Group 5's Thoughts on Chapters 23 & 24

After Holden call Mr.Antolini, he came back in his room. Holden enter no sooner the room than dance with Phoebe. She is dancing very well. After they danced about four members, Holden turned off radio. “Shhhh…” They are talk very well, Phoebe suddenly exclaimed. Holden heard his mother come in the room. She scolded tobacco to Phoebe, she left the room. Then, all of a sudden, Holden started cry. Why Holden cry? While Holden talk with Phoebe about Christmas money, he suddenly cries. Phoebe confused this situation. After the tears stopped, Holden get out his home. He felt a lot easier getting out of the house than it was getting I in home.

Holden went MR. and MRS. ANTOLINI’s house, and Holden talk to ANTOLINI teacher about Holden’s fail subject of Oral Expression. Holden do not like ‘digression’ because Holden hear ‘digression’ he crazy, and he got F grade. However, Holden like when somebody talks digresses. It’s more interesting make Holden. Next, Holden talk to one boy his name is RICHARD KINSELLA. KINSELLA always talk digresses, so he got low grade about Oral Expression subject, but Holden like his story.  Next, ANTOLINI teacher talks to Holden about Holden’s father story. Holden was talking about with Mr. Antolini. Antolini teacher gave some advices. For example, Mr. Antolini wrote some sentences written by psychoanalyst named Wilhelm on piece of paper. Also he said Holden that school is important in your life. He said “you are going to have to find out where you want to go. And then you have got to start going there.”(#24 p.188) Likewise Mr. Antolini gave some advice then Holden wanted go to bed then he did. As soon as he woke up all of a sudden, he was shocked. Because of Antolini’s hand on Holden’s head. Holden does not want to remain here, so Holden came out Antolini’s house.


Question for Commentators

Mr. Antolini said if you want to do something, you should go to school. How about your idea?Is it true if you want to do something, you should go to school? Why yes or not?

Other Groups:
Group 1- Commentator
Group 2- Philosopher
Group 3- Heckler
Group 4- Commentator

That's All I'd Do All Day...

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'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye..." (Salinger 173)

You can tend to tell a lot about a person from what they wanna do with their lives: some aim to serve, others aim to create, others aim to learn. Regardless of what you choose, it goes without saying that its a reflection of yourself and what you wish to achieve. Sometimes this is symbolic, we don't actually realize the real reason we are drawn towards certain careers. Other options  are more obvious or clear-cut. Either way, it still shows something about who we are and what we value.

This being said, let's take a look at Holden's idea of what he would like to do. In some ways, it sounds pretty straight-forward: keeping kids from accidentally wandering over a cliff, but even Holden himself admits that this sounds crazy. So if we dig deeper, what is it that Holden really wants to do?

For homework: Commentators do the following:

What do you believe Holden means by saying he wants to be a "Catcher in the Rye"? What is it symbolic of? What does it tell us about Holden as a character or as a person?

Other groups:
Group 1- Philosopher
Group 2- Heckler
Group 3- Commentator
Group 4- Commentator

Group 3's Thoughts on Chapters 19 & 20

<Chapter 19>

Holden was talking about one of New York's hotel and talking about one bar more detail which name is Wicker Bar in Swanky Hotel. There atmosphere was little bit feeling like whole world, and Tina and Janine used to sing songs of the French language to English and mixed some French words. Holden thought that is sort of dirty. Anyway in bar,there was a bartender who always is like worldly person and nice to celebrity and famous person (big shot). Bartender asked to celebrity and big shot "How's Connecticut?" or "How's Florida?" (Salinger, 142)  Holden met his old friend who is Old Luce. Luce was known as sex lover and sex knowledge. Holden wanted to hear some advice from Luce. However, Luce talked to Holden now his girl friend is Chinese girl. Holden get little shocked and said to Luce that he want to go Chinese to sex with girl, but Luce said to Holden "When are you going to grow up?"(Salinger,144) because Luce thought Holden feels interested in talking about the women.

<Chapter 20>

Holden was waiting for Tina and Janine to come out and sing, but they weren't there. At that time, Valencia was singing at there. Holden wanted to drink with her, so he called waiter and told him to ask Valencia about she can drink with him. However, he thought that the waiter didn't send his message to her. He left the bar and went to phone booth for calling to Jane, but he called to Sally Hayes because when Holden arrive phone booth, suddenly he don't want to call Jane. Then Holden said Sally he will have to go for decorating Christmas tree on Christmas eve that was the day of the original Holden expulsion. After Holden call Sally, he regretted and felt not good. Holden went in the bath room and dunked his head in cold water. He walked over to radiator and sat down on it. One guy who played with Valencia in the bar came in bath room and brushed his hair. Holden asked him about Valencia. Eventually, Holden got down off the radiator and went to the hat-check room. In there, the hat-check girl was very kind and gave to Holden a record which name was "Little Shirley Beans". Holden wanted to date with her, but she rejected the his suggestion because she aged same as his mother. Holden walked over to Madison Ave. and waited for a bus, but he had not enough money. Therefore, he started to walk again to the Central Park. Suddenly, he dropped a record that was for Phoebe and that name was "Little Shirley Beans". It made him so terrible. Holden looked for a pond because he wanted to see ducks were there until now and sat down bench near the grass and water. He thought if he die, his relatives will have sad feeling. He started thinking how about Phoebe's mind if he died by pneumonia.

Homework for commentator :  In chapter 20, Holden fell a record which name was "Little Shirley Beans" and was for Phoebe. It was just Holden's mistake. Holden prepared for Phoebe, but Holden could not give to her because of his mistake. Have you ever had experience like Holden? Tell us your experiences and your feeling when you made your own mistake.

For other group:

Group 1: Philosopher

Group 2: Commentator

Group 4: Commentator

Group 5: Heckler

"Whaddya Say Sally?"

In Chapter 17, we find Holden on his date with Sally. The person he has been complaining about all this time, he suddenly falls in love with the second he sees her again. However, just because he falls for her again doesn't mean its a completely new Holden. At the show with the Lunts, he once again does nothing but complain. Finds the actors pretty phony as well as the people who enjoy it. After the show, Sally suggests they check out the ice skating rink by Rockefeller Square, which after some time spent slipping and falling all over the ice, they go inside a nearby cafe/restaurant to relax a bit. It is here that Holden really starts to let go on a lot of the things he's been holding back on: how sick of people he is, how phony school is, and he decides there's only one good option: to run away from it all. He suggests him and Sally leave everything behind, and run away together and live in a cabin up in the hills. Sally, finding this suggestion ridiculous, shoots down his offer, only making Holden more upset. Without thinking, he says something he regrets, and makes Sally upset to the point of almost crying. She takes her leave, and Holden is left feeling miserable and alone.

After the terrible fallout with Sally, we start Chapter 18 and find Holden looking for something to do to occupy himself, so he goes to Radio City for a show, which with Holden being Holden he mostly complains about. This is with the exception of him thinking back to when he used to come with his family, and him and Allie used to love watching the drummer, who barely got to play, but seemed to really love the moments he did get to play. Upon leaving the movie, he heads to the Wicker Bar where he is to meet Carl Luce, and old friend of Holden's from a previous school. What lies ahead? What kind of person will Carl turn out to be? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out!

For homework, commentators do the following:

Find a picture/artwork/photograph you think shows how Holden felt after Sally turned him down and Holden was left feeling sad and alone. Put a link to the photograph in the space below and provide a brief description (50-100 words) of why you feel the picture is appropriate.

Other groups:

Group 1: Heckler
Group 3: Philosopher
Group 4: Commentator
Group 5: Commentator

The Best Thing...

Years ago, in ancient Greece, there was a philosopher by the name of Heraclitus. One of his greatest (or rather most well known) statements was "you can never step in the same river twice", meaning to say that change is permanent, unavoidable, and always happening. Despite this fact, we all tend to have different interpretations on change. For some, we accept it with open arms, others we fight it strongly, only to lose the battle in the end. That's the issue with fighting change, more often than not, you're fighting a losing battle. However, it never seems to stop us from trying does it? We're all guilty of trying to act younger than we are at times, we take pictures of everything we do to hold on to certain moments in time forever, and we tend to get uncomfortable or upset when something breaks the cycles or habits we're used to. Ever get upset when the internet takes more than 5 seconds to do something? Its because we expect it to be faster, but something is different from the way things normally are, and we get upset about it. :-)

For example, in Chapter 16 Holden says...

"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south...Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you" (Salinger 121)

What is it that Holden enjoys about the museum? Does he seem to be more excited about the fact that he's different? Or more that everything is the same? How do you think Holden would react if every time he returned to the museum it was new exhibits? Would he feel the same way or be upset? 

If we infer that this is true, that maybe change is what makes Holden upset. What does this tell us about maybe how Holden perceives the world around him? For example, what connection might there be between "change" and how Holden hates "phonies"? 

For Homework: Commentators do the following :What is a place you feel never changes even though you do? What do you like this about that particular location? Be sure to explain your answer. (5 Sentences Minimum)

Group 5's Thoughts on Chapters 12 & 13

Holden ride a taxi but it smells someone's just tossed his cookies in it. He talked with taxi driver about duck live in central park and fish. Holden hate this talk with old Horwitz Next, Hodlen arrived at Ernies’s store. Holden met Lillian Simmons who was Holden brother’s friend. Lillian Simmons wanted to join Holden. However, Holden did not want join her, so he said lie to her that met someone. Finally, When Holden went to hotel, he thinking about the past. Holden was timid. For example in his experience, he lost his gloves in Pencey. If he knew who stolen, he just did rough expression and did not hit criminal. He despair that thinking about timid himself. Before, he went to hotel, he found a small bar. However, Holden looked two men in front of bar, so he did not want go bar. Finally, Holden went to hotel. When he took a elevator, he met a elevator guy. He said that send some girl to him. Holden said okay. Then Holden prepared welcome to her like brush his teeth and changed his clothes. Holden meet prostitute, and they talk together. Postitute want sex with Holden, but Holden steel does not want. Holden want any talking to prostitute, so Holden question to prostitute. For example, What’s your name? How old are you?, and Do you smoke?. However, prostitute feel bored, so prostitute get money and went.

Thinking

I think that Holden was wrong. He accepted elevator guy suggestion. This decision was not good to Holden. If I were Holden, I refused that suggestion. Even thought I do not understand why he wanted drinking some alcohol. He was high school student, so he must not drink some alcohol. That reason I do not understand about him. 
Also, holden live in complicating and uninteresting world. Holden looks like weakly. Just drink and smoke. I think his life is repeating everday.

Question for commentators:
If you met brother’s friends, how you have handled a conversation with her? 

Other Groups:

Group 1: Commentator
Group 2: Heckler
Group 3: Philosopher
Group 4: Commentator

Group 4's Thoughts on Chapters 10 & 11

In chapter 10, Holden though his sister Phoebe before going downstairs to the Lavender Room. He wanted to call to her, but Holden gave up because if he calls his sister, his parents received his calling, and his parents realized that Holden leaves school, so he cannot call to Phoebe. Then Holden went to Lavender Room. He could not order alcohol to waiter because Holden looks young. He danced with woman, and Holden paid for their drinks, then he left the Lavender Room.

             In chapter 11, Holden went to the hotel. I was thinking Jane Gallagher. I knew Jane Gallagher very well. “This is real.” She loves to play checkers and all of kind sports. Jane and Holden friendly cause is her dog. Holden mother does not like Jane because Jane Gallagher her dogs Doberman to destroy Holden a front yard. One day one of the new father bothered her. When Holden and Jane played checker games. Jane cried. Holden held her, kissing her face and comforting her. Holden and Jane never touch each body but they held hands constantly. Holden thinks it is very happy. Anyway Holden took the taxi go to the club. 

Feeling: Holden’s mind become tired gradually. He misses his family, so we can infer what Holden thinks from observing their behavior. Holden missed first love. Watching it Holden is a just boy.

For Commentators:  What kinds of music or dance appropriate in Lavender Room?   What artists, songs, or types of dance would work.

Other groups:

Group 1: Heckler

Group 2: Commentator

Group 3: Philosopher

Group 5: Commentator