Essay about The Catcher in the Rye by Holden Caulfied

Coming of age is the transition of a person from childhood to adulthood. The Catcher in the Rye is portrayed through the mind of Holden Caulfield. This book portrays Holden as a maniac because he is recalling his three day story to a psychoanalyst from a mental hospital. Holden is fighting that fine line between being an adult and a child. However, he does not want to grow up and become an adult because of the growing responsibilities that come with being an adult, the loss of innocence associated with growing up, and the phoniness of that comes with growing into an adult. Holden is afraid of growing up because of the growing responsibilities that come with being an adult. This is clearly shown through him failing classes at†¦show more content†¦My parents would be the ones. So that was out,† (Salinger 59). Although his parents have kept shoving Holden away he should have been responsible and called his parents and face his consequences. However, Holden is too afraid of the growing responsibilities that come with growing up. Therefore, Holden does not want to grow up because of the growing responsibilities that come with becoming an adult. In addition, Holden does not want to grow up because of the loss of innocence that is associated with growing up. Throughout the story Holden always shows that he loves children and their innocence. For example, in the beginning when Holden is writing the composition for Stradlater, he describes Allie’s purity. â€Å"He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent †¦ But it wasnt just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody,† (Salinger 38). Holden describes how pure Allie is by saying how he was fifty times as intelligent he was even though Allie was two years younger than he was. Also, Holden talked about how Allie never got mad at anybody. Even though this could be true, I haven’t seen younger kids not get mad. This shows how he is describing Allie’s purity. Another way Holden shows that he doe s not want to grow up isShow MoreRelatedAmerican Library Association Vs. Salinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1230 Words   |  5 Pages J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, holds the honor of appearing on â€Å"Time† magazine’s 2010 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 (Lacayo). In contrast, the American Library Association (ALA) notes that the novel also holds the dubious honor of being the tenth most challenged book in the United States from 1990 to 1999. In 2001, 2005, and 2009 the book again made the ALA top ten most frequently challenged book list (Banned and Challenged Books). In the lightRead MoreThe Secrets of a Teenage Life900 Words   |  4 Pagescharacter Holden Caulfield by both physical actions and expressed emotions in the book The Catcher in the Rye. The overall main message of the book is to express the troubles that are involved with growing up in the adolescence years, to Holden Caulfied, the main charac ter of the book, growing up involves dealing with the phoniness of others and just not caring about much that is expected of life. Many negative effects come out of the adolescence years in the eyes of J.D Salingers, Holden Caulfield

Odysseus V Telemachus Essay - 1469 Words

Jon Dunlap 3/8/12 Odysseus v Telemachus Period 2 â€Å"Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences youve had, and what youve learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays youve celebrated.† – Anonymous (Thinkexist.com). Maturity is a key theme during the journeys of Telemachus and Odysseus. In Homer’s Odyssey the journeys of Telemachus and Odysseus have many similarities and differences such as their common goal and the lessons they learn; and only by overcoming these obstacles are they able to become emotionally stronger and find success in Ithaca. Odysseus and Telemachus’ respective journeys have many similarities such as the common enemy the share and the goal they are fighting towards. First,†¦show more content†¦Odysseus and Telemachus have one final thing in common on their journeys; they are both aided by Athena. Athena had been an ally of Odysseus since the Trojan War, mainly because she reminded him of herself. Throughout The Odyssey Athena aides both heroes on several occasions; Athena begs her father Zeus to allow her to aid Odysseus, so he can go home to his family, Father, son of [Kronos], King of kings, it served Aegisthus right †¦ it is for [Odysseus] that my heart bleeds, when I think of his sufferings in that lonely sea-girt island, far away, poor man, from all his friends† (Butler BK 1). Athena helps Telemachus by getting him his ship and crew before the journey to search for word of Odysseus, and develops a bond with both of them throughout the story. Despite the many similarities, Odysseus and Telemachus are very different; as evidenced by the way they behave, their respective upbringings, and the lessons they learn. The first main difference between Odysseus and Telemachus is the way they behave under pressure. Odysseus, having had many years of experience and the gift of persuasive speaking, tends to handle problems with patience and careful planning. This can be seen as he charms Nausicaa into aiding him on Scheria, O queen, he said, I implore your aid- but tell me, are you a goddess or are you a mortalShow MoreRelatedConflict in The Odyssey Essay998 Words   |  4 Pagessecond oldest surviving Greek text. The story contains many conflicts such as man v god, man v himself, and man v society. This paper will explore some of the important conflicts in this classic tale. Man v god is the most important conflict in the story. Towards the beginning of the story Odysseus goes to war against the Trojans and wins. What he doesn’t know is that the great God Poseidon favored Odysseus and his army and helped them win the Trojan War. Poseidon becomes very angry with Odysseus’sRead More Essay on the Double Meanings of The Odyssey995 Words   |  4 Pagesmeanings. The double meanings of these symbols are used to represent Odysseus and Telemachus as they strive to meet each other. While each symbol has a meaning that represents the growth of Telemachus, each one also represents, by another meaning, the growth and development of Odysseus. When they meet for the first time, the symbols, and the character traits that they represent confluence, and the resemblance between Odysseus and Telemachus becomes complete. One of the main ideas running throughoutRead MoreEssay on Epithet Chart for Homers Odyssey, Robert Fagles594 Words   |  3 Pages______ ____________ Odysseus: -â€Å"the man of twists and turns† (I.1) -â€Å"Great Odysseus† (I.228) -â€Å"King Odysseus† (I.456) -â€Å"godlike man† (II.261) -â€Å"Odysseus of Ithaca† (II.277) -â€Å"Worldly Odysseus† (V.237) -â€Å"Long-enduring Odysseus† (V.538) -â€Å"Worldly-Wise† (VII.200) -â€Å"Long-suffering great Odysseus† (VII.210) -â€Å"Diplomatic† (VII.346) -â€Å"Odysseus, raider of cities† (VIII.3) -â€Å"Great teller of tales† (IX.1) -â€Å"shining Odysseus† (XI.230) -â€Å"Deft and tactful Odysseus† (XI.404) Athena: -â€Å"sparkling-eyed†Read More Use of Epithets In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey Essay774 Words   |  4 Pages Throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer’s use of the epithet in describing Odysseus becomes essential as a means of characterizing the hero. Homer uses several epithets, or nicknames, along with the name â€Å"Odysseus† as the story unfolds in both tales. Three of these include the descriptive epithet â€Å"wily Odysseus,† the laudative epithet â€Å"Odysseus, the great tactician,† and the patronymic epithet â€Å"Odysseus Laertiades.† Besides their obvious descriptive qualities, each of these epithets functionRead More The Maturation of Telemachus in Homers Odyssey Essays890 Words   |  4 PagesThe Maturation of Telemachus in Homers Odyssey       The Odyssey was a great book in which many characters were brought out and developed.   The most significant development that occured in the epic was the development of Telemachus.   Telemachus is a very complex character that Homer develops from beginning to end.   From the beginning when is a mere shadow of his father to near the end in which he is considered just as courageous.   Many factors influence Telemachus as he matures intoRead MoreThe Odyssey By Homer And The 1997 Movie Analysis1265 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship would be Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. Odysseus leaves to battle right after his son was born. Odysseus didn t return until twenty years later, so Telemachus never grew up with a father figure. While gone, Odysseus promised himself that he would get back home to his son and wife. While he is gone, Telemachus wants to find out more about this father that he has never met. Telemachus never gives up on his father even when people told h im that he was dead. Telemachus even goes on a dangerousRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Odyssey And The Hobbit1472 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom a general perspective. If we look closer however you discover that for Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, this is about his journey home, while in The Hobbit the main character, Bilbo Baggins, is about to experience his first journey away from home. You can also gather from taking a closer look that both of these stories have two main characters each. In the Odyssey you have Odysseus and his son Telemachus, and in The Hobbit you have Bilbo, and the King under the Mountain Thorin, IRead MoreThe Odyssey By The Homer1976 Words   |  8 Pagespraised for its sophistication, complexity and thematic consistency. The book talks about Odysseus journey home to find his son and wife. It also talks about everything he encountered on his journey. The story of the Odyssey started after the fall of Troy. This was the reason why Odysseus decided to go back home to see his son and wife. In the beginning of the book the reader is first introduced to Odysseus on his way to find his son. It all started after he was released from the goddess CalypsoRead More Essay on Names in The Odyssey and The Bible1634 Words   |  7 Pagesshown through the hero, Odysseus.   While traveling home from the Trojan War, Odysseus, in effect, loses his title, land, and power for twenty years.   He remains with nothing but his name to speak for his character and person.   As he himself says at the beginning of Book IX when beginning to tell his story to the Phaiacians, â€Å"First of all I will tell you my name, and then you may count me one of your friends if I live to reach my home, although that is far away.   I am Odysseus Laertiades, a name wellRead More Importance of the Telemachy in Developing Major Themes of Odyssey3687 Words   |   15 Pagesfamed hero until we are well into Book V, on Calypsos island of Ogygia. However, during these introductory four books, we learn of the situation in Ithaca, Odysseus plight, some of the most important themes of the story and of course Odysseus son Telemachus. Homer keeps us in suspense, building the reputation of Odysseus by the stories of Menelaus, Helen, Nestor and all Odysseus friends in Ithaca. Also, by building up the character and heroism of Telemachus, we are impressed by him, and as Athene

Mixed Hair, Mixed Me free essay sample

Growing up, Wednesdays were the bane of my existence. My white mother would tug and pull at my tangled curls lathered in sweetly scented conditioner while I, her helpless biracial child, cried my eyes out from sheer pain and frustration. Looking back, I could have spared washing my hair twice a week, but my mother and I probably could not have dealt with the emotional stress of the occasion. Every day I would wear my hair in one of the two hairstyles my mother could manage: a braided ponytail or pigtails. As a child of mixed race raised by a single white mother, I wanted nothing but long, straight, hair like my friends had. I wanted to be able to wear my hair down, swoop it out of my face or tuck it behind my ears. I begged my mother for wigs and hairpieces—anything that would make my hair less of a hassle. We will write a custom essay sample on Mixed Hair, Mixed Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She never obliged, and I would continuously long for more manageable hair. I was living in denial. I refused to accept the fact that I was different, even though deep down, I knew it was true. I did not look like my friends, whether they were white, black, Hispanic, or Asian. I always felt like the odd one out, and like any little girl, I desperately wanted to fit in. When I was twelve, a friend with similar hair to my own came to school with hers chemically relaxed. Astonished at the fact that her hair had gone from curly to straight overnight, I begged my mother until she finally agreed to take me to the hair salon. We drove thirty minutes one Saturday morning to a predominately African-American part of town. It was the first time I had been to a â€Å"black† hair salon. The whole place smelled of chemicals, flat irons, and burned hair, but I did not care. I would have gone to the ends of the earth to have straight hair. The process was long and painful. The feeling of chemicals literally burning my scalp was not pleasant, but well worth it; in a few hours, I would have pin straight hair like Barbie. The results were amazing. I sat in front of the mirror for hours just touching my hair and marveling at my self-improvement. Of course, the euphoria did not last long. I soon discovered that my hair would never look as good as it did when the hairdresser treated it. Although I spent hours in my tiny, hot bathroom making sure every piece was pin-straight, it never did look the same. I cut it shorter, thinking it would look better—it did not. It failed to make me the one thing I wanted to be: normal. On the second-to-last day of my sophomore year, I wore my hair curly and down. I do not know why I did, maybe I was just lazy that morning, but it felt wonderful. I was free—free of the pressure to be what I was not: white. My friends commented on how good my hair looked, and, for the first time in my life, I felt comfortable in my own mixed skin. My hair is big, wild, and difficult to manage, but I absolutely love it. I no longer let it define who I am. As I have grown older and my hair has changed, so have I as a person. Slowly but surely, I am becoming my own self. I am comfortable being me. I am neither black nor white; my hair is neither â€Å"nappy† nor â€Å"silky†; I am neither â€Å"ratchet† nor â€Å"prissy,† nor any other stereotype of blacks and whites. I am just me, Solina, the biracial girl who has finally accepted me for who I am, and I will not let anyone, especially myself, change that.

The Constitution Essays (2133 words) - United States Constitution

The Constitution The Constitution Right from the beginning of it's creation the constitution of the United States has been a shaky document. The very basis for it being there was in fact illegal. The story of American politics starts with the Declaration of Independence. This document was brilliantly written by Thomas Jefferson and compacted all of the great ideas of enlightenment into one short easy to read paper. The declaration stated all of the ideals the new American nation would strive for. A constitution was needed as a way in which to fulfill those goals. The articles of confederacy were created as that constitution. However, they were weak, because no state wanted to give away any of their powers, and so the articles eventually failed. That is when the modern day constitution was starting to form. The Articles of Confederacy stated that in order to change any part of the document all thirteen states must agree to the change. Therefor a meeting was called so that they could amend the failing articles. However, representatives from two of the states did not show up. Even though not all states were represented the meeting started and the first vote was to totally throw away the Articles of Confederacy. The constitution wasn't formed yet and it was already a flawed document. Because not all states were represented when the articles required it, the constitution was an illegal document. The delegates working on the constitution new that they needed a stronger document, because the articles proved too weak, but it still needed to please all of the states. This was impossible. So what ended up happening was the new ducocument became more and more vague. The only way to create a document that would pass was to make a document which didn't really solve any problems but make each state believe that there problems would be fixed. This was accomplished by making it so that it was too vague to offend anybody but you could read into it. This made for a document that would be seriously flawed because people would be able to read into it too much. It could not work. The Constitution of the United States of America was too vague to work. The way the constitution was written it gave power to four parts: the congress, the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the states. Because it was so vague it did not really define which powers went where (with a few exceptions). It left too much room to read into and take power away from other branches and into your branch to give yourself more power. The constitution leaves all unmentioned powers to the states, representing the people. This seems like that would be allot of power, and it would be, except that the other three branches would read into there powers and eventually take almost all powers so that the remaining powers were little and unconsiquencial. Throughout the history of the constitution the three branches of the government would time and time again expand their powers. Each time taking more powers away from the states and unbalance the system so that the original ideals set would be destroyed. Congress was split into two houses: the senate and the house of representatives. This was one of the ways which the constitution gave an unreal power to the people. The house is the only part of the government which is directly elected by the people. This made the people think they were getting a direct say in the government, but that wasn't true because everything done in the house would have to go through the senate which was run by the elite. throughout the years congress has constantly expanded their powers through a broad interpretation of the constitution and with every example they have abused the system by unbalancing powers and taking rights away from the people. The biggest thing they used to expand their powers was a small section of the constitution which they expanded to give them any power the saw proper of themselves to have. Article 1 section 8 clause 18 is called the elastic clause. This clause states that congress can make any laws necessary and proper to carry out their powers. This is one of the big reasons the constitution can not work. this clause is just too vague to allow any understanding of what congress's powers are. Congress would take this clause to the extreme. It does say the can only make laws which would complement their listed powers. However, they took it to mean they could do anything necessary to carry out their ?job,? which of coarse is