Catcher in the Rye Plot Essay

When someone is young, they tend to have innocence about them. As children grow up, they no longer possess this natural innocence. Exposure to all of the hatred in the world causes this loss. Holden Caulfield realizes this simple fact, as he himself grows up, and has a difficult time with the change. He experiences problems with communication as well as his school work. A common theme used throughout The Catcher in the Rye has to do with contradictions Holden makes. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, first person point of view is used to highlight contradictions Holden makes throughout the novel. Holden’s first contradiction becomes clear in the first few chapters of the book. When it comes to attending movies, he claims that he does not enjoy the company of Robert Ackley or going to see movies. Yet, he attends a show with Ackley. On Friday night, while Stradlater was on a date with Jane, Holden made his own plans. Holden, Mal Brossard, and Ackley went out for a burger and a movie. â€Å"†¦ decided we’d take a bus into Agerstown and have a hamburger and maybe see a lousy movie.†(36) Due to the use of first person point of view, we find out Holden’s inner thoughts instead of just relying on his actions. Also, later on in the novel, Holden goes to yet another movie, despite his claim of not enjoying them. While in the theater, he becomes extremely annoyed with the woman sitting next to him. She cried throughout the entire movie over, in Holden’s words, phony stuff. â€Å"†¦ there was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried.†(139) We learn about Holden’s inner thoughts because of first person point of view. We can find another contradiction dealing with Holden’s hatred of movies. When he attends the first movie, he goes with Robert Ackley, despite the fact that Holden previously told us that he dislikes him. Holden says that he finds Ackley to be completely annoying. However, he was the one who invited Ackley along. â€Å"I asked Mal if he minded if Ackley came along with us†¦ Mal said he didn’t mind but that he wasn’t too crazy about the idea.†(36) This quote helps show another contradiction of Holden’s through Salinger’s use of first person point of view. Holden also sought out Ackley as a form of comfort after his fight with Stradlater. Holden had no one else to turn to after the fight except for Ackley. â€Å"I had a feel Ackley’d probably heard all the racket and was awake, so I went through the shower curtains and into his room† (46). Salinger again uses first person point of view to show even more of this contraction. Another contradiction that can be found has to do with Sally Hayes. Although Holden calls Sally a phony, he still decides to spend a night with her. In his head, he continues to say how much he hates Sally and how much she annoys him, yet he expresses that he loves her. Holden extends his contradiction by necking with Sally in the back of the cab, and still continues to think about the fact that he hates her. â€Å"I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course.†(125) Holden’s actual thoughts about Sally stick out from the other statements through the use of first person point of view. Holden even goes as far as trying to run away with Sally. He expresses a want of running away and living on their own, right after calling her a pain in the ass. â€Å"I was getting excited as hell the more I thought about it, and I sort of reached over and took old Sally’s goddam hand. What a goddam fool I was.† (132) This contradiction was shown through the use of first person point of view. First person point of view is used by J.D. Salinger to show Holden’s contradictions in the Catcher in the Rye. Holden contradicts himself on a regular basis; it leads him to believe that he is crazy. Due to the fact that he has a problem with communicating to others, letting his feelings out became a challenge. His biggest battle involved his inner thoughts, and the words he actually expressed out loud. We can find most of his contradictions through this battle of words.

A history of American sexuality Essay Example for Free

A history of American sexuality Essay American (136) , Sexuality (5) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? There is little to dispute the notion that rebellious movements only originate as a need, not as a result of human nature. It would indeed be appropriate to view the various cultures of resistance that have developed over the ages in light of this ideology; every era saw a different need and hence developed and shaped itself through their individual’s sexual meaning (D’emilio and Freedman 228). They embody a change in attitude of youngsters regarding suppressed sexual inclinations considered inappropriate by the general public or believed to be counterproductive. Stemming from as early as the 17th century, the progress of freedom of sexuality has mostly been a mosaic, finding roots in differences of race gender and class. However, recent times have allowed that progress to be catalogued in discernable text which can be reviewed to gain insight into the perception of sexuality as has been generally associated with the past; historians such as Jeffrey Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman provide some valuable control points to make those judgments. First era: 1600 to 1780 The institution of marriage, the historical perspective of which was recently been subjected to criticism, has been under scrutiny lately simply because historical data does not correspond with the stereotypes of a traditional marriage (Coontz 13). In simple words, people who believed that the sanctity of marriage centuries ago was protected because of love between partners have lately been disproven. From 1600 to 1780, marriage was vastly regarded as a tool designed squarely as a reproductive mechanism and for the promotion of labor sources, increasing the family ties and the creation of a new generation (D’emilio and Freedman 14). Since work was primarily agricultural back in those days, there was a need to increase labor within the family which was directly reflected in sexuality being confined to the institution of marriage, which in turn was designated for procreation (D’emilio and Freedman 16-17). Such was the kinship and family system. During this era, there was a distinct lack of the element of love and social stigma prohibited acts of premarital intercourse and even falling in love as a pretext for marriage. Amongst the general society though, there were mixed thoughts within Protestants and Native American Indians (D’emilio and Freedman 108). They formulated resistant sexualities to the norms. While the Protestants encouraged sexual pleasures within the marriage and allowed public, though limited, displays of affection, anything outside this institution was invalidated and scorned upon (D’emilio and Freedman 4). There are evidences of regulation in the many punishments awarded to those who breached these standardized concepts of sexualities, and acts of adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, and fornication were considered crimes, commission of which not only resulted in penalties but drew contempt at the hands of the public at large. These were very evidently governed by legal implications, enforced not only by the church (D’emilio and Freedman 51) but also the state and society in unison. Such sexual criminals thus became outcast, leading to non-uniformity of sexualities. Amongst these, the prime suspects were Native American Indians, who allowed pre-marital intercourse and considered homosexuality acceptable. Moreover, marriage was not restricted to just one partner. Polygamy became just as common, suggesting that the sexual behavior was more a matter of the culture and social acceptance than human nature. As D’emilio and Freedman point out, the Chesapeake colonies where men outnumbered women due to the presence of a big number of migrants, men could choose to have sex with women simply to derive pleasure and not as instigation to marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 14-17). The political system in the middle of the 17th century harbored the use of slaves, and those created their own sexual regimes. The southern areas saw a rise in inter-racial sexual ordeals, giving presence to another distinct system of regulating sexualities. The forms of political control that dominated throughout the 17th century, namely the church, state and the local community began losing their footing by the middle of the 18th century to late 18th century. This was partly due to the rise in commercialization and trade, since community presence was losing ground to a larger form of individualism, which institutionalized marriage as an expression of romance. Thus, the original sexual meanings relating to family ties and procreation governed by the sexual politics of the church, state and the local community were being superseded by the culture of resistance that encouraged romance as the central focus of marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 95). Second era: 1870-1980 A new era of sexual preferences was emerging in the late 19th century. The prevailing mood was that of a heightened sense of pre-marital and within-marriage sexual intimacy, defined as â€Å"Victorian† (Peiss 206), with individuality as the central focus, allowing for sexual endeavors to extend beyond marriage and include previously scorned ideologies such as same sex sexualities. The aura was becoming increasingly liberal, as the presence of seemingly immoral exercises such as pornography, and brothel management undermined the societal values (Peiss 238). Attention was drawn towards them by a new breed of post 1880 conservatives. This movement concentrated squarely on declaring every form of seemingly impure sexuality such as adultery, commercialization of sex in terms of pornography, fornication and even eroticization within marriage as immoral and as plagues to society. Sexual meaning, while decidedly liberal in those days, employing extensive use of contraception and experimental living with partners, was met with sexual regulation tactics by the state, governed by the enforcement of legislations. The sexual politics included the passing of Anti-prostitution (D’emilio and Freedman 150, 209, 213) and anti-pornography laws facilitating the resistance that Protestants had also partnered in. This, while curbing public vulgarities to some extent, could not come in the way of the growing consumerism that the industrial wave brought with it. With concentration on individual choice, commercial sex grew, in sync with the empowerment of women both at the workplace and within the family, leading to even more equality amongst the sexes (Coontz 208). In the culture that ensued, the sexual meaning took a very liberal turn with empowerment of the individual being the centerpiece, thus enabling homosexual tendencies to thrive, along with the encouragement of romance and eroticism becoming increasingly desirable. The post 1920s was regarded as an era of sexual reform, post Victorian sexual era so to speak, a time when the concept of marriage was drifting from the originally conceived â€Å"traditional† meanings to those based on deriving sexual pleasures simultaneously with the need to reproduce. The sexual meaning, thus, in the context of D’emilio’s and Freedman’s philosophies (1997), combined those two to place emphasis on the fulfillment and satisfaction of one’s self with respect to the institution of marriage, rather than be forced to adhere to it in order to meet social demands of labor and reproduction. The freedom of choice was highlighted amongst the youth and non-heterosexual endeavors as well as pre-marital sexualities became gradually acceptable. The depiction of sex for commercial use picked up pace as well (D’emilio and Freedman 327), and liberalism both within marriage and outside it grew. The routine depiction of sexual images to the public became frequent, suggesting that sexual choice and independence was what the society wanted. It was in these times that strides were made for gender equality as well, as men slowly edged towards ceasing to become the dominant sexual partners and women began sharing high posts with men in the workplace. Third Era: Post 1980 to present day The major cultural resistance shift was next experienced in the 1970s, with the advent of the liberal homosexual regimes and the urge to pursue sexual freedom by the likes of Hugh Hefner, bringing to light demands to acknowledge premarital sexual endeavors as a right. This, of course, was contrary to the norm of the day, which was still largely heterosexual. More sexual politics brought Left-wing views to the forefront, arguing especially in favor of the gay liberation movement and feminism (D’emilio and Freedman 322-323). During the 70s and 80s, this phenomenon gripped the economically thriving youth of the day, affecting the counterculture in so much as shredding the traditional norms associated with marriage and family in favor of a single sexual life. The right-wings continued to advocate against the sexual deviancies of pre-marital intimacy, commercial utilities of sex, eroticism, etc and much of the debate in the 80s thus surrounded the use of contraceptives, illegitimacy, the spread of HIV and Herpes, rising divorce rates etc. This state of moral panic was superseded by the feminist culture of resistance, which in turn strengthened the position of women who placed emphasis on choice. Employing Margaret Sanger’s voice of reason (D’emilio and Freedman 243-244), the phenomena of birth control enabled women to pursue sexualities undisturbed, serving to ultimately enable gays and lesbians to exchange vows and raise children (Peiss 484). Conclusion To the present day, sexual meanings have been age dependant and cultures of resistance have shaped the way sexual regulations were governed by sexual politics. As stipulated by Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman, all three need to be considered in unison to understand the changing mechanisms of sexualities over a given period (D’emilio and Freedman 377), but it can easily be inferred that those cultures had a strong part to play in the liberation of sexualities and the deviation of the essence of the institution of marriage, from its traditional stance as a means of reproduction to one purely used to attain sexual fulfillment through love . Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A history: How Love Conquered Marriage . Penguin Books, 2005. D’emilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press , 1997. Peiss, Kathy. Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality: Documents and Essays . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. A history of American sexuality. (2016, Aug 15).

Play report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Play report - Essay Example Attending this show made for an unforgettable experience because it helped me acknowledge the Filipino Americans’ experience in the US. The play mainly illustrates â€Å"the difficulties of assimilation† (Valois). It is impossible to remain oblivious to the highly significant cultural idea behind the play. I really liked how watching the performance caused me to reminisce about my own coming of age experience. I am sure every audience member must have reflected on their coming of age celebrations during the show. This was one of the most powerful aspects of the play because it made every viewer relate with the show regardless of sociocultural differences. Since each family is different and has its own way of celebrating things, I realized how different my coming of age celebration was from what I saw in The Debutante’s Ball. One good thing that came out of this realization was that it opened my eyes to many cultural differences around me which I did not notice be fore. The merge of Filipino and American cultures is not a very common thing to see in theatre in the American culture. It is claimed that the play captures highly â€Å"interesting details of the Filipino-American community in which the tale is set† (Valois). During the play, I found myself significantly influenced by the way this melting-pot aspect of the US culture was demonstrated. The actors played this aspect quite intelligently which helped to immerse all audience members in the show. This feature of the play is very influential given the way my mind reacted to it. I could not remain unaffected by the way the girl who played Ana demonstrated her frustration when trying to fit in the US culture while being under the pressure to hold on to her original roots as well. I can now easily relate with such cultural struggles which form an important part of the play I watched. It can be

Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Judicial System Research Paper

Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Judicial System - Research Paper Example Generally, racism may be considered as the social practice that apportions merits or attributes values to people who belong to groups that have been racially categorized exclusively based on the race they belong to (Mann and Zatz 3). There are about three different aspects associated with racism including personal prejudice: institutional racism that involves policies that operate to create differences between various races and ideological racism where biology and culture are the justification for the superior position of a dominant culture. One of the characteristics associated with institutionalized racism is petit apartheid which is a concept that entails hidden or informal interactions between police and minorities in a daily basis including various policing activities that could or could not lead to apprehension and subsequent entrance into the justice system. Petit apartheid has continued to be addressed recently hypothetically and also based on practices which could be include d in its range of definition with the emphasis of petit apartheid appearing to be attitudinal aspects that have an effect on policing and other choices in the system including beliefs and actions that are culturally biased such as rough treatment, insults and quality of judicial instructions along with other discretionary actions that may exist within the system.

Canada's Maple Leaf Bust Crack Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Canada's Maple Leaf Bust Crack - Essay Example Articles by the media in the summer of 2008 covered reports on the outbreak showing colorful slips of a ‘listeriosis investigation’ eventually turned to entire wrenched, gray pieces such as â€Å"Sorry Situation† (Brent, 2008). In December following the summer which became a funeral mourning 22 million deaths upon the eating of cold-cuts sold by Maple Leaf Food’s two tainted lines at the entity’s Toronto headquarters, a $27 million-dollar class action lawsuit disabling a company which had already suffered a deficit that semester, the report fell that safety measures had shattered. Litigation inched its way into the top Canadian food-processing industry as the sentient illness forced its way across papers, the public opinion crying out a public timeline: â€Å"Listeriosis Outbreak in Toronto Now Linked to Five Deaths† (Ewing, 2008) in August, â€Å"Sorry Situation† (Brent, 2008), for September’s glow, and October’s gold-ree l, â€Å"Maple Leaf finds new listeria cases† (Elliott, 2008). President and chief-executive of the mega multi-billion dollar service-issuer in a clear concise way emulated a stream of heartfelt warmth to the public betwixt the sparkling timeline filled with protocol and positive results. In 2004 an article by Salvage entitled, â€Å"Petite hams pack a punch: smaller products are designed for on-the-go families,† excited consumers before four years along the timeline later another enchantment, â€Å"Maple Leaf designs pigs for markets† (Bertin, 2001), again stole the market. ... Total net revenue earnings were stunted by comparison with the previous year of 2005 in the range of $48.6 million and $815.9 million as opposed to the prior offsetting $101.9 and $800.8 million of agribusiness income and sales. Yet a hardwood-smoked, boneless, two pound ham offered a beautiful competition, on which a new sensation was being brought up, which elevated flexibility, color-binding, color and protein maximization at the foreground of a link between restructuring costs and Maple Leaf food designs, which was gaining speed in the race of the farmer’s market phenomenon. As all members of the now global indiscriminate ravager that has made its unique debut as the food industry must fall under the trick eventually, all facets indubitably must be tempted by that dollar which is called progress. Maple Leaf Incorporations won a nationally-esteemed award which bounded off its renovated products in 2011. While unpredictability should no doubt be a factor after the outbreak t wo years earlier, Canada’s grocer spontaneously waltzed to the front of the better end of its crisis quite literally, as the informational media announcement on paper specified in the heading called, â€Å"Contrite Maple Leaf vaults to forefront of food safety,† Sperber’s 2010 praise that detailed management’s proactive response to the fiasco two years prior. Even still Maple Leaf’s attempts at safety protocols and mandates before the widespread incident was in a small way commendable. In a spill of paramount thanks to the company’s chief executive and President Michael McCain, who inarguably urged to employ higher-tech equipment to ensure 2002 meat safety, Maple Leaf won the Annual Food Safety Leadership Award in 2006. Such cannot provide though, to that

Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Case Analysis - Essay Example I look up to him because he does things which are practical and does not boast about them at all. He is a well-behaved man who does not say anything which is below his level (Stewart-Sicking 2008). His personality is so dignified that people want to remain close to him and get snapped with him. He is an excellent orator who can speak for countless hours, without any script. Obama is ideal for me because I envision success if I follow him in the most literal sense. He started his life with a purpose to set things right around him, and this is exactly what he is doing at the very present. The best thing about him is that he believes in himself which inspires me endlessly. It gives me strength and confidence to know that the most powerful man in the world can be so relaxing in his personality and connect with people on a one to one level (Rist 2001). As far as I am concerned, an ideal virtuous person is one who believes in the people he lives or works with. Obama’s example is no different. He knows what the American populace is all about and how it can give its very best even in the most trying of circumstances and situations. Obama is a living legend because he has changed beliefs of the people worldwide. He has lived a life that is filled with struggle yet done his very best to take care of the American people. He has met world’s leaders with the same amount of zest that he shows for commoners. This is such a huge aspect of his personality that puts the celebrities to shame (Thiroux 2009). Even though he is regarded as one of the best visionaries in the modern world, he has remained humble in his plans all along. Obama has however made it clear to everyone that he means business when he takes charge of his office everyday. I adore his personality with each passing day as Obama is the symbol of modern world. He is one leader and indeed one individual whom I can safely regard as the most ideal virtuous

Prostitution - Analysis of Positivism and Classicism within Assignment

Prostitution - Analysis of Positivism and Classicism within Criminology via the Lens of Article - Assignment Example A discussion and analysis of the principle tenets of both positivism and classicism with regards to criminology will be engaged with.   Although it is not the purpose of this analysis to state that one approach is better than the other, the underlying goal is merely to state which one is the most effective in helping the reader to come to an appreciation of the causal and motivating factors that might have driven the individual to commit crime the first place. As a means of briefly describing the article to the reader prior seeking to define in terms of either positivism or classicism, the following serve as something of a brief summary. The article details the results of the plea bargain that was entered into by Ms Alexis Wright. Rather than facing a jury trial with over the charges, Ms Wright instead opted for a plea bargain that would see her serve 10 months in jail and pay a fine of just less than $60,000. Investigators case, the article reveals, had been gathering information upon Miss Wright as well as others involved, including client, for the space of nearly 2  ½ years. As with most high profile prostitution stings, Ms Wright’s enterprise made headline news in one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers due to two main factors (Seelye 1). The first of these is with regards to the high profile nature of her client list; referenced in the article is merely mayors, ministers, and high school coaches. The second deter minant that makes this high profile news is the fact that the actual place of prostitution served as both a Zumba studio and was located a mere stone’s throw from the vacation home of former Pres. George Bush. One of the hallmarks of the positivist’s school of thought with relation to criminology is the underlying belief that the individual/criminal is not always spurred on crime based solely upon free will. Rather, precipitating factors such as economic hardship, developmental impairment, or an otherwise incomplete worldview and/or understanding can just as easily lead an individual to commit a crime as can free will.