Extra Credit Blog

After reading chapter five I now know a little more about Holden's past. He had a brother who he loved very much and according to Holden was a near perfect kid. Holden took his death very hardly, and his brothers death could have contributed to his behavior now. After his brothers death his parents wanted Holden to be psychoanalyzed, because they didn't think he was quite right after the death, because he busted out a whole bunch of windows with his fist. Before I thought Holden maybe had ADD or ADHD but now I think it may be something more serious.

Blog #2

So far Holden Caulfied is a character that I can see in many people I know. I know many lazy, unmotivated students who just refuse to play by the "rules" and apply themselves in school. I do not mind this character so far, but I think if I knew him in person I would not like him all that much. A part of him reminds me of my brother, who was very smart... got a 28 on his ACT's and was up until 3:30 the night before and did not study one bit. My brother was very smart, smarter than me but never applied himself and I never understood why. It sort of bothered me to see him to do that because I know he could have been great at whatever he wanted to be.

In general I would say JD Saligner is putting a problem which is generally overlooked or intentionally ignored about teens in America. That problem is disrespect to authority and lack of motivation in school. Too many of our nation's bright students don't car about school, and don't think about how their actions today, will affect the rest of their lives. I don't know what Holden's goals for life are... but flunking out of school usually isn't a great start for anything.

Post #1

3. Explain two struggles you or others face as you/they move from childhood to adulthood.

-One struggle we face is the struggling economy. If the economy does not improve, a lot of it will come down us. Old systems such as social security aren't working anymore, not enough money was put in, and now that the baby boomers are reaching the social security age, we don't have enough money to give back. Also, with life expectancy increasing more people are getting social security checks for longer amounts of time. If the economy does not get better even more jobs will be lost, and it will become near impossible for even college graduates to find a good paying job. Our generation will have to tackle all of these problems if it is not done by then.

-Another struggle we will face is choosing a career path. Everyone wants a career that pays well, and they enjoy. However, finding that career is much easier said than done. I would say 90% of our high schoolers at NU have no idea what they are going to do for a career. Personally, I am unsure as to what I want to do. I think maybe something involving psychology, but as of now I do not know a whole lot about they field and am unsure what to expect once I get to college. I just hope that more than anything, I will find a career where I love going to work everyday, and I can make a good enough salary to have a comfortable lifestyle with a family.