Homework for December 7th

The relationship between Holden and Phoebe is much closer than Holden and the other characters who shown up in this book. In the book Holden seems didn’t trust anyone and he thought everything around him were phony, but except Phoebe. We can learn that when he first escaped from school the first people he thought was Phoebe and he wanted to go to see her, but because of his parents he couldn’t. And in the middle of the book, Holden went to the park just wanted to increase the probability of meeting her. What’s more, when he drunk and thought he would die, the first people he thought was Phoebe. From those things I believe that he loves phoebe even more than he loves Jane or Sally.

In the book, there are many different kinds of people around Holden. He has his girlfriend Sally which seems like a person that Holden actually love. But if you pay more attention on the date of Holden and Sally you’ll find Holden actually never shown his true feeling to Sally. He always thought people around him are phony and he didn’t want to communicate with them. However, as for Phoebe, she is Holden’s sister and they used to play together. She is almost the closest person around Holden. So Holden love her and share his feeling with her. She is a good listener and she became Holden’s best friend.

    When Holden talks about Phoebe, I can intensively feel his thick love as an elder brother. He does not make any complaint about her. On the contrary, every sentence, even every word, shows his pride of Old Phoebe: she is clever, always understanding what you are talking about; she is neat, never throwing her personal stuff around; she is pretty, always having some dresses on that can kill you. She is perfect. Every small detail about her is able to kill Holden.

    Because of these, Holden has ever wanted to call Phoebe in the booth for many times, he has recommended us to see Phoebe for many times, and he is determined to see Phoebe, at least say hello to her, before his parents barge in on him. Up to now, I am very envious of Phoebe who possesses such a good brother loving her so much. This kind of love differs from the feeling to Jane, Sally or other girls. This kind of love stems from family, which is thoroughly pure and natural, instead of connecting with any benefit. Such is love that I sincerely appreciate.

    When Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be " a catcher in the rye", he forms a very jovial and serene picture where he protects children. In Chapter 21, Holden supposes that adults look lousy when they're asleep and they have their mouths way open, but kids don't, on the contrary, they look all right, even they have spit all over the pillow. According to Holden's statement, a lot of naive and pure qualities gradually disappear as we grow up. When we become adults, we will probably be phony in order to pursue benefits and profits. All Holden wants to do, is to protect these naive and wonderful qualities, prevent them from flying away, and let children live in happiness and naivety.

Jingyi, great and thoughtful examination of the relationship between Phoebe and Holden! As you say, Holden has trouble trusting other people, but there is almost complete trust and openness between Holden and Phoebe, which is something he does not find with his relationships with other characters. You can think about why there is this mutual trust and reliance between Holden and his sister. Is it because she is his family? Or perhaps it is because she maintains this child-like innocence and purity that Holden seeks in the world around him? 

Your writing is great--no major grammatical issues. The only thing to watch out for is to keep your verb tenses consistent -- if you use present tense in one sentence, you have to keep all the other verbs in that sentence and the following sentences in present tense. Also, make sure to use plural and singular nouns when appropriate. Feel free to reply to this message with any questions! 

Fiona, very profound analysis of the relationship between Holden and Phoebe as well as the significance of the "catcher in the rye." 

The second paragraph: This is a good start to thinking about the differences between familial love and romantic love! But what do you mean by “pure and natural”? I know it’s difficult to explain, but perhaps giving more concrete illustrations of the differences between his relationship between Jane, Sally, and Phoebe would make your point even stronger. What is he able to share with Phoebe that he is not able to with Sally or Jane? What is he able to give or receive with Phoebe that he could not with any of the other people he has tried to connect with?

The third paragraph: I love your use of Holden's description of children sleeping compared with adults to discuss Holden's desire to protect childhood innocence. Excellent critical thinking and drawing connections from the text! 

Your writing has very few grammatical errors -- I've just made a few suggestions on this document attached. Please reply if you have any other questions.