Blog Post Reflection 2015

                 
         In my blog post, "Continuing with 'Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger", I went to the extreme in decomposing my independent reading novel. This is because I started off by explaining how funny and irresponsible Holden Caulfield really is. An example I provide is when I tell the readers how Holden was the helper for the fencing team, but on their way to the competition, Holden forgets to grab the equipment as they get off the subway they took there, giving the team last place because they couldn't even compete! But of course, Holden didn't let that incident put him down, because not only is he irresponsible, but he is also careless and independent, which are both good and bad things. Along with explaining his relationship with classmates, I also decompose the relationship he had with his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, and how they are still close, even though the teacher actually flunked him in history. This scene is extremely ironic and brings a good vibe to the book as a whole. I believe that analyzing the theme and importance of a novel is also very important and that is exactly what I did for my last paragraph, which included my thoughts before reading the book, and how those thoughts were twisted as I neared the conclusion of it, and what I knew the author wanted me to take away from it.


        I have many goals for my future writing in sophomore year. But my main goal is to be able to analyze a character based on the first couple of chapters of diction and action. I want this achieved because I believe the protagonist is the delivery man for the author's theme, which is mainly why the novel is written in the first place. If the theme isn't understood, then the reader has wasted a chunk of their life being confused. I would also love to improve on identifying author's voice through what the main character has to say. This is also important in identifying the message or take-away because if you can hear the author through a character, you can also identify their bias in the matter and what they are trying to achieve by writing the novel. With regards to reading, I would like to read very high level and challenging books that are hard to decompose and understand so that I am prepared for future books later in high-school and college. Some of these books include "Pride and Prejudice", "To Kill a Mockingbird", and "The Scarlet Letter". These books have been mentioned throughout my lifetime and I cannot wait to breath in their wonderful messages!

Link: http://lexiesreadinglog.blogspot.com/2015/04/continuing-with-catcher-in-rye-by-jd.html