So we're finally done with Jane Eyre! Woo!
No but really, the book was very interesting. I think it was probably the first text I've attempted to read from that period, and I was pleasantly intrigued.
There were many things that allowed this book to 'work' as a whole. The biggest thing, I think, is the fact that Jane had to make a very important decision with such little experience in life and at a young age. She was twenty by the end of the book, and eighteen when Rochester first asked her to marry him. I mean, I'm eighteen. I could never make a decision like that without "living" a little first (Nor would I want to be married anyway that young). The book worked by doing this, however, because it is an excellent way of illustrating Jane's different stages of growing up.
There were also some things that I though didn't work. The first example I can think of is Jane finding St. John. This was a nice little additive to the book, as it forced Jane to make an important decision. However, I think that this pushed the limit a little too far as far as credibility goes. I would have liked it more if he wasn't her cousin, but just a newly met friend. This would add more tension internally for Jane I think.
The book is perfect for our coming of age unit. It is also an interesting opportunity to learn about the victorian period, which was a lot different than I thought it was. The book should stay in college literature I think. It is quite advanced I think, but I guess that's why it's called college literature. It is also littered with motifs and other literary elements, which makes it interesting to discuss in class. I enjoyed hearing different perspectives on the same text from other people.
My last thoughts? The book is interesting, intense, yet mellow at the same time. I liked how a lot of the conflict was internal. That made it different from most other fiction I have read. I would like to see/read other fan-fiction-esque texts about Jane Eyre.
Peace,
Johnny
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Positive Correlation Between Times Read Catcher In The Rye and Murders Committed
I think it's interesting that Catcher In The Rye is so often challenged for it's content. It seems that not too often books are challenged like that, but what's even more intriguing is it's apparent influence on some people to commit murder. This blog will try to socially/phsychologically analyze the people who commited these crimes and why they had such strong ties to the book.
First, and most likely most popular, is Mark David Chapman's 1980 murder of John Lennon. It is important to understand the mental stability in this person's brain in order to comprehend where he is coming from. Chapman was diagnosed at a young age with a rare, yet severe form of autism. His father, an Air Force general, was physically abusive to both him and his mother, and furthermore, and possibly the most disturbing, is that he fantasized about having a god-like power over a group of "little people," not specifying what this exactly means. It should also be noted that Chapman was experimenting with hard drugs by age fourteen, ran away from home often, and was the subject of much teasing. After noting all of these factors it's difficult to determine whether or not Catcher In The Rye had a monumental influence on his instability. It appears as if this was just one of his strange obsessions. He was most interested in Holden's hostile stance against "phoniness." Some think that he was fed up with John Lennon being a "phony."
Another murder committed by a die-hard fan of Catcher is John Hickley Jr., best known for an assasination attempt against Ronald Reagan. This is another case of someone very mentally unstable who just happened to be obsessed by this book. He said that he shot the president in order to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster, whom he had become obsessed with after seeing her in the film Taxi Driver. He felt that this was the only way to gain her attention. He was later found not guilty by reasons of insanity.
And so, we are left to make a conclusion here. Does reader Catcher automatically make you a murderer? No. Is there a discomforting amount of mentally unstable people who became obsessed with the book and forced them to commit murder? Oddly, yes. However, this is not enough reason to think that banning the book in places will limit violence.
First, and most likely most popular, is Mark David Chapman's 1980 murder of John Lennon. It is important to understand the mental stability in this person's brain in order to comprehend where he is coming from. Chapman was diagnosed at a young age with a rare, yet severe form of autism. His father, an Air Force general, was physically abusive to both him and his mother, and furthermore, and possibly the most disturbing, is that he fantasized about having a god-like power over a group of "little people," not specifying what this exactly means. It should also be noted that Chapman was experimenting with hard drugs by age fourteen, ran away from home often, and was the subject of much teasing. After noting all of these factors it's difficult to determine whether or not Catcher In The Rye had a monumental influence on his instability. It appears as if this was just one of his strange obsessions. He was most interested in Holden's hostile stance against "phoniness." Some think that he was fed up with John Lennon being a "phony."
Another murder committed by a die-hard fan of Catcher is John Hickley Jr., best known for an assasination attempt against Ronald Reagan. This is another case of someone very mentally unstable who just happened to be obsessed by this book. He said that he shot the president in order to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster, whom he had become obsessed with after seeing her in the film Taxi Driver. He felt that this was the only way to gain her attention. He was later found not guilty by reasons of insanity.
And so, we are left to make a conclusion here. Does reader Catcher automatically make you a murderer? No. Is there a discomforting amount of mentally unstable people who became obsessed with the book and forced them to commit murder? Oddly, yes. However, this is not enough reason to think that banning the book in places will limit violence.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Visions of Childhood (Sick, Gnarly Rocket Power Style)
A T.V. show that I think depicts childhood in a unique way is the Nickelodeon T.V. show Rocket Power. This was my favorite show as a kid, and I think it is a different way of presenting the ways of a child.
The show is (was? I don't know if it's still on.) based on a gang of kids performing different extreme sports all around their California town. Not only performing them, but doint it really really well too. I think that it has an underlying meaning that kids will always be restless and somewhat deviant for a certain point in their life, but then they mellow out. I think this is an important part of childhood that adults seem to forget between the stages of young adulthood and middle age periods.
The show kind of outdoes itself though, going all out with saying such as "killer wave bro!, and gnarly grind on that rail squid!" Even as an eight year old watching the show at my house, it seemed a tad excessive. In this sense, it isn't really childlike. However, I still think that the way the kids are presented can be a substantial universal for the culture.
In all of the stories we have read about childhood, the concept is presented in a different, but similar way. It is presented as sort of an "out-of-the-ordinary" type of character who has some kind of individual identifying quality, be it Cates and his country style, Victor and his strange home-life, or Connie and her unique struggle. These all present a viewpoint from an underdog, if you will. A type of underprivileged person in some way or another. This is what makes them all similar.
What makes them different, is that they are all dealing with a unique situation. This is where as a collective group of stories, all of the authors got things right. They did a good job of representing different issues that kids can deal with, and did a good job of going out of the ordinary.
Johnny.
The show is (was? I don't know if it's still on.) based on a gang of kids performing different extreme sports all around their California town. Not only performing them, but doint it really really well too. I think that it has an underlying meaning that kids will always be restless and somewhat deviant for a certain point in their life, but then they mellow out. I think this is an important part of childhood that adults seem to forget between the stages of young adulthood and middle age periods.
The show kind of outdoes itself though, going all out with saying such as "killer wave bro!, and gnarly grind on that rail squid!" Even as an eight year old watching the show at my house, it seemed a tad excessive. In this sense, it isn't really childlike. However, I still think that the way the kids are presented can be a substantial universal for the culture.
In all of the stories we have read about childhood, the concept is presented in a different, but similar way. It is presented as sort of an "out-of-the-ordinary" type of character who has some kind of individual identifying quality, be it Cates and his country style, Victor and his strange home-life, or Connie and her unique struggle. These all present a viewpoint from an underdog, if you will. A type of underprivileged person in some way or another. This is what makes them all similar.
What makes them different, is that they are all dealing with a unique situation. This is where as a collective group of stories, all of the authors got things right. They did a good job of representing different issues that kids can deal with, and did a good job of going out of the ordinary.
Johnny.
Childhood Memories
The memory that I have grown up with and that has shaped me the most is my experience with the Oregon Marching Band. It is not really from my childhood, it's really from 8th grade, but still, it is an essential part of who I am now.
My journey with this band started in eighth grade when I first attended an audition camp for this prestigious group I had heard so much about. I was very intimidated, because all other members of the group were much older than I was, and I of course thought that I was the coolest kid ever. This latter statement would soon humble me to the fullest.
Long story short, I made it into the group playing snare drum. This made me feel great, because I heard that very few eighth graders made it onto snare. I knew, however, that I had a lot of improvement to work on and that I wasn't going to cut it if I didn't get my hands together. Throughout the winter and spring, we as a band spent months trying to put our show on the field. I had never been pushed so hard in my life. The twelve hour rehearsals, sore muscles, and constant discipline would soon be worth it in the end, as I soon figured out.
The group has taught me to be more respectful, think more critically, and be helpful to those who have trouble with something. I do not think I would hold up very well in the real world if this intense program did not push me so hard to be the best I can be.
I'm now entering my fifth season with the band this winter, and have been honored to accept drumline leadership positions. I'm now the tenor drum section leader, this being my second year, and I'm also the entire battery section leader, this being my first year. I hope that I can work these positions out so that we have a successful season, and I have a solid reinforcement graduating and entering the real world.
Johnny.
My journey with this band started in eighth grade when I first attended an audition camp for this prestigious group I had heard so much about. I was very intimidated, because all other members of the group were much older than I was, and I of course thought that I was the coolest kid ever. This latter statement would soon humble me to the fullest.
Long story short, I made it into the group playing snare drum. This made me feel great, because I heard that very few eighth graders made it onto snare. I knew, however, that I had a lot of improvement to work on and that I wasn't going to cut it if I didn't get my hands together. Throughout the winter and spring, we as a band spent months trying to put our show on the field. I had never been pushed so hard in my life. The twelve hour rehearsals, sore muscles, and constant discipline would soon be worth it in the end, as I soon figured out.
The group has taught me to be more respectful, think more critically, and be helpful to those who have trouble with something. I do not think I would hold up very well in the real world if this intense program did not push me so hard to be the best I can be.
I'm now entering my fifth season with the band this winter, and have been honored to accept drumline leadership positions. I'm now the tenor drum section leader, this being my second year, and I'm also the entire battery section leader, this being my first year. I hope that I can work these positions out so that we have a successful season, and I have a solid reinforcement graduating and entering the real world.
Johnny.
About Me
This here is the newest internet brainchild of Johnny T. Mitchell. Welcome, and enjoy.
I am an eighteen year old senior at McFarland High School in McFarland, Wisconsin. I am currently enrolled in a college literature class, which will be the main focus of this blog. Hopefully I'll connect things well enough to my life that you'll get to know me better.
I have many unique interests that I pursue when not at school. I enjoy playing all different kinds of drums, and have been playing for about seven years. In particular, I enjoy marching drum corps percussion and drum-set. I've also recently put my hands on the conga drums, and am slowly, tediously improving on this new style of approaching the drums. I also have a keen interest in types of transportation, specifcially aerospace and railroading. These are things that my father got me interested in as a child, and have loved researching ever since. I'm known amongst my friends for my ability to identify and kind of airplane and any kind of locomotive. It's a unique talent I pride myself on. I also like to make beats on my computer and with hardware equipment, and have a growing collection of vinyl records used for sampling.
Anyway, that's my intro. Follow my blog! It will be a fun time.
Enjoy.
Johnny.
I am an eighteen year old senior at McFarland High School in McFarland, Wisconsin. I am currently enrolled in a college literature class, which will be the main focus of this blog. Hopefully I'll connect things well enough to my life that you'll get to know me better.
I have many unique interests that I pursue when not at school. I enjoy playing all different kinds of drums, and have been playing for about seven years. In particular, I enjoy marching drum corps percussion and drum-set. I've also recently put my hands on the conga drums, and am slowly, tediously improving on this new style of approaching the drums. I also have a keen interest in types of transportation, specifcially aerospace and railroading. These are things that my father got me interested in as a child, and have loved researching ever since. I'm known amongst my friends for my ability to identify and kind of airplane and any kind of locomotive. It's a unique talent I pride myself on. I also like to make beats on my computer and with hardware equipment, and have a growing collection of vinyl records used for sampling.
Anyway, that's my intro. Follow my blog! It will be a fun time.
Enjoy.
Johnny.
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