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**__Topic One__** - **Historical information** You are responsible for finding all the information you can about life in 1949. Here are some things you might want to think about: what was it like being a teenager in 1949? Holden's use of language is very distinct in the novel-- is this the way most teenagers spoke at the time? How did they dress? What did they like to listen to? What was the median income? What was the median income for people like Holden's parents? You can include recordings of popular songs, pictures, links, anything you want, as long as it’s connected to life in the late 1940s. //**__Answer topic one__**//- Teenagers were allowed more freedom. Teenage boys were either to have a job or to enroll in the army/military to help support their family. Teenagers spoke with much slang, but i dont think that all or most of them talked the way Holden talks in the book.As there were few materials available at the time, clothes became much simpler and less fabric was used. Women's dresses acquired shorter arms and hems. Their fancy hats no longer existed.For young men, zoot suits became extremely popular. These suit jackets, "fingertips," hung to the mid thighs and incorporated wide-padded shoulders. The pants, "drapes," were tight at the ankles but the legs themselves were ballooned out. These suits were often accompanied by wide-brimmed hats and long watch chains. The color of fashion seemed to even go to war, with patriotic nautical themes and dark greens and khakis dominating the color palates, as trousers and wedges slowly replaced the dresses and more traditional heals due to shortages in stockings and gasoline. With the mid to late 40's also seeing what is sometimes refered to as "atomic prints" or geometric patterns and shapes.They loved listening to //rock and roll//music. The annual/median income would be...$1236 but for the median incomes within a household would be... $850 for farm work, $1200 for male manual labor, $1000 for female office work, and $1500 for male office work. The average income per year in 1940 was $1,725.00 and by 1949 was $2,950.00. Holden's parents income was most likely much higher than this, could have been around $10,000. Some of the music artists persisted of Artie Shaw, Glen Miller, The Anderw Sisters, Bing Crosby and many more.- []

__**Topic Two**__ - **History of the novel** Why did this book have such an impact on Americans of the 20th century and today? Here are some suggestions: Look for information on book reviews when it was published in 1951, link interviews with current writers that were affected by Holden and add them to your webpage. How did teenagers react to the book when it was first published? Why was the book banned? Are the letters readers wrote to the author? See if you can find some reasons. //**__Answer topic two- __**// It had abig impact on Americans today and in the 20th century due to the fact The Catcher in the Rye broke new ground in literature because it broke so many conventions and challenged the conservative values of the late 1940's-1950s mainstream. It featured a young protagonist thinking and speaking like a typical teenager--which was pretty shocking to those who had never read such language in print. The book continues to have an impact today, and will continue to have an impact as long as there are young people who feel disenfranchised by society. People strongly relate to Holden Caufield because he recognizes a lot of negative things about society and desires to protect the helpless and innocent from them. His voice is the same voice as anyone who's ever been frustrated by his/her rather helpless role in the world, and he speaks strongly to those like him--on the cusp of adulthood and scared to death of entering the real nasty world. Holden is feeling that he knows what it is like first hand to be a teenager, he is experencing the hardships in life that any modernday teenager would feel. The way he talks is heard throughout this book and any teenagers life. Pretty much it is like the qoute that says "The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." - Tom Bodett. That pretty much sums up both Holden's life and any teenagers life. "The book was a best-seller for two weeks after its release in The New York Times. It stayed on the top for 30 weeks. //The Catcher in the Rye//was the most frequently banned book in schools between 1966 and 1975. One of the major reasons //The Catcher in the Rye// is banned in from some school libraries is because of the sexual content and offensive language used." There are so many more examples on why this book was banned from schools but this was the main reason why that The Catcher in the Rye was banned from high school libraries. http://catchingcatcher.wikispaces.com/History+of+the+Novel

__**Topic Three -**__ **What's bothering Holden?** You are responsible for adding the possible psychological reasons for Holden's madman days around Christmas. Find out about the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, the five stages of grieving and loss, the impact of death on a family, and any other reason you think Holden might be failing out of school and wanderingNew York City. You can give Holden your diagnosis and find out how doctors would treat him today. Would Holden be on medication? __**Answer Topic Three:**__A severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma is calledPost Traumatic Stress Disorder. This could include death, sexual or physical abuse, anything that is hard to cope with and stays on one's mind.The symptoms to this disorder are nightmares, flashbacks, anger, hyperviligance and, these are just a few of many more symptoms known."Complex PostTraumatic stress disorder(C-PTSD) usually results from prolonged exposure to a traumatic event or series thereof and is characterized by long-lasting problems with many aspects of emotional and social functioning"[]

**__Topic Four__ - Character analysis** Create a page describing most of the characters in the novel. Your webpage should include information about Holden, Pheobe, Stradlater, Allie, Ackley, and Mr. Antolini. It can (and would get a higher grade) if it included information on Maurice, Sunny, Old Spencer, D. B. and Holden's parents. Write your own details about each character, add pictures if you think they capture a character's physical appearance (hair, height, weight), link descriptions that others have written about any of these characters and include links that you think describe them. For example, create a link from Pheobe to a website that has information about gifted children. **__Holden- __** Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old teenager living in the 1940's in New York City. He was kicked out of his High School Pencey Prep. Holden is intelligent but also sensitive. This can be assumed because of the calm and jaded vioce he uses throughout the book. He sees the evil the world at the age of sixteen and so far doesnt apprecitate it. Holden says throughout the book how "phony" everyone else is but he himself and showed his own phony and rudeness as well the others. He is a incredibly lonely person. He feels as if he is hated by anyone and everyone. Holden can excell in anything he puts his mind to, but after the death of his little brother Allie, he has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and this has given him a different outlook on life. He is then forced to face life's true obsticles....For instance boarding school and the drama that lies within. Holden's constant failures and tramas has chased him on the verge to a emtional breakdown.

**__Pheobe-__** Pheobe Caulfield is Holden's 10 year old little sister. She is extremely smart, talented, and very affectionate for a child her age. She picks up on anything on any subject. Pheobe is protective but not motherly. Even though she is young she understands Holden better than anyone else. Holden adores her more than anything. She is incredible when it comes to dancing. Her childish innocence is what Holden likes the best and is mostly the only source of happiness throughout the book. She simply believes that the only enemy Holden truly has is himself.
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**__Stradlater-__** Stradlater is Holden's roommate at Pencey Prep. He is known to be popular, sexy, and wanted by all girls. His first name is Ward. Holden reffers to him as a "sexy bastard" because of how experienced he is with giving girls the time. He seems clean and put together by his looks but he is secretly a slob, as Holden puts it.

**__Allie-__** Allie was Holden's younger brother. He past away at the age of 11 due to leukemia. Holden reffered to him as the smartest person is in family. He was insanely intelligent. When Allie played baseball he would write on his mit poems in green ink to pass the time when was waiting to play. Holden carries that very mit with him so he always has a part of Allie with him. Allie's death tramatized not only Holden but his family as well and none of them gotten over it.

**__Ackley-__** Ackley is Holden's neighbor at Pencey Prep. He is insecure and pimply. He has horrible dental hygiene and often lies about his sexual expericenes. He usually barges into Holden's room and touches everything even if he knows he shouldnt and Holden sends him clear hints to leave. He also doesnt repeats himself a lot just because he can.

__**Mr. Antolini-**__ Mr. Antolini is Holden's former english teacher at his past school Elkon's High. He is a heavier drinker but Holden still goes to him for guidance. He is clever, smart, likable, and young. Holden sometimes thinks he is too clever at times. He seems to treat Holden as if he was his own child.

__**Maurice-**__ Maurice is the elevator operator at Edmont Hotel. He ends up getting Holden a prostitute and lies about the amount she would cost.

__**Sunny-**__ Sunny is the prostitute Maurice "sells" to Holden. She ended up coning him out of more money than he was told. She was calm thoughout the scene and didnt want trouble. Just her money. Holden try to connect with her but fails because he he realized thats not what he wanted.

__**Old Spencer-**__ Old Spencer is Holden's history teacher at Pencey Prep.

__**D.B.-**__ D.B. is Holden's older brother. He has written many short stories and is very good at it too. Holden feels that he uses his writing skills the wrong when D.B. went to Hollywood to write movies.

__**Jane Gallagher-**__ Jane is a girl who met Holden as a kid by their dog always coming to Holden's house and peeing on thier lawn. They used to play chess with each other. Holden has a secret crush on her and has for a while now. Holden is attracted to her and she is the only girl he truly respects. She actually nevers appears in the book.

__**Topic Five - Literary elements **__ Research all that you can about the literary elements used in the novel and give examples of the following: foreshadowing, imagery, Salinger's use of metaphor, symbolism, setting (this one should be easy!), irony, tone, point of view, conflict and theme. You can use what we've discussed in class, cite quotations from the novel and create links from other sources to support your position. __Anwser Topic Five- __
 * __Forshadowing-__ At the beginning Holden gives the hint that he has been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, therefore revealing his story.
 * __Imagery-__ There are many different scenes throghout the book that gives the reader an image about the scene or event. For instance, when Holden describes Phoebe on the carousel, the descripition of death, the F*** you signs on the wall, the way Holden illustrates Phoebe's notebook, also about the singer of the Shirley Bean Record, and I would say Holden was very descirpitive about James Castle's sucide and how Mr. Antolini tried to save him. These are only a few examples of imagery in the novel.**
 * __Metaphor-__
 * __Symbolism-__ There could be many symbols throughout the book. For instance, his red hunting hat, Allie's baseball mitt, the horse on the cover of the book, the ducks in the park, the Museum of Natural History, and also the "catcher in the rye" (poem and how Holden describes his outlook on it.)
 * Setting- The time setting is a long weekend in the late 1920's or early 1950's. The place differs throughout the story. For example, it begins in Pennsylvania, then his former school Elkon High, Pencey Prep, the New York City. This doesnt include his little detoures.
 * __Irony-__ To begin on the irony one could say that Holden is pretty much the biggest phony in the book but yet he sees that everyone around him are the big phonies. This is proven when Holden states," I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life." Also when Holden is saying how much he despies religion and God but then later on he says how much he adores Jesus.
 * __Tone-__ Holden expresses many different tones throughout the novel. He uses disgust, cynicism, bitterness, and, nervousness.
 * __Point Of View-__ Holden Caulfield is the narrator throughout the book and does this in first person. He illustrates what he feels, sees, and experiences and he gives the reader his own outlook on the events and characters throughout the novel.
 * __Conflict-__ Part of Holden wants to connect with others as an adult (sexually mostly) and the other part of himi wants to stay a kid or "relive" his childhood because of all the phonies in the adult world.
 * __Theme-__ The difficulty of growing up, the "phoniness" of the adult and teenage world, and also the theme of self- protection.

__**Topic Six**__ - **Outside Elements** Salinger mentions a number of other authors and famous literary characters in __The Catcher in the Rye__, for example Isak Dinesen's __Out of Africa,__ Somerset Maughm's __Of Human Bondage__, Emily Dickinson, Ring Lardner and Gatsby. Write a brief summary of each author, character or novel mentioned and a reason why Salinger may have included them in the book. Do these authors tell us something about Holden? The title of this novel is taken from a poem. Why? What is the significance of this poem? Why do you think Salinger used this? Feel free to look at other sources written about this question and link it to your page of the wiki. __**Answer Topic Six:**__ //"Out of Africa"//- Isak Dinesen wrote the book "Out of Africa" which was written about Karen Blixen's life, but she did not get any facts from other books that schools use for educational uses. Denys Finch Hatton lived life on his own terms. Tall and handsome, with a devilishly crooked smile, he was famously irresistible to women and equally unable to commit to any of them. Born into money and the English aristocracy. The character Denys Hatton from "Out of Africa" is an extremely good example of Holden from "The Catcher in the Rye" so that is one reasone that Salinger might have included "Out of Africa" in the book. Yes, they tell us that he isn't the only one with problems or obstacles to face with being a teenager. The title of Salinger's book is taken from a poem called "Comin Throu the Rye" by Roberth Thorn. "Even more ironic is that Holden says he wants to be the catcher in the rye – he wants to be "catching" all those little children. In his mind, this is protection, but clearly from the poem, the fun in the rye is more about sex than it is about preserving childhood innocence. This is rather sad, and possibly even tragic; Holden exists in a world that is steeped in sexuality. It's on the school walls, across from his window in the hotel, in kids' songs, and even in his seemingly innocent fantasies." The significance of this poem is more or less strange, due to the fact that the poem is pretty much talking about casual sex. Salinger probably used this because Holden's character is always thinking about sex. Also the fact that kids and how their lives are are so much more easier than Holden's.