Catcher In The Rye The Catcher in the Rye Essay Catcher In The Rye Essay example

1. Catcher In The Rye
Imagine this: a school without an emphasis on letter grades. It may seem like a utopian ideal,
however, this idea is being tested in English 1 classes. So that brings the question, can this concept
be applied school–wide or will we succumb to society's desire to quantify us?
Currently, all English 1 Poetry/Drama classes participate in this initiative of non–letter grading as an
effort to combat students' extrinsic motivation to attain As. Instead, students are being assessed on
how well they embody and work on "the aims of a Punahou education": things like critical thinking,
persistence, resilience, and interpersonal collaboration. Over the course of the semester, teachers
take notes on how students are applying these aims; for example, if a student creates an English 1
project about the symbolism of Holden's red cap in The Catcher in the Rye using thoughtful outside
research and supporting quotes from the text, a teacher may construe that as an excellent example of
critical thinking. At the end, students are still administered a letter grade for the semester, based on
how well students worked on these aims and not due to aggregate point values converted to
percentages and letters....show more content...
On one hand, the traditional grading system is universally recognized; its simplistic nature allows
teachers, students, and parents to easily interpret, understand, and directly compare others in the
same class. But on the other hand, there also significant cons, such as its subjectivity, lack of
explanation, and cultivation of testing culture. This is exactly what non–letter grading is intended to
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

2. The Catcher in the Rye Essay
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger. It is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a cynical
teenager who recently got expelled from his fourth school. Though Holden is the narrator and
main character of the story, the focus of Salinger's tale is not on Caulfield, but of the world in
which we live. The Catcher in the Rye is an insatiable account of the realities we face daily seen
through the eyes of a bright young man whose visions of the world are painfully truthful, if not a bit
jaded. Salinger's book is a must–read because its relatable symbolism draws on the reader's emotions
and can easily keep the attention of anyone. Salinger's full use of symbolism goes unnoticed until
his novel is read a second or third time. Most of it...show more content...
This character is going to tell it like it is, and he does. The most powerful emotional standpoint in
the story is when Holden goes to his sister's elementary school to deliver her a note. While he is
there, he discovers two words scribbled on the wall. "Fuck you." Most people would look at that
and think nothing of it. Some would bow their heads in shame at the person who thought it was
funny. Others might laugh. Not Holden. He did not think about the normal persons response to the
note. He thought about the child's response. About how a little kid is going to see that seemingly
meaningless phrase and wonder what it means; about how some dirty kid would explain what it
meant; and about the person who wrote it and how they are destroying the childhood of everyone
who reads the 'harmless' graffiti. This section takes the reader to the door of Holden's mind. It is at
this point that one truly understands his emotions. As previously mentioned, it is obvious of
Holden's intentions from the first chapter. The reader learns that they are not going to be following
the life story of some random kid; they are going to read about the introversive thoughts and
assumptions everyone makes at some point of their lives. Throughout the tale, it is obvious that
Caulfield is depressed and as the story progresses, he seems to lose himself in the real world. As he
moves
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

3. Catcher In The Rye Essay example
From the Outside, Looking In
Despite the debate that may wage on regarding the status to be afforded J. D. Salinger's writings, the
author's books have not quietly faded into obscurity. Although published almost a half–century ago,
the author's most famous work, Catcher in the Rye, enjoys almost as healthy and devoted a
following today as the book did when it was first published. Because of a self–imposed exile that
began almost at the same time the Salinger's career was just taking off, much of the substance of the
writer's lifeВ—his thoughts, ideals, writing objectivesВ—remain shrouded in mystery. The few
writings Salinger did offer up for public consumption, though, provide his audience cryptic clues into
his inner most thoughts and...show more content...
Perhaps the reason the author has become such a recluse is because it is only by withdrawing from
society that Salinger has been able to resolve his personal conflicts with the workings and objectives
of the society in which he lives. Take religion for example. If his writings truly do offer some insight
into the private thoughts and beliefs of the author, J. D. Salinger is a God–fearing man who has the
utmost respect for his Creator. It is not the reverence of a divine being that causes Salinger
difficulty; it is the mind–numbing customs and practices that cause parishioners to lose focus on
the basic reason they engage in religious worship that compels the writer to speak out. The formal
practice of religion at times places a greater emphasis on conformance with rituals than it does on
fostering a better understanding and appreciation of the basic notions upon which a religion is
based. In Salinger's mind, some religious practices have run so far afield of the original premise
upon which the religion was based that he questions whether the customs today can even loosely be
tied to actual religious worship. Salinger's most noteworthy character, Holden Caulfield, struggles
with how society has lost sight of the foundations upon which Christianity was organized. The
setting for Salinger's novel, Catcher in the Rye, is the Christmas season in New York City.
ChristmasВ—the time–honored tradition by which Christians pause to reflect on the birth of their
Get more content on HelpWriting.net