"I know its crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be..."

I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye..." (Salinger 173)

You can tend to tell a lot about a person from what they wanna do with their lives: some aim to serve, others aim to create, others aim to learn. Regardless of what you choose, it goes without saying that its a reflection of yourself and what you wish to achieve. Sometimes this is symbolic or subconcious, we don't actually realize the real reason we are drawn towards certain careers. Other options  are more obvious or clear-cut. Either way, it still shows something about who we are and what we value.

This being said, let's take a look at Holden's idea of what he would like to do. In some ways, it sounds pretty straight-forward: keeping kids from accidentally wandering over a cliff, but even Holden himself admits that this sounds crazy. So if we dig deeper, what is it that Holden really wants to do?

For homework: Do the assignment below based on your card type for class. Regardless of your assignment, please remember to give a DETAILED RESPONSE, work that is sloppy or seems to have been done last minute or in under 5 minutes is not acceptable. Bring the homework into class on Friday.

Spades:  Break down the whole name of our main character: Holden Caulfield. What could this name mean? Think literally as well as abstractly. Think about smaller words that may appear in the bigger ones too. Then build an answer of what you think his name tells us about Holden himself as a character and his personality.

Clubs: Holden's idea of what he would like to do is pretty abstract. What do you believe Holden really means by being "a catcher in the rye"? Figure this out, then suggest what you think would be a good "real" job for Holden. Be sure to explain why.

Hearts: Several songs/poems have been written in honor/to pay homage to Holden or The Catcher in the Rye. Choose one of these songs, and explain how you believe it relates to Holden or the Catcher in the Rye. What connections can you make?

Diamonds: Between chapters 21 and 22 we basically find Holden in the longest conversation we've seen him had with anyone. Flip back to chapter 10 (pages 67 & 68 specifically). How accurate of a representation of Phoebe do you believe Holden gave us now that we've met her? Is she exactly the same or is she different?