Theme- Belonging and Isolation (Book the catcher in the rye)

Log 2: Theme- Belonging and Isolation

Write a short text 1/2 -1 page discussing the following theme. (Can be more)

What does it mean to "belong" or "fit in" with a group?
Do you define who you are because you belong to a group, or do you belong to a group because of who you are?
What happens when you change groups or become removed from a group?

Use your lesson notes and what you learned from the class discussion. Reference at least two passages (quotes) from the novel that addresses the themes of isolation and belonging.

Before you start writing make a mindmap with all the items, you wish to discuss in your log. Think of the alignment and the common thread in the text. Make sure your text is well structured with an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion.

Font: Times New Roman 12
1,5 spacing
Reference system: APA

I really struggle with a good introduction and conclusion... I don't know how to introduce the book in the beginning in a good way.

LOG 2

(Introduction)

Holden isolates himself from other people by calling them phony. Loneliness is a feeling that Holden cannot get rid of because of how judgemental he is. He does not have any real friends and therefore does not belong to a particular group. Belonging to a group of friends gives a feeling of being accepted and allows people to be themselves. You belong because of who you are, and you sometimes get defined because of who you hang out with. If you, for example, hang out with a famous group of friends it might get you famous as well, but the most important part is about feeling that you belong to that group. By not being in a group, or getting removed, some people can lack the feeling of belonging. Others, enjoy being alone, but most of the time, having a friend can make you feel way happier.

We can tell that Holden does not feel like he belongs with anyone except innocent people like Phoebe or Jane because of this quote:

"The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz [...], but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe [...] was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz [...]. Then I thought of calling this girl [...] Sally Hayes. [...] I thought of calling [...] Carl Luce. [...] So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so..." (Salinger, 2010, p. 64).

Holden is after all still desperate for someone to talk to even though he hates the people he spends time with. He, for example, tried to invite a cab driver for a cocktail, so that he could have someone to talk to. "Well - take me to the Edmont then," I said. "Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I'm loaded." (Salinger, 2010, p. 66).

(Conclusion)

References

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. (2010).Penguin Books. London, England.

Be careful on the into, towards the end there it seemed as though you were headed towards another topic. Once I read the second paragraph I was brought back. Attempt to being the intro back to the main topic.

Sarah, you can safely start this book with a summary of the story and the main characters descriptions. Relate the characters to the questions provided for you to respond to. When done in that manner, you will manage to find yourself directly responding to the questions, without worrying about having to relate it back to the story. If you start by first looking for the quotes from the story that you will use in your response, then it becomes simpler to produce an accurate narrative in relation to your own life. For example, you can take a definition quote from the story regarding "fitting into the group" and then offer your own definition of it. That will allow you to develop a discussion paragraph that aligns with the prompt requirements and provides a more detailed study of the story that you just read. This in turn, will help you develop a conclusion that supports your earlier discussion. I am not sure what you mean about "can be more" though. Do you mean you can discuss more topics? Or perhaps, you can develop more pages for the discussion? I'm not sure about that part.