Creative Writing Assignment

Stop Lights It was the gentle breeze of an autumn morning that drew Ian from his drunken stupor. As he emerged from his nearly catatonic state so did the events that transpired from last night. It welled into his head like a rush of warm blood. He re-experienced the sullen atmosphere, the hurtful feelings on both sides, and the icy sting of separation. As he brought himself up from the hard wooden floor of his bedroom he tried to convince himself that it all meant nothing, and that somehow the everyday flow of life would continue and be as same and dull as ever. But for some reason he just couldn’t do it, at least not now. He stumbled into his shower, and the cold flow of the water was gentle and evoking. Today was the day of his big break, his introduction into the “good life”. Ian was finally being promoted to executive producer of his company. But at what cost? His newly promoted role as executive producer would mean that he would be personally responsible for the destruction of the Oklahoma state valley park, his exe’s favorite destination. He disregarded that thought. He exited the shower and ran to his bedroom while the air around him chilled his body. He put on his white dress shirt, his freshly ironed suit, his black dress pants, and then went downstairs to enjoy his victory breakfast. He poured his favorite bowl of cereal as a reward for his accomplishments (sacrifice), but as he bit into his oh so sweet and delicious bowl, he was astonished. The taste was the same, it was the same brand he came to know and love, but on this morning it did not deliver the same effect that prepared him for the hardships of life and work. Ian disregarded this as a mere side effect of his drinking. Ian forced the last bit of cereal down his throat and got his keys. “Today is a new day “he kept telling himself, trying to be as optimistic as possible. He grabbed his keys which made a familiar jingle as he trotted to his 64 Impala, which had been an heirloom for decades in his family. He got comfortable into his seat, inserted his keys and heard the flicker of the engine, and he was off to chase his fate. He drove across his neighborhood at a steady yet forceful pace, he needed to be somewhere and people recognized that. He passed by the houses of his neighborhood. He felt proud, yet there was an emptiness that he couldn’t quite identify. As he was passing by he saw young child, no more than eight with golden blonde hair chasing his golden retriever. He had seen this many times before on his way to work, it was almost a routine for him. The boy would always be about to catch his dog, but it always just manages to allude him. Just then he regained attention to the road and saw the car in front of him swerve in front out of nowhere. Ian quickly slammed the brakes as his car shuddered to a halt. Ian was pissed, more at the fact that he let his attention slip than the fact that someone nearly cut him off to death. He had the right mind to give the careless driver ahead of him a piece of his mind since they were at a red light, but Ian was still feeling pretty optimistic about the rest of his day, and let his emotions slide like usual. The stop lights flickered from red to green and Ian was on his merry way. He cruised through the highways at a comfortable pace, he wanted to savor the moment and felt the breeze run through his light brown hair. “Just think” he said. “This is the beginning of the rest of my life, my only ambition”. His enjoyment was cut short as ahead of him was a traffic jam. His expression was blank, he thought to himself “Why today”. Ian settled into his place among the other cars and turned on the radio to pass the time. The station’s host was Bob Bernard, the playing the same repetitive program he came to know and loathe. It was always the same talkshow where he would invite his listeners to complain about their problems as if it would magically disappear if everyone could hear about it. To Ian it just seemed like a bunch of fake sentimental bull. The minutes past and the lane still wouldn’t budge. The drivers around him began to exit their cars and look ahead to see what the obstruction was, but Ian remained in his car. He would be cool about this, and that’s what would get him through. While he sat in the car however the events of last night again creeped up on him as he knew it eventually would have. I DON’T KNOW YET MRS LEE GIVE ME A BREAK IM THINKING STILL BUT I HAVE A CLIMAX I THINK YOU WILL BE PLEASED Yet, as the light flickered from red to sickly green, Ian froze in his lane. After all the mental deflection and hopeless optimism he realized the full error of his ways. He exchanged the deep-seated love, a love as pure as snow and warm as spring for something so superficial that everyone at his corporations knows. It wasn’t about the park, it wasn’t even the fact that he nearly died, but that he nearly died for something as common of a pursuit as every other man. When he was with her, he knew that every moment was as important to him as if he were saving the rainforest, or curing cancer. The little things became the only truly important things, and the prestige of a position of a salary couldn’t compare to it, in fact to hell with it. He realized now that that’s why he played so much attention to the child in the morning. The Child was him and the dog was his stupid dreams, but if the child were to ever catch the dog, what then?

Weblog Entry 17

William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tale of excessive pride, infatuation, and deceit. Within the story many characters allow their loyalty to be shaken by their own vanity. A great example of this is during the monologue between Cassius and Brutus in Act 1 90-174, in which Cassius begins to tempt Brutus. During this scene Cassius seduces Brutus by telling him how Brutus has great inner virtue and favor with many “I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus, As well as I do know your outward favor.” Along with indicating Brutus’s good values Cassius also points out that Caesar does not have some of the great qualities of Brutus, or godlike qualities at all. For example Cassius tells the tale of how some time in the past Caesar and Cassius were swimming in the river Tiber, and Caesar grew so fatigued that Cassius had to save him from drowning “so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar.” He also tells Brutus that when they were in Spain Caesar was so sick and weary that he asked for water “As a sick girl”. He uses these experiences to allude to Brutus that he is strong while Caesar is weak. Cassius goes on further by juxtaposing the names Caesar and Brutus and telling Brutus that they are both equally worthy names. He also alludes to Brutus that unless he wants to forever live under Caesar’s shadow “he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus and we petty men Walk under his huge legs” he must become a master of his fate and murder Caesar. Cassius’s argument is to help Brutus recognize his own greatness, manifest Caesar’s weaknesses, and lead Brutus into his conspiracy to murder Caesar by telling him unless he wants to forever live under Caesar he must become a “master of his fate”.

Weblog Entry 16 Holden the Misunderstood

People are generally very insensitive towards others when we can't understand their motives. This can be seen in all aspects of society. If we see someone that is "different" to ourselves, we often see it as a threat and rather than being tolerant towards said person we generally criticize them before knowing the whole story. This is a theme that reflects deeply within the story The Catcher in the Rye. For instance, generally when people try to determine the cause behind Holden behavior they assume that the protagonist Holden is a hypocrite or misanthrope for all of his crude remarks against society's nature. However, in doing so we miss the true reason behind the remarks, and his intentions. I believe that this is why we can’t just blatantly call people such as Holden a hypocrite and dismiss the problem, because by doing so we fail to identify the problem altogether. In the story, Holden performs many actions that question many of the remarks he makes. For instance, he always talks about how the adult world is “phony” and he resents it so much, but he does things such as call prostitutes and consumes alcohol, which are actions that many would consider to be “adult”. However, the reasons behind him doing these actions are not from sheer hypocrisy. It is easy to forget that Holden is a very hurt individual. We can see the subtle reminders through his “wounded” persona (bullet through the gut) and his deteriorating mental state. After all his parents neglected him as a child and one of his greatest friends, his brother Allie, the only person he had a true relationship with died at a very young age. He also knew that his other childhood friend Jane Gallanger (who he possibly had interests in) was presumably sexually harassed by her stepfather. These issues are in no way problems that people, especially teenagers should we exposed to, and they are at the crux of Holden’s remarks and behavior. Thus, we cant just blatantly assume that Holden is a hypocrite, because by doing so we dismiss the issues that torment Holden, and nothing is solved.

Weblog Entry 15 1e

Holden's fantastical scenario after his physical altercation with Maurice gives us a closer look at his inner psyche, emotional affection, and subconscious misconceptions (especially his hypocritical ways). The first way in which the fantasy is significant to us is by displaying his hypocritical nature. Holden claims in most of the book that he is a passive and peaceful individual, yet he blatantly insults Maurice (even though he is bigger and much stronger than him) and nearly promotes the fight between himself and Maurice. Not only that, in his fantasy world he even goes as far as to shoot Maurice in the stomach nearly 6 times, even though all Maurice did was punch him in the stomach. This displays his hypocritical tendencies when it comes to his demeanor and also his immaturity to acknowledge his faults. Not only that, however, the fantasy also displays his misconception of the adult world. in Holden's mind adults are cruel, violent, immoral and not genuine. His fantasy world clearly portrays this. In it he think's of himself as a very masculine character, who steals an individuals life and later calls up a girl to bandage him up while he smokes a cigarette. This not only displays his misconception of adult hood, but his misconception of life as well. Finally, the fantasy after his beating from Maurice manifests Holden's affectionate side. In his fantasy he pictures himself being bandaged from his childhood friend (possibly love interest) Jane Gallanger. He calls her up sucessfully (although hes already tried to call her a number of times) and she comes over to comfort him physically (even holds a cigarette for him while he smokes). This section of the fantasy portrays Holden's deeper side, and it is one of the first scenes that show something that Holden truly admires in the world.

Weblog Entry 15 1e

Holden's fantastical scenario after his physical altercation with Maurice gives us a closer look at his inner psyche, emotional affection, and subconscious misconceptions (especially his hypocritical ways). The first way in which the fantasy is significant to us is by displaying his hypocritical nature. Holden claims in most of the book that he is a passive and peaceful individual, yet he blatantly insults Maurice (even though he is bigger and much stronger than him) and nearly promotes the fight between himself and Maurice. Not only that, in his fantasy world he even goes as far as to shoot Maurice in the stomach nearly 6 times, even though all Maurice did was punch him in the stomach. This displays his hypocritical tendencies when it comes to his demeanor and also his immaturity to acknowledge his faults. Not only that, however, the fantasy also displays his misconception of the adult world. in Holden's mind adults are cruel, violent, immoral and not genuine. His fantasy world clearly portrays this. In it he think's of himself as a very masculine character, who steals an individuals life and later calls up a girl to bandage him up while he smokes a cigarette. This not only displays his misconception of adult hood, but his misconception of life as well. Finally, the fantasy after his beating from Maurice manifests Holden's affectionate side. In his fantasy he pictures himself being bandaged from his childhood friend (possibly love interest) Jane Gallanger. He calls her up sucessfully (although hes already tried to call her a number of times) and she comes over to comfort him physically (even holds a cigarette for him while he smokes). This section of the fantasy portrays Holden's deeper side, and it is one of the first scenes that show something that Holden truly admires in the world.

The Catcher in the Rye

My book cover portrays the personality and desires of Holden Caufield, along with his melancoly perception of the world. All of the elements in my picture are placed in order to form a more accurate understanding on Holden's psyche. The snowglobe that has New York City within it is meant to depict the setting of the story,and also the fact that New York is encased in a snowglobe in my cover displays Holden's isolation, which he blames on his resent for everything that is fake or unreal about society(New York City isnt actually within a snowglobe). The gray and bland colorscheme of the New York is also meant to show Holden's distaste for life and his lack of creativity, which is shown in the novel through his unapproval of the arts(movies, plays, actors). The field of rye surrounding New York City portrays Holden's three day ordeal in New York City in which he tries to discover what it means to be an adult, and corresponds with Holden's statement in which he declares he wants to protect the children of the world from falling off the rye into adulthood, which Holden clearly hates from his misconception on what it means to be an adult(sex, phoniness, gambling etc). The snowglobe also happens to rest on Allie's baseball glove, one of Holden's most cherished possesions, and thus symbolizes Holden's reliance on people like Allie and Pheobe, whom he considers actually "real", or genuine. The barrier between the snowglobe and Allie's glove also shows the sad reality of Allie's untimely death (which had a major impact on Holden) and it also the reason for Holden's search to surround himself with intelligent, genuine people (such as the authors he wishes to converse with) to mask the pain of his brother's death.

Weblog Entry 13: Holden the Hypocrite (#3e)

It is very obvious that Holden Caulfield is very critical of others in the book Catcher in the Rye. In all of his observations of his peers and those around him, he always seems to put people in a sort of a negative connotation. Whether they are "phony," unhygienic, or just plain stupid to him, there just always seems to be something fundamentally wrong with one's character in Holden's perspective. However, Holden is not the ideal human being either. Although his tone in the story seems to assert himself as the only genuine character in the novel, this is not the case. Unbeknownst to him, there are many flaws in his character. For instance, one of the main problems with him all throughout the novel is that he is not a good communicator. Take for instance the scene in which he has a huge fight with Stradlater. Although it is obvious that Holden was deeply offended by Stradlater’s lack of integrity and honesty with him, he never actually declared that to Stradlater and hit him anyway. This clearly demonstrates how Holden’s lack of communication is not only a flaw, but a hypocritical one too, as he always criticizes others for not showing their genuine character, yet he does not exhibit his. Another hypocritical flaw that Holden struggles with throughout the entire story is his dishonesty, or lying problem. Holden hates when others lie to others about their personalities and such, but Holden does the exact same to people on a daily basis. For instance, throughout his entire ordeal in New York, he seldom gives away his true identity to the people he encounters. Some great examples of this are when he is trying to coax others into letting him order alcoholic beverages. He drastically lowers his voice and try’s to talk in a quick, yet suave accent. Many times in the story he blames other for altering their personalities for their own personal gains, but Holden is no different.

Weblog 12: Need a body cry?

J.D Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, if not one of the most controversial books ever written, was definitely one of the best books ever written. His timeless tale of Houlden Caulfield and Houlden's unforgettable journey through New York City is a memory that will live in the hearts and minds of a generation forever. However, unexpected of most readers, Salinger's tale did not come through sheer imagination alone. His inspiration for the novel came from a poem, with its own story and meaning as well. The poem is called Comin Thro' the Rye, and it is written by Robert Burns. It tells the tale of "Jenny," as she hopelessly tries to navigate through a rye field in order to meet a special “body” within, while dragging at her petticoat. Like most poems, this poem is deeper than just the initial story it tells. For example, although in the chorus it gives the mere exposition of Jenney’s story, later on in the poem the poem elaborates more on what kind of a person Jenny is, and her possible desires in life. Jenny is described to be “wet,” and only seldom dry. Also, the fact that she is meeting a body within a rye field also reveals more on Jenny’s promiscuous character, and possible melancholy emotional state. Not only that however, but her passage through the rye is not only descriptive, but symbolic as well. The rye in the poem symbolizes an ordeal in Jenny’s life. She is permiscous and wants to find love in her “rye” or world by meeting different men(bodies), yet she is afraid of the heartbreak and pain that ensues from it (need a body cry). The narrator also states whether people should care if Jenny lives a promiscuous life or not by stating “need the warld ken.”