January 15th, 2014

1/15/14

In Class:
Journal--  Reflect on the following quote: 
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” - Jimi Hendrix 

Discussed the first reading of The Catcher in the Rye, focusing specifically on Holden's obsession with authenticity/phoniness, his relationship with Spencer, and his unreliability as a first-person narrator. Introduced discussion question assignment:
Unless otherwise instructed, you should come up with three "underwater" discussion questions per reading. Examples of questions like this from our first reading are:
     * How does Holden remind us that he is an unreliable narrator? How does Holden's lack of reliability affect our reading of the story?
     * Why does Holden seem so obsessed with "phoniness"?
     * "After I got across the road, I felt like I was sort of disappearing. It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road" (Salinger 5).
     * Why does Old Spencer think life is a game? Why does Holden disagree? What do you think of that philosophy?
     * What does Holden's discussion with Spencer tell us about his personality?

The development of identity is an essential component of Holden's journey in Catcher. To reflect on their own identities, each student began a collage which reflects their sense of self. Students can use images from media sources, their own drawing or artwork, words (e.g., song lyrics, poetry, news articles), and anything else that represents themselves.

Exit ticket: What does it mean to be authentic to you?




Homework:
Read "How Did He Do That?" from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by David C. Foster.
Read through p. 46 of Catcher and write three discussion questions.