The Relevance of J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye in Modern Times Essay Example for Free

The Relevance of J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye in Modern Times Essay Its highly intriguing that years after its publishing, The Catcher in the Rye remains such an intriguing novel to teachers, students, and the general population alike. Yet through analyzing the main themes of the book, one can deduce that although the slang and fashion might be outdated, The Catcher in the Rye is still relatable and relevant. This can be primarily attributed to the constant theme of teenage angst and desire for rebellion, a common feeling spurred amongst the young for decades. The book also remains relevant because of the history behind the book as well as the culture it has created. Regardless of opinions however, J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye, although written half a century ago, maintains relevance in this time as a coming of age novel that opens perspectives and boldly exposes themes that were once tabooed in the American society. To begin, Holden has primarily maintained relevance in the modern age because he continues to give a voice to the youth of our society. Taking a tone of rebellion, Holden separates himself from the society that is so illegitimate in his eyes, and seems to form a realm of his own within his mind. This primarily entails his disrespect for most adults and the rules they make for everyone. You can see Holdens disdain for adults during his conversation with Mr. Spencer, [] I could shoot the old bull to old Spencer and think about those ducks at the same timeYou dont have to think too hard when you talk to a teacher. (Salinger 18). The aspect of Salingers novel that is most relevant to youth today is how it shows teenage years as a time of conflict and change. Conflict is found not only between a teenager and their society, but also between other people, and even within themselves. Holden seems to despise his environment, mocking others as phonies and criticizing actions and events everywhere. Says Holden about a friend of Sallys, [] he went to Andover. Big, big dealHe was the kind of a phony that have to give themselves room when they answer somebodys question. (Salinger 165) This is parallel to the infamous teenage stereotype of rebellion and disobedience, as youth today are perceived as arrogant and wanting to create their own rules. The novel provokes emotion within the reader because they are finally able to connect with someone on that level. On that note, the book also connects with a teenagers insecurities and self-evaluation, proven by its usage by other authors. An example of this would be the novel King Dork, in which the main character Tom criticizes his school for lauding The Catcher in the Rye when it really isnt that special. The truth of the matter, however, is that Tom is extremely similar to Holden, in that they both have emotional and complicated lives as teenagers filled with angst and discord. The fact that Catcher is referred to so much in this novel that is half a century newer shows that J.D. Salinger has made an impact in youth literature and created a template for which writers can explore the complexity of the teenage mind. Finally, the book remains an essential part of the 20th century culture not only because of the message of teenage angst it portrays but because of the following it gained and notoriety of some supporters. Notably, The Catcher in the Rye was noted to be an integral part to two separate, high profile murder attempts, one of which was successful. The most famous incident was the 1980 assassination of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman. Chapman, who at one point even tried to change his name to Holden Caulfield, assassinated John Lennon in 1980. When arrested, Chapman was clutching a copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and wrote inside, This is my statement (Ball). In an interview, Chapman stated he [] was literally living insideThe Catcher in the Rye (Chapman). While Chapman was institutionalized, and the connection he made from the book to the murder has yet to be determined, the mystery of the books inspiration for murder still intrigues people (Ball). In conclusion, The Catcher in the Rye still captures interest from readers today because the message of teenage angst and growth is timeless. The novel is able to effectively portray a teenagers rebellious nature and rejection of society that masks uncertainty of ones own self. It also has a sense of mystery surrounding it, as inspired one of the most well known murders of the 20th century. J.D. Salinger captivates readers because the novel lacks the stereotypical sugar coating of a young adult novel; it gives a true perspective on the trouble of being a teenager and exposes a whole new realm that people can appreciate. Works Cited Ball, Sarah. J.D. Salingers Influence. The Daily Beast. 27 Jan. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/01/27/the-gospel-according-to-holden.html. Chapman, Mark D. Mark David Chapman in His Own Words. Interview by Larry King. CNN. 30 Sept. 200. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/30/lklw.00.html. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.

Ill Health Rates of Indigenous Australians Essay -- Sociology

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social Darwinism, early attempts of genocide towards Indigenous Australians, segregation and the ‘protection’ legislation, the assimilation policy, self-determination and â€Å"the emergence of Indigenous protest† (Psych ology and Indigenous Australians, Foundations of Cultural Competence, 2009, pp.84) as well as the limiting factors of being part of a low socioeconomic status group and statistical health differences between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians compared to other countries Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. By encompassing all of these details, we can begin to establish why Aboriginal’s tend to have more health issues and what can be done to improve these health inequities. When the English settlers arrived on Australian shores in 1776 (The Story of the Australian People, 2010), they didn’t see anything that represented that the land was owned, so they claimed it as their own under ‘terra nullius’ in 1776. â€Å"In International Law 'terra nullius' describes territory that n... ...indigenousrights.net.au/section.asp?sID=33 Australian Museum. (2011). Indigenous Australia Timeline - 1901 to 1969. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://australianmuseum.net.au/Indigenous-Australia-Timeline-1901-to-1969 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. (2008). Wave Hill Walk-Off Route more information. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/wave-hill/information.html Australia Bureau of Statistics. (2010). ADULT HEALTH: RISK FACTORS AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/lookup/4704.0Chapter750Oct+2010 Australia Bureau of Statistics. . (2010). ACCESS TO HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES: ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/lookup/4704.0Chapter955Oct+2010

A World Lit Only by Fire: the Medieval Mind and the Renaissance

In the first section of William Manchester’s A World Lit Only By Fire, we are taken into a world that is vastly different from our own, and we see a kind of attitude which is rarely seen today. Manchester stresses the fact that the peasants in the Dark Ages had no knowledge of what was happening in the rest of the world. In our age of twenty-four-hour news networks and instantaneous access to information from across the globe through the internet, it is hard to fathom that if we were still living in the Dark Ages most of us would be completely oblivious to the activities of the rest of the world outside of our small village.Manchester also points out that the common people in the Dark Ages had no conception of time. Most would not have known what century it was, let alone the specific date. For most peasants, time passed in a cycle of seasons, and they only needed to know the days of the week in order to know when it was the Sabbath. This is in stark contrast to the life of a modern man. We can know time down to the second. And we need to know time with greater precision. While the peasants of the Dark Ages needed only to recognize the passing of the seasons and when the Sabbath was, modern man often needs to know the time of day precisely.We are constantly on a schedule. School and work starts at a certain time, and we must be there on time. Another fascinating difference which Manchester points out is the fact that most of the peasants did not have surnames and were either referred to by their first name alone, or by a nickname. I found this very strange. Manchester does a good job of showing the differences between the modern mind and the medieval mind. Being aware of these differences allows the reader to appreciate the huge impact that the Renaissance had on Europe.Now in the next section of A World Lit Only by Fire, entitled â€Å"The Shattering,† Manchester shows us several events that â€Å"shattered† beliefs during the Renaissance. Most of these had something to do with the Church at the time because religion was one of the most important parts of Medieval and Renaissance life. The first event that shattered beliefs and changed life did not immediately cause a revolution but had a long-lasting impact on the future of Christianity. That event was the dissemination of the works of Erasmus.With his constant criticism of the Church and his calls for papal reform, he proved that one could criticize the church without being a radical revolutionary, for Erasmus was a devout Catholic. Before Erasmus, few had dared to criticize the Roman Church and those who did were not taken seriously. However, with his satires, Erasmus appealed to all classes of people and gave the people the encouragement to call for reform and criticize the Church. This may have influenced Martin Luther, even though he disliked Erasmus’ work, to nail his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door at Wittenberg.The fact that Erasmus was widely pop ular also contributed to the change in the thinking that anyone who criticized the church would be damned to hell. Even though Erasmus didn’t do anything as revolutionary as Martin Luther, his brilliant satires were able to change the mindset of Europeans and may have enabled, against his own wishes, the Protestant Reformation. The next event discussed by Manchester is the Reformation itself. Sparked by Martin Luther’s outrage at the sale of indulgences, this is the event that split Christianity in half.Those loyal to the existing Christian Church headed by the Pope became known as Roman Catholics, and those who were not loyal to that Church formed different Protestant Churches. Before the Reformation there was one authoritative representative of the word of God; i. e. , the Pope. Most Christian literature was in Latin, but since Latin was essentially a dead language, most people could not read or understand it, and this helped the Church maintain control of Christians of the age. Within this system, freedom of religious thought was extremely limited.Saying anything that contradicted the pope could get you labeled as a heretic and sentenced to jail, or even death. After the Reformation, several different Churches formed and as they formed, they warred with each other. The pope was no longer the supreme head of Christianity as he had been before the Reformation. Bibles where published in living languages. All kinds of opinions were published in pamphlets. One undesirable consequence of the Reformation was the different sects fighting with each other.Each different sect believed it represented the one true religion. Fighting between sects became common. Fighting between Catholics and Protestants was rife. Protestants burned Roman Catholic churches, smashing mosaics and statues, and even killing innocent women and clergy. The Roman Church started its notorious Inquisition, which was especially violent in Spain. Before the Reformation there was only one Christian Church so religious violence in Europe was rare, but after the Reformation religious violence and persecution became commonplace.The Reformation was a major turning point in the history of Christianity. Without it, America today would be a different country, since many settlers in early America came to escape religious persecution. Manchester’s section on the Reformation is therefore perhaps the most important section in the book. In the last section of A World Lit Only by Fire, entitled â€Å"One Man Alone,† Manchester writes about Ferdinand Magellan and his circumnavigation of the globe.In this section, Manchester takes time to go into extremely fine detail about Magellan’s voyage in order to explain what type of man Magellan was, and, more importantly, to show how big the odds were against his actually finishing his voyage. Manchester seems to idolize Magellan, in part because Magellan wasn’t seeking fame or wealth, but instead simply had a dream and was determined to make it a reality, something that I think most people can respect.

What Is the Importance of Chemistry

What is the importance of chemistry and why would you want to learn about it? Chemistry is the study of matter and its interactions with other matter and energy. Heres a look at the importance of chemistry and why you should study it. Chemistry has a reputation for being a complicated and boring science, but for the most part, that reputation is undeserved. Fireworks and explosions are based on chemistry, so its definitely not a boring science. If you take classes in chemistry, youll apply math and logic, which can make studying chemistry a challenge if you are weak in those areas. However, anyone can understand the basics of how things work...and thats the study of chemistry. In a nutshell, the importance of chemistry is that it explains the world around you. Chemistry Explained Cooking:  Chemistry explains how food changes as you cook it, how it rots, how to preserve food, how your body uses the food you eat, and how ingredients interact to make food.Cleaning:  Part of the importance of chemistry is it explains how cleaning works. You use chemistry to help decide what cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, yourself, and your home. You use chemistry when you use bleaches and disinfectants and even ordinary soap and water. How do they work? Thats chemistry.Medicine:  You need to understand basic chemistry so you can understand how vitamins, supplements, and drugs can help or harm you. Part of the importance of chemistry lies in developing and testing new medical treatments and medicines.Environmental Issues:  Chemistry is at the heart of  environmental issues. What makes one chemical a nutrient and another chemical a pollutant? How can you clean up the environment? What processes can produce the things you need without harming the environment? We humans are all chemists. We use chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions without thinking much about them. Chemistry is important because everything you do is chemistry! Even your body is made of chemicals. Chemical reactions occur when you breathe, eat, or just sit there reading. All matter is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is that its the study of everything. Importance of Taking Chemistry Everyone can and should understand basic chemistry, but it may be important to you to take a course in chemistry or even make a career out of it. Its important to understand chemistry if you are studying any of the sciences because all of the sciences involve matter and the interactions between types of matter. Students wanting to become doctors, nurses, physicists, nutritionists, geologists, pharmacists, and (of course) chemists all study chemistry. You might want to make a career out of chemistry because chemistry-related jobs are plentiful and high-paying. The importance of chemistry wont be diminished over time, so it will remain a promising career path.