ipl-logo

Catcher In The Rye Merits

666 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aspects of a novel in reference to things fall apart by chinua achebe

The band Poison once wrote and sang a song titled, “Every rose has its thorn”, and if this school year is a rose, then Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is its thorn. The book features Okonkwo, a self-assured man who treats his family brutally, but is still well respected by his community. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is also read sophmore year at Pioneer, and unlike Things Fall Apart, it is a worthwhile book. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye should stay on Pioneer’s English Ten reading list, while Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart should not. Catcher in the Rye has superior literary merits and a beneficial value to all students and Things Fall Apart has lesser literary merits and does not send a good message to students. Catcher in …show more content…

Holden, in Catcher in the Rye, is an adolescent who is troubled in school and life; he may even be a little depressed, but this all makes him a relatable character to many tenth grade students. Because students can relate to Holden, this makes the book more valuable to students, seeing as they can relate and enjoy to book more. Unlike Catcher in the Rye, Things Fall Apart is not particularly relatable or valuable to students, it evens send the wrong message. The village and culture that Okonkwo, the main character, lives in is extremely misogynistic and accept men beating their wives and children. These men are seen as powerful and respectable. At one point, Okonkwo tries to shoot one of his wives, and at another he beats her severely. Things Fall Apart should not be read in school because it tells young, impressionable people that domestic violence and misogyny are okay. The book is not of value to students and it praises an abusive man. Catcher in the Rye is a book that has value to students and should be read, and Things Fall Apart should not be read because it is not

Show More
Related
644 Words | 3 Pages

Catcher in the Rye is the recounting of the weekend after the main character gets expelled for the umpteenth time from another uppity private school. The name of the main character, "Holden Caulfield," can be broken down in such a way that it reveals the character in question's tendency to hold onto and protect happier memories and childhood innocence from this big, unfair, scary game we call life, without realizing that he would be stunting the growth of those whom he is protecting. The character's first name, "Holden", can be interpreted as a pun for how he wants to "hold on" to better times. Throughout the story, Holden speaks fondly about his childhood summer memories, talking about when he used to play checkers with Jane Gallagher (p.17), or when he, his younger siblings, Phoebe and Allie, went to the park every Sunday (p. 37) to play, and often brushes the more serious moments he has experienced off, instead of going on a tangent like he usually does (p.21).

Read More
763 Words | 4 Pages

Like a lot of other books in our curriculum Catcher in the Rye teaches a moral lesson. Throughout the novel it depicts Holden and his struggles society and how he copes with it. The novel’s possible theme is that one should not conform to societal norms and to just be yourself. Holden dislikes people that conform to the norms of society and constantly calls them phony.

Read More
768 Words | 4 Pages

The book sheds a tear as it is banned by administration for students to read. The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned for summer reading for incoming sophomores because of its “explicit” content. After high school, out in the real world, life experiences are not censored or banned to protect you. You must experience life and all that comes with it.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was about the journey of a adolescent boy finding his way to adulthood. In the book Holden Caulfield was unsuccessful in finding his way to adulthood. Holden’s attitude in the novel throughout his journey was very immature. He also can't accept the fact that innocence can’t be forever protected. Lastly, Holden calls everyone a phony when in reality he is the real phony.

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

Sarah Wilson How Gospel, Jazz, Spiritual, and Rap Music Express Race, Culture, and Identity African American jazz singer, Billie Holiday, once said, "If I am going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all." This demonstrates how African Americans wanted their own voice through music. During the Civil Rights Movement, people of color were not represented, and they would face extreme violence if they tried to stand up for themselves, so they had to find other ways to do that. They were able to voice their opinion in a way that people could not help but listen to, with rap, jazz, spiritual, and gospel music.

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

I do think this is still relevant to teenagers today because a lot of teens today are like Holden. They are like holden because a lot of teens don’t want to grow up and go into the real world because they are afraid and they are not ready for what’s to come and Holden is just like that throughout the story he is afraid and worried for what’s to come. “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J. D. Salinger and it’s about a kid named Holden and Holden is afraid to enter the adult world and he wants to become a catcher in the rye to save kids from falling of a cliff that falls into the adult world.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

The only way to deal with the issues are to talk them out. It was apparent that as “early as 1954” (Steinle) The Catcher in the Rye has appeared on numerous lists of “dangerous books” (Steinle) because of it is more “adult” (Steinle) themes

Read More
606 Words | 3 Pages

Option 3: Argument Life can either be taken way too seriously, or not at all. Some people choose to take life seriously by following all the rules that are enforced on us from birth until we get older, and others choose to take their own path and see where it takes them. The second behavior can be seen as treating life like a game. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Dr. Thurmer says that “life is a game that one plays according to the rules,” and Mr. Spencer mentions that idea to Holden while they talk. Although Holden does not think life is a game, his behavior and experiences show otherwise throughout the book.

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

Jessica Casimiro October 30, 2015 English 3/PayLea Short Story Essay Patrick Rothfuss once claimed, “The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” The novel Catcher in the Rye focuses on Holden Caulfield, an angst-ridden teen conflicted between remaining in a state of prolonged innocence or transitioning into the world of adulthood, thus facing the corruption and phoniness that it correlates with. Through Holden’s dynamic character, J.D Salinger depicts how innocence is slowly lost when exposed to adulthood. Reluctant to the idea of growing up, Holden strives to protect the innocence of himself and the ones’ around him. Holden reminisces about the Natural Museum of History, a place he enjoyed going

Read More
924 Words | 4 Pages

In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo reacts to cultural collision in his society by having a closed mind and attempting to retaliate, which ultimately leads to his suicide, contributing to the novel’s theme that one

Read More
1571 Words | 7 Pages

The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield who is a teenager growing up in the 1950’s in New York, has been expelled from school once again for poor achievement. In order to deal with his failure, Holden decides to leave school a few days before the end of the term and escapes to New York before returning to his home for the punishment. Written entirely in first person, the book describes Holden’s experiences and thoughts over the few days he takes for himself. During these few days Holden describes a nervous breakdown he experiences with symptoms of unexplained depression, impulsive spending, and unpredictable behavior. The strongest theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the main character Holden Caulfield 's fascination

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.

Read More
1035 Words | 5 Pages

From the outset, I have to say that “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been one of the most important and influential pieces of literature I have ever read. At its core, the book is a superb coming of age novel which discusses several extremely powerful themes such as the difficulties of growing up, teenage angst and alienation and the superficiality, hypocrisy and pretension of the adult world. These themes resonated deeply with me and were portrayed excellently through the use of powerful symbolism and the creation of highly relatable and likable characters. One such character is Holden Caulfield whom the story both revolves around and is narrated by.

Read More
1433 Words | 6 Pages

Usually considered a controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger can often express the feelings of being an outcast and the desire to find a meaning in the world. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, though often complains of the phoniness of the world around him, has a way of creating a deeper meaning within the readers. While the truth may be that Salinger purposely set the story in such a way that the readers will be able to connect with Holden, not often do readers find it easy to do so. While Holden believes that everything around him are wicked and phony, there is part of him trying to protect the innocence of those not corrupted by such phoniness. Although Holden wants to protect and save the innocence of children, can he really do so if cannot protect himself and trust those around him.

Read More
1252 Words | 6 Pages

Things Fall Apart, a book written by the author Chinua Achebe is a story filled with amazing culture. It is about the rise and downfall of the main character, Okonkwo. The book had many different aspects of the African culture and the different time period. For example, characters and their importance throughout the story, and how women were treated in this culture and time period. Topics from religion, family, and the social complexity were very much involved throughout the entire book and portrayed by many of the characters.

Read More

More about Catcher In The Rye Merits

Related Topics

Open Document