On monday, Professor Kahan began class by starting a conversation on the film Manhattan. We mainly talked about the use of music in the film since many of us commented about it in our blogs the previous week. Many of us have agreed that there was not a lot of music used in this movie. However, the music that was put into the film was by George Gershwin. In the beginning of the film, his song “Rhapsody in Blue” was used. I thought this song was a great decision for the opening of the movie because I think it has  a New York theme or feeling. It gave a power and “proud to be a New Yorker” kind of emotion. The music also had a jazzy and romantic feeling to it as well. For example, the music sounded romantic when Isaac and Mary were together at the planetarium.

The second part of the class was a discussion on the the novel The Catcher In The Rye by J. D Salinger. This was the second time I had to read this book. Even though I enjoyed it the first time I read it, I enjoyed it even more the second time because I was able to analyze Holden in more detail knowing the sequence of events in the novel. I love this book because I feel that many teens can relate to it. Even though it took place in the 1950s, teens today are basically dealing with and experiencing similar things to what Holden is experiencing in the novel. I also find the book to be very funny so it was an easy read because it was very entertaining.

Our assignment for this novel, to me, is very interesting. I never thought I would ever say this in my life, but I am actually looking forward to writing this paper. I am curious to know what everyone’s interpretation of what the language would be like if the book was set in 2012 and I am also curious to what my interpretation will be as well.

We started Monday’s seminar with an analysis of the music in Woody Allen’s Manhattan. Throughout most of the film, there was little music, making it quite interesting to discuss. Around 1920-1930, George Gershwin composed the opening song, “Rhapsody in Blue.” One of the things Allen wanted to do in Manhattan was pay tribute to the time period of 1930’s Manhattan, featuring classiness and morality. As I discussed in my past blog post, music was used sparingly in the movie. It was used in the opening and closing, when he is running through the city with his son, and in one or two other scenes. Leading up to the ending, as we watch Allen running to catch his love before she leaves, we hear a piece called “Sound up The Band.” As he gets closer, however, the tune changes to a slower, sadder piece, giving a strong emotional subtext. I agree with Allen’s choice to do this. It gives the audience a little bit of a heads up that maybe things might not work out in the end. In addition, that slow final piece also puts emphasis on the final line, “Everyone gets corrupted.” On Wednesday, Professor Diaz is coming into class to give a further analysis of the film.

And now, on to Catcher in the Rye. Everyone had read this book previously in his or her high school career. It is one of my favorites, second to To Kill a Mockingbird. Catcher in the Rye is a novel written from the point of view of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teenager who has just been expelled from yet another boarding school. Caulfield comes from a very wealthy family. His father is a lawyer and his mother is a doctor. The story is set during a time when everyone strived for “The American Dream” of a family, a house with a white picket fence and a family dog– very cliché. Family life was very much promoted in the media and on television, where, at the end of the show, everyone’s problems were magically resolved. When this book came onto the market, it broke that whole allusion. Even today, people are still fighting to have the book banned due to its content.

The book almost reads like a journal, detailing Caulfield’s every move, what he sees, who he encounters and the conversations that he has with other characters. One of the most notable things about this novel is Caulfield’s excessive use of the word “phony.” Everyone manages to be a “phony” in his eyes, whether it is because of their actions, their opinions, etc. At one point, he even calls his own parent’s “phonies.” Holden chooses to take his teenage uneasiness in this literary form. It is very apparent that Caulfield has no respect for the money or the privilege that he has been afforded– his parents keep sending him from school to school, trying to get him educated so that he can make a successful impact on the world.

This Monday in class we discussed Catcher In The Rye in a group circle. This was my second time I read the novel and I enjoyed it a lot more this time around. Not having to answer questions and read in class and analyze makes for a much more enjoyable read. Although, the analysis of the story and its elements that my former teacher taught during junior year helped me get deeper into the story on my own. The author did a fantastic job at creating Holden Caulfield. In my opinion he’s one of the most interesting protagonists I’ve read about. The book is full of irony pertaining to what Holden says and what he does. He says he hates the movies, then takes an old friend on a date to the movies. Most importantly he says over and over that he hates phonies, but outside of his false reality he is a phony himself.

A big part of the novel is the time specific dialogue. The book takes place in the 1950s and contains a lot of phrases and words that aren’t said too often by kids and people today. We started up a fun discussion in class trying to find words that teenagers say in 2012 to replace words that Holden said. Instead of calling people “phonies” its more common to hear some be called “fake”, as in not showing who they truly are, just what they think people want to see. Holden says all the time that things “kill him” when he finds them funny or cute. Someone mentioned that on the internet people always type “Omg. Dead.” You might think someone just died, but no, just a joke.

We started yesterday’s class with a discussion of the movie Manhattan, which we watched last week.  We mainly discussed the music in yesterday’s class and how it was relevant to the theme of the movie and the main character.  The music used in Manhattan was composed by George Gershwin, who wrote music that had the feel of being half jazz and half classical.  It’s the same music genre that is used in many movies from the 1920’s and 1930’s, such as the films that starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  I have personally always liked this music, and the movies that depicted 1920’s society.  This music has a slow, romantic feel to it, and in the film Manhattan, is used as a backdrop to Isaac’s idealistic nature and to the comfortable, upper middle class lifestyle he and his friends are accustomed to.

The music in Manhattan was also used in a bookend fashion.  The same music and scenery shown at the start of the movie was used in the closing of the movie.  The music used at the end of the movie seems to bring the movie full circle, it acts as the wrap-up to Isaac’s adventures and the lessons he learned throughout the film.  The music used throughout the movie symbolized Isaac’s romantic notion of the world, his wish that the world could remain uncorrupted and that people should act fairly and justly, should aspire to be as perfect as possible.  Clearly, these are not realistic thoughts and in coming to realize that, the romantic Gershwin music acts as an antithesis to Isaac’s thoughts, and a reminder of what cannot be.

The theme and ideas in Manhattan segued quite nicely into a discussion of Catcher in the Rye.  In the film, Isaac is a romantic, a idealist, an optimist.  Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye is constantly trying to find that optimism in life, that happiness, as he mourns the loss of his childhood and his innocence.  Holden is a confused teenager who is coming to the realization (like Isaac) that the world is not perfect, people are not always who they say they are, and he finds it is becoming increasingly difficult to trust people.

One of the things we discussed in relation to Catcher in the Rye is the use of words and language.  Holden is a 16 year old, living in the 1940’s-1950’s.  America was a different place at that time, as was the language and expression of teenagers.  While we can understand the sayings and phrases Holden uses in the book, a teenager of the same age today would have very different ways of saying things.  It’s interesting how while the actual words change, the meanings and significance behind the words does not change, how certain expressions and phrases remain in a teenager’s vocabulary even as time passes.  For example, Holden might say, “like fun you are.”  Today, we would say, “Yeah, okay” or “Sure you are,” with a sarcastic tone.  The physical words changed but the effect of the saying has stayed the same.

We then discussed different archetypes in literature, a conversation I enjoyed because I like relating characters to their archetype or to characters in other books and movies, and comparing them.  Holden fits the archetype of anti-hero, similar to Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.  These characters are the flawed protagonists in their respective stories, they are hero, and yet they are not.  They are on a journey for self-actualization, but they are met by certain obstacles that make for an unsuccessful journey. And yet, I like the archetype of the flawed hero; they aren’t characters that set impossible standards and readers can relate to their stories.

This was the first time I’ve had to read Catcher in the Rye and I really did enjoy it.  I actually look forward to completing the assignment pertaining to the novel.

At the beginning of the semester, I was looking through the syllabus and noticed that we were going to read The Catcher in the Rye.  This made me pretty excited for the class since this is my favorite novel of all time. I know this book has been given enough praise in its lifetime but it deserves it.  My favorite part about the book is that every single line in this novel is intricately placed. Everything in the story contributes something to the reader or another part of the book.

There is so much that the novel executes masterfully but one thing that I want to talk about is Holden’s tale of adventure.  You can trace everything in the novel to Holden’s mono-myth styled adventure. There are many forms of mono-myth but it can be generalized into a few steps.  Firstly, the protagonist experiences a call to adventure.  This is an easy one, Holden’s extreme hate for his schoolmates, faculty and failing grades force him to run away and seek solace in New York City.  Secondly, the main character would face harsh obstacles .  There are plenty of these, including the fact that Holden could not socialize with anybody in New York City, the incident with the prostitute and the obscenities in the school and museum.  The third step is the protagonist’s revelations and transformation for the better.  This is towards the end of the novel when Holden submits to Phoebe’s wishes and does not run away permanently.  The last part is the main character’s return to home, or the place where he was before the call to adventure. In Holden’s case, he tried to run away from the society he did not fit in and at the end it is clear that he returned to society.  The mental institutions in which he wrote his story is the return to society.  Considering that a mental institution’s goal is to help people conform to society, Holden definitely settled back in society.

It is always nice to discuss Catcher in the Rye and I plan to have fun with the respective assignment.

Today’s class mainly touched upon the movie Manhattan and the book Catcher in the Rye. All of the music in Manhattan is by, George Gershwin. In this movie, the opening scene has music, which function is to emphasis certain points of his life, such as: happy moments when he ran through the toy story, and introducing Manhattan as a bold city with powerful music. But, underneath it all, is a very diverse New York culture. In a way, the music brings out the romantic appeal of New York. The movie demonstrates Romanticism by socializing. There are certain times when New York isn’t romantic, but then there are times when it is, for example when Isaac is in the dark corner with his lover. Isaac, the main character in the movie is an idealist, and is chasing his dreams because in his mind there is something to strive for.

The Romanticism embodied by the characters is performed in an intellectual way, because the individuals are professors and authors who reside in nice apartments. It focuses on the upper class, or in other words, those who are very comfortable financially.

When Isaac lost his job, he immediately thought to himself that he can’t pay the check at restaurant, must move into a new apartment, no more house in Hampton’s,and no more tennis lessons. In reality he is worried about all the wrong things. Instead, he should be concerned with paying bills and more importantly, feeding his family.

All the characters in the movie are entitled to their leisure time, which isn’t a big problem, for it is part of the romanticism. In a way this plot is similar to the one in Washington Square.

Music is used towards the end of the movie Manhattan for numerous reasons. First, it is utilized to represent similar things. Also, it shows feeling, which happened to be bittersweet. Manhattan is great and is complimented a lot, but it also has some negative qualities, one being it’s decentralized. The bittersweet represents the good and the bad. New Yorkers are tough on the outside, but teddy bears on the inside. Therefore, the music satisfied the individual parts and details, but put together as a composite has beauty and meaning. The movie uses the book ending technique, in the sense that the same music in the beginning and the end frames the plot.

We then shifted topics, and began discussing The Catcher in the Rye. Holden, the main character of the story comes from a wealthy background. The spirit of the time after World War Two represented many things such as: patriotism, positive outlook, getting back on your feet, age of consumerism, buying more than necessities, good and services were cheaper, and feeling of less value for human being.  In essence, buying things becomes most important, and the deeper values of what you yourself is worth is diminished.

Fake was the word Holden used in 1949 to describe various things in his life. His experience in New York consisted of spending money on useless things such as: going to clubs and throwing money across the pond. He talks to many groups of people and presents himself as this person who is too mature for his own good.

He is torn between being a child and being mature, therefore, he is outward oriented, because Holden views himself in relation to others and also, is a protector of children and innocence. Archetypes are used in this book to transcend time and space and don’t stop at cultural boundaries. Some generic examples are the dumb jock, the dumb blonde, nerds, and the wise old man, which happens to be Mr. Spencer. People have heroes, mentors, and suddenly, become disillusioned and discover that the person isn’t that smart or intelligent after all.  Holden is questioning his own parents, sent to private school, goes to New York on mythic journey, which tends to be very ironic throughout the book.