Hello, all! It's been a while, but it's kind of hard to blog when you've got nothing to talk about except, "Yeah, I did some reading and stuff, and it was kind of cool and stuff. So, like, reading and stuff. Yeah." But, anyways. We had lots of reading to do this week. First up is J.D. Salinger's short story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish."
Well then.
That was a story I had to re-read a couple of times. I'm still not totally sure what happened. But, I still have to compare the characters to those in The Catcher in the Rye, and so I shall do that. I would say Seymour Glass was most similar to Holden Caulfield. They both don't really care what others think, and mostly want to be unique. Both seem to go out of their way to annoy others, but seem to do it in a joking manner. However, Holden is a little less... unstable.
The girl in the room, Muriel, reminded me of Sally. Both are more focused on themselves, and seem to care about their image. They both seem somewhat annoyed by the 'Holden' in their lives, but both still care about him.
The last main character, Sybil, reminded me, in part, of Phoebe. Both have childish attitudes, but both still hold a special place in their heart for those they care about. However, Sybil struck me as a little annoying, which is a stark contrast to Phoebe's caring nature.
So, it's easy to see some of the similarities between this story and The Catcher in the Rye. Except, you know, the crazy ending. That was just weird.
Our other reading was from "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail," a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. This was surprisingly enjoyable literature, though I was slowed down by the format. It was actually harder for me to figure out who was talking and doing what than in regular reading. But, I suppose it's all another part of active reading.
Anyways, we were supposed to take a quote, and describe how it fits Transcendentalist thought. I chose the quote, "Our own school, John. No buildings. Break out of the classroom prison. All we need is the sky!" This is a good representation of Transcendentalist ideals, as it embodies the whole idea of freedom that I associate with Transcendentalism. They try to be free-thinking people, who aren't held down by earthly chains and needs. Henry encourages his students to ask questions and really think about their learning, and I feel a prison-like classroom could hinder his goals. He ultimately wishes for a free, unrestricted school where kids will not only live, but also be.
On a somewhat related note, I found the descriptions of actions and emotions in the play to be... bemusing. For example, on page 60, it says in parentheses, "Now all the molten outrage within Henry David Thoreau bursts out like lava from a live volcano."
Aw, darn, I hate when my molten outrage bursts out like that. But thankfully, I'm taking medicine to fix that problem XD
Book- Skeleton Crew- Stephen King (For you horror people out there)
Video Game- Halo: Reach
Music- Stare at the Sun- Thrice
Classical Music- Beethoven's 7th Symphony
Well, that's about it. It's been nice ranting to you. Hope you have a good week!
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