Journal Entry
#40
9 November 2007
Chapter 20
Page 268 paragraph 11-12
Quote:
"'I hear you're leaving us.' I fell into step beside Valerie in the little, nursesupervised group. 'Only if the doctors say yes. I have my interview tomorrow.'"
Finally after so long of Esther being crazy she has started to show improvement. Esther has just needed someone to love and care for her. That is just what Dr. Nolan has been doing, she is like Esther's first true friend, and role model. All Esther really needed was love and guidance for her to make it in the world, and she found it in one of the least likely places.
Friday, November 9, 2007
The Bell Jar: Chapter 20
Journal Entry
#39
9 November 2007
Chapter 20
Page 265 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Everybody would know about me, of course. Doctor Nolan had said, quite bluntly, that a lot of people would treat me gingerly, or even avoid me, like a leper with a warning bell."
When you are a crazy person and you go to an asylum, people are going to treat you differently when you go back into the real world. They are going to treat you differently because you were crazy. Would you treat a crazy person normally? I would try, but I'm sure it wouldn't work very well.
#39
9 November 2007
Chapter 20
Page 265 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Everybody would know about me, of course. Doctor Nolan had said, quite bluntly, that a lot of people would treat me gingerly, or even avoid me, like a leper with a warning bell."
When you are a crazy person and you go to an asylum, people are going to treat you differently when you go back into the real world. They are going to treat you differently because you were crazy. Would you treat a crazy person normally? I would try, but I'm sure it wouldn't work very well.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 19
Journal Entry
#38
9 November 2007
Chapter 19
Page 255 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"After a while Irwin got up and went into the bathroom, and I heard the rushing shower water. I wasn't sure if Irwin had done what he planned to do, or if my virginity had obstructed him in some way."
Esther seems to know nothing of sex, and that I'm sure is a good thing. The only problem is that she acts totally stupid throught the whole prossess. She wanted to 'do it' with Irwin, but then she has second thought. I think she wants to be different but at the same time be normal. She wants to have sex because she's not supposed to, but then maybe doesn't really want to . She should have just stayed a virgin.
#38
9 November 2007
Chapter 19
Page 255 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"After a while Irwin got up and went into the bathroom, and I heard the rushing shower water. I wasn't sure if Irwin had done what he planned to do, or if my virginity had obstructed him in some way."
Esther seems to know nothing of sex, and that I'm sure is a good thing. The only problem is that she acts totally stupid throught the whole prossess. She wanted to 'do it' with Irwin, but then she has second thought. I think she wants to be different but at the same time be normal. She wants to have sex because she's not supposed to, but then maybe doesn't really want to . She should have just stayed a virgin.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 19
Journal Entry
#37
9 NOvember 2007
Chapter 19
Page 252 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"I was about to say, 'Back to the asylum,' but the man looked promissing, so I changed my mind. 'Home.'"
Esther just can't seem to get the thought of having sex whenever she encounters a guy. She's like Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, she wants to, but when it comes right down to it, she doesn't. I think she's trying to lead her own life, but she is just digging herself in a deeper pit.
#37
9 NOvember 2007
Chapter 19
Page 252 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"I was about to say, 'Back to the asylum,' but the man looked promissing, so I changed my mind. 'Home.'"
Esther just can't seem to get the thought of having sex whenever she encounters a guy. She's like Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, she wants to, but when it comes right down to it, she doesn't. I think she's trying to lead her own life, but she is just digging herself in a deeper pit.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 18
Journal Entry
#36
9 November 2007
Chapter 18
Page 243 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"...at Belsize, the doors had locks, but the patients had no keys. A shut door meant privacy, and was respected, like a locked door. One knowcked, and knocked again, then went away."
This shows that the people respect each other. They may be crazy people, but they have more respect for each other than we do. I mean some people will knock, but others won't. Respect is something that we all need to learn.
#36
9 November 2007
Chapter 18
Page 243 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"...at Belsize, the doors had locks, but the patients had no keys. A shut door meant privacy, and was respected, like a locked door. One knowcked, and knocked again, then went away."
This shows that the people respect each other. They may be crazy people, but they have more respect for each other than we do. I mean some people will knock, but others won't. Respect is something that we all need to learn.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 18
Journal Entry
#35
9 November 2007
Chapter 18
Page 241 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"I thought how sad it was Joan looked so horsey, with such big teeth and eyes like two gray, goggly pebbles. Why, she couldn't even keep a boy like Buddy Willard. And DeeDee's husband was obviously living with some mistress or other and turning her sour as an old fusty cat."
Esther is starting to compare people to herself. She wants to be better than Joan because that is what she's always wanted to do. She thinks that it is funny that all these women can't get men, or can't keep them satisfied. Esther wants women to be like her.
#35
9 November 2007
Chapter 18
Page 241 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"I thought how sad it was Joan looked so horsey, with such big teeth and eyes like two gray, goggly pebbles. Why, she couldn't even keep a boy like Buddy Willard. And DeeDee's husband was obviously living with some mistress or other and turning her sour as an old fusty cat."
Esther is starting to compare people to herself. She wants to be better than Joan because that is what she's always wanted to do. She thinks that it is funny that all these women can't get men, or can't keep them satisfied. Esther wants women to be like her.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 17
Journal Entry
#34
9 NOvember 2007
Chapter 17
Page 230 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"Draping my blanket loosely around my shoulders, like a stole, I wandered down the hall toward the light and the gay noise."
She seems to look like a ghost going toward the light. Esther is in the blanket, that usually makes people look like ghosts, and the gay noise is the light. She wants to be part of it, but the blanket is also shealding her from the light, so she can back away when things get too serious.
#34
9 NOvember 2007
Chapter 17
Page 230 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"Draping my blanket loosely around my shoulders, like a stole, I wandered down the hall toward the light and the gay noise."
She seems to look like a ghost going toward the light. Esther is in the blanket, that usually makes people look like ghosts, and the gay noise is the light. She wants to be part of it, but the blanket is also shealding her from the light, so she can back away when things get too serious.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 17
Journal Entry
#33
9 November 2007
Chapter 17
Page 228 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"After the nurse left, I tried to puzzle out this new move on Doctor Nolan's part. What was she trying to prove? I hadn't changed. Nothing had changed. And Belsize was the best house of all. From Belsize people went back to work and back to school and back to their homes."
Doctor Nolan wants Esther to get better. She knows that Esther need encouragement to get there though, so she tells her she is getting better. Esther doesn't feel like she is getting better though. Esther thinks she is the same. Maybe that is because she can't see herself improve.
#33
9 November 2007
Chapter 17
Page 228 Paragraph 9
Quote:
"After the nurse left, I tried to puzzle out this new move on Doctor Nolan's part. What was she trying to prove? I hadn't changed. Nothing had changed. And Belsize was the best house of all. From Belsize people went back to work and back to school and back to their homes."
Doctor Nolan wants Esther to get better. She knows that Esther need encouragement to get there though, so she tells her she is getting better. Esther doesn't feel like she is getting better though. Esther thinks she is the same. Maybe that is because she can't see herself improve.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 16
Journal Entry
#32
9 November 2007
Chapter 16
Page 226 Paragraph 4-6
Quote:
"That afternoon my mother had brought me the roses. 'Save them for my funeral,' I'd said. My mother's face puckered, and she looked ready to cry."
Esther's mother wants her to get better. Either her mother wants her to get better because she cares about Esther, she doesn't like spending this kind of money on Esther, or she doesn't think that this looks very good in the social circle. I think that Esthers mother does care about her, but her mother wants to get Esther ready for the real world and it's hardships, so she just isn't able to show her love very well.
#32
9 November 2007
Chapter 16
Page 226 Paragraph 4-6
Quote:
"That afternoon my mother had brought me the roses. 'Save them for my funeral,' I'd said. My mother's face puckered, and she looked ready to cry."
Esther's mother wants her to get better. Either her mother wants her to get better because she cares about Esther, she doesn't like spending this kind of money on Esther, or she doesn't think that this looks very good in the social circle. I think that Esthers mother does care about her, but her mother wants to get Esther ready for the real world and it's hardships, so she just isn't able to show her love very well.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 16
Journal Enty
#31
9 November 2007
Chapter 16
Page 222 Paragraph 4-6
Quote:
"I laid the clippings on the white spread of the bed. 'You keep them,' Joan said. 'You ought to stick them in a scrapbook.' I folded the clippings and slipped them in my pocket."
The taking of the articles means that Esther is accepting that she is crazy. She will always remember her lesson because she put the articles in her pocket to keep safe. Esther sees that Joan is crazy, but getting better, and realizes that she too can get better is she really tries and wants to. I think Esther will make a turn about and get better, and get herself out of the asylum.
#31
9 November 2007
Chapter 16
Page 222 Paragraph 4-6
Quote:
"I laid the clippings on the white spread of the bed. 'You keep them,' Joan said. 'You ought to stick them in a scrapbook.' I folded the clippings and slipped them in my pocket."
The taking of the articles means that Esther is accepting that she is crazy. She will always remember her lesson because she put the articles in her pocket to keep safe. Esther sees that Joan is crazy, but getting better, and realizes that she too can get better is she really tries and wants to. I think Esther will make a turn about and get better, and get herself out of the asylum.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 15
Journal Entry
#30
9 November 2007
Chaper 15
Page 211 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"...I liked the smell of smoke. I thought if Doctor Nolan smoked, she might stay longer. This was the first time she had come to talk with me. When she left I would simply lapse into the old blankness."
Esther wants someone to care about her and love her. The only person that she's really felt this connection with though is Dr. Nolan. Esther wants to make Nolan as happy as possible so that she will keep coming back because Esther is easy going. Esther wants to have a friend that sticks around.
#30
9 November 2007
Chaper 15
Page 211 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"...I liked the smell of smoke. I thought if Doctor Nolan smoked, she might stay longer. This was the first time she had come to talk with me. When she left I would simply lapse into the old blankness."
Esther wants someone to care about her and love her. The only person that she's really felt this connection with though is Dr. Nolan. Esther wants to make Nolan as happy as possible so that she will keep coming back because Esther is easy going. Esther wants to have a friend that sticks around.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 15
Journal Entry
#29
9 November 2007
Chapter 15
Page 207 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I wasn't quite sure why Mrs. Guinea had turned up. All I knew was that she had interested herself in my case and that at one time, at the peak of her career, she had been in an asylum as well."
When you are a specialist, usually it helps to have personal experience. What better way to have personal experience than to experience it yourself. I would rather have someone that had gone through what I had, than someone who had learned about it from a book.
#29
9 November 2007
Chapter 15
Page 207 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I wasn't quite sure why Mrs. Guinea had turned up. All I knew was that she had interested herself in my case and that at one time, at the peak of her career, she had been in an asylum as well."
When you are a specialist, usually it helps to have personal experience. What better way to have personal experience than to experience it yourself. I would rather have someone that had gone through what I had, than someone who had learned about it from a book.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 14
Journal Entry
#28
9 November 2007
Chapter 14
Page 197 Paragraph 1-3
Quote:
"'What's the matter with you?' I turned her my full face, with the bulging purple and green eye. 'I tried to kill myself.' The woman stared at me. Then, hastily, she snatched up a movie magazine from her bed table and pretended to be reading."
People don't like to talk to suicidal people because they may try to harm you. I would feel a little different if someone told me they tried to kill themselves, because you don't know if they crazy or nice, but just had some problems. Though it is very rude to just stop a conversation and start reading something. they do that becuase they think they are higher up on the social ladder than suicidal people.
#28
9 November 2007
Chapter 14
Page 197 Paragraph 1-3
Quote:
"'What's the matter with you?' I turned her my full face, with the bulging purple and green eye. 'I tried to kill myself.' The woman stared at me. Then, hastily, she snatched up a movie magazine from her bed table and pretended to be reading."
People don't like to talk to suicidal people because they may try to harm you. I would feel a little different if someone told me they tried to kill themselves, because you don't know if they crazy or nice, but just had some problems. Though it is very rude to just stop a conversation and start reading something. they do that becuase they think they are higher up on the social ladder than suicidal people.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 14
Journal Entry
#27
9 November 2007
Page 191 Paragraph 10-11
Quote:
"'I can't see,' I said. A cheery voice spoke out of the dark. 'There are lots of blind people in the world. You'll marry a nice blind man someday.'"
The people are always focusing on people getting married. There is a life outside of marriage I hope they know. The people think Esther is concerned about herself not seeing because is will effect who she will marry, so the people tell her it will be okay. Really Esther is worried about her sight because she won't be able to see the beautiful world and what it looks like.
#27
9 November 2007
Page 191 Paragraph 10-11
Quote:
"'I can't see,' I said. A cheery voice spoke out of the dark. 'There are lots of blind people in the world. You'll marry a nice blind man someday.'"
The people are always focusing on people getting married. There is a life outside of marriage I hope they know. The people think Esther is concerned about herself not seeing because is will effect who she will marry, so the people tell her it will be okay. Really Esther is worried about her sight because she won't be able to see the beautiful world and what it looks like.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 13
Journal Entry
#26
9 November 2007
Chapter 13
Page 177 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"That morning I tried to hang myself."
This is the first attempt of suicide. Why does Esther not value her life as highly as she used to? If she killed herself, all her mothers money that was spent on her would go to waste. The full ride college fund would also go to waste. All that knowledge she gained would be worthless because she had died. If she killed herself the things people had done for her and what she had done for herself would have been for nothing.
#26
9 November 2007
Chapter 13
Page 177 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"That morning I tried to hang myself."
This is the first attempt of suicide. Why does Esther not value her life as highly as she used to? If she killed herself, all her mothers money that was spent on her would go to waste. The full ride college fund would also go to waste. All that knowledge she gained would be worthless because she had died. If she killed herself the things people had done for her and what she had done for herself would have been for nothing.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 13
Journal Entry
#25
9 November 2007
Chapter 13
Page 173 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"The only reason I remembered this play was because it had a mad person in it, and everything I had ever read about mad people stuck in my mind, while everything else flew out."
This is the beginning of when I realize that Esther is crazy. The only plays that she is interested in are the ones with crazy people. She only likes those plays because she can relate to them. The people are just like her and make her feel normal and special.
#25
9 November 2007
Chapter 13
Page 173 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"The only reason I remembered this play was because it had a mad person in it, and everything I had ever read about mad people stuck in my mind, while everything else flew out."
This is the beginning of when I realize that Esther is crazy. The only plays that she is interested in are the ones with crazy people. She only likes those plays because she can relate to them. The people are just like her and make her feel normal and special.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 12
Journal Entry
#24
9 November 2007
Chapter 12
Page 163 Paragaph 6-8
Quote:
"My mother smiled. 'I knew my baby wasn't like that.' I looked at her. 'Like what?' 'Like those awful people. Those awful dead people at the hospital.' She paused. 'I knew you'd decide to be all right again.'"
Esther's mother does not want Esther to be crazy. Esther's mother likes things in a nutshell. She doesn't like anything out of the normal, it makes her feel unsecure. Esther's mother is a woman, and acts like a typical woman. She wants everything to be a story tale, but it's not.
#24
9 November 2007
Chapter 12
Page 163 Paragaph 6-8
Quote:
"My mother smiled. 'I knew my baby wasn't like that.' I looked at her. 'Like what?' 'Like those awful people. Those awful dead people at the hospital.' She paused. 'I knew you'd decide to be all right again.'"
Esther's mother does not want Esther to be crazy. Esther's mother likes things in a nutshell. She doesn't like anything out of the normal, it makes her feel unsecure. Esther's mother is a woman, and acts like a typical woman. She wants everything to be a story tale, but it's not.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 12
Journal Entry
#23
9 November 2007
Chapter 12
Page 158 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"A gray-faced mand was counting our a deck of cards, one, two, three, four.... I thought he must be seeing if it was a full pack, but when he had finished counting, he started over again. Next to him, a fat lady played with a string of wooden beads. She drew all the beads up to one end of the sting. Then click, click, click, she let them fall back on each other."
Esther notices lots of stuff, that I would never notice. Things get on her nerves that none of us would ever see or hear. Esther hasn't been around crazy people or different people, so she doesn't know what to expect. Esther has been sheltered all her life like everyone else in society. They put the crazy people in an asylum, so the world won't have to deal with them.
#23
9 November 2007
Chapter 12
Page 158 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"A gray-faced mand was counting our a deck of cards, one, two, three, four.... I thought he must be seeing if it was a full pack, but when he had finished counting, he started over again. Next to him, a fat lady played with a string of wooden beads. She drew all the beads up to one end of the sting. Then click, click, click, she let them fall back on each other."
Esther notices lots of stuff, that I would never notice. Things get on her nerves that none of us would ever see or hear. Esther hasn't been around crazy people or different people, so she doesn't know what to expect. Esther has been sheltered all her life like everyone else in society. They put the crazy people in an asylum, so the world won't have to deal with them.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 11
Journal Entry
#22
9 November 2007
Chapter 11
Page 144 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Doctor Gordon's features were so perfect he was almost pretty. I hated him the minute I walked in through the door."
Esther doesn't like perfect people. Perfect people aren't like her, and she likes people to have mistakes. Well everyone does have mistakes, but sometimes at first sight they don't . I'm sure on the inside and once you got to know the doctor you would figure out he has lots of problems. I mean seriously, he's working in a mental hospital, that's got to be trying at times.
#22
9 November 2007
Chapter 11
Page 144 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Doctor Gordon's features were so perfect he was almost pretty. I hated him the minute I walked in through the door."
Esther doesn't like perfect people. Perfect people aren't like her, and she likes people to have mistakes. Well everyone does have mistakes, but sometimes at first sight they don't . I'm sure on the inside and once you got to know the doctor you would figure out he has lots of problems. I mean seriously, he's working in a mental hospital, that's got to be trying at times.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Bell Jar: Chapter 11
Journal Enrty
#21
8 November 2007
Chapter 11
Page 134 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I counted out three hundred and fifty sheets of corrasable boushes amd woolen. From another distance, I fed the the first. A feeling of tenderness filled my heart. My heroine would be myself, only in discise. I counted the letters 6 letters."
People have alot of the same kind of stuff, like Conney has a bog bowl of stuff that only a dand ful of people can see because you
re working on it. You can't alway s be a princess or queen when ever you feel like it, it sis more like your obligated to vote for Jayme.
#21
8 November 2007
Chapter 11
Page 134 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I counted out three hundred and fifty sheets of corrasable boushes amd woolen. From another distance, I fed the the first. A feeling of tenderness filled my heart. My heroine would be myself, only in discise. I counted the letters 6 letters."
People have alot of the same kind of stuff, like Conney has a bog bowl of stuff that only a dand ful of people can see because you
re working on it. You can't alway s be a princess or queen when ever you feel like it, it sis more like your obligated to vote for Jayme.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 10
Journal Entry
#20
8 November 2007
Chapter 10
Page 130 Paragraph 4
Quote:
"Everybody loved Dodo, although the swelling size of her family was the talk of the neighborhood. The older people around , like my mother, had two children, and the younger, mmore prosperous ones had four, but nobody but Dodo was on the verge of a seventh. Even was considered excessive, but then, everybody said, of course Dodo was Catholic."
Even the people that are loved try to talk to her. They may think that it is different to have so many children, but I don't see the real problem. Dodo may have a growing family, but that doesn't mean that she's a total goof ball and crazy because she just wants to have a family, and if she cnadt show it with her love for her family.They say that it is okay that she is havimg so many kids, they just say that it is because she is Catholic. The Catholic's can't use birthcontrol.
#20
8 November 2007
Chapter 10
Page 130 Paragraph 4
Quote:
"Everybody loved Dodo, although the swelling size of her family was the talk of the neighborhood. The older people around , like my mother, had two children, and the younger, mmore prosperous ones had four, but nobody but Dodo was on the verge of a seventh. Even was considered excessive, but then, everybody said, of course Dodo was Catholic."
Even the people that are loved try to talk to her. They may think that it is different to have so many children, but I don't see the real problem. Dodo may have a growing family, but that doesn't mean that she's a total goof ball and crazy because she just wants to have a family, and if she cnadt show it with her love for her family.They say that it is okay that she is havimg so many kids, they just say that it is because she is Catholic. The Catholic's can't use birthcontrol.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 10
Journal Entry
#19
8 November 2007
Chapter 10
Page 126 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"I hadn't, at the last moment, felt like washing off the two diagonal lines of dried blood that marked my cheeks.They seemed touching, and rather spectacular, and I thought I would carry them around with me, like the relic of a dead lover, till they wore off of their own accord."
Esther likes to have her scars becuase it makes her feel and look tougher. She wants them as metals that you get for winning something like a race. She wants to beat someone up right now so the notes are perfect because she doesn't have to deal with the stress and late nights having to stay awake. Esther wants to feel strong, so she uses a scar she got from a woman heater to show it. She wants a long lasting scar like a tatto so she can feel tough all the time.
#19
8 November 2007
Chapter 10
Page 126 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"I hadn't, at the last moment, felt like washing off the two diagonal lines of dried blood that marked my cheeks.They seemed touching, and rather spectacular, and I thought I would carry them around with me, like the relic of a dead lover, till they wore off of their own accord."
Esther likes to have her scars becuase it makes her feel and look tougher. She wants them as metals that you get for winning something like a race. She wants to beat someone up right now so the notes are perfect because she doesn't have to deal with the stress and late nights having to stay awake. Esther wants to feel strong, so she uses a scar she got from a woman heater to show it. She wants a long lasting scar like a tatto so she can feel tough all the time.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 9
Journal Entry
#18
8 November 2007
Chapter 9
Page 114 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I fumbled in my pocketbook for the gilt compact with the mascara and the mascara brush and the eyeshadow and the three lipsticks and the side mirror. The face that peered back at me seemed to be peering from the grating bruised and puffy and all the wrong colors. It was a face that needed soap and water and Christian tolerance."
Esther puts on her makeup because she has to look presentable to the world when she faces it. A girl was suposed to look beautiful when people saw her. Nobody really cared how she felt or if she was sad. Girls were supposed to be happy and deal with their own problems hidden away. All Esther wants is for someone to love her for who she is, not for who she dresses up like.
#18
8 November 2007
Chapter 9
Page 114 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I fumbled in my pocketbook for the gilt compact with the mascara and the mascara brush and the eyeshadow and the three lipsticks and the side mirror. The face that peered back at me seemed to be peering from the grating bruised and puffy and all the wrong colors. It was a face that needed soap and water and Christian tolerance."
Esther puts on her makeup because she has to look presentable to the world when she faces it. A girl was suposed to look beautiful when people saw her. Nobody really cared how she felt or if she was sad. Girls were supposed to be happy and deal with their own problems hidden away. All Esther wants is for someone to love her for who she is, not for who she dresses up like.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 9
Journal Entry
# 17
8 November 2007
Chapter 9
Page 113 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"I buried my face in the pink velvet facade of Jay Cee's loveseat and with immence relief the salt tears and miserable noises that had been prowling around in me all morning burst out into my room."
Esther is having a breakdown. She has bottled up her emotions and frustrations for so long, that she finally can't take it any more. I wouldn't be able to take it any more if I had that many problems. Sometimes you just have to let it all out and that means to cry and after the cry your fine. She just needs some guidance and love. Someone to love her for being Esther, not just a girl. Every girl wants to be loved for being themselves.
# 17
8 November 2007
Chapter 9
Page 113 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"I buried my face in the pink velvet facade of Jay Cee's loveseat and with immence relief the salt tears and miserable noises that had been prowling around in me all morning burst out into my room."
Esther is having a breakdown. She has bottled up her emotions and frustrations for so long, that she finally can't take it any more. I wouldn't be able to take it any more if I had that many problems. Sometimes you just have to let it all out and that means to cry and after the cry your fine. She just needs some guidance and love. Someone to love her for being Esther, not just a girl. Every girl wants to be loved for being themselves.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 8
Journal Entry
#16
8 November 2007
Chapter 8
Page 100 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"A pot belly swelled under the tight white nylon shirt and his cheeks were round an druddy as marzipan fruit. Even his laugh sounded plump. Byddy's eyes met mine. 'It's the eating,' he said. 'They stuff us day and then just make us lie around.'"
Buddy is a porker. He thinks that Esther is descusted with him because he's fat. She partly is, and that's how you know their not supposed to be together. If you really loved someone, they wouldn't care if you were fat or not, they would love you still because you're you. It's not the person on the outside we love, it's the person on the inside.
#16
8 November 2007
Chapter 8
Page 100 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"A pot belly swelled under the tight white nylon shirt and his cheeks were round an druddy as marzipan fruit. Even his laugh sounded plump. Byddy's eyes met mine. 'It's the eating,' he said. 'They stuff us day and then just make us lie around.'"
Buddy is a porker. He thinks that Esther is descusted with him because he's fat. She partly is, and that's how you know their not supposed to be together. If you really loved someone, they wouldn't care if you were fat or not, they would love you still because you're you. It's not the person on the outside we love, it's the person on the inside.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 8
Journal Entry
#15
8 November 2007
Chapter 8
Page 99 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"'TB is like living with a bomb in your lung,' Budy had written to me at college. 'You just lie around very quietly hoping it won't go off.'"
Buddy wants to have something exciting to happen in his life. He wants to have someone to tell all his secrets to, that is not his mother. He wants someone to care about what he says and not care if he did something wrong. Someone that will for give him for his mistakes that he's made. He wants a true love.
#15
8 November 2007
Chapter 8
Page 99 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"'TB is like living with a bomb in your lung,' Budy had written to me at college. 'You just lie around very quietly hoping it won't go off.'"
Buddy wants to have something exciting to happen in his life. He wants to have someone to tell all his secrets to, that is not his mother. He wants someone to care about what he says and not care if he did something wrong. Someone that will for give him for his mistakes that he's made. He wants a true love.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 7
Journal Entry
#14
November 8, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 87 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I felt so fine by the time we came to the yogurt and strawberry jam that I decided I would let Constantin seduce me."
Esther has just found out that Buddy is not a virgin. Now that she has found out that the reason that she has been a virgin is because she wanted to be pure for her husband, which she says she will never marry. So she wanted to stay pure for Buddy, but then she finds out that he isn't pure so why does she have to be pure when he isn't. She thinks they should be equal when they marry. So she feels like Constantin is an okay guy to have seduce her. I think that she is just too drunk to care right now.
#14
November 8, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 87 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I felt so fine by the time we came to the yogurt and strawberry jam that I decided I would let Constantin seduce me."
Esther has just found out that Buddy is not a virgin. Now that she has found out that the reason that she has been a virgin is because she wanted to be pure for her husband, which she says she will never marry. So she wanted to stay pure for Buddy, but then she finds out that he isn't pure so why does she have to be pure when he isn't. She thinks they should be equal when they marry. So she feels like Constantin is an okay guy to have seduce her. I think that she is just too drunk to care right now.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 7
Journal Entry
#13
November 8, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 82 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Of course, Constatin was much too short, but in his own way he was handsome with light brown hair and dark blue eyes and a lively, challenging expression...I thought, 'This Constantin won't mind if I'm too tall and don't know enough languages and haven't been to Europe, he'll see through all that stuff to what I really am.'"
Esther is just the same as Buddy. She wants someone to love. Someone that cares about how she truely feels. She feels that Constantin is the right man, and even if he isn't the right man, a man close enough to the right one. She doesn't think that she's good enough for Constatin. She tells her self though that Constatin won't care, and he probably won't. I really don't think that he is right for her. She just needs to realize that Buddy isn't the only man out there that could love her.
#13
November 8, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 82 Paragraph 1-2
Quote:
"Of course, Constatin was much too short, but in his own way he was handsome with light brown hair and dark blue eyes and a lively, challenging expression...I thought, 'This Constantin won't mind if I'm too tall and don't know enough languages and haven't been to Europe, he'll see through all that stuff to what I really am.'"
Esther is just the same as Buddy. She wants someone to love. Someone that cares about how she truely feels. She feels that Constantin is the right man, and even if he isn't the right man, a man close enough to the right one. She doesn't think that she's good enough for Constatin. She tells her self though that Constatin won't care, and he probably won't. I really don't think that he is right for her. She just needs to realize that Buddy isn't the only man out there that could love her.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 6
Journal Entry
#12
November 8, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 79 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"When I first went to her [Mrs. Willard] house for supper she gave me a queer, shrewd, searching look, and I knew she was trying to tell whether I was a virgin or not."
Women are supposed to be virgins when they get married. They want to women because they want the girl to be a flower, and the man to be a bee. The man can go to different girls, but the girl can only have one man. I believe that women should be virgins when they get married, and I also believe that men should be virgins when they get married. Their relationships should be equal, the man nor the women should be more intitled to do something than the other.
#12
November 8, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 79 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"When I first went to her [Mrs. Willard] house for supper she gave me a queer, shrewd, searching look, and I knew she was trying to tell whether I was a virgin or not."
Women are supposed to be virgins when they get married. They want to women because they want the girl to be a flower, and the man to be a bee. The man can go to different girls, but the girl can only have one man. I believe that women should be virgins when they get married, and I also believe that men should be virgins when they get married. Their relationships should be equal, the man nor the women should be more intitled to do something than the other.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 6
Journal Entry
#11
November 8, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 76 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"My mother and my grandmother had started hinting around to me a lot lately about what a fine, clean boy Buddy Willard was, coming from such a fine, clean family, and how everybody at church thought he was a model person, so kind to his parednt and to oder people, as well as so athletic and so handsome and so intelligent."
Every one wants a good man for their daughter, that has money and is courteous to everyone. It makes him look good in society, and it also makes the wife look good too. People always want the perfect man for their daughter, but sometimes the perfect man turns out to not be so perfect after all.
#11
November 8, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 76 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"My mother and my grandmother had started hinting around to me a lot lately about what a fine, clean boy Buddy Willard was, coming from such a fine, clean family, and how everybody at church thought he was a model person, so kind to his parednt and to oder people, as well as so athletic and so handsome and so intelligent."
Every one wants a good man for their daughter, that has money and is courteous to everyone. It makes him look good in society, and it also makes the wife look good too. People always want the perfect man for their daughter, but sometimes the perfect man turns out to not be so perfect after all.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 5
Journal Entry
#10
November 8, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 62 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"It seemed to me Buddy Willard and I were like that Jewish man and that nun, although of course we weren't Jewish or Catholic but Unitarian. We had met together under our own imaginary fig tree, and what we had seen wasn't a bird coming out of an egg but a baby coming out of a woman, and then something awful happened and we went our separate ways."
It's sometimes pretty cool when you have a story that relates to you. I like to have stories relate to me because it means I'm not the only person like me that is going through these certain things around me. It makes me feel like I can deal with what I'm going through, if it's hard. The people are going through the stuff, so I can too. I think that is the way Esther feels too.
#10
November 8, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 62 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"It seemed to me Buddy Willard and I were like that Jewish man and that nun, although of course we weren't Jewish or Catholic but Unitarian. We had met together under our own imaginary fig tree, and what we had seen wasn't a bird coming out of an egg but a baby coming out of a woman, and then something awful happened and we went our separate ways."
It's sometimes pretty cool when you have a story that relates to you. I like to have stories relate to me because it means I'm not the only person like me that is going through these certain things around me. It makes me feel like I can deal with what I'm going through, if it's hard. The people are going through the stuff, so I can too. I think that is the way Esther feels too.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 5
Journal Entry
#9
November 8, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 60 paragraph 1
Quote:
"Later, when I told Doreen about his curious behavior, she said, 'You ninny, he wanted his tip.'"
When you're new to a place you usually don't learn the customs till after you find out about them. Doreen seems to have found out about a custom of giving bellboys tips. The only problem is that she didn't give the boy his tips. This is bad because the boy ends up being sad and mad at Esther and Esther ends up feeling stupid and unknowledgable.
#9
November 8, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 60 paragraph 1
Quote:
"Later, when I told Doreen about his curious behavior, she said, 'You ninny, he wanted his tip.'"
When you're new to a place you usually don't learn the customs till after you find out about them. Doreen seems to have found out about a custom of giving bellboys tips. The only problem is that she didn't give the boy his tips. This is bad because the boy ends up being sad and mad at Esther and Esther ends up feeling stupid and unknowledgable.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 4
Journal Entry
#8
November 8, 2007
Chapter 4
Page Paragraph
Quote:
"'See what the the present is,' I begged. Then I remembered and said, 'I've a present for you as well.'"
I always do this. I'll talk about something with someone and either they'll say something or do something and it reminds me that I have to do something or give someone something. It's like a thing that clicks with our brain and we remember. An example is war veterans, if you do something that reminds them of stuff that happened to them in the war, their taken back to that time and place. It's not a pleasant experience, it's usually quite horrifying.
#8
November 8, 2007
Chapter 4
Page Paragraph
Quote:
"'See what the the present is,' I begged. Then I remembered and said, 'I've a present for you as well.'"
I always do this. I'll talk about something with someone and either they'll say something or do something and it reminds me that I have to do something or give someone something. It's like a thing that clicks with our brain and we remember. An example is war veterans, if you do something that reminds them of stuff that happened to them in the war, their taken back to that time and place. It's not a pleasant experience, it's usually quite horrifying.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Bell Jar: Chapter 4
Journal Entry
#7
November 7, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 44 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"My own mother wasn't much help. My mother had taught shorthand and typing to support us ever since my father died, and secretly she hated it and hated him for dying and leaving no money because he didn't trust life insurance salesmen. She was always on to me to learn shorthand after college, so I'd have a practical skill as well as a college degree. 'Even the apostles were tentmakers,' she'd say. "They had to live, just the way we do.'"
Esther's mother is a typical widow. Her occupation is teaching, and she teaches a simple skill, shorthand. She hate the job that she has, but she takes it without complaint, because that is what women are supposed to do. She is also trying to get Esther to learn shorthand so she can have a "practical" skill. She wants Esther to learn shorthand becuse she knows that Esther is not going to get married, and her degree is not what a spinster should have, she would need to be a teacher.
#7
November 7, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 44 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"My own mother wasn't much help. My mother had taught shorthand and typing to support us ever since my father died, and secretly she hated it and hated him for dying and leaving no money because he didn't trust life insurance salesmen. She was always on to me to learn shorthand after college, so I'd have a practical skill as well as a college degree. 'Even the apostles were tentmakers,' she'd say. "They had to live, just the way we do.'"
Esther's mother is a typical widow. Her occupation is teaching, and she teaches a simple skill, shorthand. She hate the job that she has, but she takes it without complaint, because that is what women are supposed to do. She is also trying to get Esther to learn shorthand so she can have a "practical" skill. She wants Esther to learn shorthand becuse she knows that Esther is not going to get married, and her degree is not what a spinster should have, she would need to be a teacher.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 3
Journal Entry
#6
November 7, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 29 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"The joke was that at my wedding my grandfather would see I had all the caviar I could eat. It was a joke because I never intended to get married, and even if I did, my grandfather couldn't have afforded enough caviar unless he robbed the country club kitchen and carried it off in a suitcase."
Esther right now would be considered a spinster. She has decided that she will not get married. Her job options would be a school teacher, a waitress, or a nurse. She wouldn't have very high social standings because she would not have a husband to get her there. Esther I'm sure will come across the right man someday and will change her mind, because I believe that their is a soul mate out there for everyone.
#6
November 7, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 29 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"The joke was that at my wedding my grandfather would see I had all the caviar I could eat. It was a joke because I never intended to get married, and even if I did, my grandfather couldn't have afforded enough caviar unless he robbed the country club kitchen and carried it off in a suitcase."
Esther right now would be considered a spinster. She has decided that she will not get married. Her job options would be a school teacher, a waitress, or a nurse. She wouldn't have very high social standings because she would not have a husband to get her there. Esther I'm sure will come across the right man someday and will change her mind, because I believe that their is a soul mate out there for everyone.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 3
Journal Entry
#5
November 7, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 27 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"We were always taken out on expense accounts, so I never felt guilty. I made a point of eating so fast I never kept the other people waiting who generally ordered only chef's salad and grapefruit juice because they were trying to reduce. Almost everybody I met in New York was trying to reduce."
The people in the 1950's liked to keep up appearances. People today like to do the same too. The girls will eat salads and small soups so they will stay skinny and people will think they have a little appetite and eat healthy, but that is only what people see when the people are eating out. Esther likes to be herself everywhere she goes. She eats a lot at the Ladies' Day Banquet because she doesn't really care what people think about her, she does it because she wants to do it. Esther eats a lot because she knows that she doesn't have to pay for the food, that is the same thing I would do.
#5
November 7, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 27 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"We were always taken out on expense accounts, so I never felt guilty. I made a point of eating so fast I never kept the other people waiting who generally ordered only chef's salad and grapefruit juice because they were trying to reduce. Almost everybody I met in New York was trying to reduce."
The people in the 1950's liked to keep up appearances. People today like to do the same too. The girls will eat salads and small soups so they will stay skinny and people will think they have a little appetite and eat healthy, but that is only what people see when the people are eating out. Esther likes to be herself everywhere she goes. She eats a lot at the Ladies' Day Banquet because she doesn't really care what people think about her, she does it because she wants to do it. Esther eats a lot because she knows that she doesn't have to pay for the food, that is the same thing I would do.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 2
Journal Entry
#4
November 7, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 20 paragraph 6
Quote:
"The china-white bedside telephone could have connected me up with things, but there it sat, dumb as a death's head. I tried to think of people I'd given my phone number to, so I could make a list of all the possible calls I might be about to receive, but all I could think of was that I'd given my number to Buddy Willard's mother so she could give it to a simultaneous interpreter she knew at the UN."
Esther is thinking about phone calls. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden was always thinking about calling someone so he could talk to them, but then he would decide that he didn't want to talk to the people after all. Esther is also thinking about the phone, but she is thinking about people calling her, not her calling someone else. She also doesn't want to talk to the person who has her phone number, just like how Holden didn't want to talk to people that he was going to call. Also, when Holden felt like calling people he was sometimes drunk, and Esther is drunk right now too.
#4
November 7, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 20 paragraph 6
Quote:
"The china-white bedside telephone could have connected me up with things, but there it sat, dumb as a death's head. I tried to think of people I'd given my phone number to, so I could make a list of all the possible calls I might be about to receive, but all I could think of was that I'd given my number to Buddy Willard's mother so she could give it to a simultaneous interpreter she knew at the UN."
Esther is thinking about phone calls. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden was always thinking about calling someone so he could talk to them, but then he would decide that he didn't want to talk to the people after all. Esther is also thinking about the phone, but she is thinking about people calling her, not her calling someone else. She also doesn't want to talk to the person who has her phone number, just like how Holden didn't want to talk to people that he was going to call. Also, when Holden felt like calling people he was sometimes drunk, and Esther is drunk right now too.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Bell Jar: Chapter 2
Journal Entry
#3
October 31, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 15 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Great white bearskins lay about underfoot, and the only furniture was a lot of low beds covered with Indian rugs. Instead of pictures hung up on walls, he had antlers and buffalo horns and a stuffed rabbit head. Lenny jutted a thumb at the meek little gray muzzle and stiff jackrabbit ears."
This is definitely a mans room because no woman would dare put dead animal parts in her house. Women were not supposed to go hunting. Women that saw men with animal head and skins were supposed to be in aw of the men because it was so manly of them. It gave the man bragging rights, making him feel special. Men like to have trophies to make them feel good about themselves, and that is what the animal skins and animal heads are. They are his trophies.
#3
October 31, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 15 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Great white bearskins lay about underfoot, and the only furniture was a lot of low beds covered with Indian rugs. Instead of pictures hung up on walls, he had antlers and buffalo horns and a stuffed rabbit head. Lenny jutted a thumb at the meek little gray muzzle and stiff jackrabbit ears."
This is definitely a mans room because no woman would dare put dead animal parts in her house. Women were not supposed to go hunting. Women that saw men with animal head and skins were supposed to be in aw of the men because it was so manly of them. It gave the man bragging rights, making him feel special. Men like to have trophies to make them feel good about themselves, and that is what the animal skins and animal heads are. They are his trophies.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 1
Journal Entry
#2
October 31, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 6 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"Jay Cee...I liked her a lot... she wasn't one of the fashion magazine guchers with fake eyelashes and giddy jewelry. Jay Cee had brains, so her plug-ugly looks didn't seem to matter. She read a coulple of languages and knew all the quality writers in the business."
Esther is a modest person, and likes practical things. She likes people who act like themselves, and don't try to be fakes and cover themselves with makeup like a mask. Esther may not be a looker, so she likes to know there are people out in the world who are okay with the way they look even if they aren't pretty. These people inspire her and make her understand, that looks don't get you a job or respect, or make you a professor. You have to have the brains and knowledge to help you in the real world because in the end intelligence lasts longer.
#2
October 31, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 6 Paragraph 5
Quote:
"Jay Cee...I liked her a lot... she wasn't one of the fashion magazine guchers with fake eyelashes and giddy jewelry. Jay Cee had brains, so her plug-ugly looks didn't seem to matter. She read a coulple of languages and knew all the quality writers in the business."
Esther is a modest person, and likes practical things. She likes people who act like themselves, and don't try to be fakes and cover themselves with makeup like a mask. Esther may not be a looker, so she likes to know there are people out in the world who are okay with the way they look even if they aren't pretty. These people inspire her and make her understand, that looks don't get you a job or respect, or make you a professor. You have to have the brains and knowledge to help you in the real world because in the end intelligence lasts longer.
The Bell Jar: Chapter 1
Journal Entry
#1
October 31, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 2 paragraph 2
Quote:
"I know something was wrong with me that summer, because all I could think about was the Rosenbergs and how stupid I'd been to buy all those uncomfortable, expensive clothes, hanging limp as fish in my closet, and how all the little successes I'd totted up so happily at college fizzled to nothing outside the slick marble and plate glass fronts along Madison Avenue."
Esther, the protagonist, knows that something is wrong with herself, but we don't know what. She says that she has worked hard to get to college, but when she got there she didn't care. Her goal was to get to college, but then she achieved that goal, what was she supposed to do then. She needed to make a goal that went beyond college. She needs to take a vacation to just forget and get her thoughts figured out so that she can concentrate on what is important to her.
#1
October 31, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 2 paragraph 2
Quote:
"I know something was wrong with me that summer, because all I could think about was the Rosenbergs and how stupid I'd been to buy all those uncomfortable, expensive clothes, hanging limp as fish in my closet, and how all the little successes I'd totted up so happily at college fizzled to nothing outside the slick marble and plate glass fronts along Madison Avenue."
Esther, the protagonist, knows that something is wrong with herself, but we don't know what. She says that she has worked hard to get to college, but when she got there she didn't care. Her goal was to get to college, but then she achieved that goal, what was she supposed to do then. She needed to make a goal that went beyond college. She needs to take a vacation to just forget and get her thoughts figured out so that she can concentrate on what is important to her.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 26
Journal Entry
#32
October 12, 2007
Chapter 26
Page 214 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
When you're crazy you usually think differently than most people. When a crazy person tells you stuff usually it sounds crazy. Holden is telling us not to tell them what you are thinking because then they don't come back to see you, and that when he says something it reminds him of all the people he used to talk to and how he wishes he was with them. When he finds out that all the people that he met and was friends with were fakes and phonies, he realizes that they really aren't, or that is what he likes about them. Holden realizes things too late to fix, because he can't go back to Pency Prep.
#32
October 12, 2007
Chapter 26
Page 214 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
When you're crazy you usually think differently than most people. When a crazy person tells you stuff usually it sounds crazy. Holden is telling us not to tell them what you are thinking because then they don't come back to see you, and that when he says something it reminds him of all the people he used to talk to and how he wishes he was with them. When he finds out that all the people that he met and was friends with were fakes and phonies, he realizes that they really aren't, or that is what he likes about them. Holden realizes things too late to fix, because he can't go back to Pency Prep.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 25
Journal Entry
#31
October 12, 2007
Chapter 25
Page 211 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
Whenever Holden is with Pheobe he always acts more grown up and mature. He's scared that she will fall off, and it is good that he is causious about what is going on around him. Usually he acts like and idiot, but here he acts like a big brother that loves his sister, and will do anything to keep her safe and happy. I'm sure I'd do the same thing for my little sister, because sometimes I feel responsible for her and I feel like I need to step up to the plate, and act like the mature one that knows it all. I act like she is wahing my every move. You always feel so big and important when you are around younger kids/siblings.
#31
October 12, 2007
Chapter 25
Page 211 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
Whenever Holden is with Pheobe he always acts more grown up and mature. He's scared that she will fall off, and it is good that he is causious about what is going on around him. Usually he acts like and idiot, but here he acts like a big brother that loves his sister, and will do anything to keep her safe and happy. I'm sure I'd do the same thing for my little sister, because sometimes I feel responsible for her and I feel like I need to step up to the plate, and act like the mature one that knows it all. I act like she is wahing my every move. You always feel so big and important when you are around younger kids/siblings.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 24
Journal Entry
#30
October 12, 2007
Chapter 24
Page 186 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"I have a feeling that you're riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall. But I don't honestly know what kind.... It may be the kind where, at the age of thirty, you sit in some bar hating everybody who comes in looking as if he might have played football in college. Then again, you may pick up just enough education to hate people who say, 'It's a secret between he and I.' Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer. I just don't know."
Holden's fall is coming because he's been crying more often and he has been so depressed, he is always talking about it. He already seems to hate people because they're phonies and fakes. In the story there usually is always forshadowing, and this is foreshadowing that something bad will happen to Holden in the end. Breakdowns are actually pretty normal because of all the stress these days, but we have medicines that can fix it.
#30
October 12, 2007
Chapter 24
Page 186 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"I have a feeling that you're riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall. But I don't honestly know what kind.... It may be the kind where, at the age of thirty, you sit in some bar hating everybody who comes in looking as if he might have played football in college. Then again, you may pick up just enough education to hate people who say, 'It's a secret between he and I.' Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer. I just don't know."
Holden's fall is coming because he's been crying more often and he has been so depressed, he is always talking about it. He already seems to hate people because they're phonies and fakes. In the story there usually is always forshadowing, and this is foreshadowing that something bad will happen to Holden in the end. Breakdowns are actually pretty normal because of all the stress these days, but we have medicines that can fix it.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 22
Journal Entry
#29
October 12, 2007
Chapter 22
Page 173 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."
Holden just showed that he wants to be a little kids hero. He loves little kids, it shows, the way he talks about his younger brother Allie, and his sister Pheobe. He is like most people because he likes little kids, and he likes them for their inocents. They do stuff, but the don't care who sees them. Holden likes kids because they don't change, and they don't expect him to act a certain way. Kids don't have a specific way that they expect you to act, but you should act right around you because they are like sponges and soak up everything you do.
#29
October 12, 2007
Chapter 22
Page 173 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."
Holden just showed that he wants to be a little kids hero. He loves little kids, it shows, the way he talks about his younger brother Allie, and his sister Pheobe. He is like most people because he likes little kids, and he likes them for their inocents. They do stuff, but the don't care who sees them. Holden likes kids because they don't change, and they don't expect him to act a certain way. Kids don't have a specific way that they expect you to act, but you should act right around you because they are like sponges and soak up everything you do.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 21
Journal Entry
#28
October 12, 2007
Chapter 21
Page 157 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."
People will do things for Holden because they think that he needs special treatment because sometimes he acts like he is crazy. If I saw someone that looked like they needed help, like Holden, I would probably do the same thing. Holden just doesn't seem to understand, that he really does need help. I think Holden needs to be loved and sat down and talked to about what he is doing, and how it is wrong. Holden needs to understand what he is doing.
#28
October 12, 2007
Chapter 21
Page 157 Paragraph 6
Quote:
"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."
People will do things for Holden because they think that he needs special treatment because sometimes he acts like he is crazy. If I saw someone that looked like they needed help, like Holden, I would probably do the same thing. Holden just doesn't seem to understand, that he really does need help. I think Holden needs to be loved and sat down and talked to about what he is doing, and how it is wrong. Holden needs to understand what he is doing.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 20
Journal Entry
#27
October 12, 2007
Chapter 20
Page 155 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody."
Holden sounds just like my mom and dad. They say that when they die, they want to be burried in a wooden box, and they want the box to go into a whole in the dirt. I personally think that it is the best way to go in the end because the wood will decompose so it won't mess up the ecosystem. Holden has his good times and bad times. I think he cares about stuff, he just tries so hard, unconciously, he always ends up screwing things up.
#27
October 12, 2007
Chapter 20
Page 155 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody."
Holden sounds just like my mom and dad. They say that when they die, they want to be burried in a wooden box, and they want the box to go into a whole in the dirt. I personally think that it is the best way to go in the end because the wood will decompose so it won't mess up the ecosystem. Holden has his good times and bad times. I think he cares about stuff, he just tries so hard, unconciously, he always ends up screwing things up.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 19
Journal Entry
#26
October 12, 2007
Chapter 19
Page 148 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I can never get really sexy-I mean really sexsy-with a girl I don't like a lot. I mean I have to like her a lot. If I don't, I sort of lose my goddam desire for her and all. Boy, it really screws up my sex life something awful."
Holden is like all boys. He tells people what he thinks that they want to talk about. Like boys when they talk in the lockerroom, they just tell each other the immagure stuff they've done or stuff their going to do, because that is what they have to do to be accepted into teenage boy society, really people should like you for what you say and for what you do normally. Boys have this big ego, so when it gets hurt, they usually get mad or depressed. Men need to realize that girls are not just toys that you can do what ever you want to. Women have personalities, likes, dislikes, and boys that she doesn't like. Girls are not just sex toys, as they are described in this book.
#26
October 12, 2007
Chapter 19
Page 148 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I can never get really sexy-I mean really sexsy-with a girl I don't like a lot. I mean I have to like her a lot. If I don't, I sort of lose my goddam desire for her and all. Boy, it really screws up my sex life something awful."
Holden is like all boys. He tells people what he thinks that they want to talk about. Like boys when they talk in the lockerroom, they just tell each other the immagure stuff they've done or stuff their going to do, because that is what they have to do to be accepted into teenage boy society, really people should like you for what you say and for what you do normally. Boys have this big ego, so when it gets hurt, they usually get mad or depressed. Men need to realize that girls are not just toys that you can do what ever you want to. Women have personalities, likes, dislikes, and boys that she doesn't like. Girls are not just sex toys, as they are described in this book.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 18
Journal Entry
#25
October 12, 2007
Chapter 18
Page 141 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."
Holden says things, that he probably shouldn't say and will regret saying if people actually thought that he was telling the truth. Holden is a coward really because he's all talk and no action. Holden says he'll do something, but end up not doing it, and running away and hiding. It is just like him not going home after he got kicked out of Pency Prep. If he really was bold and proud, he would have gone home and told his parents exactly what happened.
#25
October 12, 2007
Chapter 18
Page 141 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."
Holden says things, that he probably shouldn't say and will regret saying if people actually thought that he was telling the truth. Holden is a coward really because he's all talk and no action. Holden says he'll do something, but end up not doing it, and running away and hiding. It is just like him not going home after he got kicked out of Pency Prep. If he really was bold and proud, he would have gone home and told his parents exactly what happened.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 17
Journal Entry
#24
October 12, 2007
Chapter 17
Page 129 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"The waiter came up, and I ordered a Coke for her - she didn't drink - and a Scotch and soda for myself, but the sonuvabitch wouldn't bring you one, so I had a Coke too."
Sally is a girl, about 15, why would she drink? Holden shouldn't even be drinking, but boys will be boys. I'm glad the waiter wouldn't give Holden Scotch, Holden needs to learn, that it doesn't look cool when you get drunk and make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Also getting drunk would cause attention to yourself, something Holden doesn't like. Why does Holden drink and smoke, it just makes him look even more like a loser than he already is.
#24
October 12, 2007
Chapter 17
Page 129 Paragraph 7
Quote:
"The waiter came up, and I ordered a Coke for her - she didn't drink - and a Scotch and soda for myself, but the sonuvabitch wouldn't bring you one, so I had a Coke too."
Sally is a girl, about 15, why would she drink? Holden shouldn't even be drinking, but boys will be boys. I'm glad the waiter wouldn't give Holden Scotch, Holden needs to learn, that it doesn't look cool when you get drunk and make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Also getting drunk would cause attention to yourself, something Holden doesn't like. Why does Holden drink and smoke, it just makes him look even more like a loser than he already is.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 16
Journal Entry
#23
October 12, 2007
Chapter 16
Page 115 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"He was singing that song, 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.' He had a pretty little voice too. He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. The cars zoomed by, the brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the kerb and singing 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.' It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore."
Holden doesn't feel depressed after hearing the song about the rye field. I think that he isn't as depressed because the kid doesn't care that everyone is watching him or not watching. Holden is envious of the kid because the kid is able to do stuff, and nobody acts like their paying attention to him. Holden says that he likes to do stuff, but he doesn't like people watching him while he is doing it. This kid is of significance to the book because the title is named after the song, or words in the song.
#23
October 12, 2007
Chapter 16
Page 115 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"He was singing that song, 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.' He had a pretty little voice too. He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. The cars zoomed by, the brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the kerb and singing 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.' It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore."
Holden doesn't feel depressed after hearing the song about the rye field. I think that he isn't as depressed because the kid doesn't care that everyone is watching him or not watching. Holden is envious of the kid because the kid is able to do stuff, and nobody acts like their paying attention to him. Holden says that he likes to do stuff, but he doesn't like people watching him while he is doing it. This kid is of significance to the book because the title is named after the song, or words in the song.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 15
Journal Entry
#22
October 11, 2007
Chapter 15
Page 113 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell."
Money does always make you feel depressed and sad. You may have a lot of money, but you'll always want more, and more. You may not have enough money, so then you're sad because you don't have enough to get you through. Really money doesn't do anything positive for people, people turn against each other because of money, there are wars because of money. Money just makes people sad, depressed and greedy for more money. You will never hear of a person saying that they have too much money, and are happy.
#22
October 11, 2007
Chapter 15
Page 113 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell."
Money does always make you feel depressed and sad. You may have a lot of money, but you'll always want more, and more. You may not have enough money, so then you're sad because you don't have enough to get you through. Really money doesn't do anything positive for people, people turn against each other because of money, there are wars because of money. Money just makes people sad, depressed and greedy for more money. You will never hear of a person saying that they have too much money, and are happy.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 14
Journal Entry
#21
October 11, 2007
Chapter 14
Page 104 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would've, too, if I'd been sure somebody'd cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory."
Holden is a little different than everyone else because if someone esle committed suicide, they would want to be noticed, that is why they usually do it. Holden wouldn't want to be noticed though because then people would notice him, and he doesn't like to be noticed. He likes to do things so people wont now he's gone till he left, an he doesn't like to draw attention to himself, I think though that he's just scared of jumping out the window because he knows that his life is not ment to end yet. Holden likes to be different than everyone else, that is how he is noticed, for being different, but that makes me think that he does like attention, but doesn't admit it because that is not what Holden would have done.
#21
October 11, 2007
Chapter 14
Page 104 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would've, too, if I'd been sure somebody'd cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want a bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was all gory."
Holden is a little different than everyone else because if someone esle committed suicide, they would want to be noticed, that is why they usually do it. Holden wouldn't want to be noticed though because then people would notice him, and he doesn't like to be noticed. He likes to do things so people wont now he's gone till he left, an he doesn't like to draw attention to himself, I think though that he's just scared of jumping out the window because he knows that his life is not ment to end yet. Holden likes to be different than everyone else, that is how he is noticed, for being different, but that makes me think that he does like attention, but doesn't admit it because that is not what Holden would have done.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 13
Journal Entry
#20
October 11, 2007
Chapter 13
Page 92 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I mean most girls are so dumb and all. After you neck them for a while, you can really watch them losing their brains. You take a girl when she really gets passionate, she just hasn't any brains."
Holden doesn't seem to understand, that girls have more than one use. To him, every girl, except Jane, is just good for kissing or necking. Girls actually do like to have conversations with guys and get to know them, not just lock lips. If Holden was kissing me, I would be losing my brains because the thought of him kissing me is repulsive. I mean to kiss a guy with all this stuff going through his head, and you knowing about it. It would be very awkward, and if he tried necking me, I would slap him, or beat him down.
#20
October 11, 2007
Chapter 13
Page 92 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I mean most girls are so dumb and all. After you neck them for a while, you can really watch them losing their brains. You take a girl when she really gets passionate, she just hasn't any brains."
Holden doesn't seem to understand, that girls have more than one use. To him, every girl, except Jane, is just good for kissing or necking. Girls actually do like to have conversations with guys and get to know them, not just lock lips. If Holden was kissing me, I would be losing my brains because the thought of him kissing me is repulsive. I mean to kiss a guy with all this stuff going through his head, and you knowing about it. It would be very awkward, and if he tried necking me, I would slap him, or beat him down.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 12
Journal Entry
#19
October 11, 2007
Chapter 12
Page 87 Paragraph 4
Quote:
"I'm always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though."
Saying "Glad to have met you" because it is the polite thing to do. Your parents teach you that kind of stuff when you're little, hopefully. It's like saying thank you to your friends mom for making dinner for you, you just say it because it is the polite thing to do, if you want to be remembered as a good polite person, and want to stay on their good side. If you told someone to their face that you don't like them, they might not be very nice to you later on in life if you ever meet them again. Manners will get you far in life if you use them correctly.
#19
October 11, 2007
Chapter 12
Page 87 Paragraph 4
Quote:
"I'm always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though."
Saying "Glad to have met you" because it is the polite thing to do. Your parents teach you that kind of stuff when you're little, hopefully. It's like saying thank you to your friends mom for making dinner for you, you just say it because it is the polite thing to do, if you want to be remembered as a good polite person, and want to stay on their good side. If you told someone to their face that you don't like them, they might not be very nice to you later on in life if you ever meet them again. Manners will get you far in life if you use them correctly.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 11
Journal Entry
# 18
October 11, 2007
Chapter 11
Page 80 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Ernie's a big fat colored guy that plays the piano. He's a terrific snob and he won't hardly even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he can really play the piano. He's so good, he's almost corny, in fact. I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it. I certainly like to hear him play, but sometimes you feel like turning the goddam piano over. I think it's because sometimes when he plays, he sounds like the kind of guy that won't talk to you unless you're a big shot."
Holden doesn't like things to be perfect, as you can tell from the quote. He doesn't like Ernie because he acts like a snob, and Ernie acts like a snob because he plays the piano like one, and he plays the piano really really well. So the reason Holden doesn't like Ernie is because Ernie is almost perfect at playing the piano, and Holden really isn't perfect at anything. Holden just needs to learn to just enjoy life, and let things change and enjoy them instead of hating everything. How can someone hate music so well played, and always be depressed? Holden just needs to learn to relax.
# 18
October 11, 2007
Chapter 11
Page 80 Paragraph 3
Quote:
"Ernie's a big fat colored guy that plays the piano. He's a terrific snob and he won't hardly even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he can really play the piano. He's so good, he's almost corny, in fact. I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it. I certainly like to hear him play, but sometimes you feel like turning the goddam piano over. I think it's because sometimes when he plays, he sounds like the kind of guy that won't talk to you unless you're a big shot."
Holden doesn't like things to be perfect, as you can tell from the quote. He doesn't like Ernie because he acts like a snob, and Ernie acts like a snob because he plays the piano like one, and he plays the piano really really well. So the reason Holden doesn't like Ernie is because Ernie is almost perfect at playing the piano, and Holden really isn't perfect at anything. Holden just needs to learn to just enjoy life, and let things change and enjoy them instead of hating everything. How can someone hate music so well played, and always be depressed? Holden just needs to learn to relax.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 10
Journal Entry
#17
October 11, 2007
Chapter 10
Page 73 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I was half in love with her by the time we sat down. That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can."
Girls will always be a mystery to guys because we are so unpredictable, but Holden doesn't seem to have that problem right now, right now he has the problem of falling in love with them. I don't think he falls in love with them, I just think that he likes the thought that the girl might lay him. Holden is a regular American teenager. His mind is not always focused on the right things that it should be. Girls are not going to lay a guy though that is crazy, and is giving them a freaky eye thing. I at least wouldn't, I'd get the heck out of there.
#17
October 11, 2007
Chapter 10
Page 73 Paragraph 1
Quote:
"I was half in love with her by the time we sat down. That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can."
Girls will always be a mystery to guys because we are so unpredictable, but Holden doesn't seem to have that problem right now, right now he has the problem of falling in love with them. I don't think he falls in love with them, I just think that he likes the thought that the girl might lay him. Holden is a regular American teenager. His mind is not always focused on the right things that it should be. Girls are not going to lay a guy though that is crazy, and is giving them a freaky eye thing. I at least wouldn't, I'd get the heck out of there.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 9
Journal Entry
#16
October 11, 2007
Chapter 9
Page 62 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then you're supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be careful about doing crumby stuff to it, like squirting water all over it. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes."
Holden is respectable and has good morals sometimes, like that you shouldn't go out with a girl if you don't like her, because if you don't like her, then you're really just using her. You don't have to like her face though, you really should like her personality the best because in the end when you turn blind and can't see her face, you'll have to hear her talk. Yes you shouldn't squirt water at people either because it isn't polite. If someone says that it is okay that you squirt water at them though it is okay. Holden doesn't understand other people, but really other people don't understand Holden becaue his brain works differently than theirs.
#16
October 11, 2007
Chapter 9
Page 62 Paragraph 2
Quote:
"I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then you're supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be careful about doing crumby stuff to it, like squirting water all over it. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes."
Holden is respectable and has good morals sometimes, like that you shouldn't go out with a girl if you don't like her, because if you don't like her, then you're really just using her. You don't have to like her face though, you really should like her personality the best because in the end when you turn blind and can't see her face, you'll have to hear her talk. Yes you shouldn't squirt water at people either because it isn't polite. If someone says that it is okay that you squirt water at them though it is okay. Holden doesn't understand other people, but really other people don't understand Holden becaue his brain works differently than theirs.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 8
Journal Entry
#15
October 11, 2007
Chapter 8
Page 55 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"'Would you care for a cigarette?' I asked her. She looked all around. 'I don't believe this is a smoker, Rudolf,' she said."
Holden smokes where ever he wants to. He really doesn't seem to care if he is supposed to or not. He'll smoke in his dorm room or in a nonsmoking train car. His parents didn't teach him very good edicate manners for eating or he just doesn't care that he is breaking a rule. He does it just because he feels like it, but does he think of how the other passangers may not like having to smell cigarette smoke on the train.
#15
October 11, 2007
Chapter 8
Page 55 Paragraph 11
Quote:
"'Would you care for a cigarette?' I asked her. She looked all around. 'I don't believe this is a smoker, Rudolf,' she said."
Holden smokes where ever he wants to. He really doesn't seem to care if he is supposed to or not. He'll smoke in his dorm room or in a nonsmoking train car. His parents didn't teach him very good edicate manners for eating or he just doesn't care that he is breaking a rule. He does it just because he feels like it, but does he think of how the other passangers may not like having to smell cigarette smoke on the train.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 7
Journal Entry
#14
September 25, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 51 paragraph 1
Quote:
"'Wise guy. Someday somebodies gonna bash your-' I didn't even bother to listen to him. I shut the damn door and went out in the corridor."
I am thinking that this is foreshadowing. It is foreshadowing because Holden isn't listening to what Ackley is saying, and he does act like a wise guy. So therefore, it probably will happen, because in books someone usually will tell you what will happen sometime in the book, and it is a least likely character. Ackley is a least likely character for this to happen to because Holden is always making him seem stupid, a kid that has no brains. Holden should try to listen to people more often.
#14
September 25, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 51 paragraph 1
Quote:
"'Wise guy. Someday somebodies gonna bash your-' I didn't even bother to listen to him. I shut the damn door and went out in the corridor."
I am thinking that this is foreshadowing. It is foreshadowing because Holden isn't listening to what Ackley is saying, and he does act like a wise guy. So therefore, it probably will happen, because in books someone usually will tell you what will happen sometime in the book, and it is a least likely character. Ackley is a least likely character for this to happen to because Holden is always making him seem stupid, a kid that has no brains. Holden should try to listen to people more often.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 6
Journal Entry
#12
September 25, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 41
Stradlater got back from his date with Jane and he asks Holden for the composition he was asked to write. Stradlater sees that it was about a glove and gets mad at Holden because he didn't do it right. Holden takes the paper, rips it up and throws it in the trash, and Stradlater gets mad.
Holden does something a little kid would have done, by throwing away the composition. A kid would have thrown it away to say something like, " fine, it you don't like my work, then you can write it yourself, out of spite. I would probably argued saying that they said I could write about anything descriptive. Then later on if I was really mad, I might have thrown it away, but I doubt it would have made me feel better because I worked hard on that composition, it should be appreciated. I think that Holden needs to mature a little more for him to fully understand things, and thinking before he does or says anything.
#12
September 25, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 41
Stradlater got back from his date with Jane and he asks Holden for the composition he was asked to write. Stradlater sees that it was about a glove and gets mad at Holden because he didn't do it right. Holden takes the paper, rips it up and throws it in the trash, and Stradlater gets mad.
Holden does something a little kid would have done, by throwing away the composition. A kid would have thrown it away to say something like, " fine, it you don't like my work, then you can write it yourself, out of spite. I would probably argued saying that they said I could write about anything descriptive. Then later on if I was really mad, I might have thrown it away, but I doubt it would have made me feel better because I worked hard on that composition, it should be appreciated. I think that Holden needs to mature a little more for him to fully understand things, and thinking before he does or says anything.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 7
Journal Entry
#13
September 25, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 46 paragraph 2
Quote:
"A tiny bit of light came through the shower curtains and all from our room, and I could see him lying in bed. I knew damn well he was awake. 'Ackley?' I said. ' Y'awake?'"
Holden may always seem like he is putting Ackley down because of how "stupid" he is, but, when he's in trouble he always goes to Ackley. I think that Ackley is one of his only true friends at school. Well maybe not his true friends, but a close one he depends on always depends on to be there. The problem is that Holden has to leave school sometime, and when he leaves Ackley will be staying at school. He should try to treasure and not take his time with Ackley for granted, because that is when things go wrong and you realize too late that you made a mistake by taking it for granted.
#13
September 25, 2007
Chapter 7
Page 46 paragraph 2
Quote:
"A tiny bit of light came through the shower curtains and all from our room, and I could see him lying in bed. I knew damn well he was awake. 'Ackley?' I said. ' Y'awake?'"
Holden may always seem like he is putting Ackley down because of how "stupid" he is, but, when he's in trouble he always goes to Ackley. I think that Ackley is one of his only true friends at school. Well maybe not his true friends, but a close one he depends on always depends on to be there. The problem is that Holden has to leave school sometime, and when he leaves Ackley will be staying at school. He should try to treasure and not take his time with Ackley for granted, because that is when things go wrong and you realize too late that you made a mistake by taking it for granted.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 6
Journal Entry
#11
September 25, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 40 paragraph 2
Quote:
"Anyway, the corridor was all linoleum and all, and you could hear his goddamn foot steps coming right towards the room. I don't even remember where I was sitting when he came in-at the window, or in my chair or his. I swear I can't remember."
Holden sounds like he's guilty of something. Which from reading that chapter, he's not. He starts to act weird at times, and you wonder why. Maybe his anxiety is making him anxious about when Stradlater comes back because he wants to know about Jane. I hope that in the future of the book he will talk to Jane, then maybe he'll start to act a little more his age.
#11
September 25, 2007
Chapter 6
Page 40 paragraph 2
Quote:
"Anyway, the corridor was all linoleum and all, and you could hear his goddamn foot steps coming right towards the room. I don't even remember where I was sitting when he came in-at the window, or in my chair or his. I swear I can't remember."
Holden sounds like he's guilty of something. Which from reading that chapter, he's not. He starts to act weird at times, and you wonder why. Maybe his anxiety is making him anxious about when Stradlater comes back because he wants to know about Jane. I hope that in the future of the book he will talk to Jane, then maybe he'll start to act a little more his age.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 5
Journal Entry
#9
September 25, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 36 paragraph 1
Quote:
" ...I yelled over and asked old Ackley if he wanted to go to the movies...he always had to know who was going...I told him Mal Brossard was going. He said, 'That bastard...All right. Wait a second.'"
Ackley is always portrayed as this tough guy that is stupid, when Holden explains him. I think that Ackley really just wants to have friends, but doesn't know how. I'm thinking right now that Ackley is one of Holden's best friends, because he always wants to hang out with Holden. I mean he is always in Holden's room whenever Holden is in there, and he's always telling Holden about how he feels, like a true friends would confide in each other. I also don't think that Ackley is such a tough guy, he just puts that on just so people won't tease him or make fun of him.
#9
September 25, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 36 paragraph 1
Quote:
" ...I yelled over and asked old Ackley if he wanted to go to the movies...he always had to know who was going...I told him Mal Brossard was going. He said, 'That bastard...All right. Wait a second.'"
Ackley is always portrayed as this tough guy that is stupid, when Holden explains him. I think that Ackley really just wants to have friends, but doesn't know how. I'm thinking right now that Ackley is one of Holden's best friends, because he always wants to hang out with Holden. I mean he is always in Holden's room whenever Holden is in there, and he's always telling Holden about how he feels, like a true friends would confide in each other. I also don't think that Ackley is such a tough guy, he just puts that on just so people won't tease him or make fun of him.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 5
Journal Entry
#10
September 25, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 38 paragraph 1
Quote:
"My brother Allie...he was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times times as intelligent.His teachers were always telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Alllie in their class. But it wasn't just that he was the most inteligent memeber in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody."
Right now Allie seems to be the Christ like figure, whether it is just for Holden, or he is the Christ like figure throughout the whole book. In every good book there should be a Christ like figure I think, or at least in the complex books where you have to think a lot. I bet a lot of the good memories that Holden has will deal with Allie. Allie is the first person that Holden has held in high esteam so far in the book. Is Allie Holden's idol? I'm thinking yes.
#10
September 25, 2007
Chapter 5
Page 38 paragraph 1
Quote:
"My brother Allie...he was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times times as intelligent.His teachers were always telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Alllie in their class. But it wasn't just that he was the most inteligent memeber in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody."
Right now Allie seems to be the Christ like figure, whether it is just for Holden, or he is the Christ like figure throughout the whole book. In every good book there should be a Christ like figure I think, or at least in the complex books where you have to think a lot. I bet a lot of the good memories that Holden has will deal with Allie. Allie is the first person that Holden has held in high esteam so far in the book. Is Allie Holden's idol? I'm thinking yes.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 4
Journal Entry
#8
September 25, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 34 paragraph 10
Quote:
"I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was."
Holden is growing up, or his body is trying to, but his mind isn't moving as fast. He is starting to have the feelings for girls like all guys do, but a little later, and he doesn't seem to know why he's nervous. All guys feel this way about certain girls, but usually earlier on in life, and they know why and they go for it like Stradlater, but Holden doesn't seem to know that. Does he know what most guys like Stradlater would do in a car? Maybe, but we may never know.
#8
September 25, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 34 paragraph 10
Quote:
"I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was."
Holden is growing up, or his body is trying to, but his mind isn't moving as fast. He is starting to have the feelings for girls like all guys do, but a little later, and he doesn't seem to know why he's nervous. All guys feel this way about certain girls, but usually earlier on in life, and they know why and they go for it like Stradlater, but Holden doesn't seem to know that. Does he know what most guys like Stradlater would do in a car? Maybe, but we may never know.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 4
Journal Entry
#7
September 25, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 27 paragraph 1
Quote:
"You remember I said before that Ackley was a slob in his personal habits? Well, so was Stradlater, but in a different way. Stradlater was more of a secret slob."
I think that Holden thinks that everyone but himself is a slob. They may not seem like a slob, but to Holden, they are a slob in their own way. Holden, doesn't seem to see anyone as perfect, or even kind of perfect. He doesn't hold anyone very highly. It is a little cool because he really doesn't care what is "in" and he does what ever he likes. He always seems to be criticizing someone when ever he tells you something.
#7
September 25, 2007
Chapter 4
Page 27 paragraph 1
Quote:
"You remember I said before that Ackley was a slob in his personal habits? Well, so was Stradlater, but in a different way. Stradlater was more of a secret slob."
I think that Holden thinks that everyone but himself is a slob. They may not seem like a slob, but to Holden, they are a slob in their own way. Holden, doesn't seem to see anyone as perfect, or even kind of perfect. He doesn't hold anyone very highly. It is a little cool because he really doesn't care what is "in" and he does what ever he likes. He always seems to be criticizing someone when ever he tells you something.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 3
Journal Entry
#6
September 23, 2007
Chapter 3
Page16-17
Holden is talking about this guy named Ossenburger. He is a man that gave money to the school, so they named a wing of the school after him. Holden says that he came and they had to line up in lines to greet him and show appreciation. He gave a speech "that lasted about ten hours", and he told them that he talked to Jesus, and "it about killed me" said Holden.
Holden doesn't seem to have much respect for his elders. I have noticed that he really only cares about himself and what he thinks, and I can see how he doesn't have a lot of friends. He holds himself to highly in his head that he thinks everyone is below him. He thinks he is too important to listen to anyone else like his teacher Mr. Spencer. He is like a little kid, he should start acting his age like his parents told him.
#6
September 23, 2007
Chapter 3
Page16-17
Holden is talking about this guy named Ossenburger. He is a man that gave money to the school, so they named a wing of the school after him. Holden says that he came and they had to line up in lines to greet him and show appreciation. He gave a speech "that lasted about ten hours", and he told them that he talked to Jesus, and "it about killed me" said Holden.
Holden doesn't seem to have much respect for his elders. I have noticed that he really only cares about himself and what he thinks, and I can see how he doesn't have a lot of friends. He holds himself to highly in his head that he thinks everyone is below him. He thinks he is too important to listen to anyone else like his teacher Mr. Spencer. He is like a little kid, he should start acting his age like his parents told him.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 3
Journal Entry
#5
September 23, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 16 paragraph 1
Quote:
"I am the most terific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say that I am going to the opera. It's terrible. So when I told old Spencer that I had to go to the gym and get my equiptment and stuff, that was a sheer lie. I don't even keep my goddam equiptment in the gym."
Holden does seem very immature, to think that someone really cares that he's lying about where he is going. People lie all the time, and when tell someone that you have to go to the gym, and you don't they don't really care, when you are just coming to visit them and want to leave. Little kids think that it is funny when they can 'lie' and get away with it. When it is something more important and you lie, you might get caught and get in trouble, and people might get mad at you, but when you just want to leave someones house nobody cares.
#5
September 23, 2007
Chapter 3
Page 16 paragraph 1
Quote:
"I am the most terific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say that I am going to the opera. It's terrible. So when I told old Spencer that I had to go to the gym and get my equiptment and stuff, that was a sheer lie. I don't even keep my goddam equiptment in the gym."
Holden does seem very immature, to think that someone really cares that he's lying about where he is going. People lie all the time, and when tell someone that you have to go to the gym, and you don't they don't really care, when you are just coming to visit them and want to leave. Little kids think that it is funny when they can 'lie' and get away with it. When it is something more important and you lie, you might get caught and get in trouble, and people might get mad at you, but when you just want to leave someones house nobody cares.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 2
Journal Entry
#4
September 23, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 13 paragraph 2
Quote:
"I'm lucky, though. I mean I could shoot the old bull to old Spencer and think about those ducks at the same time. It's funny. You don't have to think too hard when you talk to a teacher. All of a sudden, though, he interupted me when I was shooting the bull. He was always interupting people."
First of all how can you lie to a teacher and start to think about ducks? Seriously, what sain person does that, it is totally off topic. You can't lie to a teacher about being good, and how you will try harder, if you wrote a letter telling him it is okay for him to fail you. It is really obvious that you are lying. The teacher is probably interupting all the time because he's tired of the lies that he is hearing, and doesn't want to hear them anymore. Try not to lie to a teacher when it is obvious that you are lying, and don't tell them something just because it is what they want to hear, because usually they can figure out if you're the kind of person who would actually say that and mean it.
#4
September 23, 2007
Chapter 2
Page 13 paragraph 2
Quote:
"I'm lucky, though. I mean I could shoot the old bull to old Spencer and think about those ducks at the same time. It's funny. You don't have to think too hard when you talk to a teacher. All of a sudden, though, he interupted me when I was shooting the bull. He was always interupting people."
First of all how can you lie to a teacher and start to think about ducks? Seriously, what sain person does that, it is totally off topic. You can't lie to a teacher about being good, and how you will try harder, if you wrote a letter telling him it is okay for him to fail you. It is really obvious that you are lying. The teacher is probably interupting all the time because he's tired of the lies that he is hearing, and doesn't want to hear them anymore. Try not to lie to a teacher when it is obvious that you are lying, and don't tell them something just because it is what they want to hear, because usually they can figure out if you're the kind of person who would actually say that and mean it.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 2
Journal Entry
#3
September 23, 2003
Chapter 2
Page 12 paragraph 2
Quote:
"Dear Mr. Spencer. That is all I know about the Egyptians. I can't seem to get very interested in them although your lectures are very interesting. It is all right with me if you flunk me though as I am flunking everything else except English anyway. Respectfully yours, Holden Caulfield."
Holden really doesn't seem to care that he is failing, because if he did care he wouldn't have written this note to Mr. Spencer. It's like when a coach asks a player if they are ready to play on the court, you may not be ready, but if you want to play on the court sometime, you always tell the coach yes, unless you are seriously hurt. I did that in 8th grade, my coach asked if I was ready to play, and I said sure I guess, wrong answer, so I didn't end up playing. You just don't write a note telling your teacher it is okay for them to fail you because really down deep you do care. The note makes them think you really don't care, so they can fail you even if you were going to pass. Think positive, and don't say anything stupid, like it's okay to fail me, because it gives the teacher the right to fail you.
#3
September 23, 2003
Chapter 2
Page 12 paragraph 2
Quote:
"Dear Mr. Spencer. That is all I know about the Egyptians. I can't seem to get very interested in them although your lectures are very interesting. It is all right with me if you flunk me though as I am flunking everything else except English anyway. Respectfully yours, Holden Caulfield."
Holden really doesn't seem to care that he is failing, because if he did care he wouldn't have written this note to Mr. Spencer. It's like when a coach asks a player if they are ready to play on the court, you may not be ready, but if you want to play on the court sometime, you always tell the coach yes, unless you are seriously hurt. I did that in 8th grade, my coach asked if I was ready to play, and I said sure I guess, wrong answer, so I didn't end up playing. You just don't write a note telling your teacher it is okay for them to fail you because really down deep you do care. The note makes them think you really don't care, so they can fail you even if you were going to pass. Think positive, and don't say anything stupid, like it's okay to fail me, because it gives the teacher the right to fail you.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 1
Journal Entry
#2
Septermber 19, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 6 paragraph3
Holden cares about his appearance, showed when he tries to fix his hair up a little bit for Mrs. Spencer. Holden has people he can turn to when he needs a place to stay, shown when he is kicked out of school and goes straight to Mr. & Mrs. Spencer's house, and Mrs. Spence welcomed him in without question. The Spencer's house is like a safe place, somewhere where Holden belongs and that he feels welcomed and cared for, which he obviously didn't feel at the school. He knows a lot about the Spencers, like that Mrs. Spencer is hard of hearing, so he needs to speak up when he is talking about her, so she can hear him. Loss of hearing does happen as people get older, so sometimes you have to yell at them, so they know you are talking to them, and what about, not to yell at them and be disrespectful. He seems to be well mannered.
#2
Septermber 19, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 6 paragraph3
Holden cares about his appearance, showed when he tries to fix his hair up a little bit for Mrs. Spencer. Holden has people he can turn to when he needs a place to stay, shown when he is kicked out of school and goes straight to Mr. & Mrs. Spencer's house, and Mrs. Spence welcomed him in without question. The Spencer's house is like a safe place, somewhere where Holden belongs and that he feels welcomed and cared for, which he obviously didn't feel at the school. He knows a lot about the Spencers, like that Mrs. Spencer is hard of hearing, so he needs to speak up when he is talking about her, so she can hear him. Loss of hearing does happen as people get older, so sometimes you have to yell at them, so they know you are talking to them, and what about, not to yell at them and be disrespectful. He seems to be well mannered.
The Catcher in the Rye: Chaper 1
Journal Entry
#1
September 19, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 1 paragraph 1
He says that his brother has a Jaguar that he might have to pick him up with, and talks about how his brother not being so rich way back when. This shows that he really doesn't like rich people that much, but they have nice luxuries that he might want to have if given the opportunity. He might also be a drug addict or an alcoholic, that goes to jail a lot, and his brother will have to bail him out with his money and he can show off to all the other people when he's driven away in a Jaguar. I really don't know what to think of him, like is he a good or bad person. I hope he turns out to be good because I like the protagonsists that I read about to be good.
#1
September 19, 2007
Chapter 1
Page 1 paragraph 1
He says that his brother has a Jaguar that he might have to pick him up with, and talks about how his brother not being so rich way back when. This shows that he really doesn't like rich people that much, but they have nice luxuries that he might want to have if given the opportunity. He might also be a drug addict or an alcoholic, that goes to jail a lot, and his brother will have to bail him out with his money and he can show off to all the other people when he's driven away in a Jaguar. I really don't know what to think of him, like is he a good or bad person. I hope he turns out to be good because I like the protagonsists that I read about to be good.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Essay #2 The Shaping of Me
Christine Bays
Ms. Bosch
English 10 Honors
15 August 2007
The Shaping of Me
One time I watched a movie and there were two people talking to each other, a boy and a girl. The girl tells the boy a story. She says that there were once a family of squirrels, but one day something happens and a gigantic canyon separates the family of squirrels. Each “half” adapts and begins to thrive in its successive habitat. A hundred years later, these same squirrels meet again. They come from the same ancestors, yet they look and act quite differently. One side had squirrels with short, brown fur to hide them in the dry grass and the others bushy gray fur to help them survive in the harsh winters. The squirrels were the same, but they changed over time to in order to adapt to their climate. The point in this story is that people change too; they change to fit their surroundings. My surroundings have shaped me and continue to change me. The geography of where you live changes you, and will continue changing you to fit your needs.
The fist thing that starts to shape me is where I live. I live on a farm, and it makes me different form many other people at school because the majority comes from the bay area or some other urban town. People say that the country is smelly and you can’t go anywhere or do anything, but really that isn’t true. There are lots of things to do, for instance you can help out with work on the farm, or you can help out with cleaning up the house. You can also ride you bike or play basketball. Personally I like to stay home and read books, I know it is antisocial, but when you don’t have anywhere to go without a car, you have to find a way to entertain yourself. I don’t always get to sit back and relax, I have to go to school and do my homework like a regular teenager, but in the summer, I have to work from 5:30 am to about 2 pm. I have to drive a tractor for my dad’s apricot fields. When I first started to work for my dad I hated it, but at the end I always got a check. I got paid minimum wage and working in the sun at the heat of the day made me realize that I want to go to college and get a good job that pays well and has better working conditions. Living on a farm always means more responsibility. We have to feed the animals. My family has about 20 animals to feed each morning, 2 frogs, 2 horses, 3 dogs, 3 goats, 4 cats, 5 rabbits, and some fish. It’s not that hard to feed them after you do it for a couple years, but for people who only have to feed their 2 dogs, this may seem like a lot. We have a planter boxes in our backyard, every one in the family got one, and when we were little we had to grow plants in them, we had to water, and weed them. That helped me to remember to do things, or else they may die without your care. Living on a farm has also spoiled me because I know what fruit that has come right off the tree/vine tastes like, so I don’t like the store bought fruit. Living on a farm in Patterson has shaped me more than I can say.
I live on a farm, but living on a farm is not the only thing that has shaped me, living in Patterson has also shaped me. Patterson was a small town when I was younger, so I knew almost all the people that I went to school with. This shaped me by helping me to build up my confidence to talk to people and make friends with them. I learned to share and not make enemies with other students, because I would probably be seeing them for more years to come. When I went into fifth grade more and more people started to move to Patterson, so I made more and more friends, but some of them wouldn’t stay long because their family was just renting their house, or they got a better job somewhere else. Living in a small town that was growing helped to shape me by getting me used to growth and change in Patterson, because we used to go shopping in a locally owned grocery store, but then we got a Save Mart and then we got a McDonalds. We used to have a locally owned movie rental place, but then we got a Blockbuster. We had to start urbanizing for the bay area people that were coming over. They wanted places to walk to and hangout after school, so the town had to grow and get those stores to keep them happy. I hated the development and the growing of Patterson, but I had to live with it, but you get used to it, because there is nothing else you can do. These experiences have gotten me used to change, and have helped me to realize that sometimes life doesn’t end up how you want it to be.
Living in Patterson also makes me a Californian, and being a Californian has also played a big role in shaping me and making me who I am. In California we are able to get our permit after taking a permit test at 15 and 6 months, then after 6 months of driving 60 hours you are able to get your license, but you can’t drive other people in the car without a 21 year old in the car until a year after you get your license. This may seem like a long process, and it is, but at least we are able to drive before we are 18. Having to practice before you are an adult and are doing things on your own is a smarter choice, because people can help you out and tell you what you are doing wrong. I want to get as much practice in as I can before I have to be way from my parents and go to college. You can also vote when you are 18, which gives us something to look forward to, we are an adult and can do what we want and not have curfews. We also had to get rid of metal playgrounds and put in plastic ones, so that the children won’t get hurt, and that made me realize the negatives of these actions. How are children supposed to learn so that when they get older they make the right decisions? It is a proven fact that children learn better from making mistakes and experience. I know I did. I learned not to get onto a hot slide, because it hurts, and I learned that plastic doesn’t last as long as metal. California may have some questionable rules that they make up, but it helps us all learn what the flaws are.
California is just a small part of an even bigger country that also shapes me and makes me who I am. The United States of America has helped shape me and many other people. It has given me the freedom of speech. It has let me think what I want to, and say what I think when I feel that it is necessary, a freedom not found in a number of other countries. We also have the right to question what our leaders say and do without going to jail or getting killed. When I go to my history classes and learn about how other people live in fear of their leaders and not everyone is treated the same, it makes me realize that we are really lucky to live in the United States. I realize that we have rights, but not everyone has those rights like India, the women have to cover their faces because they are considered lower than man. People in the United States these days don’t know how lucky they are to live here and have freedom of speech and rights to a lot of stuff. Like I said most countries don’t live like us, and it has helped me to appreciate all that we stand for and all that the people running the country do for us. I have also learned that everyone makes bad decisions, like the presidents, and that you can’t make everyone happy, so you try to make the majority happy, and do the right thing. I see different people abusing their rights, using their racial profiles or even certain disabilities to attain certain benefits. I have learned that if I do something wrong I have to take my punishment because that is how we maintain order here. The United States has helped me to appreciate all the freedom that we have.
Before my family lived in the United States they came form Germany. My ancestors have shaped me too. They have shaped me in so many ways. They have given me my appearance, so that I am not like anyone else. They gave me my blonde hair and blue eyes. They also say that intelligence is inherited, so they must have been pretty smart. They have given me the intelligence to go to college and get a job that can support me. They made me realize that I was ment to be here because they came over here, and never left, so this atmosphere must be the right place for me to grow up in. They also gave me my body type, bigger muscular in the legs. I have learned that we are given certain things that are not quite as “appreciated” as others, but are just as much part of who I am and who I become. The geography must have made them need them, or they were given to me because I needed them in the place that I lived. It is like African’s they have dark skin so they won’t get sunburned from the sun because their darker skin blocks the sun. In Germany, it is not as hot as Africa, so they have blonde hair and blue eyes because it is not as sunny. People are shaped for many different reasons, and the shaping process never really ends, because we are always changing. The geography helps in the process of shaping us and making us who we are. Even the smallest of actions can have an affect on our lives. The life process is a series of ripples, or actions, that affect the “lake” or life of a person. These actions disrupt our lives, and change the course of the waters within us. Just as a number of objects can cause this effect on the surface of the water, these events or causes can change, or affect, our lives. These ripples in our lives make us who we become.
Ms. Bosch
English 10 Honors
15 August 2007
The Shaping of Me
One time I watched a movie and there were two people talking to each other, a boy and a girl. The girl tells the boy a story. She says that there were once a family of squirrels, but one day something happens and a gigantic canyon separates the family of squirrels. Each “half” adapts and begins to thrive in its successive habitat. A hundred years later, these same squirrels meet again. They come from the same ancestors, yet they look and act quite differently. One side had squirrels with short, brown fur to hide them in the dry grass and the others bushy gray fur to help them survive in the harsh winters. The squirrels were the same, but they changed over time to in order to adapt to their climate. The point in this story is that people change too; they change to fit their surroundings. My surroundings have shaped me and continue to change me. The geography of where you live changes you, and will continue changing you to fit your needs.
The fist thing that starts to shape me is where I live. I live on a farm, and it makes me different form many other people at school because the majority comes from the bay area or some other urban town. People say that the country is smelly and you can’t go anywhere or do anything, but really that isn’t true. There are lots of things to do, for instance you can help out with work on the farm, or you can help out with cleaning up the house. You can also ride you bike or play basketball. Personally I like to stay home and read books, I know it is antisocial, but when you don’t have anywhere to go without a car, you have to find a way to entertain yourself. I don’t always get to sit back and relax, I have to go to school and do my homework like a regular teenager, but in the summer, I have to work from 5:30 am to about 2 pm. I have to drive a tractor for my dad’s apricot fields. When I first started to work for my dad I hated it, but at the end I always got a check. I got paid minimum wage and working in the sun at the heat of the day made me realize that I want to go to college and get a good job that pays well and has better working conditions. Living on a farm always means more responsibility. We have to feed the animals. My family has about 20 animals to feed each morning, 2 frogs, 2 horses, 3 dogs, 3 goats, 4 cats, 5 rabbits, and some fish. It’s not that hard to feed them after you do it for a couple years, but for people who only have to feed their 2 dogs, this may seem like a lot. We have a planter boxes in our backyard, every one in the family got one, and when we were little we had to grow plants in them, we had to water, and weed them. That helped me to remember to do things, or else they may die without your care. Living on a farm has also spoiled me because I know what fruit that has come right off the tree/vine tastes like, so I don’t like the store bought fruit. Living on a farm in Patterson has shaped me more than I can say.
I live on a farm, but living on a farm is not the only thing that has shaped me, living in Patterson has also shaped me. Patterson was a small town when I was younger, so I knew almost all the people that I went to school with. This shaped me by helping me to build up my confidence to talk to people and make friends with them. I learned to share and not make enemies with other students, because I would probably be seeing them for more years to come. When I went into fifth grade more and more people started to move to Patterson, so I made more and more friends, but some of them wouldn’t stay long because their family was just renting their house, or they got a better job somewhere else. Living in a small town that was growing helped to shape me by getting me used to growth and change in Patterson, because we used to go shopping in a locally owned grocery store, but then we got a Save Mart and then we got a McDonalds. We used to have a locally owned movie rental place, but then we got a Blockbuster. We had to start urbanizing for the bay area people that were coming over. They wanted places to walk to and hangout after school, so the town had to grow and get those stores to keep them happy. I hated the development and the growing of Patterson, but I had to live with it, but you get used to it, because there is nothing else you can do. These experiences have gotten me used to change, and have helped me to realize that sometimes life doesn’t end up how you want it to be.
Living in Patterson also makes me a Californian, and being a Californian has also played a big role in shaping me and making me who I am. In California we are able to get our permit after taking a permit test at 15 and 6 months, then after 6 months of driving 60 hours you are able to get your license, but you can’t drive other people in the car without a 21 year old in the car until a year after you get your license. This may seem like a long process, and it is, but at least we are able to drive before we are 18. Having to practice before you are an adult and are doing things on your own is a smarter choice, because people can help you out and tell you what you are doing wrong. I want to get as much practice in as I can before I have to be way from my parents and go to college. You can also vote when you are 18, which gives us something to look forward to, we are an adult and can do what we want and not have curfews. We also had to get rid of metal playgrounds and put in plastic ones, so that the children won’t get hurt, and that made me realize the negatives of these actions. How are children supposed to learn so that when they get older they make the right decisions? It is a proven fact that children learn better from making mistakes and experience. I know I did. I learned not to get onto a hot slide, because it hurts, and I learned that plastic doesn’t last as long as metal. California may have some questionable rules that they make up, but it helps us all learn what the flaws are.
California is just a small part of an even bigger country that also shapes me and makes me who I am. The United States of America has helped shape me and many other people. It has given me the freedom of speech. It has let me think what I want to, and say what I think when I feel that it is necessary, a freedom not found in a number of other countries. We also have the right to question what our leaders say and do without going to jail or getting killed. When I go to my history classes and learn about how other people live in fear of their leaders and not everyone is treated the same, it makes me realize that we are really lucky to live in the United States. I realize that we have rights, but not everyone has those rights like India, the women have to cover their faces because they are considered lower than man. People in the United States these days don’t know how lucky they are to live here and have freedom of speech and rights to a lot of stuff. Like I said most countries don’t live like us, and it has helped me to appreciate all that we stand for and all that the people running the country do for us. I have also learned that everyone makes bad decisions, like the presidents, and that you can’t make everyone happy, so you try to make the majority happy, and do the right thing. I see different people abusing their rights, using their racial profiles or even certain disabilities to attain certain benefits. I have learned that if I do something wrong I have to take my punishment because that is how we maintain order here. The United States has helped me to appreciate all the freedom that we have.
Before my family lived in the United States they came form Germany. My ancestors have shaped me too. They have shaped me in so many ways. They have given me my appearance, so that I am not like anyone else. They gave me my blonde hair and blue eyes. They also say that intelligence is inherited, so they must have been pretty smart. They have given me the intelligence to go to college and get a job that can support me. They made me realize that I was ment to be here because they came over here, and never left, so this atmosphere must be the right place for me to grow up in. They also gave me my body type, bigger muscular in the legs. I have learned that we are given certain things that are not quite as “appreciated” as others, but are just as much part of who I am and who I become. The geography must have made them need them, or they were given to me because I needed them in the place that I lived. It is like African’s they have dark skin so they won’t get sunburned from the sun because their darker skin blocks the sun. In Germany, it is not as hot as Africa, so they have blonde hair and blue eyes because it is not as sunny. People are shaped for many different reasons, and the shaping process never really ends, because we are always changing. The geography helps in the process of shaping us and making us who we are. Even the smallest of actions can have an affect on our lives. The life process is a series of ripples, or actions, that affect the “lake” or life of a person. These actions disrupt our lives, and change the course of the waters within us. Just as a number of objects can cause this effect on the surface of the water, these events or causes can change, or affect, our lives. These ripples in our lives make us who we become.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Essay #1 Things Fall Apart
Christine Bays
Mrs. Bosch
English 10 Honors
9 August 2007
Things Fall Apart
One of the greatest wonders of the world is the uniqueness and individuality of every single person. They all have different wants, needs, values, and anti-values that make them that unique individual in this world. Of course, these characteristics are often reflected in the actions and works of the person. If, for example, a lazy man were to construct a house, this quality about him would be reflected in the shoddy job done on the house. African author Chinua Achebe exemplifies this idea in his famous novel Things Fall Apart, bringing out his pride through the actions and reflections of proud, hard-working protagonist Okonkwo. Okonkwo, a man who has developed a strong sense of pride from watching the laze and folly of his father before him, works hard as a farmer and wrestler to become wealthy. After shooting a young boy however, he is forced to leave his home and hide out with his mother’s family for seven years. He returns to his village at the end of those seven years with his head held high. Later on, he is forced to challenge the impeding loss of tradition that comes in the form of the white man and his “western” conversions. The story of Okonkwo expounds on the great pride that Achebe takes in family, heritage, memory, language, and lives.
If someone were to pick up the treasure chest of Chinua Achebe, and pull out a handful of coins, they would flip one coin over, and it would have the word family written on it. Family is a very important thing to Chinua Achebe, and he takes pride in it. He shows that he takes pride in family when he writes “Okonkwo was well received by his mother’s kinsmen in Mbanta. The old man that received him was his mother’s younger brother, who was now the eldest surviving member in that family. His name was Uchendu, and it was he who had received Okonkwo’s mother twenty and ten years before when she had been brought home from Umuofia to be buried with her people.” (129) This shows his pride in family because they are accepting Okonkwo and his family because they are relatives, and Uchendu is not even asking why Okonkwo is there, he trusts him to tell later on. Family is built on lots of things, and one of them is trust. Also, Chinua shows pride in family when he says “The daughters of the family did not
return to their homes immediately but spent two or three days with their kinsmen.” (132) Takes place after a marriage; the sisters are the sisters of the wife that just got married. When they do not return home immediately it shows that they like to visit with their kinsmen and spend some quality time with them. It’s just like when people get together with their families on holidays, usually they stay and chat, they don’t just go then come home, they like to catch up on what’s happening with their relatives. The pride shown in this quote for family is a little different than the others; this is said by two brothers, “My in-law Uzowulu is a beast. My sister lived with him for nine years. During those years no single day passed in the sky without his beating the woman…Two years ago, when she was pregnant, he beat her until she miscarried.” (91) This shows how the families protect one another. When one is in need of help they go and help because that is what families do, they protect one another. This protection comes from love which is another foundation for family. They have to protect their families because if they don’t then who will be there to pass on the heritage.
Another one of the coins that you would have in your hands and flip over would have the word heritage written on it. Heritage is what someone receives from a parent or predecessor, which in Chinua Achebes place would mean knowledge from family
members, like the knowledge of his ancestors and his ancestral lands, Africa. Just by writing this book he showed a pride in his heritage. He felt so strongly about it and wanted every to know about it, so he wrote a book. In the book he writes about pretty much about everything that happens inside a village, and really left nothing out, even if it was unpleasant. When people get sick and are going to die they put them in the “evil” forest. Most people would go “Oh that’s so mean why did he put that in the story.” Well he put it in the story because that is what really happens, and he takes pride in that. If people read the book, they might understand what happened a little better. It’s their culture; they know that it is going to happen to them, it’s just part of their life. One of the other activities that they do is they like to wrestle. One of Okonkwo’s wives married him because he was one of the best wrestlers. The men are also allowed to marry more than one woman, but in their culture that is perfectly acceptable, they have no problem with that. Actually the more women that you marry the wealthier a person you are, and you are higher up in the society. Chinua Achebe doesn't write things to make people happy; he writes things to inform people. He writes about what it is really like in the land that his ancestors came from; he wants people to know what it is like, and he takes pride in it.
The hands are still full with coins from the treasure chest and another coin is flipped over. This one says memory on it. Memory is a pretty important thing to Chinua Achebe and as the book shows, he takes pride in it. In the book the mothers are always telling their children stories. All the stories have morals or they explain why something is the way it is, they help children to understand, like this one, “Once upon a time all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky…Tortoise saw all the preparations and soon discovered what it all meant…but he had no wings, so he went to the birds and asked to be allowed to go with them.”(96) Well anyway tortoise was a sly and ungrateful and the birds told him that, but he said he was a changed man. The birds agreed that he could go after a while. They gave him feathers so he could have wings to fly with. He ended up tricking the birds and eating all the good food. The birds became angry; they took all the feathers back so tortoise could not fly. He dropped down to his house, his shell cracked. That is why tortoises don’t have smooth shells. The moral of this story could be you should be nice to people and don’t try to trick them or else it explains why the tortoise has a cracked shell. The book too expresses Chinua’s pride in memory because he wrote this book so the memory of the culture of the people and time can live on and hopefully will not be forgotten.
The treasure chest still holds the coins so another is flipped over and on this one is written language. Language can mean the language you speak or how you express something. Chinua Achebe’s prides his language like he prides a lot of other things. He shows that he takes pride in language when he puts some of the words that come for the village. Words like iba which mean fever, nno which means welcome, and ochu which mean murder or manslaughter. Usually authors put words in from a different language because it describes it better than the English words do. Some languages have words that describe things perfectly in one word, and to describe the same things with English words would be more than one word, and it wouldn’t even describe it as well. The language also helps you get into the story better and make you feel like you know more about the culture and way of life. It’s part of who the people are in the story.
One of the last coins that are in the hands is flipped over and on it is written lives. The lives of the people in the stories in Chinua Achebe’s are very important to him because they tell his story for him and because life is just a very important thing to Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo may have killed a lot of people, but each time he killed someone he suffered. First he killed his adopted son, and by doing that, he made himself miserable and depressed for about two days, until he realized that he could work and that would take his mind off of what he had done. He goes to his friend and asks why he didn’t go to kill Okonkwo’s adopted son. Obierika says, “I did not want to…I had something better to do.” (66) and he told Okonkwo, “If I were you I would have stayed home. What you have done will not pleased the Earth. It is the kind of action for which the goddess wipes out whole families.” (67) Okonkwo was also was told before that he should not go to kill his son by one of the elders, but Okonkwo did not listen. Later Okonkwo kills a dead mans son, it may have been by accident, but he was still killed, so Okonkwo had to leave that night. He packed up all the families stuff and he left with his wives and kids and he took them to his mother’s family. He had to be gone from Umuofia, the town he was living at, for 7 years. He didn’t like it because he had to start from scratch and do everything over again. He kills a messenger when the messenger tries to stop their meeting, and he ends up having to go to the white man’s jail for that. In the end he kills himself because he can’t live with how his village is changing. The bad thing about this was that the white man pretty much won and would take over his village because his courage wasn’t there to fight. Chinua Achebe takes pride in the lives that his characters have because he punishes the people who are the killers somehow. Chinua prides the lives that his characters lead.
Chinua’s pride taken in family, heritage, memory, language and lives all tie back to one very important thing to him: his country. The country that Chinua takes pride in is Africa. There may have been some traditions that people think are revolting, but its part of the culture in the country. One of the biggest things about Chinua’s pride is that he knows who he is and takes pride in that. This may not be how everyone shows pride in their countries, but we are all unique, and this is how Chinua shows his pride, with the power of words.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Journal Entry
#30
August 3, 2007
Page 135 paragraph 1
I think that it is really nice that Obierika came to visit Okonkwo. I also think that it is really nice that Obierika had also taken care of Okonkwo's yams, and had done all the buisness arangements for him. That is a true friend. I think that Okonkwo is truely greatful that Obierika came over to visit him so that he can hear about what is happening in Umuofia. Hopefully Okonkwo is learning something from this experience.
#30
August 3, 2007
Page 135 paragraph 1
I think that it is really nice that Obierika came to visit Okonkwo. I also think that it is really nice that Obierika had also taken care of Okonkwo's yams, and had done all the buisness arangements for him. That is a true friend. I think that Okonkwo is truely greatful that Obierika came over to visit him so that he can hear about what is happening in Umuofia. Hopefully Okonkwo is learning something from this experience.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Journal Entry
#29
August 2, 2007
Page 132
Cutting a chicken's throat for a wedding ceremony is a bit much, or at lease I think. The ansesteral stick must be really bad smelling because old dried blood does not smell good, and there must be a lot of flies around a little while after the blood was spread. Aslo, when they're asking the girl questions, how do they know she is telling the truth? I would not want to be living in this village.
#29
August 2, 2007
Page 132
Cutting a chicken's throat for a wedding ceremony is a bit much, or at lease I think. The ansesteral stick must be really bad smelling because old dried blood does not smell good, and there must be a lot of flies around a little while after the blood was spread. Aslo, when they're asking the girl questions, how do they know she is telling the truth? I would not want to be living in this village.
Wendesday, August 1, 2007
Journal Entry
#28
August 1, 2007
Page 129 paragraph 1
Okonkwo's family seems really nice to take him in on such short notice. For not seeing him in a long time they are very nice, I would be a little like okay why are you here now, and you've never come before. I think that these village people are close even if they don't see each other very often. I don't see how they can't see their cousins in so long a time, I see my cousins at the holidays, and I have a blast. Well I can see that it takes a long time to travel from village to village so that could be why they don't visit often.
#28
August 1, 2007
Page 129 paragraph 1
Okonkwo's family seems really nice to take him in on such short notice. For not seeing him in a long time they are very nice, I would be a little like okay why are you here now, and you've never come before. I think that these village people are close even if they don't see each other very often. I don't see how they can't see their cousins in so long a time, I see my cousins at the holidays, and I have a blast. Well I can see that it takes a long time to travel from village to village so that could be why they don't visit often.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Journal Entry
#27
July 29, 2007
Page 123 paragraph 4
I think that when the guns went off and Okonkwo's killed the dead man's son, so that the son died too,it was like a curse for killing his son, because he wasn't supposed to. Now Okonkwo has to leave the village because it is their custom. He has to leave and be gone for 7 years. I feel sorry for him, but then again I don't because he screwed up his own life so much, but I feel sorry because he didn't mean to do it.
#27
July 29, 2007
Page 123 paragraph 4
I think that when the guns went off and Okonkwo's killed the dead man's son, so that the son died too,it was like a curse for killing his son, because he wasn't supposed to. Now Okonkwo has to leave the village because it is their custom. He has to leave and be gone for 7 years. I feel sorry for him, but then again I don't because he screwed up his own life so much, but I feel sorry because he didn't mean to do it.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Journal Entry
#26
July 28, 2007
Page 121 paragraph 1
Ezeudu was a great man, so people came to his funeral, he was nice, and told people. He was the one to tell Okonkwo to not take part in his son's death, but being Okonkwo he did take part on it. I wonder how Okonkwo must feel about not listening to Ezeudu. I would feel a little spooked, because what did he mean when he said that, did he mean that I was going to die a horrible death too or I would just feel guilty.
#26
July 28, 2007
Page 121 paragraph 1
Ezeudu was a great man, so people came to his funeral, he was nice, and told people. He was the one to tell Okonkwo to not take part in his son's death, but being Okonkwo he did take part on it. I wonder how Okonkwo must feel about not listening to Ezeudu. I would feel a little spooked, because what did he mean when he said that, did he mean that I was going to die a horrible death too or I would just feel guilty.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Journal Entry
#25
July 27, 2007
Page 115 paragraph 8
It seemed really weird to me that Obrieka's son had to sweep out in front od his father's obi, I would have thought that they would have made the wife, other daughters, or some other woman around. I mean because sweepig fits in the catagory of house keeping and that is the woman's job, but I guess since it is outside it could aslo be considered a man or boy's job.
#25
July 27, 2007
Page 115 paragraph 8
It seemed really weird to me that Obrieka's son had to sweep out in front od his father's obi, I would have thought that they would have made the wife, other daughters, or some other woman around. I mean because sweepig fits in the catagory of house keeping and that is the woman's job, but I guess since it is outside it could aslo be considered a man or boy's job.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Journal Entry
#24
July 26, 2007
Page 111 paragraph 1
Sometimes old people seem a little crazy and out of it, but that doesn't mean they don't know things. The priestess knew that Ekwefi and Okonkwo were outside the cave mouth because she knew what kind of child Ezinma was to her parents, and she knew the parents pretty well. She was also doing some sort of a meditation, and they say that when you meditate that you are aware of your surrounding a lot more than you were before. Old people may seem crazy, but that's just because they've lived so long and they know so much they have a right to be crazy sometimes.
#24
July 26, 2007
Page 111 paragraph 1
Sometimes old people seem a little crazy and out of it, but that doesn't mean they don't know things. The priestess knew that Ekwefi and Okonkwo were outside the cave mouth because she knew what kind of child Ezinma was to her parents, and she knew the parents pretty well. She was also doing some sort of a meditation, and they say that when you meditate that you are aware of your surrounding a lot more than you were before. Old people may seem crazy, but that's just because they've lived so long and they know so much they have a right to be crazy sometimes.
Wednesday, July 25,2007
Journal Entry
#23
July 25, 2007
Page 108 paragraph 2
Ekwefi had said and oath, so she couldn't go into a cave and take her daughter, but she wanted to like any protective mother would do. Ezinma was her only daughter, and usually mother's who have only one child and she is a girl, then they usually have this really strong, and their daughter is pretty much their life, it is why they do things, the moms life revolves around the daughters. Ekwefi also didn't go get her daughter, because she knew that her daughter was safe, but she stayed just in case something happened.
#23
July 25, 2007
Page 108 paragraph 2
Ekwefi had said and oath, so she couldn't go into a cave and take her daughter, but she wanted to like any protective mother would do. Ezinma was her only daughter, and usually mother's who have only one child and she is a girl, then they usually have this really strong, and their daughter is pretty much their life, it is why they do things, the moms life revolves around the daughters. Ekwefi also didn't go get her daughter, because she knew that her daughter was safe, but she stayed just in case something happened.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Journal Entry
#22
July 24, 2007
Page 104 paragraph 3
When someone sneezes, the people of this village say "Life to you". I thought that was interesting because in India they say "someone is thinking of you", and in America we say "Bless you". The superstition of sneezing for the United States was that either there was an evil spirit around, or you were sneezing out something bad, so people said bess you as kind of like may God be with you and hopefully the devil won't take over your body. So I'm guessing that at each place that you go they will have a different saying for when you sneeze.
#22
July 24, 2007
Page 104 paragraph 3
When someone sneezes, the people of this village say "Life to you". I thought that was interesting because in India they say "someone is thinking of you", and in America we say "Bless you". The superstition of sneezing for the United States was that either there was an evil spirit around, or you were sneezing out something bad, so people said bess you as kind of like may God be with you and hopefully the devil won't take over your body. So I'm guessing that at each place that you go they will have a different saying for when you sneeze.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Journal Entry
#20
July 23, 2007
Page 101 paragraph 3
The Priestess tells Ekwefi to go and find her daughter Ezinma. I find that kind of weird because Ezinma is really Ekwefi's daughter. It is like the gosple churches where everyone calls everyone else brother so and so and sister so and so, they're not really related, but it's almost like their culture, to them in God's eyes they're all brothers and sisters, children of God. I think that is how the priestess is veiwing because she is like their god's communicator with the people on earth.
#20
July 23, 2007
Page 101 paragraph 3
The Priestess tells Ekwefi to go and find her daughter Ezinma. I find that kind of weird because Ezinma is really Ekwefi's daughter. It is like the gosple churches where everyone calls everyone else brother so and so and sister so and so, they're not really related, but it's almost like their culture, to them in God's eyes they're all brothers and sisters, children of God. I think that is how the priestess is veiwing because she is like their god's communicator with the people on earth.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Journal Entry
#19
July 22, 2007
Page 99 paragraph 4
The stories that the villagers tell, or tribal people in general always have these really cute stories about how things came to be. Like the one on this page, the tortoise shell is not smooth because he was dropped, and his shell broke into different pieces. I love the stories they tell because it answers questions for little kids, even if it isn't true, they'll figure it out when their older if they really want to know.
#19
July 22, 2007
Page 99 paragraph 4
The stories that the villagers tell, or tribal people in general always have these really cute stories about how things came to be. Like the one on this page, the tortoise shell is not smooth because he was dropped, and his shell broke into different pieces. I love the stories they tell because it answers questions for little kids, even if it isn't true, they'll figure it out when their older if they really want to know.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Journal Entry
#21
July 21, 2007
Page 95 paragraph 2
They have to use oil lamps, and it just got me thinking, how would life be different today if we didn't have electricity and we had to use oil lamps? I think we would be outside more trying to make the most of the daylight. Electricity has made us so spoiled. We can pretty much do whatever we want at night or day because we can just flick a switch and then there's light, and we don't seem to care about how much we use. The people in the village had to watch how much oil they used because they couldnl't just get light by flicking a switch.
#21
July 21, 2007
Page 95 paragraph 2
They have to use oil lamps, and it just got me thinking, how would life be different today if we didn't have electricity and we had to use oil lamps? I think we would be outside more trying to make the most of the daylight. Electricity has made us so spoiled. We can pretty much do whatever we want at night or day because we can just flick a switch and then there's light, and we don't seem to care about how much we use. The people in the village had to watch how much oil they used because they couldnl't just get light by flicking a switch.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Journal Entry
#18
July 20, 2007
Page 90 paragraph 9
When you have to be a judge, and a person comes to you with one story and the family comes to you about another, which story do you believe? I would listen to both the stories. Then I would look for wounds on the wife and then I would think it over a little while, ask them some questions, and then I would tell them my decision. I would say that the husband is lying and he had been beating his wife because it sounds true. Their decision was to make the man bring wine to the family and beg the wife to come back, but they did know he was beating the wife becasue he told him that beating his wife was not brave.
#18
July 20, 2007
Page 90 paragraph 9
When you have to be a judge, and a person comes to you with one story and the family comes to you about another, which story do you believe? I would listen to both the stories. Then I would look for wounds on the wife and then I would think it over a little while, ask them some questions, and then I would tell them my decision. I would say that the husband is lying and he had been beating his wife because it sounds true. Their decision was to make the man bring wine to the family and beg the wife to come back, but they did know he was beating the wife becasue he told him that beating his wife was not brave.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Journal Entry
#17
July 19, 2007
Page 87 paragraph 2
They said that the ceremony was for men, and that the women had to stand on the outside and try to get a glimse in. This is like the Olympics in Greese, it was for men so the women had to be on the outside of the collosium and try to look in. Do they have any ceremonies for women? If they do, then do the men stand on the outside like the women, or do they not come at all? Elders have always come first, out of respect because they contain knowledge and wisdom that we may never get.
#17
July 19, 2007
Page 87 paragraph 2
They said that the ceremony was for men, and that the women had to stand on the outside and try to get a glimse in. This is like the Olympics in Greese, it was for men so the women had to be on the outside of the collosium and try to look in. Do they have any ceremonies for women? If they do, then do the men stand on the outside like the women, or do they not come at all? Elders have always come first, out of respect because they contain knowledge and wisdom that we may never get.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Journal Entry
#16
July 18,2007
Page 80
I think that it is pretty funny how these people are so supersticious. I mean they spend almost all day following a girl, who they say is a demon child, so that they can find her iyi-uwa so she can't come back and torcher her mother again. They believe that they know where she is going and doing, when she really is just faking it. I think all children would do that, I mean all of a sudden they have have all the villagers attention, why not hold it as long as possible. They need to find a better way to occupy their time.
#16
July 18,2007
Page 80
I think that it is pretty funny how these people are so supersticious. I mean they spend almost all day following a girl, who they say is a demon child, so that they can find her iyi-uwa so she can't come back and torcher her mother again. They believe that they know where she is going and doing, when she really is just faking it. I think all children would do that, I mean all of a sudden they have have all the villagers attention, why not hold it as long as possible. They need to find a better way to occupy their time.
Tuesday, July 17,2007
Journal Entry
#15
July 17,2007
Page 83 paragraph 6
They always have a reason not to do things, and when they do it always has to do with a story they tell. It's almost like an inside joke, if you don't know the story. Everything that they do revolves around a story that they have heard or tell. A lot of people at that time kept history that way by story or telling it orally. The people of that time had good memories, and they had to to pass on their history.
#15
July 17,2007
Page 83 paragraph 6
They always have a reason not to do things, and when they do it always has to do with a story they tell. It's almost like an inside joke, if you don't know the story. Everything that they do revolves around a story that they have heard or tell. A lot of people at that time kept history that way by story or telling it orally. The people of that time had good memories, and they had to to pass on their history.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Journal Entry
#14
July 16, 2007
Page 75 paragraph 1
For the first time in a long time Okonkwo is able to get a good sleep at night. They say that after a while time helps ease the pain. You may still be sad, but it won't be as bad, and you will be able to cope with it better. Hopefully Okonkwo still remembers what he did and the lesson that he learned from it, even though the pain has eased up.
#14
July 16, 2007
Page 75 paragraph 1
For the first time in a long time Okonkwo is able to get a good sleep at night. They say that after a while time helps ease the pain. You may still be sad, but it won't be as bad, and you will be able to cope with it better. Hopefully Okonkwo still remembers what he did and the lesson that he learned from it, even though the pain has eased up.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Journal Entry
#13
July 15, 2007
Page 69 paragraph 1
As I have noticed form this book and other books, is that some of the people do some pretty bad stuff, or have bad stuff happen to them, they are depressed for a while and then find out that as long as they stay busy they don't feel the pain as much. While they work, and keep there mind on it they forget about their pain and hurt. It's the same thing with homework, when you are doing something sometimes you forget about homework, but at the last minute you always seem to remember. Okonkwo stays busy with working and he forgets how he is depressed because he killed his son.
#13
July 15, 2007
Page 69 paragraph 1
As I have noticed form this book and other books, is that some of the people do some pretty bad stuff, or have bad stuff happen to them, they are depressed for a while and then find out that as long as they stay busy they don't feel the pain as much. While they work, and keep there mind on it they forget about their pain and hurt. It's the same thing with homework, when you are doing something sometimes you forget about homework, but at the last minute you always seem to remember. Okonkwo stays busy with working and he forgets how he is depressed because he killed his son.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Journal Entry
#12
July 14, 2007
Page 66 paragraph 7
When Okonkwo asked why Obierika didn't go to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika says that he didn't go because it wasn't right. Why could Obierika figure that out but not Okonkwo. Okonkwo is just too worried about his apperance to realise that that is the way to lose friends and hurt other people more. It is also a way to hurt yourself. You feel like you have to do it to have people like you, but you don't, people should just like you for being you. Just be yourself.
#12
July 14, 2007
Page 66 paragraph 7
When Okonkwo asked why Obierika didn't go to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika says that he didn't go because it wasn't right. Why could Obierika figure that out but not Okonkwo. Okonkwo is just too worried about his apperance to realise that that is the way to lose friends and hurt other people more. It is also a way to hurt yourself. You feel like you have to do it to have people like you, but you don't, people should just like you for being you. Just be yourself.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Journal Entry
#11
July 13, 2007
Page 63 paragraph 1
It is very sad when your children are scared of you. It means you must either look scary, they are guilty of something and they don't want you to dind out about it, or you did something that is scary to them. In Okonkwo's case it is number 3, he killed one of his children, his adopted son, and Nwoye found out about it and is now scared of his father. I would be too if I found out my dad killed sibling of mine just because every one esle was going to do it too. Sometimes kids will never forget that, so there may always be something between the father son relationship so that you can't get too close to each other.
#11
July 13, 2007
Page 63 paragraph 1
It is very sad when your children are scared of you. It means you must either look scary, they are guilty of something and they don't want you to dind out about it, or you did something that is scary to them. In Okonkwo's case it is number 3, he killed one of his children, his adopted son, and Nwoye found out about it and is now scared of his father. I would be too if I found out my dad killed sibling of mine just because every one esle was going to do it too. Sometimes kids will never forget that, so there may always be something between the father son relationship so that you can't get too close to each other.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Journal Entry
#10
July 12, 2007
Page 60 paragraph 1
When Okonkwo killed his son, I think that he wasn't strong enough to stand up for his son and tell every one that he liked his adopted son, he had become part of the family. He didn't want to be laughed at, and he wanted to stay popular. He is just like a high schooler, he will do stupid stuff he will regret just so he can be popular. He killed one of his favorite people just because he wanted to seem strong and to not be soft.
#10
July 12, 2007
Page 60 paragraph 1
When Okonkwo killed his son, I think that he wasn't strong enough to stand up for his son and tell every one that he liked his adopted son, he had become part of the family. He didn't want to be laughed at, and he wanted to stay popular. He is just like a high schooler, he will do stupid stuff he will regret just so he can be popular. He killed one of his favorite people just because he wanted to seem strong and to not be soft.
Wednesday, July 11,2007
Journal Entry
#9
July 11, 2007
Page 55 paragraph 4
The people of this village are happy that there are locusts. I can see why because they don't come around very often, and so they would be considered a delicasy that anyone could have as long as they had access to them. In Little House on the Prairie they have the locusts come, but to them it is bad because they eat everything that is in their way so there is no food for the cows or horses and there is no food for the people, so I can see why they didn't like them. That is why your opinion of something can be good or bad depending on where you are.
#9
July 11, 2007
Page 55 paragraph 4
The people of this village are happy that there are locusts. I can see why because they don't come around very often, and so they would be considered a delicasy that anyone could have as long as they had access to them. In Little House on the Prairie they have the locusts come, but to them it is bad because they eat everything that is in their way so there is no food for the cows or horses and there is no food for the people, so I can see why they didn't like them. That is why your opinion of something can be good or bad depending on where you are.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Journal Entry
#8
July 10, 2007
Page 54 paragraph 1
Men have always had to be men, no matter where you are. They are supposed to be the strong ones, the ones to not be scared, the ones to protect their families, the ones to provide for the family, and the ones to not cry. Most men aren't all those things, but they try to be as close to that as possible. Men have that kind of mentality because from a young age the have to do different things than girls, and they are treated differently. Boys are encouraged to do sports or manly things, and girls are incouraged to play with dolls and have tea parties. In the village the boys don't listen to their mother's stories anymore because they want to act like a man, and have their father aprove of them. Men I think will always be that way.
#8
July 10, 2007
Page 54 paragraph 1
Men have always had to be men, no matter where you are. They are supposed to be the strong ones, the ones to not be scared, the ones to protect their families, the ones to provide for the family, and the ones to not cry. Most men aren't all those things, but they try to be as close to that as possible. Men have that kind of mentality because from a young age the have to do different things than girls, and they are treated differently. Boys are encouraged to do sports or manly things, and girls are incouraged to play with dolls and have tea parties. In the village the boys don't listen to their mother's stories anymore because they want to act like a man, and have their father aprove of them. Men I think will always be that way.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Journal Entry
#7
July 9, 2007
Page 52 paragraph 2
These men of the Umuofia seem to think the same as the men all over the world at that time, that if they could not control the women then they were not men. I understand their thinking because at that time that is what people thought, that is the culture, but hopefully they don't think that today. If they came to the United States this day in age, and tried to control the women, there would be and up roar, they wouldn't stand for it, because it wouldn't be equal rights, like the law says we're supposed to have. So I guess that it is okay that they try to control the women, because it is their culture, not ours.
#7
July 9, 2007
Page 52 paragraph 2
These men of the Umuofia seem to think the same as the men all over the world at that time, that if they could not control the women then they were not men. I understand their thinking because at that time that is what people thought, that is the culture, but hopefully they don't think that today. If they came to the United States this day in age, and tried to control the women, there would be and up roar, they wouldn't stand for it, because it wouldn't be equal rights, like the law says we're supposed to have. So I guess that it is okay that they try to control the women, because it is their culture, not ours.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Journal Entry
#6
July 8, 2007
Page 50 paragraph 2
It talks about the drums going wild while the people are wrestling. The drums are like the people. The drums get faster as the people get more excited. The drums are like part of the people. There is always a drum beating in the story, sometimes it goes fast, and some times it goes slow, it all depends on the people's feelings and what they think. It's like the drums and the people are the same.
#6
July 8, 2007
Page 50 paragraph 2
It talks about the drums going wild while the people are wrestling. The drums are like the people. The drums get faster as the people get more excited. The drums are like part of the people. There is always a drum beating in the story, sometimes it goes fast, and some times it goes slow, it all depends on the people's feelings and what they think. It's like the drums and the people are the same.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Journal Entry
July 8, 2007
#5
Page 49 Paragraph 5
If all the people that wanted to wrestle from the nine villages came and then all the people came to watch from all the villages, then there must have been a lot of people there because if you took the regular village size and multiplied it by 9 there would be like a huge mass of people. If the old people came too, they must have been very tired to have walked all the way, unless they took like a cart drawn by a cow or horse. Hopefully they were wrestling on sand it would hurt so bad to be wrestling on hard, dry dirt. It must take a while to find the best of the best out of all the wrestlers in the nine villages, but it is an all day thing so it's okay.
July 8, 2007
#5
Page 49 Paragraph 5
If all the people that wanted to wrestle from the nine villages came and then all the people came to watch from all the villages, then there must have been a lot of people there because if you took the regular village size and multiplied it by 9 there would be like a huge mass of people. If the old people came too, they must have been very tired to have walked all the way, unless they took like a cart drawn by a cow or horse. Hopefully they were wrestling on sand it would hurt so bad to be wrestling on hard, dry dirt. It must take a while to find the best of the best out of all the wrestlers in the nine villages, but it is an all day thing so it's okay.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Journal Entry
July 7, 2007
#4
Page 46 Paragraph 1
The wrestling is one of the events that everyone loves to see in Okonkwo's village, it's almost like the Romans all loved to go watch gladiators fight and it's also like how we all love to go see movies or watch TV, it's our entertainment. The villagers lives must have been very repedative so they all must have loved to go watch people fight each other, something new to watch, something fun to do, and if nothing else it gave you time to relax and have fun. Elder people like to watch it because their lives must be pretty dull just sitting around watching things grow and die and seasons change and talking to the same old people. Kids love action and think it's really cool to fight. Middle aged men love to think back and remember when they were young and able to do what the wrestlers are doing. Middle aged women love to remember when their husbands were that young, and for some of them that was the reason they married them. So there is reason for all the villagers to come out and watch the wrestling.
July 7, 2007
#4
Page 46 Paragraph 1
The wrestling is one of the events that everyone loves to see in Okonkwo's village, it's almost like the Romans all loved to go watch gladiators fight and it's also like how we all love to go see movies or watch TV, it's our entertainment. The villagers lives must have been very repedative so they all must have loved to go watch people fight each other, something new to watch, something fun to do, and if nothing else it gave you time to relax and have fun. Elder people like to watch it because their lives must be pretty dull just sitting around watching things grow and die and seasons change and talking to the same old people. Kids love action and think it's really cool to fight. Middle aged men love to think back and remember when they were young and able to do what the wrestlers are doing. Middle aged women love to remember when their husbands were that young, and for some of them that was the reason they married them. So there is reason for all the villagers to come out and watch the wrestling.
July 21, 2007
Part 3 Questions ch. 20-25
1. Why does Achebe choose to bring in the European colonial presence only in the last third of the novel?
Achebe chose to bring in the European colonial presence only in the last of the novel because it is the last part of the book, it is supposed to have all the good stuff happening, something that makes you want to keep reading the story. It is the biggest thing out of the three things that happen, and that is how you are supposed to write a story, have the biggest bang at the end. It has the biggest conflict with everthing.
2. How has Umuofia changed over the seven years while Okonkwo has been in exile?
Umuofia changed over the seven years while Okonkwo has been in exile. It changed because all the people are no longer banding together as a tribe because the missionaries have come, and some people were converted, and others weren't. The people just don't trust each other anymore because for all they know they could be plotting against them with the missionaries. So when Okonkwo comes back he sees a village that has fallen apart, and that has forgotten the importance about being a village, it's like a big family, and they are not that.
3. What function do the kotma, or court messengers, serve in the new society? Contrast the white man’s law and system of justice with that of traditional Umuofia society.
The kotma serve as helpers of the missionaries, they go out to places that the missionaries can't go to when things get too hectic. The white mans law is that if you try to kill a missionary, then you are punished and put in jail till they say you can get out, and they can torture you, but if they white men kill one of the villagers, nothing happens to them, so that is why the villagers would try to kill the white people. The laws of traditional Umuofia society is pretty much servival of the fittest, but if you kill one of the villagers, then you have to leave for seven years, but once seven years is done you can come back. I can see how the villagers must feel about having to follow the white mans laws, I mean the villagers have been living there forever, then the white men just come in and take over and say that everyone must follow them, when really they have no right to do that.
4. Okonkwo says that they should fight the white men and "‘drive them from the land.’" Obierika responds sadly, "‘It is already too late’" (ch. 20; p. 124)--why? How has the white man been "‘very clever,’" according to Obierika? In what ways might Obierika be considered a transitional figure between the old and the new Igbo societies?
Obrierika responds sadly, "It is already too late," because the white men are already on it and they can do nothing to get them off becuase they have already tried. The white men, also have better weapons, which make them stronger when fighting against people who just have spears and arrows. To Obierika the white men have been "very clever" because they came with their religion, and they came peacefully, so the people wouldn't suspect them to be mean or try to do anything bad to them. The people didn't take them seriously because they looked funny, and they took the gift of "haunted land from the villagers, which nobody in their right mind would do. Obierika might be considered a translational figure between the old and the new Igbo societies because he's old enough that he remembers the way that life in the village used to be like, and he is in the here and now of the Igbo society.
5. Compare the missionaries Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. What do we learn from Akunna and Mr. Brown’s discussion of religion (ch. 21, pp. 126-128)? How does Enoch set off "the great conflict between church and clan" (ch. 22, p. 131), the consequences of which lead to Okonkwo’s death? What sources of misunderstanding seem to make the conflicts between the Europeans and the Africans inevitable?
Comparing the missionaries Mr. Brown is nice, respecful to each clan, so in return he get respect from each of the clans. Mr. Smith is strick, and stiff with what he believes in and will not allow people to believe anything else. From Akunna and Mr. Brown's disscution about religion, we learn that both religions pretty much believe in the same thing when you get right down to it. I mean they both believe in one alpowerful god, and then the Christians have missionaries and priest and stuff that help him guiding his people, and the villagers have smaller gods that help the big god keep the people in line. Enoch set off "the great conflict between church and clan" when he goes and kills one of the ancestrial spirits, which you don't want to do because it makes the villagers mad, and then you might get killed. The misunderstanding of religion seems to be the sources that seem to make the conflicts between the Europeans and the Africans inevitable because they seem to always be doing something agaist the other persons religion, that gets them all riled up, like when the villagers make the twins die in the forest, the Christians have to come, save the twins, and tell the villagers they are doing everthing all wrong.
6. Why do many in Umuofia feel differently from Okonkwo about the white man’s "new dispensation" (Ch. 21, p. 126)? In what ways do "religion and education" go "hand in hand" (p. 128) in strengthening the "white man’s medicine"?
Many in Umuofia feel differently from Okonkwo about the white man's "new dispensation" because they also brought with them trade, which helped the people make money, and helped them get things that they couldn't find where they were at, or the things they needed. Religion and education go hand in hand in strengthening the white man's medicine because you teach people in church, and that is what education is, and if you educate them, then they can be educated about medicine to help their families, and if you educate the children, the people might warm up to you and your beliefs.
7. How does the District Commissioner trick the six leaders of Umuofia into jail? What is Okonkwo’s reaction? Why does Okonkwo kill the messenger? Why does Okonkwo afterwards commit suicide, "an offence against the Earth" (Ch. 25, p. 147)? Why is Okonkwo isolated in the end? Do you consider Okonkwo a tragic hero?
The District Commissioner tricks the six leaders of Umuofia into jail by saying that he wants a meeting with them, which is not out of the ordinary, because he usually has regular meetings with them. Okonkwo's reaction to getting put into jail is anger because he told every one they should have killed the white men when they had the chance, but they didn't so now he was stuck in jail. Okonkwo kills the messenger because he doesn't like the way the messenger had treated him while he was in jail and he wants to see if he can lead his people into war against the white man. Okonkwo afterwards commits suicide, "an offence against the Earth" because he realizes that the villagers won't go into war with him, and he can't live and go down the road the village is traveling, so he decides to kill himself, and end all his suffering. Okonkwo is isolated in the end because he knows that he can't live with the way everything is going, and he needs time to think out what he is going to do and figure out his thoughts. I consider Okonkwo a tragic hero because he tried to help his people to realize, that everything was not turning out right, but they just didn't listen and wouldn't understand, so he knew he was no use to the world of the living anymore.
8. The District Commissioner decides that "The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading," if not for a whole chapter, at least for "a reasonable paragraph" (p. 148). How do you think the District Commissioner would write Okonkwo’s story in this paragraph? In contrast, Achebe has made Okonkwo’s story the subject of a whole novel: why?
I think that the District Commissioner would write Okonkwo's stroy in the paragraph, just like and outline, of what he had herd about this man, about highlights of his life, not the whole story. Achebe has made Okonkwo's story the subject of a whole novel because you don't really feel like you know that the person was feeling or thinking when you just read a paragraph about someone. When someone writes a book, you get a better understanding about the person, and what they were really like.
9. Now that you've finished reading Things Fall Apart . . .How and why did things fall apart?Identify what you interpret to be major theme(s) and/or messages of Things Fall Apart.
Things fell apart in the book because change came to Umuofia, which some people were ready to accept, and others weren't. Things fell apart when the white man came to the nine villages. They introduced Christianity which really didn't go with the villagers religion, and they started making laws, which didn't go with what the villagers had always done. I think the major message in Things Fall Apart is that sometimes there just are things that you can't do anything about, change happens, and when it comes, you have to bend and go with the flow, or else you break and die.
10. Achebe has integrated traditional Igbo/African elements in his novel—e.g., proverbs, parables, and stories from Igbo oral tradition and culture--and, as noted earlier, created a kind of "African English." What effect(s) does this cross-cultural combination of Western literary forms and Igbo/African creative expression produce?
The cross-cultural combination of Western literary forms and Igbo/African creative expression produce the effect for us to get the feel of the Igbo/African culture, like when they write how the people would say the words, not how they should properly be spoken. It helps you get a better feel of being there with them. It makes you feel more part of the book, and that the author actually knows what he is writing about.
1. Why does Achebe choose to bring in the European colonial presence only in the last third of the novel?
Achebe chose to bring in the European colonial presence only in the last of the novel because it is the last part of the book, it is supposed to have all the good stuff happening, something that makes you want to keep reading the story. It is the biggest thing out of the three things that happen, and that is how you are supposed to write a story, have the biggest bang at the end. It has the biggest conflict with everthing.
2. How has Umuofia changed over the seven years while Okonkwo has been in exile?
Umuofia changed over the seven years while Okonkwo has been in exile. It changed because all the people are no longer banding together as a tribe because the missionaries have come, and some people were converted, and others weren't. The people just don't trust each other anymore because for all they know they could be plotting against them with the missionaries. So when Okonkwo comes back he sees a village that has fallen apart, and that has forgotten the importance about being a village, it's like a big family, and they are not that.
3. What function do the kotma, or court messengers, serve in the new society? Contrast the white man’s law and system of justice with that of traditional Umuofia society.
The kotma serve as helpers of the missionaries, they go out to places that the missionaries can't go to when things get too hectic. The white mans law is that if you try to kill a missionary, then you are punished and put in jail till they say you can get out, and they can torture you, but if they white men kill one of the villagers, nothing happens to them, so that is why the villagers would try to kill the white people. The laws of traditional Umuofia society is pretty much servival of the fittest, but if you kill one of the villagers, then you have to leave for seven years, but once seven years is done you can come back. I can see how the villagers must feel about having to follow the white mans laws, I mean the villagers have been living there forever, then the white men just come in and take over and say that everyone must follow them, when really they have no right to do that.
4. Okonkwo says that they should fight the white men and "‘drive them from the land.’" Obierika responds sadly, "‘It is already too late’" (ch. 20; p. 124)--why? How has the white man been "‘very clever,’" according to Obierika? In what ways might Obierika be considered a transitional figure between the old and the new Igbo societies?
Obrierika responds sadly, "It is already too late," because the white men are already on it and they can do nothing to get them off becuase they have already tried. The white men, also have better weapons, which make them stronger when fighting against people who just have spears and arrows. To Obierika the white men have been "very clever" because they came with their religion, and they came peacefully, so the people wouldn't suspect them to be mean or try to do anything bad to them. The people didn't take them seriously because they looked funny, and they took the gift of "haunted land from the villagers, which nobody in their right mind would do. Obierika might be considered a translational figure between the old and the new Igbo societies because he's old enough that he remembers the way that life in the village used to be like, and he is in the here and now of the Igbo society.
5. Compare the missionaries Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. What do we learn from Akunna and Mr. Brown’s discussion of religion (ch. 21, pp. 126-128)? How does Enoch set off "the great conflict between church and clan" (ch. 22, p. 131), the consequences of which lead to Okonkwo’s death? What sources of misunderstanding seem to make the conflicts between the Europeans and the Africans inevitable?
Comparing the missionaries Mr. Brown is nice, respecful to each clan, so in return he get respect from each of the clans. Mr. Smith is strick, and stiff with what he believes in and will not allow people to believe anything else. From Akunna and Mr. Brown's disscution about religion, we learn that both religions pretty much believe in the same thing when you get right down to it. I mean they both believe in one alpowerful god, and then the Christians have missionaries and priest and stuff that help him guiding his people, and the villagers have smaller gods that help the big god keep the people in line. Enoch set off "the great conflict between church and clan" when he goes and kills one of the ancestrial spirits, which you don't want to do because it makes the villagers mad, and then you might get killed. The misunderstanding of religion seems to be the sources that seem to make the conflicts between the Europeans and the Africans inevitable because they seem to always be doing something agaist the other persons religion, that gets them all riled up, like when the villagers make the twins die in the forest, the Christians have to come, save the twins, and tell the villagers they are doing everthing all wrong.
6. Why do many in Umuofia feel differently from Okonkwo about the white man’s "new dispensation" (Ch. 21, p. 126)? In what ways do "religion and education" go "hand in hand" (p. 128) in strengthening the "white man’s medicine"?
Many in Umuofia feel differently from Okonkwo about the white man's "new dispensation" because they also brought with them trade, which helped the people make money, and helped them get things that they couldn't find where they were at, or the things they needed. Religion and education go hand in hand in strengthening the white man's medicine because you teach people in church, and that is what education is, and if you educate them, then they can be educated about medicine to help their families, and if you educate the children, the people might warm up to you and your beliefs.
7. How does the District Commissioner trick the six leaders of Umuofia into jail? What is Okonkwo’s reaction? Why does Okonkwo kill the messenger? Why does Okonkwo afterwards commit suicide, "an offence against the Earth" (Ch. 25, p. 147)? Why is Okonkwo isolated in the end? Do you consider Okonkwo a tragic hero?
The District Commissioner tricks the six leaders of Umuofia into jail by saying that he wants a meeting with them, which is not out of the ordinary, because he usually has regular meetings with them. Okonkwo's reaction to getting put into jail is anger because he told every one they should have killed the white men when they had the chance, but they didn't so now he was stuck in jail. Okonkwo kills the messenger because he doesn't like the way the messenger had treated him while he was in jail and he wants to see if he can lead his people into war against the white man. Okonkwo afterwards commits suicide, "an offence against the Earth" because he realizes that the villagers won't go into war with him, and he can't live and go down the road the village is traveling, so he decides to kill himself, and end all his suffering. Okonkwo is isolated in the end because he knows that he can't live with the way everything is going, and he needs time to think out what he is going to do and figure out his thoughts. I consider Okonkwo a tragic hero because he tried to help his people to realize, that everything was not turning out right, but they just didn't listen and wouldn't understand, so he knew he was no use to the world of the living anymore.
8. The District Commissioner decides that "The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading," if not for a whole chapter, at least for "a reasonable paragraph" (p. 148). How do you think the District Commissioner would write Okonkwo’s story in this paragraph? In contrast, Achebe has made Okonkwo’s story the subject of a whole novel: why?
I think that the District Commissioner would write Okonkwo's stroy in the paragraph, just like and outline, of what he had herd about this man, about highlights of his life, not the whole story. Achebe has made Okonkwo's story the subject of a whole novel because you don't really feel like you know that the person was feeling or thinking when you just read a paragraph about someone. When someone writes a book, you get a better understanding about the person, and what they were really like.
9. Now that you've finished reading Things Fall Apart . . .How and why did things fall apart?Identify what you interpret to be major theme(s) and/or messages of Things Fall Apart.
Things fell apart in the book because change came to Umuofia, which some people were ready to accept, and others weren't. Things fell apart when the white man came to the nine villages. They introduced Christianity which really didn't go with the villagers religion, and they started making laws, which didn't go with what the villagers had always done. I think the major message in Things Fall Apart is that sometimes there just are things that you can't do anything about, change happens, and when it comes, you have to bend and go with the flow, or else you break and die.
10. Achebe has integrated traditional Igbo/African elements in his novel—e.g., proverbs, parables, and stories from Igbo oral tradition and culture--and, as noted earlier, created a kind of "African English." What effect(s) does this cross-cultural combination of Western literary forms and Igbo/African creative expression produce?
The cross-cultural combination of Western literary forms and Igbo/African creative expression produce the effect for us to get the feel of the Igbo/African culture, like when they write how the people would say the words, not how they should properly be spoken. It helps you get a better feel of being there with them. It makes you feel more part of the book, and that the author actually knows what he is writing about.
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