Lynn Ciafre 11-2
English III
To me Holden Caulfield was a very complex individual. I believe he didn’t read people well, and most times, completely misunderstood them. He felt that people didn’t like him, expected too much from him, and quite frankly he didn’t care to be around them. This would explain his problems with school and why he was expelled so many times from so many different places. Perhaps if people understood him and why he did what he did the results may have been different.
I believe a lot of Holden’s feelings were the result of his reaction to his brother’s death. We know that, through his actions, this was hard for him to deal with. Because D.B. was not home a lot, I believe Holden and Phoebe became close and depended upon each other for friendship. They both were able to tell each other just about anything.
Holden didn’t know how to react when people did things for him, such as his teachers, neighbors, etc. He always thought somebody wanted something in return; he didn’t believe people did things to be nice. Holden, as a result of this, built a wall around him self and never let anybody in. This was his defense and he never let it down. As a result of this, he hurt a lot of people.
Towards the end of the story, Holden did finally mature, and thought about other people’s feelings. This came through when he told Phoebe that he was leaving and she became upset. Because of their close relationship, Holden didn’t want to hurt her so he changed is mind. This not only showed some maturity on his part, but also that somebody cared for him and didn’t expect something in return.
It’s funny in this day and age when children act as Holden did, parents often take their children for professional help. This usually is followed by the patient (child) being treated with some form of medication. Like the commercial says, how about “talking to your kids.” Communication may be better than medication.
----------------------
In grading my work, I would like not only my grammar and spelling to be considered, but also what I have to say should be to greatest percentage of my mark.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Freedom By Death
Lynn Ciafre – 11-2
April 12, 2009
The Death of a Salesman -
First I would like to say that this is one book that I would probably not read again, or maybe I should, because it might grab my interest the second time around. I thought it took too long in getting my attention and part of the reason was because there were too many references and too much reminiscing which made me confused.
I believe that Willy was a lonely person as sometimes people say that salesmen are. My mom mentioned that most salesmen can talk to and are comfortably speaking with strangers more than their families. I believe this was the case in this story. To me, Willy and Linda didn’t seem to have a great marriage, maybe because he was always on the road. She may have felt overwhelmed by having to raise the kids by herself. Although Willy seemed to spend a lot of time with the children when he was home, this seemed to happen only when they were young. There didn’t seem to be any contact with the kids and their father as they got older.
I think that Biff, who was Willy’s favorite, found his father repulsive after he caught him cheating. Biff didn’t believe his father’s stories and excuses, and was hurt by whole situation.
Willy’s funeral was sad because of the lack of attendance and no mourners. It was especially said because not even Linda, his wife, mourned his passing. She did have some guilt and asked for forgiveness for her inability to cry. Her happiness is evident by the no tears and her final comment indicating that the family was “free”. To me this is a very sad life, and even sadder death.
-----------------------
In grading my post, I would like the readers to focus more on the organization of my writing piece and how it flows.
April 12, 2009
The Death of a Salesman -
First I would like to say that this is one book that I would probably not read again, or maybe I should, because it might grab my interest the second time around. I thought it took too long in getting my attention and part of the reason was because there were too many references and too much reminiscing which made me confused.
I believe that Willy was a lonely person as sometimes people say that salesmen are. My mom mentioned that most salesmen can talk to and are comfortably speaking with strangers more than their families. I believe this was the case in this story. To me, Willy and Linda didn’t seem to have a great marriage, maybe because he was always on the road. She may have felt overwhelmed by having to raise the kids by herself. Although Willy seemed to spend a lot of time with the children when he was home, this seemed to happen only when they were young. There didn’t seem to be any contact with the kids and their father as they got older.
I think that Biff, who was Willy’s favorite, found his father repulsive after he caught him cheating. Biff didn’t believe his father’s stories and excuses, and was hurt by whole situation.
Willy’s funeral was sad because of the lack of attendance and no mourners. It was especially said because not even Linda, his wife, mourned his passing. She did have some guilt and asked for forgiveness for her inability to cry. Her happiness is evident by the no tears and her final comment indicating that the family was “free”. To me this is a very sad life, and even sadder death.
-----------------------
In grading my post, I would like the readers to focus more on the organization of my writing piece and how it flows.
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Great Gatsby - Monday, March 23rd
The Great Gatsby
Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat…the redeeming things are not “happiness and pleasure” but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle.”
- Letter, October 5, 1940, to his daughter, Frances
I choose the above quote from Fitzgerald because I think this describes Gatsby’s life and his acquaintances. I use the word acquaintance because I believe that he didn’t have any real friends - a reason for him being cheated in life, in spite of his wealthy status. I feel that you need people and friends more than materials things. It’s ironic how we wish for more money and objects and think that this will make us happy. Yet, here is a story of one man’s life who had material riches, but longed for something that he couldn’t have, someone he loved, someone that would have made his life complete.
The quote tells us about “redeeming things are not happiness and pleasure”. As I explained above, materials things don’t always fill our need for happiness. Yes, we have pleasure in having money, or a new car, or nice clothes, but are we really happy? Do we still feel empty? Like something is missing? Gatsby felt this way. He longed for Daisy, but was not sure how she felt. Did she ever think about him as he thought about her? I think that in the short time before his death, was probably the happiest that Gatsby was for a long time. He was able to enjoy his wealth because he could share it with Daisy. That’s what made him complete.
Gatsby’s struggle in life was to once again be with Daisy. However, due to her marital situation, he believed this was never possible. How good he must have felt when she agreed to have the affair with him, in spite of being married. Gatsby must have felt that Daisy had some feelings for him which is why he took the blame for the car accident that killed Myrtle, which resulted n the murder of Gatsby.
Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat…the redeeming things are not “happiness and pleasure” but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle.”
- Letter, October 5, 1940, to his daughter, Frances
I choose the above quote from Fitzgerald because I think this describes Gatsby’s life and his acquaintances. I use the word acquaintance because I believe that he didn’t have any real friends - a reason for him being cheated in life, in spite of his wealthy status. I feel that you need people and friends more than materials things. It’s ironic how we wish for more money and objects and think that this will make us happy. Yet, here is a story of one man’s life who had material riches, but longed for something that he couldn’t have, someone he loved, someone that would have made his life complete.
The quote tells us about “redeeming things are not happiness and pleasure”. As I explained above, materials things don’t always fill our need for happiness. Yes, we have pleasure in having money, or a new car, or nice clothes, but are we really happy? Do we still feel empty? Like something is missing? Gatsby felt this way. He longed for Daisy, but was not sure how she felt. Did she ever think about him as he thought about her? I think that in the short time before his death, was probably the happiest that Gatsby was for a long time. He was able to enjoy his wealth because he could share it with Daisy. That’s what made him complete.
Gatsby’s struggle in life was to once again be with Daisy. However, due to her marital situation, he believed this was never possible. How good he must have felt when she agreed to have the affair with him, in spite of being married. Gatsby must have felt that Daisy had some feelings for him which is why he took the blame for the car accident that killed Myrtle, which resulted n the murder of Gatsby.
Blogger Reflection
Why I have enjoyed “blogging”:
Mr. F – first let me thank you for your email thanking the students for our writing so far this year. Your class has been interesting to say the least. Hope you have enjoyed my assignments and I hope you were able to understand what I felt at that time.
I think that “blogging” is a great tool for assignments. There are many advantages to this form of communication. It allows you to get your point across in a more adult manner, not the usual typing and submission of reports. I think it’s much easier to think and type, instead of writing notes. It allows me to change my thoughts without getting frustrated in having to scribble or cross out or tear up the first draft. It would be great if all of our teachers handled all of our assignments like this in the future. It’s a great prep tool for our future, especially college.
Since we don’t interact much with the other class, in my case 11-1, this feature allows us to comment on their thoughts, suggestions, and point of view. It actually brings the entire 11th grade closer in a sense, where we would not have the opportunity to do this if we were all submitting a report in writing.
I think that the grading system should be based not only on our knowledge of what the topic is, but also grammatically and spelling. In this day of high tech, everyone knows how to type – just from using cell phones, if nothing else.
Blogging for sure takes care of the excuses that “I left it at home”, “something spilled on my homework”, “I forgot my book” and the infamous one “the dog ate my homework”. Thanks to you we’ll need to come up with some new ones.
Mr. F – first let me thank you for your email thanking the students for our writing so far this year. Your class has been interesting to say the least. Hope you have enjoyed my assignments and I hope you were able to understand what I felt at that time.
I think that “blogging” is a great tool for assignments. There are many advantages to this form of communication. It allows you to get your point across in a more adult manner, not the usual typing and submission of reports. I think it’s much easier to think and type, instead of writing notes. It allows me to change my thoughts without getting frustrated in having to scribble or cross out or tear up the first draft. It would be great if all of our teachers handled all of our assignments like this in the future. It’s a great prep tool for our future, especially college.
Since we don’t interact much with the other class, in my case 11-1, this feature allows us to comment on their thoughts, suggestions, and point of view. It actually brings the entire 11th grade closer in a sense, where we would not have the opportunity to do this if we were all submitting a report in writing.
I think that the grading system should be based not only on our knowledge of what the topic is, but also grammatically and spelling. In this day of high tech, everyone knows how to type – just from using cell phones, if nothing else.
Blogging for sure takes care of the excuses that “I left it at home”, “something spilled on my homework”, “I forgot my book” and the infamous one “the dog ate my homework”. Thanks to you we’ll need to come up with some new ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
