Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Growing up isn’t just about turning a certain age. Its about realizing and accepting the responsibility that comes with being mature enough to handle yourself. In the book the Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the main character, Holden, struggles with taking on life by himself.  When he decides to leave his school, Pency, and head to New York for 3 days, he discovers that maybe he isn't ready to face his fears or chase his dreams.

            Holden is a strange protagonist because he seems to refuse to let himself mature. However, during his adventure to New York City, he matures without realizing it. For example, Holden starts out in the book with negative thoughts on people, especially Stradlater and Ackley, and ends the book with the thought of calling them up for a chat. It shows how his mind has matured, so he doesn’t get too bothered with the things that he got upset about in the beginning. He used to get grossed out with Ackley’s acne, but if he had seen him at the end Holden probably wouldn’t have minded. Something as small as the significance as acne can mean a lot to a person like Holden, who is judgmental until the end.

            Holden fears change and he cares for things that are simple and not too elaborate. This is one of the reasons that he cannot except that he needs to mature, because he refuses to let himself change his ways. For example, “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway” (16.25). In this quote Holden is talking about the glass cases of the Eskimos and the Indians in the Natural History Museum, which he loves so much because they stay the same. Holden can’t except change which is why he can’t stand the fact of him growing up into adulthood.

            Holden doesn’t acknowledge the real world and instead replaces it with an imaginary world that he created. He has this whole theory of what he wants to do, instead of a real job. His theory is, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all” (22.51-55). This quote is very symbolic to the book. The kids represent childhood- which in his mind is innocent, just a bunch of playing around- and he represents the adults- whose jobs is it to catch the kids if they try to run off the edge of a cliff. So Holden creates this imaginary world, but his kid sister Phoebe and his old teacher Mr. Antolini help him to figure out that it is not a very viable way to think about life.

            This book requires a certain way of thinking and opening up to the process that is adulthood. I really enjoyed the main idea of this book, which is to not be stuck in your own ways and open up to the world around you.

Response for “Extradition” from “The New York Times Upfront Magazine”

Response for “Extradition”

from “The New York Times Upfront Magazine”

Reporting by Erik Eckholm and Elisabetta Povoledo (author not mentioned, or ANM)

In the article “Extradition” the reporters Erik Eckholm and Elisabetta Povoledo discuss what extradition is and how it works, as well as Amanda Knox’s case. According to the article, “Extradition is the transfer of someone accused of a crime from one country (or state) to another for prosecution or punishment” (ANM 1).  Amanda Knox, as well as her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, is accused of murder of her roommate in Italy. She has had many court trials, the first one finding her and her boyfriend guilty, the 2^nd one let her go, so she returned to Seattle. Yet last year Italy’s highest court ordered a new trial after reviewing her case, and Amanda and Raffaele both were found guilty again and were sentenced to 28 years in jail. However, there are still many procedures going on to decide Amanda’s fate, but if she is found guilty and Italy asks for extradition from the US, then we will most likely send her back.

            This article was very interesting. I remember being younger and reading about Amanda’s case in People. I had always wondered how the case had turned out. There was not much reasoning on why or why not Amanda is guilty, but all I know is that Amanda should be sent to jail in Italy if she is found completely guilty by Italy. I’m sure that the US will hand her over. Italy is one of the many countries the US has extradition treaties with. The author interviewed with a Harvard Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz who states, “We’re trying to get N. S. A. leaker Edward Snowden back, and we’re not going to extradite someone convicted of murder?” This quote shows how the US has people they want to extradite from other countries, so it would make sense for the US to hand over Amanda Knox if necessary.

            After reading this article I have come to understand what extradition is and how it works, and the tough process that extradition comes with. Amanda Knox’s case is a fine example of extradition and there are many debates going on throughout the world about whether she should be found guilty.

Reading Response off the poem “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton

Response off poem: “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton

The painting Starry Night, drawn by Vincent Van Gogh, is a beautiful piece of artwork. The brush strokes form together to create a swirling wind pattern in the sky; the moon and the stars glow bright with yellow paint; the tree and the town below the sky feels warm and inviting. The poem “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton relates to the artwork by Vincent Van Gogh. It is inspired by the art and captures the essence of the painting. The speaker, who amazingly describes the art, wants to die without any restraint or ties. This is because the speaker repeats the line “This is how/ I want to die” (Sexton 5-6 and 11-12).

            The speaker in the poem mentions dead people in the 1^st stanza, which relates to the speakers want of death. The speaker talks about a drowned woman in the sky which might relate to the repeating line. For example, “up like a drowned woman in the hot sky” (Sexton 3). This quote proves that the speaker envisions a drowned woman in the sky. The sky in the painting is the main focus, but when s/he looks at the beautiful sky, s/he sees death.

            The speaker looks at the wind and the stars in the painting and sees a peaceful death. The speaker seems to look at the starry night painting and see not the wind, but a serpent that is eating the stars. It may sound strange, but the serpent is killing the stars. For example, “The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars” (Sexton 10). This excerpt shows how even wind from the painting looks like a monster to the speaker. However, the author does not say it in a menacing way, instead it seems like an observation of a peaceful night and a nice time to die.

            The speaker thinks that in the moment they are in, it would be a nice time to die. In the last stanza, the speaker explains the way she wants to die. For instance, “…to split/ from my life with no flag/ no belly/ no cry” (Sexton 14-17) This quote proves that the speaker wants to die in that moment, when s/he has “no flag” which can be evaluated into meaning no country or ties holding s/he back. The second line, “no belly” can mean no needs, such as hunger. The last line, “no cry” can mean no complaints. The speaker thinks that the moment in the painting would be a nice way or place to die.

            After reading this poem, I have learned to look at the painting it is inspired by differently. I no longer see just a landscape, but all of the tiny important details that can be so much more. This text connects to the world because there are many moments in life that are amazing. Many people can think of just one moment that they would like to live over and over before they die. I think the author used this prompt/idea to write the poem.

Works cited

Sexton, Emily. “The Starry Night.” Print.

Writing poems off writing prompts

Writing poems off writing prompts

Prompt: 6.     Personify a color by writing a monologue, poem, or short story in its voice.

Dear colorer,

This is a suicide note. 

I have been thrown across classrooms,

chewed,

spit out,

stabbed repeatedly,

used on the tip,

and I can't stand it anymore.

I am also offended.

You think I am angry all the time!

I promise you,

I'm not.

Why do you use me

for all your angry faces?

Your firetrucks and fires

do annoy me so.

The worst of all

is the liquid 

that pours out of colorers like yourself.

I hate being used for that!

Liquid is for blue

not for me.

Why can't

you use me for things like

pretty shirts

or bright lipstick

smiley faces

lightbulbs above heads

curly hair and freckles

or maybe hearts?

Now mine is broken,

so this is goodbye.

Love,

Your Red Marker

P. S. I think blue might be having thoughts like mine too,

so don't be surprised if he goes too.

Between you and me, I think he's always been depressed.

(Timmy opened this letter right before his beloved red marker ran out of ink. 

R. I. P. Red,

and pray for blue...)

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Reading Response

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

When I was in fourth grade, my friends showed me the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I fell in love with the series, but now that I am older, I see the books with a whole different perspective. Rick Riordan has written many books, and I have read almost all of them. I have noticed that throughout all of the series, there seems to be one overall theme. The theme is that working together can solve all problems.

I see the theme in all of his books, especially in The Heroes of Olympus series.  There are many individual teams, like Anabeth and Percy. They have been together from the start, and now they are stuck in Tartarus together. They always support each other and they keep each other alive. Another team is Piper and Hazel, they are the only girls on the ship, the Argo II, and they keep each other company. Hazel and Frank are a strong couple because Frank has trusted Hazel to hold his life-span firewood. He trusts Hazel more then he trusts himself. Hazel and Nico are half-siblings and they bond over their father, Hades, and how hard it is to be a son of him. Jason and Piper are a nice couple, yet they need to learn to trust themselves before they can trust each other. They are still finding out things about each other, which makes it a little difficult to fully trust one another. All of these individual teams or partnerships seem fine on their own, but the goal through the reader’s eyes is to get them all to work together in unison.

In the first book of the series, The Lost Hero, Jason, Leo, and Piper were all together on a quest. They slowly learned to trust each other and depend on one another. Now that they are joined with Nico, Frank, and Hazel on the Argo II, they are having a bit of trouble working all together. But when they join together in private, it becomes a more comfortable environment. For example:

‘Oh…’ Leo grinned even wider. ‘You know, I like your version a lot better. Cause if Gaea falls to me, Mr. Fire, that is absolutely copacetic.’

‘Or to me… storm.’ Jason kissed her. ‘Piper, that’s brilliant! If you’re right, this is great news. We just have to figure out which of us destroys Gaea.’

‘Maybe.’ She [Piper] felt uneasy getting their hopes up.

This shows how when it is just Jason, Leo, and Piper, they get less tense and can talk about real issues involving their quest. But they have to learn how to bond with Nico, Frank, and Hazel all together, not just one-on-one. The team is always splitting up because they claim that too many people at once is bad, but they don’t realize that they will need to work together to get Percy and Anabeth out of Tartarus. If they spend more time fighting monsters as a team, they will learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

            All of the individual teams work fine individually, but they need to all join together if they are going to reach the Doors of Death and save Percy and Anabeth. If they don’t, when they are in battle they will forget the strengths of each person and lose focus. Their togetherness will decide the fate of their friends.