"You take adults, they look lousy when they're asleep and they have their mouths open, but kids don't. Kids look all right. They can even have spit all over their pillow and they still look alright." (Salinger 159)
So, we finally meet her! Phoebe finally enters the picture. Holden's younger sister, who Holden seems to hold in very high regard is finally revealed to us. Does she act as Holden describes or does she seem to act differently?
How about Holden himself? He says he feels happier, but do you feel how Holden talks is different from how he talks to others? Most people, if you ask them, will act different around children (or animals for that matter). Many of us tend to have "child" or "cat/dog" voices that we use just in those situations. But we don't only change our voice, we change our language, and many of us will try to match the excitement, energy, imagination, or curiosity of a young child.
Think about it like this: do you have a younger brother/sister/nephew/niece? Say around the age of 4 to 8. When a little kid gets excited over something small, do you tell them its nothing to get excited over or do you try to match their excitement/enthusiasm?
To avoid crushing a child's dreams and sense of wonder, for most of us, chances are it's the second option. Just check youtube. Within seconds you've got thousands of videos of children getting excited over something many of us would not even begin to be as excited about. Like this little girl's reaction to finding out she's going to Disney World.
In these situations, why do we feel the need to match a child's emotions? What is it about a child's emotional excitement over the smallest of things that suddenly causes us to return to an earlier stage of our lives?
As Antoine de-Saint Exupery tells us, "Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them." I wonder, if he's on the right track with this... :-)
For homework, I would like you to do one of the following:
1) Find a quote about children that you think maybe describes how Holden feels about Phoebe (or maybe all children), and explain (in about 30-50 words) how you feel it expresses Holden's ideas.
2) Share a time when you had to match a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, excitement, etc. Then, explain why you think you matched the child's excitement and how it made you feel.
3) Answer the question in the section in blue above. What do you think is the reason for this? What do you believe the quote from Exupery can tell us about how and why we might match a child's emotions and feelings?
Have a great day, ladies and gentlemen. Keep smiling, and dare to be curious! :-)
-Barton
number 2
ReplyDelete4 years ago from now, I gave my sister a pencil case, 10000 point game card, and phone accessaries for her birthday gift. She was so happy and excited, and I had to match her emotion. I think the story I said is match to the child's excitement. Overall I felt satisfied.
2 I volunteered for children teach english in the children's library near my house for 2years when I was in high school. Sometimes I gave children school supplies and sweet things like chocolates if they got correct in quiz. They always do their best to get things and they looked happy when they get them. It made me feel great.
ReplyDelete2 I once had a play role to act to the children. The play was about a hero saving the world by killing the bad king. I was the hero in the play. When I finally killed the king, children clapped loudly. I was glad because I could teach a moral "If you do bad things, it will get paid. Be nice to people." to children by play.
ReplyDelete1) I didn't even feel like I was getting pneumonia or anything any more. Whenever he met someone, he almost has negative thinking. But in terms of meeting Phoebe, not only he loves her, but also gets positive mind himself such as overcoming pneumonia.
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ReplyDeleteI have a sister who is 6 years younger than me. Whenever my mom is busy, I have to look after her. This baby sitting experience taught me how to empathize with babies. That being said, just wtching mother and her children is enough to understand the babies.
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ReplyDeleteI fought once because my younger sister was complaining about my explaining. She said"A",but I said"B" like this. She believed her own knowledge, so I became really upset. Now I think that it's my childhood when I had no responsibility,so it's my immature behavior at that time. I'm sorry for that to sister.
1, “Grown ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets.”
ReplyDelete― Roald Dahl
Holden hates people who pretend to be kind and polite.However,Phoebe is young so she doesn't have charade. Phoebe is also the only one who worry about Holden sincerely without pretense. This is the reason why Holden likes her and why I chose this quote.Moreover, Phoebe is not only considerate also smart. I think it could be another reason why Holden always compliment Phoebe.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I took care of one of my elder cousin's son, I had to react with his words to play with him. so, If he said "Wow! something is flying!", then I had to say "Wow! it is unbelievable! how can do that?". Because I think whenever I react with the child, he can feel familiar at me, and we can make a good relationship.
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ReplyDeleteI actually had a experience of teaching children in English institute. To be a good guider for them, I had to fully understand them. So I shared any excitement, curiousty and enthusiasm of them. That experience made me to feel like their friend. And I also got a chance to feel pureness again.
2. When I was in middle school, I used to play with my cousins who are just only about five or six. They always poked my hips and asked me lots of things which is in television. Moreover, they tend to ask me a question infinitely. For example, when they ask me about flower's name, I answer that question. After that they keep ask me "why the flower's name is like that?". They always keep asking to my answers. At the first time, I tried to answer all of the questions which they are qurious about it. It was very stressful to think about the answer which they asked me, but after they solve their problems(?) or stop keep questioning, I felt very proud of myself. Also, I heard that answering to the questions which the kids asks help their intelligents increase. Even though, the process was tough and harsh, I eventually felt like I became a big person who makes talented men or women.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute girl...(Video)
ReplyDelete1)Kids look all right.
In most situation, Holden usually says negativily, but he tries to do his best for Phoebe. For example, he liked Phoebe's ridiculous sleeping pose, he gave her a kiss, he bought a record for Phoebe even though it is broken, and he didn't angry about Phoebe's hitting. So I choose "kids look all right." that describes well about Holden's effort to understand children.
2.
ReplyDeleteHuman just learn to understand how other's feeling. We just natually learn about sympathize when we were young. So I think we natually share her feeling because we learned about sympathizing long time ago.
2. I volunteered kindergarten to help children when i was 15years old i cleaned up toilet and playing with them
ReplyDeleteSometimes they cried but i give my funny gesture to them then they stopped crying
After volunteerd my feelimg is proud and becoming relaxed
3 In these situations, I think we feel the need to match a child's emotion because we want to protect a child's innocent and pure heart. This heart makes a child feel exciting and happy about the smallest of things in one's life. However, grown-ups are different to children because they think reason is more important than emotion and are not more innocent. So, I agree with a quote and these can be a reason how and why we match children's feelings.
ReplyDelete2. I have a cousin, and he is 9 years younger than me. Until just few years ago, I didn't like him. I didn't want to look for him instead of my aunt. However, as I grew up, I began to like him. I realized that he hadn't done something bad to me. What he needed was my attention(perhaps because I was the only female cousin). After realizing that, everytime I see him, I tend to match myself to my young cousin. Even though he's watching a children's animation or playing nintendo games, I usually show him enthusiasm no matter how those things are childish to me.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I meet my baby cousin, we played knock knock who's there game. Basically, you have to knock on the door and we ask 10questions to figure out who's inside the door. My baby cousin is only 3 years old and she got very excited and hyper when i ask her to play this game. She always has enthusiastic with this game, she’s keep asking the question until she got the right answer. Also though, her answer is always disney princess, i pretend i did't know her answer because i think i have to matched my baby cousin's excitement. Playing with my cousin is very meaningful and worth it because i could spent my time with my baby cousin and i could be my baby cousin's role model ,it means whatever i do something bad or good, my cousin could follow me so it's a good time for me to self reflect and be careful what i am doing.
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ReplyDeleteI have a younger cousion who is seven years old. She often can speak as an adult and act in mature ways. However, whenever I tried to teach her something, she started to ask "Why?". This drived me crazy. I found out that she was full of curiosity and felt like she wanted me to share the same question as she thought. Also, after all that tiresome answering, I found out that asking about some natural causes is essential in my daily life.
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ReplyDelete2. I used to babysitting my 7 years old cousin when I have enough time to do. During babysitting, I need to match my cousin's enthusiasm and excitement. I did watch animation channel that he loves to see, play some cards game with him etc. After the babysitting, it makes my body and mental tired, but it makes me feel that I am alive, still young.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was a high school student, the school forced students to do some volunteer works. So I did educational volunteer work that I should teach elementary school student who had not enough money for extra institution. At firt, I was annoyed. However, I was being enthusiastic as time went on. I think that the reason is because the elementary student I teach excitingly enjoyed learning from me. Therefore I couldn't be unenthusiastic for my student.
2. I have a six year old cousin. When she was a more little girl, I had matched her enthusiasm to play with her. To match her enthusiasm wasn't tired first. Also I thought I would not be tired because I like babies but when the time goes by, I got more tired. Though I was very tired, I still l love her and want to play with her.
ReplyDeleteNumber 2
ReplyDeleteI have 4 younger cousins. The oldest of my cousins is 13 years old now. The youngest is 11 years younger than me. I always play with and take care of them because they are too young so i have to be a prptector. At first i feel very hard and i dont understand why i cant play with my friend and why i do this stupid play with them such as hospital play or princess play. In addition, they always give me the role like mother or witch. I dont want to be a mother or witch or patient. Once i felt angry and laziness about being a babysitter. So i made very creative way to play. I always says when they want to play "im dead" or "mother's dead" like that.
Now days they didnt want to play with me anymore. But they always says i like you the most. Those words make me very happy and satisfied. I showed them enthusiasm when they young. And they remember it. Sometimes they says i understand you to me. It feels ery good and touched.
2) When I had a school basketball match in Vietnam, every single student attend for watching it. Since I was year9, which is the highest grade for juniors, the supporters were under my age. Whenever I scored, we screamed and shouted loudly. My heart bounced and I could feel it without touching it. When the match was over, we won the game and everyone had party time with happy smile.
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