Blank Verse

But, soft, what light through yon-der win-dow breaks?

It is the east, and Jul-iet is the sun.

A-rise, fair sun, and kill the en-vious moon,

Who is al-read-y sick and pale with grief

That thou her maid art far more fair than she.

-Shakespeare

Blank Verse by Jamie W.

 I miss the keyboard,

even the pen

that always

leaks,

leaving behind

trademark blots

of blue ink.

 

Sometimes

I try to

I remember.

Those days

I would write and

publish, 

but now

my refrigerator door

stays empty

and cold.

Magnetic fruit beg for a purpose.

 

I sit.

At a blank screen

where the cruel cursor

winks at me,

in mockery.

 

I used to know how.

I would type and create

masterpieces.

In just thirty minutes,

I'd have my own Bob Ross painting.

But now the words vanish,

as I search for the next thing to write ...

Questions:

1. Do blank verse poems rhyme?

2. What is the difference between a blank verse poem and a free verse poem.

Ch. 24 The Conversation with Mr. Antolini

I agree with adults when they tell me that a good education is important. I want a good education because without it you can't go very far in life. It is hard for people without a good education to find a good job and to make a lot of money. I know that I am going to get a good education so I can succeed.

What two health issues does Holden pretend he has in Chapter 20?Why do you believe that our main character behaves this way?

Holden first believes he had a bullet in his guts. Then he thought he was going to die of pneumonia.  I think the reason that Holden pretends that he has these things wrong with him is because he wants someone to care about him. He wants someone to show him compassion. He wants to have the feeling that someone would actually care about him if he got hurt or died. He said he had bullets in his guts because he probably had the feeling in his guts that he wasn't being cared about. He thought nobody cared about him so it felt like he had bullets in his guts. Holden smoked a lot for someone who is his age so he probably felt that something would eventually be wrong with his lungs. He faked pneumonia because he probably felt that nobody cares about the fact that he is damaging his lungs by smoking but he wanted to see if they would care if he had pneumonia.

Luce

Holden is a very lonely and desperate person. He will spend time with anyone who is available. Even though he doesn't like Luce he didn't want him to leave because he would be lonely again. He doesn't want to be alone and feel more depressed. 

Holden and Mercutio

Holden identifies with Mercutio instead of Tybalt. He does this because he is more like Mercutio then Tybalt. They have more in common. Mercutio doesn't like the Capulets. One of the reasons he doesn't like them is because they are always concerned with the latest fashions and trends and they show off what they have. He is always ready to fight them. This is similar to Holden because he is always ready to fight phony people. He doesn't like people who act phony to others just like Mercutio doesn't like the Capulets for being to trendy. He also relates to Mercutio because he feels like the death of Mercutio is like the death of his brother Allie.

Horwitz

The point of the scene with Horwitz is to show the different personalities of characters. It tells the readers thatHorwitz is Holden's foil.

Holden and Horwitz differ by the following:

Horwitz- Sensitive, has a job, doesn’t drink, doesn't try to keep the conversation going, touchy, poor-works as a cab driver, older- more experienced.

Holden- Liar, doesn’t have a job, drinks, tries to hard to keep the conversation going, Holden is a little more laid back, rich-comes from a rich family, less experienced.

They aren't listening to each other.

Poems

Welcome Me, Adulthood

by Christina Cooper

Welcome me, Adulthood, I have ventured

through childhood with all the wonders and dangers in it.

I have placed my childhood fantasies aside,

and picked up hopes of becoming who I want to be.

Embrace me knowledge,

I am ready to know more and add to what I know already.

I have conquered my fear of the night,

now I only fear of becoming nothing.

I have stopped pretending to be what I thought I was going to be,

and realized that I am only what I make of myself.

I have come down from the land of make-believe,

and I have found the strength to believe in me.

So when I come upon you, open your arms,

and welcome me, Adulthood,

for I am headed your way.

I Am

by James Born

I am love in the face of hate

I am kindness in the face of ridicule

I am strength in the face of diversity

I am patience in the face of the mule

I will not run away from fear, I will not run and hide

I am bravery, I am pride

I will make a difference in this world, big or small

That is my promise to me , my promise to all

Vibrant

Intelligent

Caring

Trustworthy

Observant

Respectful

Inquisitive

Artistic

Happy and healthy

Always trusting and loyal 

Hardworking, caring, and fun

Holden lies to Mrs. Morrow

     I don't think that Mrs. Morrow is aware that Holden is making all the things he says about Ernie up. I think she fully believes him. She seems so interested and wants to keep hearing more. I think she is tricked by Holden's manipulative personality. The following is a letter from Mrs. Morrow to her son Ernie.

To my dearest Ernie,

     I met this nice young man named Holden last night while I was on a train. He goes to Pency Prep too and says that you boys are good friends. I am so proud of you. I can't believe what a nice boy he is. Good job Ernie and keep making more friends. I knew you had it in you. Holden also told me that he and a few of your friends were trying to get you to run for class president. I wish you would have, you would have done great. Oh well, there's always next year dear. Any who, I wish you would have told me about all of this. You can tell me anything dear. I feel that we have a lot of catching up to do. Oh and I invited him to visit us this summer at our house. He decline the offer because he is going to South America with his grandmother. Oh well, he'll come another time. I felt so bad for him when he told me he had a brain tumor. I can't believe it. He seems so happy and healthy. He said it's nothing major and it will be a quick surgery. I wish him luck. I will see you soon and we will catch up. Be safe dear!

Love, 

Mommy

object description

A white board laying there stiff. It has a rough texture. It is ready to be filled with color.

John Lennon's shooting

1. What happened at the scene of the shooting? Where did this take place?

Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon when he was coming out of his NYC apartment in 1980. After he shot him, instead of running, he sat and read "Catcher in the Rye". He read it until the police arrived.

2. What behavior on the part of Chapman set the stage for this amoral act?

Before Mark shot John, he already tried to commit suicide twice. This shows that he wasn't emotionally stable. He started signing John Lennons name for things. Like if his rent was due, he signed his name.

3. Why do you think Chapman felt a connection with Holden and the "Catcher in the Rye?"

He felt a connection because they shared some of the same characteristics. They were "both madmen". They were both jealous. I bet Mark was jealous of John Lennon because he was a famous star. Holden was jealous of his roommate. He may have thought that people were phony just like Holden did. Maybe he thought John was phony.

Quotation

 The following quotation was a quote that stood out to me: "If your really want to hear about it, the first thing that you'll probably want to know is where I  was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

     I think this is a great quote and it was clever for the author to open up the book with this sentence. Holden doesn't want to tell his whole life story from beginning to end, like in the book David Copperfield. Instead, he wants to talk about "all the madman stuff," that happened to him around last christmas before he got pretty rundown. That's when he had to come out to Pency to take it easy. This stood out because it shows what kind of personality Holden has and it shows that he doesn't want to be full of himself. He just wants to tell the important stuff.

Why do you think Holden had to take it easy?

Catcher In the Rye

What does it mean to be "phony"? Why are adults better at being phony than children? Share an experience where you remember someone being extremely phony to you.

Phony means fake or fraudulent. If someone is fake, they aren't being genuine. Adults are better at being phony than children because they have more experience. They have probably been around phony people in their lives. I have encountered a few phony people in my life. Their was a girl who was really nice to me when she was with me, but behind my back she would talk badly about me. She was being fake to me and I can't trust her anymore.

Epilogue

Friday, October 17, 2008

Epilogue

Marie Little Soldier:

     Upon reflection, adult David perceives Marie Little Soldier as a close family member. His fondest memory of her was when they were playing football with Ronnie. The three of them had so much fun together and the whole time they had no worries. They all felt completely comfortable around each other and were having a great time just being themselves. That day David felt as if he were part of a family with them. He felt that they accepted him for who he was and not his blood or birthright.

The Deaths of Wesley and Julian Hayden:

     Adult David can't help but to blame what happened in the summer of 1948 with the deaths of Wesley and Julian Hayden. Julian never spoke to Wes, Gail, or David again after the death of Frank. Grandma Hayden was the only one who kept in touch with them. Julian died of a stroke. Adult David believes that the reason Julian died of a stroke was because he kept the secret about Frank. The pressure of holding it in built up and something had to finally blow. In Julian's case, it was the vessel of his brain. Wesley Hayden died of cancer. Again, adult David blamed the incident in 1948 for the death of his dad. He felt that Wes died of the secret he kept and because of his bitterness. After thinking about it, David decided that he shouldn't blame the deaths of his family members on something that happened over forty years ago.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

2. What happens to Frank at the end of part III in Watson's Montana 1948? How does Watson set this up to be an emotional moment for the reader?

     At the end of part III in Watson's Montanta 1948 Frank commited suicide. Wes heard him the night before in the basement making a lot of noise but he didn't go down until the next morning. It was too late and he found his brother dead, with cuts on his wrists.

     Before the readers found out Frank committed suicide by cutting himself, Wes told David a story about when he and Frank were young. The story was that Frank saved Wes from bullies that threatened to scalp(cut) Wes if he didn't give him the golf balls that he found on a golf course. This was an emotional moment for the reader because Frank committed suicide by cutting himself and when they were younger Frank saved Wes from killing himself. If only Wes could have saved Frank from getting cut, the outcome of all of their lives would be different.