Catcher :: essays research papers

Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfied: Saint, Snob, or Somewhere In-between? Although J.D. Salinger has only one novel to his credit, that novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is recognized as an exceptional literary work. The key to the success of The Catcher in the Rye is the main character, Holden Caulfield. There are many different critics that view Holden in many different ways. Some believe Holden to be a conceited snob, while others see Holden as a Christ-like figure. It is my opinion, however, that Holden is somewhere in the middle. Holden Caulfield is a character who has a definite code of honor that he attempts to live up to and expects to as abide by as well. Since the death of his brother Allie, Holden has experienced almost a complete sense of alienation from the world around him. This alienation is evident in every part of his life. Holden is unable to relate to anyone at the three prep schools he has attended. While standing on Thomsen Hill, Holden cannot help but feel isolated when he observes t he football game, â€Å"you were supposed to commit suicide or something if Old Pencey didn’t win† (Salinger 2). Not only does Holden feel isolated at the schools he has attended; he has this feeling when it comes to his family as well. Upon his return to New York City, Holden does not go home. Instead, he chooses to hide out from his family. According to Ernest Jones, â€Å"with his alienation go assorted hatreds – of movies, of night clubs, of social and intellectual pretension, and so on. And physical disgust: pimples, sex, an old man picking his nose are all equal cause for nausea† (Jones 7). Holden feels Previts 2 as though all of these people have failed him in some way or that they are all â€Å"phonies† or â€Å"corny† in some way or another. It is Holden’s perception of those around him as â€Å"phonies† and again according to Jones; â€Å"Holden’s belief that he has a superior moral standard that few people, o nly his dead brother, his 10-year-old sister, and a fleeting friend [Jane] can live up to† that make him a snob (7). Presenting Holden as â€Å"snobbish† hardly does him justice. Critics such Frederick L. Gwynn, Joseph L. Blotner, and Frederic I. Carpenter view Holden as a character who is â€Å"Christ-like in his ambition to protect children before they enter the world of destruction and phoniness† (Carpenter 24).

“White Man’s Burden” and “Shooting an Elephant”

In the poem â€Å"White Man’s Burden† and essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† is talk about the two white men has a different point of views about imperialism and how the white treat the natives. â€Å"White Man’s Burden† by Rudyard Kipling is talk about how does white man sacrifice for the native during the imperialism. â€Å"Shooting an elephant† by George Orwell is talk about how does the white treat the natives by reflect the way shooting an elephant. â€Å"White Man’s Burden† by Rudyard Kipling, the first identity of the white man is sacrifice for the natives, he was one believed in the virtues of imperialism in that period. As the text proof â€Å"send forth the best ye breed-go bind your sons to exile, to serve your captives need; to wait in heavy harness†. The white man try to make difference to the natives, educated them was white man’s job and the cast it as their goal. The second identity of the white man is racial and cultural stereotype, as the text proof â€Å"Ye dare not stoop to less-nor call too loud on freedom to cloak your weariness, by all ye cry or whisper, by all ye leave or do. The white man have to be open mind about different culture and to think about the way of white man teaching the native, be open mind to accept the natives culture as well too. â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell, Through the essay Orwell reflects the social condition at Burma as a result of British Imperialism and his own view on imperialism. The first identity of the white police officer was sub-divisional police officer of the town, an in an aimless. Second identity of the white p olice officer as he expresses is great sympathy for the oppressed Burmese. White police officer reflects the way he Killed the elephant, emotionally. As the text proof â€Å"as soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. I did not in the least want to shoot him, I decide I could watch him a little bit make sure he did not turn savage again, and then go home. With the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. Suddenly I realized that I should have shot the elephant after all†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  and finally he shot the elephant. In the essay the police officer feels truly stuck between his loyalty to Britain and his sincere distaste of imperialism. The police officer was kind open mind about the time of imperialism. Ironically â€Å"he shoot the elephant† in order to maintain the integrity o the system of imperialism, In Orwell opinion imperialism take away peoples think, doing whatever to the expectation of other. â€Å"The White man’s burden† compare to the â€Å"Shooting an elephant† they are both white, and the winner of the imperialism. But they have different view and thought about the imperialism. In the poem â€Å"The white man’s burden† the white man to bring civilization to the natives, by educate them and take responsible to the native, and white man sacrifice a lot to the natives . In the essay â€Å"shooting an elephant† the white police officer think that the imperialism was an evil thing to the natives, his sympathy for the oppressed native, but in other hand he can’t do anything about it. In conclusion the poem and essay was written during the Imperialism period, causing many mix feelings between what is good and what is bad? But I feel so bad about the natives, why should white people have to care about native? Because if you want to control over a country you need to know their culture and respect their culture this is call winner. Why is important? Because we are human and we have to try everyone equally the way they should be treat. In shooting an elephant, the white police know that imperialism is evil thing to the native, at the time he couldn’t do anything about. But today is different and we all equal respect each other, and live in freedom country.

Mujahideen (Definition)

Definition: A mujahid is one who strives or struggles on behalf of Islam; mujahideen is the plural of the same word. The word mujahid is an Arabic participle drawn from the same root as the Arabic word jihad, to strive or struggle. The term is most frequently used in reference to the self named Afghan mujahideen, the guerrilla fighters who battled the Soviet army from 1979 – 1989, when the Soviets withdrew in defeat. The Soviets invaded in December, 1979 in order to provide support a recently installed pro-Soviet prime minister, Babrak Karmal. The mujahideen were fighters from the mountainous areas of the largely rural country, and also maintained bases in Pakistan. They were entirely independent of the government. Mujahideen fought under the command of tribal leaders, who also headed Islamist political parties, which ranged from radical to moderate. The mujahideen received arms by way of Pakistan and Iran, both of which share a border. They made use of an arsenal of guerrilla tactics to thwart the Soviets, such as laying ambushes or blowing up gas pipelines between the two countries. They were estimated to be about 90,000 strong in the mid-1980s. The Afghan mujahideen were not seeking to wage an aggressive jihad beyond national boundaries, but were rather fighting a nationalist war against an occupier. The language of Islam helped unify a population that was—and still is--otherwise very heterogonous: Afghans have many tribal, ethnic and linguistic differences. After the war ended in 1989, these different factions returned to their previous divisiveness and fought each other, until the Taliban established rule in 1991. These unorganized guerrilla warriors were viewed as outlaws by their Soviet enemy and as freedom fighters by the Reagan Administration in the U.S., which supported the enemy of its enemy, the Soviet Union. Alternate Spellings: mujahedeen, mujahedin