C/W Rough Draft (1000 Words)

Eric Joo

5-2-12

Gr.10 Lang & Lit

Ms. Lee

Water

The year was 2074. It was just another “normal” day of the economic depression. The world resources were low and the remaining global powers went to war over them in a war which would take its name as the Ziyuan (resource in Chinese) wars. Jonathan Phoenix was listening to the radio broadcast about Uncle Sam fighting off the “evil” Chinese troops back at the Anchorage front lines. As he reached over to turn off the radio, the air raid sirens began to sound. Jonathan knew what this meant. The Chinese have finally begun the attack on the US mainland. Jonathan stood up and sprinted as fast as he could to his registered bunker. Right before the thick metallic doors of the bunker sealed tight, there was a bright flash and a loud noise. Nothing would be the same.

            There was a bright flash, and then there was nothing.  Aidan Phoenix woke up from that same nightmare on a “normal” day in bunker 101. “Aidan, get up, we gotta go do our chores!” said Aidan’s bunkermate, David. David was 20 years of age and had medical conditions including asthma and diabetes. Despite his physical shape and overly talkative personality, he and Aidan got along just fine. Aidan grunted, stepped out of bed and changed into yet another pair of the uncomfortable, grey bunker 101 jumpsuit and pocketed the one thing he had left of his family; some piece of literature labeled, Psalms 23:4, which was apparently his mother’s favorite “poem.” Aidan never got to know his family because they had drawn their last breath when he was just one years old. Aidan had just turned sixteen years old, which meant that he no longer had to take classes anymore and he would have to serve for the purposes of the bunker based on his skills and interests. Aidan was an electronics engineer. Ever since he was young, the bunker elders have told him that his father and mother were both engineers. Aidan just wanted to carry on the legacy of his family. Right when Aidan wrapped up for the day, he heard over the bunker intercom, “All able bodied men and women from the ages 18 through 25 report to the bunker conference room.” Though Aidan was only sixteen, he followed David to the conference room and stuck his ear to the door to hear what was going on out of sheer curiosity. “Okay my fellow bunker citizens, we have been faced with a horrible problem. Our bunker’s water purification system chip has been completely busted and we don’t have any spares. I have been told that there is a slim possibility that one of these chips could have survived the nuclear bombings of the “Endwar.” Unfortunately, we will need someone to venture outside the safety of the bunker and find another chip if we are to survive.” The citizens of bunker 101 were completely flabbergasted. All they have known for their entire lives were in the bunker and there was a great fear of the unknown. Nobody has ever ventured outside the bunker, and the last person who tried was never seen or heard from again. When it seemed as if nobody was up to volunteer, David raised his hand and volunteered for the job. “This is bad.” Aidan thought to himself. David would never survive in the possibly hazardous conditions of the outside world with his asthma and diabetes. Before the bunker leader could say a word, Aidan busted through the door and volunteered himself instead. The bunker citizens were shocked that a sixteen year old boy would step up to the challenge like that, but nobody else wanted to take the job so everybody kept their mouths shut. Right when Aidan was done packing and was about to leave the bunker, David caught up to him and gave him some sweets that he’s been saving and some apple cider. Aidan thanked him and proceeded out of the bunker.

            As soon as the bunker doors sealed shut, Aidan was blinded by the intensity of the bright, natural sunlight, which was nothing like what he has seen with the fluorescent lights of the bunker. Aidan took a look at the view, and though there were only rubbles of what used to be houses and buildings, he was amazed at all the open space out there that he never got in the bunker. Not knowing where to go, Aidan followed his instincts: Just walk. Aidan kept on walking until he was met by two teenage boys with wacky hairstyles and machetes. Without question, they sprinted up to him, ready to attack. Aidan, not knowing what to do, curled up in a ball and recited the “poem” many times. He recited it for the tenth time when a hand patted his shoulder. Aidan looked up to see a man wearing a black metallic suit with his face covered with a gas mask. His breastplate had the engravings, NNR on it. To Aidan’s side were the bodies of the raiders who tried to rob him. Later, when Aidan figured out the meaning of the engravings (New Nevada Republic), He thanked the soldier for his help. He give the soldier his explanation for why he’s out in the wasteland and asks the soldier about what he knows about a water purification chip unit, and the soldier turns his head to avoid the conversation. When he asks again, the soldier lets out a sigh and tells Aidan the troubling truth that many factions are after that chip for different reasons. He tells Aidan that the purification chip has a bigger purpose that just his bunker. The NNR has been in search for this chip in order to restore it to the Hoover Dam so that the Western states could drink purified water. Unfortunately, many factions have differing opinions. Some factions are interested in making millions of soda can tabs (Postwar currency) by selling the piece of valuable pre-war technology, some fanatical factions like the “Sons of Karma,” believe that humanity should suffer for putting the world in this shape, and some factions are bound to the idea of using the chip to further irradiate the waters to put the world out of its misery. Aidan is later informed that the “Sons of Karma” has taken possession of the chip and they are willing to use it on the Dam within the hour.

            Aidan thinks to himself for a second. He knows that searching for the chip will take him long enough, but brining it and installing it to the Hoover Dam would take even longer and it will not be long before the bunker population diminishes due to radiation. Aidan hesitates, but eventually decides to side with the NNR and do what’s best for the population. With the aid of the NNR, Aidan tracks the “Sons of Karma” to the Hoover Dam and attempts to stop them. The Sons of Karma, however, make a mistake in the purification system and radiation leaks in everywhere. Aidan begins to feel dizzy from the radiation levels, and walks into the purifier. Before he walks in, the label, “Phoenix Engineering Co.” catches his eyes. He stumbles onto the purifier and almost instinctively, types in, 234 (Psalms 23:4) and he smiles as his final thoughts fade away.

Weblog 16

How might you refute the argument that Holden's plight derives from him simply being a misanthrope and/or hypocrite?

Holden’s behavior may seem misanthropic: he’s constantly accusing people of being phonies; he doesn’t seem to have any close friends. While Holden may be a hypocrite, he is far from being a misanthrope. The general behavior I would expect from a misanthrope would be one who has a general disliking of people and chooses to stay away from the rest of society. Holden, however, often interacted with different people at Pencey Prep. As he criticized the staff at Pencey for being phony, Holden mentions having a great conversation say the headmaster’s daughter. He demonstrates sympathy for her when he mentions that she was not the prettiest girl, but she was at least real. Even while complaining about how annoying Ackley is and about his poor hygiene, Holden took pity and invited Ackley out to the movies knowing that Ackley would never go out otherwise. Holden recalls a time at a different school when another boy asked to borrow Holden’s sweater, and even though Holden didn’t know the boy very well, he did. These are things that a misanthrope would never do.

Even when Holden gets to New York, he immediately thinks of people to "give a buzz" to, such as Luce and Sally Hayes. On the train ride over, he actively engages in conversation with Ernie’s mother, telling her how wonderful her son is even though Ernie is a bona fide jerk. He does this because he understands that mothers wouldn’t like knowing bad things about their sons, and he lies to protect this mother that he doesn’t even know. Holden also initiates a conversation with his taxi driver, Horwitz, in New York regarding the whereabouts of ducks during the winter, He tried to pick up girls at a bar. This is something a misanthrope would never do.

Holden also feels strong connections to his siblings, Phoebe and his deceased younger brother, Allie. The way Holden often refers to them in the text clearly illustrates how much he admires and cares for them. He believes that Phoebe is so pretty and intelligent and how Allie was simply the best. When Holden sees Phoebe, he is very tender with her.

Though Holden despises certain traits in people, he does not express any kind of hatred towards them. He talks to people. He seems to want to talk to people. He is struggling with problems and is sometimes a hypocrite, but who isn’t? That doesn’t make him a misanthrope.

Holden's opinions of "Intelligent" conversations

3b. How might Holden describe an intelligent conversation? What might Holden exclude when defining intelligence?

During the course of the novel, Holden is constantly seen criticizing others for their natural characteristics and sees the flaws in things rather than the good. When Holden listens on conversations, he is often disturbed because he considers them to be “Phony,” which is a characteristic that he despises. By these general hints, I believe that Holden would consider only conversations in which both people know what they are talking about and stay true to themselves.

I believe that Holden likes conversations in which both people know what they are talking about. During the course of the novel, Holden is seen as a character who is able to identify people who don’t fully understand the words that come out of his or her mouth, and Holden considers such people to be phony. He also considers people who lie or deceive others during conversations in order to make themselves look good to be phony. In some ways however, Holden may also be perceived as a person who easily puts negative labels on things, and he is also often confused and insecure. Judging by this observation, he may also be considering things he doesn’t fully understand to be phony because he does not want to believe that he doesn’t fully understand it. Holden also hinted to have certain attention problems when he mentions that he doesn’t like that fact that his debate team is penalized for digressing.

In a general sense, my theory regarding Holden’s opinions of intelligent and unintelligent conversations is based off the idea that Holden only enjoys conversations in which both people understand each other, and also very genuine conversations in which both people stay true to themselves, and most importantly, one that he can understand.

Catcher in the Rye Book Cover

The customized book cover that I have made for The Catcher in the Rye consists of a duck surrounded by an icy, winterized condition. Though it may seem like a very simple cover, looks can deceive for the meaning behind this cover design is much more complex and controversial than it seems.

It is known that birds, such as ducks, migrate to warmer areas of the world during the cold winter seasons in order to survive. The cold winter weather conditions create too harsh a habitat for them. This theme is relevant to Holden’s life in the novel because Holden is in need, but his surroundings are not providing him with what he needs to survive. At Pency Prep, Holden’s old school, nobody understood Holden, and if anybody got close to any kind of mutual understanding with him, it would have been Ackley, his neighbor who Holden considered to be a terrible human being. When Ackley showed signs of misunderstanding during Holden’s final conversation with him, Holden felt extremely lonely and decided to leave the school forever.

One may argue that Holden’s “flight” instinct of the “fight or flight” response, extreme feelings of loneliness and his state of being misunderstood could be the reason why Holden always comes up with plans to run away. Holden also wonders about the whereabouts of ducks during the winter multiple times in the novel, including the first chapter of the story and also during the conversation he has with the taxi driver, who gets annoyed and irritated halfway into the conversation.

Holden’s persistent thoughts about where ducks go in the winter directly relates to his situation in which he feels alone and essentially unable to healthily survive. Thus, the cover of my book represents Holden as the duck which is unable to survive due to the harsh winter conditions it is surrounded by.

Catcher in the Rye: Why do you think Holden cries as he packs his bags?

During the scene where Holden packs his bags to leave Pency Prep, it is said that Holden begins to cry while packing. Although there isn’t any definite reason to why Holden cries, one could make a few assumptions using the context clues and the clues given about his life through Holden’s constant narrations and opinions throughout the novel.

Holden is portrayed in the novel as a very critical character. Though he may share very critical opinions and make many criticisms, he never stated in the story that he hated his school, Pency Prep. He may have been saddened by the thoughts of leaving what he may have considered his home. Although he considers the people at Pency Prep to be phonies, they still could have meant a lot to Holden, considering Holden’s lack of acquaintances. From the context clues, one could tell that Ackley was the closest thing Holden had to a friend in Pency Prep. It is said that Holden invited him to go to the movies with him and after Holden goes through a period of stress, such as the fight he had with Stradlater, he goes to Ackley’s room and talks to him. The loneliness that Holden felt the day he left during his conversation with Ackley could have led to his decision to pack his bags and leave Pency, because in Holden’s mind, if anyone understood him at all, it would be Ackley, so if Ackley didn’t understand Holden, then nobody would. Because of this, Holden could have felt hopeless and isolated, thus thinking that leaving Pency Prep would be the best course of action. It could also be argued that all Holden wanted to do while he was at Pency Prep was to have people understand him, but he wasn’t able to achieve that goal, so he may have felt as if he had not achieved anything during the time he spent at Pency Prep and thus, regretted it.

Flickr

Flickr is a free website where one can post pictures personally taken or even look up photos that others have taken. The photos may be shared and commented on by people who are approved.

This kind of a website would be great for schoolwork involving research photos since one can access the photos that others have posted up.

Delicious

Delicious.com is a website that keeps track of one's bookmarks, therefore, making it convenient when it comes to accessing personal bookmarks on other computers. It free, and privacy settings are available. Also, this website is very easy to use even on a Macintosh. This website would be useful for schoolwork (especially research projects), since one can access useful sources by using this website. Because this site is easy to use, and is also very convenient, I believe that it is a great way to make the life of a student easier.