Be True to the Snow

The sweet smell of hot chocolate wakes me up in the morning,

Goosebumps run down my spine while I pull clothes over my body,

Weakness fills my arms as I drag the heavy equipment into the trunk of the car,

My dad is almost finished with the sandwiches for lunch, so I help him,

The warmth of the hot chocolate gives me a tingly feeling in my fingers as I walk to the car.

Out of instinct my hands reach for the CD player where I put in my favorite disc,

My head leans back, my eyes close and my ears open to the beauty of my techno CD,

A dream leads me into another world of peace, harmony and relaxation,

The gravel road wakes me from my sleep and we are almost there,

My head shifts towards the window and my eyes are delighted to see snowflakes.

My body stretches as I get out of the car and put my coat on,

Once I get all suited up, I put my ticket on my jacket, and I push away,

Excitement surges through my body as I wait on my dad to join me,

Up and up and up we go until my dad signs us up at the booth,

My dad leads me as we take our practice run to try to memorize it.

“3, 2, 1, Go, Go, Go, Go, Go.” My dad leaps forward and is instantly out of sight,

My perception blinds me as the cowbells start to clank,

“C’mon Filip, beat your dad, you can do it! Ready when you are!” shouted a man in the booth.

Here it is, my destiny, my moment of glory, my time to shine,

Anxiety and nervousness fill my body as I dive into my glory.

While frantically pushing off, the cowbells suddenly fade away,

Snowflakes land on my face as I start to accelerate,

My eyes widen to the sight of a 90 degree drop,

Adrenaline keeps me going as I focus on the turns,

As I cross the finish line I see a smile on my dads face, and I look at my time, I did it!

"The Catcher in the Rye"

The novel, The Catcher in Rye by J.D. Salinger, has served as a topic of both controversy and debate, but also praise. Many critics have distinguished it as a “classic” because “it captured the mood and sensibility of its era.” It is a favorite of many people, by the influence on young readers even a half-century after it was published. However, it has also suffered much negative criticism for the portrayal of Holden, a depressed, nervous, impulsive, sexual, and vulgar teenager, has attributed to the controversial nature of the novel.

            J.D. Salinger has had much criticism from The Catcher in the Rye, some of it good however. Commentators praise his informal diction, his use of symbolism and also an unusual perception of an adolescent experience. After this book was published, it rocketed to the NY Times #1 Best Seller list and J.D. Salinger became very well known. Later, Salinger became a recluse and stayed at his house with his family for about 20 years. In an interview with him, Salinger stated that he “liked his privacy.” He also said he writes for himself and not for others, that is why he does not publish many books.

            In the 1950’s, The Catcher in the Rye became a best seller instantly. Ever since it was published, about 250,000 copies were sold every year. Today, 60 million copies of the book have already been sold. Over the years its popularity has declined slightly but people are still buying the book. The novel has had its ups and downs however. It was banned in many schools and book store because many believe Holden’s behavior encouraged teenage rebellions, undermined to family values, and used blasphemy.

            The Catcher in the Rye has influenced our pop culture today in many ways. There have been references to Holden in movies such as “Kicking and Screaming”, “Big Fat Liar”, “Wedding Crashers”, and in “Tropic Thunder”. There have also been multiple references in TV shows like “Family Guy”.

            In my opinion, I think that it is good to read this book because it puts a different perspective on things and I believe that it is very important in the lives of many teens.

http://holden.wikia.com/wiki/In_Popular_Culture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

http://www.levity.com/corduroy/salinger1.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/09/13/specials/salinger-speaks.html

http://www.opednews.com/articles/My-Exclusive-Interview-Wit-by-John-Blumenthal-100129-990.html

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1902376_1902378_1902428,00.html

http://www.bookrags.com/criticisms/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

http://www.gradesaver.com/author/j-salinger/

Holden

             In the Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, the main character is a sixteen year-old junior who has been expelled from Pencey Academy due to his bad grades. He has a very pessimistic outlook on life. Many times instead of looking for someone’s friendly features, he tries to find flaws in people. He judges people very quickly on whether they are phony or not.

            In my opinion, I don’t necessarily like Holden for his actions but you can’t judge anyone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, right.  I tend to be more attracted to people who are happy and people who smile. If I surround myself with these funny and jovial people, it makes me happy! I think Holden probably had a difficult life and we don’t know the reasoning of why he is so lonely. Some events probably lead to this rebellious stage in Holden’s life. Maybe his childhood wasn’t the best or maybe his parents or his friends just haven’t ever loved him. I can see how Holden could be sad because of Allie’s death, but by doing that he is bringing down so many more people. It must be hard for him but maybe he should strengthen his relationship with Phoebe and be there for her.

            I think that once we get further in the book Holden will mature and he will realize his mistakes. I think that he will start to cope with whatever happened in his past and look to the future.  I also have a small gut instinct that something will happen between Holden and Jane, but I still have not figured out if that will turn out for the better or the worst. I also hope that we meet Holden’s parents later in the book. I think that will really show what hi childhood was, and what kind of leadership he grew up with.

Mr.McCarthy and English II

         In my opinion, English II is by far my most fun class. I look forward to it because I know that our class discussions are always very interesting. Like any class, there are always things you like and things you don't like.
         I woud have to say that I really enjoy the people in the class because when we all participate it makes for a fun class. I also like how Mr.McCarthy tries to involve everyone in the class so it's not like two people are the only ones who talk. Just like any class, there will be homework but I really like how it is spread out so you are rarely overload with a crazy amount of homework. I also like our Thursday free-reading days. It lets us read when we want so it is a good balance between what we have to read for school and what we want to read. I enjoy the class greatly.
         There aren't many bad things I have to say. I don not really like the Cornell notes. They don't really work for me. I prefer bullet-points because I can remember more details for the test.
         Other than that, I really like the flow of the class and it is one of the not many classes I enjoy.

My Red Hunting Hat

         In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield, is a very pessimistic person in my opinion. On page 22, he says, "This is a people shooting hat...I shoot people in this hat." This tells us that Holden tries to look for faults in people, instead of the good things. Holden wears his red hunting hat to shoot down phonies.
          However, my hunting is completely the opposite of Holden's except for one occasion. I wear my hunting hat to find all the good things someone has to offer. When Holden wears his hunting hat his priority is to find phonies, however, when I wear my hat, I look for someones humor, happiness, and confidence. Now, the one exception. I truly believe that it is our human nature to not necessarily try to find people who are fake but when we come across someone who we think is a phony, we tend to stay away from those people. I think our mind subconsciously tries to find people who we can trust, and when we come across a phony we avoid those people. Holden's mind is a more intense version of this. His mind only tries to find the flaws in people and maybe that is why he isn't such a happy or cheerful person. 
          In Holden's case, I think that the phrase "the red hunting hat" fits in perfectly. I believe though that for my hat, that would not be a good description. If there was such a thing like a "seeking hat" that would explain it better. I don't try to shoot and find all the negative things in people, I try to seek for the positive things that I look for in someone.