Catcher in the Rye Plot Essay Example for Free

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.

Breakfast At Tiffanys Essay -- essays research papers

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote is about the thought that friendship can make a person take drastic measures in helping a friend. The setting is New York City. The point of view is first person limited. Seen through the eyes of the narrator, called â€Å"Fred† ( the main character ), who is a starting writer. I enjoyed the story because it was very interesting to learn and experience life in old New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story starts out, probably in the present time, when â€Å"Fred†, who had now been living in New York for a great deal of time, goes into his friend Joe Bell’s bar for a drink. There he learns the his long time friend, Holly Golightly, is still alive by the use of a photograph from an explorer which shows a wood carving made by a tribesman which bears the uncanny resemblance to Holly. After this encounter, â€Å"Fred† begins to reminisce about his past with Holly and all of their wild adventures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fred’s† first meeting with Holly was through his apartment window. Holly Golightly is a nineteen year-old self-sufficient woman. Some of her personality traits are admirable, affectionate, while cold hearted. She is motivated in life by striving for her purpose in life, which is to be rich and famous while keeping her ego. She believes that love is not sexual. Holly, trying to escape a horrible date, decides to visit her new downstairs neighbor. There she practically tells â€Å"Fred† everything about her life. Fred was a na...

What Are the Intended Effects of the Opening of Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ and How Effective Are They?

Ridley Scott's ‘Gladiator' was released in 2000 and won five Oscars (Academy Awards); including â€Å"Best Film,† â€Å"Best Visual Effects† and â€Å"Best Director.† Scott cast some well known actors such as Russel Crowe and Richard Harris. Some reports suggest it cost an amazing à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½145 million. The casting of Crowe as Maximus was significant because he is able to portray a very well built, physically strong, battle-hardened leader. The character of Maximus contrasts with the casting of Harris as the ageing Emperor with his gaunt and tired looking features. From the very outset of the film, the director employs a sepia effect coupled with a dark, overcast almost monochrome effect. These combine to give the impression of imminent tragedy as well as conveying that the events are set in the distant past. The director has even asked the production companies ‘Universal' and ‘DreamWorks' to make their logos' sepia to show continuity. The historical information provided helps the audience to place the film in a historical context. The use of old Roman font for the text further reinforces the context and genre. The information is factual, gives names and information of real people. It is clear that this is going a historical, action film but with a central theme about power, control and one man's fight for his freedom from the killing and slaughter. The first shot is an extreme close up, when you would normally expect an extreme long shot to see the scene. The extreme close up is focusing on the actor's hand floating through the grass. The slow quiet music helps to make the shot dreamlike. The main character seems calm because he is stroking the grass and he is wearing a wedding ring to show he is a family man. After the slow close up shot the director shows the character alone on the battlefield which makes the previous scene a definite dream. To establish that it was a dream the director jumps from a slow calm shot to a medium close up on the character in a more dark and gloomy shot. The character's armour and wolf-skin shows that he is an important man. The cut to a robin (a bird usually seen in winter) with a dark background tells the audience that it is winter. After seeing the robin a small smile fights its way on to his face, which shows he is not just a gory, ruthless fighter and that he does have a gentle side. The extreme long shot is good to set the scene of the battlefield, which is a dark and gloomy forest. The name of the location ‘Germania' is Roman for Germany, by using the Roman language it helps to establish the fact that it is an old, Roman film. This shot is more dramatic because it contrasts heavily with the previous dreamlike shot of the hand floating through a calm cornfield. The slow music (adagio) starts off the extreme long shot making the atmosphere calm and gentle, it also makes it ominous because the adagio music is playing in the battlefield shot. When the shot begins to zoom in the music becomes more lively and action packed just as the army starts coming into view so you know that they are going to war. The music includes trumpets and a few drums which makes the shot more martial. The sudden change in atmosphere and music starts to build up the tension and expectation that a great deal of action is imminent. As the shot moves to Marcus Aurelius, the audience can see that he is an important character. He is wearing gold along with a purple cape. The purple cape shows he is royalty because to make the colour purple a tiny sea creature called a Murex Mollusc was required. This creature was very rare and large quantities were required to make a small amount of dye. Therefore, purple garments were highly prized status symbols. Whilst zooming inward the camera shot used is a low angle which makes Marcus Aurelius seem very high on his horse. He is also just watching the war not doing anything and he has got a stern looking bodyguard. The director emphasises General Maximus' authority by using a medium close up as he walks along all of his troops. Everyone is focused on him; they move out of the way, bow down and are always calling him sir to show complete respect. The costume he wears defines his authority, he wears more armour than the rest of his army and he is also wearing wolf-skin. The director stresses Maximus' authority and respect by making his word final, the director shows this in the following quote, â€Å"The range is good† this is the sentence where Maximus cuts off the other soldier, also â€Å"†¦is acceptable†, then, â€Å"agreed†, Maximus speaks in a very low, quiet, considered tone of voice but the soldiers still listen with no question which shows their respect for him. In the pre-battle motivational speech to his men, Maximus uses the type of language that his men can understand to encourage and motivate them. â€Å"Three weeks from now I will be harvesting my crops. Think were you want to be and it will be so.† Here he is making them think positive about the future and set a goal for themselves. He then jokes that if they find themselves all alone they are already in Elysium (Roman afterlife). But then he uses a phrase that seems quite out of character for a tough, brutal general of an aggressive, imperial Roman army, â€Å"What we do in life echoes in eternity.† This line instantly marks out Maximus as having a spiritual and sentimental aspect to his character. There are many differences between the Romans and the German Tribesmen, for instance when Maximus is giving his speech all of his troops are in formation quietly listening and fully concentrating, by contrast the German Tribesmen are shouting and not giving any attention. The fighting style of the Romans is orderly, synchronised and they are in a perfect battle formation, the Tribesmen are in disorganised running around like a rabble. The Romans are equipped with matching armour and similar weapons whilst the Tribesmen have animal skins and rough individual weapons. The Romans appear to have a complete strategy and are disciplined, the Tribesmen just rely on their brute strength, and even their appearance is barbaric. The director helps to establish the difference between the two sides by taking the shots of each side one after the other. Toward the end of the battle the director employs a technique that seems completely unexpected. As the battle is raging, there is loud martial music with lots of trumpets, drums and war cries. However as the battle is coming to a conclusion and the Roman army is on the verge of victory, the director switches to slow motion shots and an adagio score. Instead of seeing triumphant Romans celebrating their victory and listening to triumphant music, the audience is left in a slightly confused state. It is almost as if the director is trying to communicate the futility of the death and destruction. As the last of the Germans are being slaughtered and fires are raging in the background the only human sound is the sound of heavy tired exhalation of breath, Even blood splattered, exhausted Maximus' triumphant cry, â€Å"Roma Victor!† and his soldiers' cheers are almost lost in the adagio. Then in a scene that seals the futility of war, the camera focuses a tired, old, weary Emperor as he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes in an expression that reveals his sad resignation that another battle has been won. At first glance, I just thought â€Å"Gladiator† was simply going to be a â€Å"blood and guts film,† But having watched it with greater attention, I believe it is a truly great film. Ridley Scott has carefully constructed an opening scene that brings out the futility of war and one mans struggle to be free. Scott had used many different effects such as; slow motion photography, quick change in atmosphere and an almost monochrome set with the orange of burning fires and sepia tones. The musical score has switched between triumphant martial music and a slow adagio hinting of imminent tragedy and sadness. Even the minimal dialogue between the characters complements the director's intended effect. Overall this is a magnificent opening scene.

Poetry Response to McCraes In Flanders Fields - 687 Words

Poetry Response Closely analyze McCraes In Flanders Fields. Questions to consider: Who is the speaker of this poem and to whom is the poem addressed? What is the speakers message? How does the mood of the first two stanzas differ from the mood in the third? Is this a pro-war poem? If so, why? If not, why not? The narrator of In Flanders Fields seems to be the dead soldiers of World War I as indicated in the second stanza when the narrator declares We are the Dead (line 6). In the poem, the narrator is explaining what has been left after all the dead bodies have been removed. The birds who sang in Flanders Fields before the war continue to do so today despite the violence and bloodshed which has happened there. For the natural world, the thing is unchanged. So too, human beings have moved on from Flanders Field and the First World War. The dead who had been alive and had hopes and had been loved are now dead and buried and their heroism all but forgotten. This is the initial emotion from the poem, a sense of sadness at this reality. This alters in the third stanza and instead of a somewhat resigned and haunting echo of the dead; it takes on more of an attitude of anger, as though the dead are challenging the living. The dead asks that the living take up our quarrel with the foe (line 10). Indeed the narrator threatens to haunt the living people if they dont. As far as being pro-or against war it is hard to say. There is definitely something in the first two