Blog #5 The Significance of the Title

I really had no idea why this book would possible be called "The Catcher in the Rye" until later on in the story. The thoughts of why the book would be named this made me keep reading on and kept my interest throughout the story. The reasoning for this title all came together towards the end of the book to me. The significance of this title is when he is talking to Phoebe one night when he went into her room, she asked him what she liked and what he wanted to be. He said he liked Phoebe and Allie but thats about it. He later said that he wanted to be the catcher in the rye. He said that the catcher in the rye would be someone who stands in the rye and there is a giant cliff. When the kids are about to run off the cliff he runs out and catches and saves them. He tells Phoebe that he would like to do that. The true meaning behind his reference of the catcher in the rye is that the catcher in the rye symbolizes all of the younger kids turning into adults and teens. He wants to catch them and keep them young forever. He wants to keep them from the dangers that these kids will encounter when they are older and the people they will meet. This relates to Allie and Phoebe by he wants to catch them to from growing up. Well technically he can't catch Allie, because she is dead, but he wants to save Phoebe from the dangers and the things he has encountered from being a teen. Later in the book when he sees Phoebe riding the carousel he makes a reference to how he can't stop her from growing up and he begins to cry. This title truly had a strong meaning to this great book.

Blog #4 Dead Poets Society

The characters in "Dead Poets Society and the character in "Catcher" names Holden are alike and different in many ways. Neil is like Holden because I would consider them both rebels. Neil rebels against his Dad by going and acting in a play although his Dad did not want him too. Holden was also a rebel because he got kicked out of his Prep School. I would not consider Todd and Holden to be alike because Todd was very shy and not outgoing where Holden always seemed to want to talk to people and was always looking to shock a conversation even if he didn't know the person. I would consider Knox to be similar to Holden in the sense of girls. Knox is very interested in this one girl, but he does not think he likes her, because the girl was at a party with another guy. Holden is the same way as in the sense that he likes Jane Gallagher, but Jane does not have the same feelings for her because she went on a date with Stradlater. Charlie is also like Holden in the sense that he is a rebel, just like Neil. Neil's rebellions were different then Charlie's. Neil rebelled against his Dad where Charlie was just always getting in fights and finding different ways to get himself into trouble. Holden also had many rebellious acts. He got kicked out of school, and he always had thoughts inside of him over running away. That is how Holden and the characters in the movie are alike and different.

Blog #3: Dead Poets Society

Some of the lessons which Mr. Keating is teaching his students are about "Seize the Day". Seize the Day means that you should live your life to the fullest. He was telling his students that you should live your life to the fullest, because one day you will end up dead. In "Catcher" Holden's teacher teaches him about "Playing by the Rules". These two lessons completely contrast each other, because seizing the day means getting what you want and living to the very best you can, where playing by the rules would be considered a more serious topic in which the person is always scared about getting into trouble. I think we should seize the day and live it to its best, but it is often very hard to do this when we have all these rules, which plays into the topic Life is a game, Play by the rules."

Blog #2: Life is a game

I do agree with Mr. Spencer's statement, "Life is a game, you play by the rules." I believe that this statement is true, because we are constantly called upon to follow the rules. In the case of our lives these rules would be laws. Other rules that we play by are the rules which our parents make for ourselves. If you don't play by the rules in a sports fame, you get a penalty or in soccer's case you receive a red or yellow card. In life if you do not follow by the rules you get sent to jail or to court for a hearing. There are many things in which you can compare and contrast over how life is a game or how it isn't. My main reason for believing that life is a game is the rules in it, and in life also some win and some loose. There are constantly moments in our lives which we would consider winning moments or loosing moments. That is why I do think that life is a game.

Blog #1: Seymour and the Banana fish

Seymour is similar to the Banana fish in many ways. Seymour says to Sybil that a bananafish is a normal fish, until they swim into a banana hole and they gorge themselves on bananas. Then they become to fat and they then die. He is similar to this because he came back from war and he is now a totally different person. Muriel describes Seymour to her mother and mentally unstable, and incapable of functioning normally in a social environment. So just as the bananafish came out of the banana hole as fat, Seymour comes out of World War II as a different person who is socially awkward and mentally different. Also just as the bananafish dies eventually once they come out of the banana hole from being fat, Seymour also died from killing himself which I believe the reasoning behind this is from the after war effect on him. That is how Seymour is similar to the bananafish.