Blog 11: Poetry

The title of the book The Catcher in the Rye derives from a poem by Robert Burns, "Comin' Thro' The Rye." An electronic copy can be found here: Comin' Thro' The Rye. As discussed in class, this poem has special significance for Holden and the story that unfolds in the book.

Do you consider Burns' poem to be "good" poetry? Why/ why not? In your opinion, explain what "good" poetry is, and, if you can, provide an example. [One-two paragraphs, posted by 12.01.09]

I consider Robert Burn' poem to be ok poetry. There were good and bad about it. I didn't like the way it was written but the message reminded me of regular poems. Good peotry is written well and has a good message and good symobolism. Good poetry is a tell tale hart by Edgar Allen Poe, and all of his other poems and short stories.

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.

After you post, visit a student's blog and read his/ her thoughts on the novel. Leave a comment if you feel you have something to say about the post.

I would want to call J.D Salinger. I would ask him if he had any other ideas for an ending to the book. I wasn't satisfied with the ending because I wanted to know why he went to the mental hospital, and how what he did to push his parents to send him to the mental hospital.

Blog 9: Holden's Internal Conflicts

In a well-constructed paragraph, answer the following questions in your OWN blog:

-What two health issues does Holden pretend he has in Chapter 20? [Check out pages 150 and 156 if you are unsure.]

-Why do you believe that our main character behaves this way? Support your opinion with a quotation from the text. [4 Points, Posted by 11.20.09]

The two health issues where he thought that he got shot in the gut. The other one was that she was shivering a lot. Well he first behaves this way because he is drunk, and also he is hurt emotionally. He feels he has nothing in his life, and might as well die. "Boy, I was shivering like a bastard, and the back of my hair, even though I had my hunting hat on, was sort of like little hunks of ice." (154).

chapter 19: Catcher, the Wicker Bar

Answer the following in your own blog: With all of the things he perceives as Luce's faults, Holden still hates to see him go. Why? [4 Points, One paragraph, Posted 11.17 by class period]

Holden hates to see him go because he is lonely. He doesn't have a real friend and he is alone in New York City. He needs someone to talk to and be friends with him and Luce was really his only choice as a friend right now.

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?

Provide textual support for your answer. Their conversation can be found on pages 81-83. [posted 11.12.09, 4 points]

The point of this scene was to show that whoever Holden meets, they do not get along that well. "How the hell should I know a stupid thing like that?" (82).This quote shows that Holden cares about little things like that, where as most people, like Horowitz, don't care about it.

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!

This blog posting should be at least three paragraphs in length, due by Friday, 10.29.09, TEN POINTS. [This is the last blog for "Blogging Collection #1."]

So on sunday, me and my friend, emily, went for a walk for our church. We had to choose between a few different activities that we have to do to be able to make out confirmation. We chose the crop walk because we thought it was be the easiest. We had to walk six miles around town. W realized that six miles is a lot more then we thought.

We both wore Ugg boots because we wanted out feet to be comfortable and we didn't think it was that long but it ended up that at the end our feet hurt a lot and we got a lot of blisters. We also wore sweatshirts because we thought it was going to be cold out. but after a while it got really hot. We thought that we were behind everyone in our walk, so we walked quickly, but when we got to the end we realized that we were the first ones finished. There were a lot of snacks for us to have at the end of the walk since we all have to bring in a snack that was for twenty people.

We are very big Christmas fans. During the walk, Emily brought her ipod and we listening to a lot of Christmas songs since it is our favorite time of the year. A few days ago our math teacher said that she saw us walking past Shoprite together. For a while during the walk there was a really cute white dog getting walked in front of us. We almost got lost a couple of times because we couldn't see the people in front of us and we didn't really understand the map that they gave us. We have to do a lot more church activities in our to get confirmed.

Blog 5: Caulfiend'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?

[Posted 10.27.09, minimum two paragraphs, 6 POINTS]

I am looking forward to reading Catcher in the Rye because i heard that it was a very good book. I agree with the girl. I don't know if that is how it is with all novels, but that is how it is with some. Maybe thats how it is with Catcher in the Rye too.

I feel that way about a book that I read last summer. I don't remember the name, but it was very good and I agree with what the girl is saying. She is correct with her statement.

Blog 4:National Day on Writing PVRHS Gallery

Read three selections of student work from the PVRHS Gallery: http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/223497 . Choose your favorite written work by either a Pascack Hills or Pascack Valley student, and comment on your favorite part about the piece [include the title and author].

What are your thoughts about the writer's tone/ voice? Is he/ she aware of an intended audience? If you could conference with the writer, what advice would you give to improve the selection? [8 points, posted by 10.21.09]

The writers tone shows that they are excited for autumn. She is aware of her audience because she didn't use too big of words. I would tell them to rhyme so it sounds more put together.

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 agree with these convictions. If you brake the law, no matter who you are, you should be punished. If you aren't then you might do it again because you got away with it the first time and you didn't learn anything. Wes shares that when he was a kid him and his friends refused to give their golf balls to the bullies, and Frank helped Wes out by chasing the bullies away. This story complicates the system because in that moment Frank stood up for Wes, and now Wes is giving Frank in.

Blog 2: Character Analysis

Pick one character from your reading/ class activity, and describe what the character wants in Larry Watson's Montana 1948. What prevents that character from achieving what he/she wants? How does this compare to what you want? [Two paragraphs, 5 POINTS, due 10.08.09]

Wes Hayden, in Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, only want to live in peace. He recently just found out that his own brother, Frank Hayden, had been molesting Indian girls. Ever since he found out, his life has been very hectic. He confronts his brother about it, and Frank promises to but it out, and Wes actually believes it.

Instead of Frank cutting it out, he kills Marie Little Soldier for telling on him. This brings even more trouble into Wes's life. because now, as duty of his being a sheriff, has to arrest him. Frank is preventing him to live his life in peace. If I were Wes, i would arrest him, too. Even if he was my brother, I wouldn't want him out there causing anymore harm to anyone any longer.

Blog 1: Montana 1948, Par I, pgs. 33-38

What are Wes Hayden's feelings toward Native Americans? How does this view compare to the perspective held by other family members? Include a quotation for support when providing your answer. [2 points

He doesn't like them and feels that they are too suspicious and won't make it in the twentieth century like that. His Uncle Frank feels the same way, but David doesn't. "Nevertheless, he believed Indians, with only a few exceptions, were ignorant, lazy, superstitious, and irresponsible" (Watson, 34).

Blog 6: The Scarelet Ibis

The Southern family [Doodle and "Brother" are a part of] believes in superstitions. Upon Doodle's birth, Aunt Nicey thinks the boy is holy because he was born in a caul, "Jesus's nightgown." Additionally, the mother of both boys does not think it will rain because she hadn't heard the call of a "rain frog." What other superstitions are shared in the story? How do you think they affect the developments in plot? Can you think of other superstitions you believe/ have heard others believe?

Other superstitions is the Aunt Nicey says, "Dead birds is bad luck, 'Specially red dead birds". They affect the stories plot by enhancing it and making it more interesting.  In the book I am reading, They Cage the Animals at Night, in the beginning the little boy, Jennings, kept jumping over the cracks in the sidewalk because he was scared that it would break his mother's back.

Blog 5: The man who was also a man

Answer the following questions for Richard Wright's short story, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" in complete sentences, with as much detail as possible [this might mean a short paragraph]:

1. After reading the first paragraph, identify the narrator, the point of view, and the dialect.

The narrator is Dave, the point of view is third person, and and the dialect is from a man who is not very smart and does not know english that well.

2.What is Dave's mother's response when he asks her if he can buy a gun? How does he ask her?

At first she told him no, but then she said it was alright as long as he brings it right back and it is for his dad. He tells her by showing the gun in the catalog and saying that he can buy it for two dollars and he is almost a man and a man needs a gun.

3. What is Dave's reaction when pressed to tell the truth? What is the crowd's reaction when he tells? 

He starts to cry. The crowd laughs at him.

4. Think of the train as a symbol. What do you think it represents?

It represents freedom.

5. Is society better off without individuals like Dave? Should they celebrate his departure?

They should not celebrate his departure because of one mistake that he made, but they should not have given him the gun in the first place.

Blog 4: Lamb to the Slaughter

I thought that the ending was a little unrealistic. Whenever someone dies mysteriously, the people that live with them are normally always suspected to be the killer. Also, there would have been plenty of evidence like fingertips that would lead to her. Also, if she loved him so much, she should have been at least a little sad, but she was not sad at all.

Blog 3: GAC and Cage Reading

The GAC words for this week are: aggressive, authentic, contradict, extravagant, flounder, hone, perceive, quirk, saunter, and summon.

Use four (4) of these vocabulary words in a one-paragraph response to your reading over the weekend. What portions of the story did you find compelling [moving] in Chapters 34-40? Challenge: Include a quotation from the text.

I found it moving that Riva's poetry could touch so many people. Tola said, "Riva, you speak for all of us, they cannot kill our spirit, our hunger to survive." (Sender, 195). Riva is lucky that the Nazi leader that took her to and from the doctor's was not aggressive. The nazi's personalities kind of contradict each other, because even though she is nice and has feelings, she is a Nazi.  Riva's commander is very extravagant and mean, so i was surprised when she said that Riva will be allowed to go to a hospital. Riva floundered through the streets because since she was so suck she could barely walk.

Blog 2: holocaust Dictionary

Yesterday, we explored twenty-eight concepts that pertained to the Jewish Holocaust, and as a class, we constructed a dictionary of terms. 

Which of these twenty-eight entries were you most surprised that you had not heard of before? ...the least? [If you were not surprised, then write about the one you would like to find out more about.] Include the description of the concept [or definition] and your thoughts/feelings.

The one I was most surprised by not knowing was  Belzec. I thought that more people would be killed at Belzec. Belzec was a concentration camp. The word that I was least expected to know was allies. I already heard of that word before, so i was not surprised.

Blog 1: Part I Reflection

Part I of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage explores the experiences Riva and her siblings have while living in the ghetto. Part II of the personal memoir will unveil her horrors in the camps.

What portion of Part I stood out to you in your reading? Provide a page number and short analysis of the excerpt.

What stood out for me was the beginning of chapter 18. On page 102, it says what goes on in a day in the ghetto. They talk to each other about news that is going on, and about what they can do to help their friends. They hide frequently, just in case one of their names is on the list. They pray and hope everyday for this terrible war to end. They hide many people while the Jewish police search their house. 

Blog 16:News Report on Chapter Four

Pretend you are a Nazi journalist and you witness the events that occurred in Chapter Four of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage. Write a detailed news report [the type that would be printed in a German newspaper] on the incident(s) in your reading. Include specifics about the situation: dates, location, etc.

This posting should be approximately TWO paragraphs in length, (5-6 sentences in each paragraph). You should include one quotation from the text to support your story; this quotation can be used as a witness to the events that happened.

Today was another day in Poland. We took over streets that we knew a lot of Jewish people walked around. We took a lot of men, and let the women and children go on their way. I almost hurt a deaf-mute boy, but it was before I knew that he was deaf-mute. Thankfully, someone told me before i hurt him.

We are thinking about taking over more places in Poland. The women and children were lucky, but they may not be as lucky next time. We are getting stronger and stronger, and taking over more and more countries. Concentration camps are getting more and more crowded, which, I guess in a sense is a good thing.  I have no idea where our next stop is after Poland. 

Blog 15: Holocaust Topics and The Cage

In your groups, take some time to collect information and provide each topic below with a thorough explanation. This may be a definition or a small summary of the event.

You are encouraged to include quotations and facts from other websites, provided that you cite them correctly. Try to be as detailed as possible, (i.e. include dates, famous people, etc.).

a. The Jewish Holocaust

b. The Nazi Party

c. Ruth Minsky Sender

d. Auschwitz, Mittelsteine, Grafenort

e. personal memoir

a. The Jewish Holocaust took place during Wold War II, in 1933 to 1945. 6,000,000 people died. The population of Europe.

b. The Nazi Party was a political Party in german between 1919 and 1945. The party's leader was Adolf Hitler. 

c. The author of the cage. Real life Holocaust survivor. Also written two other members, To Life and Holocaust Lady. 

d. Concentration camps during the Holocaust. 

e. A personal story of your life. 

Post taming test blog

 Before Petruchio tamed her, she would always yell and be rude to everyone around her, including her own father and sister, Bianca. When Petruchio married her, she did not like him at all. He did not let her eat, and always said that the food was not good enough for her. he even got his servant Grumio teasing her by offering her food, and then denying to give it to her. In the beginning of the marriage, she did not get one full good night's sleep. He did not allow her to dress the way she wanted to dress, because he did not want other men looking at her. 

When Petruchio is done with taming Katherine, she is a changed person. She now respects her husband, and everyone around her. She does whatever he says, no matter how ridiculous the command, and never refuses or complains. He was arguing with her about whether what they were looking at was the sun or moon, and she said whatever you want it to be, that is what she will call it. She even gives a speech to Bianca and Hortensio's widow about how one needs to be respectful and well to their husbands, and how that is the least they could do for them. Katherine is a changed person when Petruchio is done taming her.

Katherina's Soliloquy

At the end of Act V, scene ii, Katherina makes a famous speech about the relationship husbands and wives should have. What three (3) lines did you find particularly interesting [especially since you have read about Katherina's transformation]? What is noteworthy about what she DOES NOT mention in her speech?

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, they keeper.

I am ashamed that women are so simple, To offer war where they should kneel for peace.

My hand is ready, may it do him ease

I found it interesting that she never mentions how she was once a shrew, and was against everything that she spoke in the speechshe told Bianca and the widow.

A shrew is as a shrew does

Curtis, sometimes people like to give other people a taste of their own medicine. Petruchio will not be able to stand Katherine for the rest of his life if she continues to act like a shrew. If Petruchio shows Katherine how she acts around him, she will change her actions.

Katherine does not know that how she acts is unacceptable. She is getting annoying with Petruchio, and does not get the hint. Petruchio has to be worse than her, and all of the servants are noticing it.

1. What is "blank verse"? Give an example of it from your book.
Blank verse has no set rhythm/rhyme in iambic pantameter.
2. Interpret these Shakespearean lines using your Shakespeare Packet: Reading Shakespeare's English: 
a. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" [R&J] 

"Wait, what time is it?"
b. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate." [Sonnets XVIII]

"You are the loveliest and calmest."

c. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well." [Macbeth]

"Had you done it when you were supposed to, it would have been done by now." 
d. "Who wooed in haste, and means to wed in leisure." [Taming of the Shrew]
"When you date someone without contemplating, your marriage will be in vain."
3. How many creative Shakespearean insults can you come up with? Add "thou" or "thine" to the front of the lists picked up on your way in: "Thou+Column A+Column B+Column C!"

TKAM Point of view Trial

Trial from the Point of View of a member of the black community sitting in the Balcony:

I am here today to plead that the jury votes that Tom Robinson is innocent. I saw the whole scene, and can tell you that the Ewells are liars! I agree with everything that Tom told you, especially that Mr. Ewell said, "He says you goddamn whore, I'll kill ya." I got to witness what happened after Tom ran away. Mr. Ewell beat up Mayella. As you can see, Tom is completely innocent.

I have known Tom before he could walk. He is the most gentle, caring, polite man you will ever meet in your life. He is the least likely person in this town to do something like that. He has been doing things that she has asked him to do, and never asked for a cent. He treats everyone with respect, especially ladies, no matter how rich or poor they are. With that I please ask you jury, don't let this innocent man go to jail for a crime he did not commit.

To kill a Mocking Bird if i were a lawyer

Pretend you worked very hard through law school, became a lawyer, and you now currently earn a modest living working independently at law.

You are asked by one of your closest friends to defend someone who has been accused of stealing from the PHHS scholarship fund [or another controversial topic]. The people in both communities, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake, believe that this individual committed the crime. The monetary sum of $2,000 was found in the accused individual's bank account the day after the money was discovered to be missing; the accused could not explain why the money appeared in his account.

If you take this case, you will be looked at critically by everyone around you, and you might even lose some of your close friends. People may come to judge you for your choice to defend an individual that looks blatantly guilty.

The accused person is very poor and states that he did not commit the crime. He has no witnesses to support the fact that he is innocent, but he has never been involved in any arrests/suspicious activities before. In fact, his coworkers have only the nicest things to say about him. If you choose not to defend him, no other lawyer will come to his defense.

The question is: Do you take the case? Why/why not? If yes, what would you offer as a defense? If no, what holds you back from this client?

*Challenge*: How is this situation similar to what is occurring in To Kill a Mockingbird? 

Answer: I would defend him because I think he is innocent. Atticus is defending a black man, and everyone thinks that he did it but he is defending him anyways, and everyone thinks he is wrong for it.

Blog 8 NYT article + Power on IMAM

1. What is the main idea of this NYT article? What is its connection to OMAM?
The main idea of this NYT article is that the economy is really bad right now. This is related to Of Mice and Men because the story took place when the Great Depression took place.

2. According to the article, "Some Forecasters See a Fast Economic Recovery," what 'psychological factor' is mentioned as providing the U.S. society with a false sense of comfort?
The physical factor is that if spending and people peel that it is working it could create a sense that we are okay and people will go back to normal.

3. Is there a similar psychological phenomenon that plays out in OMAM? [Hint: Where do the migrant workers' earnings go? Find support for your answers on pages 76-78 of the text.]
The similarity is the economy is both bad.