go away. For example, he doesn't tell his parents he got kicked out of boarding school. Also he doesn't want to deal with dealing with his future so he just ignores it. He doesn't think about how doing well in school can help him get a job and have a good life, instead he doesn't apply himself in school. He is afraid of failure and disappointing his parents so he never really tries at anything, including school. He is a complete mess. He is too confused and scared of his own life, and he isn't capable of helping anyone, not even himself. The hero of a story "displays courage, self-sacrifice, endures hardship, learns lessons, and is noble and often helps others" (classwork sheet). Holden goes through hardship, but that's about it. He definitely isn't a hero, he himself was the one need of saving.

The hero mostly likely in the book would be Phoebe, Holden's sister. Throughout the book, she takes care of Holden and cares for him like a mother would. She is definitely the mother figure, but could potentially be the hero as well. She is the one who gives Holden money when he visits New York: "You keep it. Keep it for me" (79-81 Salinger). She is the one who hides him in her closet so their parents don't find him. She's the one who is willing to go with him when Holden wants to leave at the end of the book (so she can make sure he's ok). She the one who stops him from leaving. She's the one who saves him from himself and the world. Her happiness (when she is riding the carrousel) at the end of the book shows Holden that there is hope. It shows him that life can be good. It shows him that his family must come first. And most importantly, Phoebe shows him the real world is tough, but you just half to make the best of it; that's all anyone can do.

Holden was a person I grew to love, but he in no way was he the hero of the story. He didn't do the saving, but actually was saved. Maybe in the future and another book, he could be mature, and he could do the saving and be the hero.

Nonfiction Reading Response - The Natural

Many people are born with disabilities that lead others to believe they can't do certain things. Sometimes the disabilities do prevent the person from various activities, while other times, the disabilities is just an obstacle that can be overcome. The article The Natural by Mike Tierney tells the story of Zach Hodskins and his basketball life, and the fact that he was born with only half of his left arm. Hodskins is an excellent basketball making his way through the sport with a disability that doesn't prevent him from achieving his dreams. He even sees his disability as an advantage; "In some ways, his disability became an advantage. 'It made me want to worker harder to overcompensate for things people said I couldn't do'"(Tierney). He started basketball when he was five, and in a few years he loved it. Even though it was hard for him, he kept his dream of playing in college. He parents even told him to dial it down and relax because he was pushing himself so hard.
About a year ago a video was posted online by a scouting service. The video now has four million hits and it is a clip of Hodskins' highlights. Hodskins has now landed a preferred walk-on for the University of Florida which means he'll make the team. His dream has finally come true! He didn't let his ability get in the way and doesn't want other kids with disabilities to let their disability to get in the way of their dreams. He also doesn't want people to hide their disabilities; he wants people to be themselves and not hide the true them.
In this article, I think the author wants me to feel confident in myself and wants me to think that I can do basically anything as long as I work hard and try my best. Throughout the whole article the author talks about Hodskins' challenges and how he pushes past them to get what he has dreamed of. For every challenge mentioned, the author either includes a quote saying how Hodskins just worked harder and believed in himself, or a general statement showing the positive outcome. For example, towards the beginning of the article, the article states: "Hodskins was once thought even by his family to have a better chance of becoming president than playing basketball for a college powerhouse"(Tierney). That negative statement is then followed by a positive one: "Yet, the university of Florida, which has won back-to-back national titles in the past decade, has guaranteed him a roster spot next season" (Tierney). The author is constantly showing how Hodskins rises above people expectations and how he is achieving his dreams through hard work to help show the reader that they can do the same for their dreams.
Although, the article is rather deceiving because it's only from one perspective and the author only mentions Hodskins' accomplishments. The author also only uses quotes from Hodskins himself talking about his positivity and hard work and from situations in which Hodskins' hard work paid off. Not once in the article is one of Hodskins' failures mentioned. Not once is anything completely negative with a negative outcome mentioned. But the author is just trying to get across the point that your dreams can come true if you work hard.
This article really made me feel confident in myself and kind of pushed me to work harder for what I want. It was nice reading about someone whose dreams came true even though everyone doubted that they would. This article made me think of other kids with disabilities and how they would feel after reading this article. Hopefully this article would make them feel happy and sure of themselves. Even though people don't always get what they have dreamed of, it was satisfying to read about someone who did.

Response to "Photography" by Nikki Giovanni

Sydney Ellison 804

Response to “Photography” by Nikki Giovanni

Metaphors and imagery have always been extremely common literary devices in poetry. Even as a child, they were the only two components of poetry I was familiar with. “Photography”, by Nikki Giovanni, definitely has it's fair share of metaphors and imagery. The poem includes a massive amount of the two literary devices that help deliver the message of even though you might be surrounded by good things, bad things could be just around the corner, and you should never forget that, in a thought-provoking way. The poem uses the metaphors and imagery to help create a cautionary tone and mood that helps heighten the importance of the message within the poem.

Metaphors are used continuously throughout the poem, always setting a cautionary tone and mood which helps show the importance of focus in the poem. Each metaphor includes a description of a somewhat calming scenario; the description having a slight chill to it. The chill sends off a subtle warning, or cautionary mood and tone. “It's easy sitting in the sun/ to forget the cold exists, “ (Giovanni 8-9) is a perfect example of a rather calm scenario that represents something more than just the weather. The whole temperature aspect is rather tranquilizing, yet after the mention of “the cold”, the vibe has totally switched. “The sun” represents the good things in life, and “the cold” represents the bad things in life. By applying that subtle chill to the metaphor, it creates the cautionary tone and mood which shows the reader that forgetting about “the cold” when enjoying “the sun” is something you should never do.
The use of imagery in the poem is to showcase the same thing as the metaphors do; a cautionary tone and mood that helps the reader understand the importance of the message being put forth. All the imagery in “Photography” is very beautifully written and enjoyable to read, yet gives off a slight chill. That chill, as a said before, sets the mood. “Watching the red sun bleed into the ocean, one thinks of the beauty fire brings,” (Giovanni 23-25) is a very powerful line and due to the words “bleed” and “fire” and how they are placed in the sentence. A certain vibe is given off from this sentence, a cautionary mood and tone. Personally I think the line itself is a warning of what happens when you're caught up in all the good things in your life; you keep thinking of the good, forgetting the bad. “The red sun” represents good things in your life, and “fire” represents even better things yet to come. This line helps remind the reader that better things aren't always coming your way, and sometimes bad things might be, and you have to be prepared for that.

“Photography”, by Nikki Giovanni, made me feel and think a bunch of feelings and thoughts all at once. I feel like the poem challenged my mind, and made me relate the poem to my life. I can connect my school life and school in general to this poem in a sense that things are always changing and getting harder, and you have to be prepared. The cautionary mood helped me understand that connection as well as why forgetting “the cold” is something you shouldn't do. Who knew metaphors and imagery could be so powerful?

Works Cited

Giovanni, Nikki. “Photography”. Poetry Packet. Print.

Creative Writing - Found Poem - Wonder by R.J Palacio

My name is August.
Auggie.

I'm not an ordinary ten-year old kid.

"We can't just pretend he's going to wake up tomorrow and this isn't going to be his reality."

I won't describe what I look like.

I'm sorry.
It'll be fine.

Frustrated.
Scared.
Sad.

"I'm not freaked out"
I lie.

"Pretending you don't exist."
It's so strange.

None of them looked like me.
Not one unicorn.

Sarcasm.

I don't know.

It's not easy.

I'll try my best.

I am pretty much totally and completely petrified.

Wow
Welcome to my life.

The Fault in Our Stars - How Do the Main Characters Develop Mentally Throughout the Book?

 In all books, the main characters always change as the story progresses. It's just a basic of books; change. And The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is no different. The Fault in Our Stars describes Hazel's life as she battles cancer and falls head over heels for Augustus Waters. Both Hazel and Augustus change immensely throughout the book, their beliefs and personalities switching up a bit.

In the beginning of the book, Hazel is very neutral to the fact that she is dying and doesn't really care about anything other than hurting people if she were to die. She is a distant person who doesn't want to fall in love or even have a strong relationship with anyone. She deals with her cancer by seeing it for what it is and she doesn't sugar coat anything in her life; “Any attempts to feign normal social interactions were just depressing because it was glaringly obvious that everyone I spoke to for the rest of my life would feel awkward and self-conscious around me” (Green 47). That quote shows that she understands that people feel uncomfortable around her and that she just has to deal with it. She is a very strong person and is dealing with everything in her life in a way most teenagers wouldn't. Things start to change when she meets Augustus. The second that she looks at him she feels something she's never felt before. And when she talks to him for the first time, she already knows she will fall in love with him. But she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to hurt him. In the middle of the book, she is more happy and up for forming a friendship, yet still is neutral to her cancer and doesn't want to fall in love. Towards the end of the book she is a total different person. She has let herself fall for Augustus therefore letting all her protective walls down. She is a romantic who doesn't care about building relationships with people. She feels that if she dies, and she hopes she won't, that she should have had lived her life to the fullest. The contrast between Hazel in the beginning of the book and the end is momentous.

Augustus on the other hand has a very different personality than Hazel's, and doesn't change as much throughout the book. In the beginning of the book Augustus has a very open and direct personality, which he keeps throughout the book. He says everything that comes through his mind, and is a very sweet person. He is very respectful and intellectual. He isn't afraid of falling in love or dying or anything. He is just living his life to the fullest. When he meets Hazel is falls for her instantly and does whatever it takes for her to know how much he loves her. In the middle of the book, when Hazel and Augustus are friends, Augustus's personality is the same as the beginning of the book. Nothing has changed. The end of the book, is when everything changes. Augustus gets cancer again. He becomes incredibly sick and weak. He tries to put up a front for Hazel and his family and says that he'll get through it, even though it obvious things are getting worse day by day. He starts becoming weak physically and emotionally. He gets mood swings and his self esteem lessens. He still has his wit and open, direct personality, yet he is struggling, and he doesn't want anyone to know it.

So to wrap it up, characters are always changing through the books. Sometimes the changes are negative and sometimes the changes are positive. The Fault In Our Stars does a great job of incorporating both the negative and positive changes.

The White Rose- Nonfiction Reading Response

The interesting article, "The White Rose," by Robert K. Elder, tells the story of how Hitler came into power, thus influencing Hans and Sophie Scholl to create a group called the White Rose that showed resistance to the Nazis. The group printed out leaflets that were anti-Nazi and sent them to their teachers, fellow students, and even displayed them in public spaces. They weren't going to just sit around as people were being killed. They were going to do something! And they did! Sadly it ended in their capture and death, but at least they got their point across and helped the Nazi resistance. The article shows me that I should stand up for what I believe in and what is right, whatever the consequences.

Throughout the article, I had many feelings and thoughts. I feel like the message the author was trying to convey was very strong and taught people reading he article a good lesson; stand up for what you believe in and try to always do the right thing. While reading the article I thought that Hans and Sophie Scholl were very brave people that should be given more respect and attention. "The courageous acts by the Scholls and others in their group - six ended up paying with their lives - have until now received little to no attention in the U.S" (Elder); the author wants the reader to understand that the White Rose should have been given more press for the great deeds they did. Also I think that even though the White Rose was a small group that wasn't very known, they made a huge difference in the war. Thus again, they should receive more attention.

The article is pretty biased, only focusing on the good of the White Rose, and that World War Two was a horrible time. All the evidence and examples placed in the article supports the ideas above. All the quotes also show the positive aspects of the group. "'Their legacy is clear: It is a call for truth, for decency, for overcoming fear, of knowing that youth does have power'" (Elder). That quote is one of the many quotes that exhibits the greatness of the White Rose.

In conclusion, this article really changed my thinking about how people should deal with their beliefs. They should do what they believe in! This article also made me appreciate everyone in World War Two that took a stand against the Nazi. The Nazi shouldn't of gotten away with the horror they were doing, and thankfully they didn't.

Works Cited:
Elder, Robert K. "The White Rose." Upfront: Tougher Than the Taliban 9 Nov. 2013: 18-21. Print.

How Does This Book Help You Think About Social Issues You Care About or Causes You Are Committed to? - Eleanor and Park (Final)

Sydney Ellison 804

How Does This Book Help You Think About Social Issues You Care About or Causes You Are Committed to? - Eleanor and Park

All over the world tons of books are being written about abuse and poverty. Teens can't seem to get enough of these intense issues. "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell satisfies these teens craving. The book focuses on the romantic relationship between Eleanor and Park. Eleanor has a very bad life at home; her mother is physically abused by her alcoholic husband Richie, and her family is always struggling with money. Park helps Eleanor deal with her feelings towards her family as he begins to fall in love with her. Reading this book made me care even more about the issues at hand, as well as make me realize how abuse and poverty are a serious problem in the real world.

Throughout the book, Eleanor's mother gets abused by Richie. That being the main reason for Eleanor's passionate hatred of her stepdad. Every night Eleanor hears her mother screaming, wailing, shouting, and crying. Richie and Eleanor's mom fights are intense and sickening. Richie curses at her mother, slaps her, and shows not an ounce of love for her. Eleanor even sees the bruises Richie makes on her mother: "Eleanor pretended not to notice the bruises on her mom's wrist" (Rowell 26). That shows that the violent mistreatment is so bad that it is becoming observable by others. Even Eleanor gets abused by Richie. He curses at her and says the most awful things to her and her mother: "FUCK THIS. FUCK ALL OF YOU. STUPID BITCHES." (Rowell 153). That shows that Richie has no filter and is comfortable with saying whatever he wants, even if it is consider verbal harassment.

Poverty is also a huge part of the book. The family is always struggling for money. Having enough food and buying necessities such as soap is a hard to maintain in Eleanor's household. Even on thanksgiving did the family have trouble purchasing all the food. Clothing is also something that the family has a hard time affording. Eleanor has to wear the cheapest clothes from thrift stores because she can't afford to buy nice clothes from regular stores. At school people make fun of her for it and sometimes it really gets to her, "And she was dressed like...like she wanted people to look at her. Or maybe like she didn't get what a mess she was" (Rowell 8). That shows that poverty is affecting her life at school, and that shouldn't be something Eleanor has to deal with on top of her problems with Richie. It seems as if the family never has enough money to do anything.

By reading this book I have come to care for the issues focused on in the book even more than I had before. The book focused on the two issues so heavily therefore I paid so much attention to them, thus learning how they really affect people. I learned a lot about how the characters felt about these issues and how people in the real world dealing with these issues probably feel. I also began to understand how the issues affected the characters daily lives. The problems didn't just affect the one person directly, but the person's friends, family, classmates, and neighborhood as well. Adding on, many people know of these issues and think “Oh poverty and abuse are so bad” but don't really understand the degree of how bad they are. Also I think many people think of abuse and poverty as “normal” because it has become such a big part of our society. But it shouldn't be “normal” and people need to understand how awful it is. By reading this I also grasped the fact that these issues are a severe problem in the world. They need to be dealt!

Some people are really suffering with poverty and need to be given money so they can buy food and water. People need to be able to pay for shelter and healthcare, as well as suitable clothing and necessities. Poverty shouldn't be as big of a problem as it is. People need to do something about it weather it's finical aid or giving people more job opportunities. Abuse also needs to be handled. People that are harassed need to speak up and get the help they need. The help could be getting the injustice to stop by having the person arrested. The help could also even be therapy to help the person deal the fact that they were mistreated.

Reading the fantastic book “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell have really opened up my understanding of the issues. Things are more serious than what meets the eye and something has to be done about it.