Joshua-

I was so excited to read The Catcher in the Rye. It is a classic novel written by J.D. Salinger and is the most censored book of all time. While this may be seen as a negative, there are lessons to be learned in this book and a whole new take on life. Written in 1951, this novel takes its readers into a time period and way-of-life completely different than our own. Even though it takes place in such a different era, the lessons learned are still very applicable today. One of the lessons being taught is that our own self-image may differ from the way our peers see us.

Our self-image is a huge part of us and has a large affect on how we act around peers. But in The Catcher in the Rye, we learn how others see us as well. One part of the book where this was apparent to me, was when the main character, Holden Caulfield, attends a play in New York called “The Lunts”. Holden knows that the actors are good at what they do. However, he goes on to say, “If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don’t watch it, you start showing off. And then your not as good anymore.” Holden’s point was that because the actors themselves thought they were good, others no longer viewed them that way. While I see myself one way, just like the actors in the play, I may come off completely different to my friends and family.

The way I am viewed by others may also have outside influences that have nothing to do with my personality. At one point in the book Holden says, “The thing is, it’s really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs – if yours are really good ones and theirs aren’t. You think if they’re intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don’t give a damn whose suitcases are better, but they do. They really do.” While in this quote the term suitcases is used, Holden was really referring to material wealth. Even though I want to be judged by who I am, my wealth will always have an affect on how I am seen by my peers. It does not matter if I am loaded or not, my wealth will always surround my image.

There is also a lesson to be learned from the controversy surrounding the novel itself. There was conflict over this book concerning the use of profanity, sexual references, and the undermining of family values. Almost all adults viewed Holden as a terrible role model because of his views on life and his morals. And while Holden is indeed a bad role model for children, teenagers, including me, who read this book had the opposite reaction. Holden is a symbol of rebellion and angst. Teenagers saw him as a hero and looked up to him. He gave them reason to rebel against their parents. From this controversy alone, I have found out that the way we are viewed by others can change from generation to generation, group to group, or person to person.

Our image varies from the way we see ourselves, to our parents, friends, and all of our peers. Our image can also be improved or tarnished by outside influences. This is only one lesson I have learned so far in this novel and these are only a few of the examples present to support it. There are more lessons to be learned in The Catcher in the Rye and I am sure I am looking forward to finishing this book. I highly reccomend it for anybody looking for a good read.

The drive for success plays a role in all of our lives. There are those who have set goals for themselves but do not work toward them because of a lack of desire. Then there are those crazy and over-controlling parents who try to live all of their dreams through their children no matter the consequences and finally there are those that have set goals for themselves and through hard work, determination, and never taking no for an answer, have achieved success.

I look for success in almost everything I do. Probably a little too much. I hate the idea of not amounting to anything. Whenever I make a mistake or feel that I am not doing as good as I should be I get really frustrated. I get angry. This feeling intensifies when it is something that I am really passionate about. Instead of using my mistakes and feelings of frustration to my benefit I just get angry.

I also was someone who just expected to get their life’s goals and ambitions handed down to them on a silver platter. I thought that I could just go through life and that if I really wanted something it would be given to me. But now, after a long time of making mistakes and getting frustrated from not getting what I want, I have realized that you have to work to achieve your goals.

It took me a while, but I now know that I need to use my mistakes and failures and turn them into successes. If I learn a new lesson or if I work even harder when I make a mistake, I consider it a success. Instead of getting frustrated I try to keep my goals in mind and figure out how I can use a bad situation to help me move further in life.

We all need to keep our goals in mind and work towards them in life. This is what true champions do. They work hard, persevere, and stay calm when they make mistakes. Of course there will always be someone out there who actually do get everything handed to them. But they will never get a sense of achievement or accomplishment in life. These are things that we will feel when we work hard for what we want.

Becoming a soldier and joining the Canadian Armed forces is one of the bravest things a person can do. It is something I cannot imagine doing. These soldiers put their lives at risk, leave their homes for months at a time, and put their family through dread just so we and citizens all over the world can be free. They truly are great people.

However, they do not only fight for our freedom. They provide safety for citizens in war torn countries. They build roads and communities, they help form freedom and democracy, and they keep the peace. All of the duties that these soldiers do are admirable. People all across the globe owe their lives and more to these soldiers.

While I was attending the ASLC Leadership Conference in Calgary, my group wrote letters to Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. I know this may not sound like much, but any form of communication or love is welcomed by these soldiers. They have given us our freedom and the least we can do is thank them and tell them we appreciate it. I was very glad that we got to write these letters because I look up to these soldiers. They are amazing and I was glad I could help in some form.

Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman Empire and a huge success. He ascended through the senate to become the first ruler of Rome by gaining the support of thousands of plebs. He moved from one 200th of power as a senator and gained absolute power as dictator of Rome by defeating Pompey’s army.

In ancient Rome, there were two types of people: patricians and plebs. The plebs were the common people. They had no voting power, owned no land, and were usually slaves or maybe shop owners. Plebs followed the stoic philosophy because it gave them something to live for other than material possessions. Stoics based everything on good reason. Nothing happened that didn’t have a good reason. The universe was created by God or many gods, and humans had immortal soul. This is what gave the plebs hope. They lived a miserable life and had very little, but they knew they had immortal soul and when they died would live in heaven with their God/gods. The stoic philosophy can easily be compared to Christianity. Christians believe that something can come from nothing, they believe in God, and they believe in immortal soul. However, they also believe in free will, while stoics believe that human do not have free will.

The fact that the plebs were mainly stoic is why Caesar is such a huge success. Stoic senators such as Pompey were very popular among the plebs. However, Caesar followed the Epicurean philosophy. Epicureans believed everything was caused by chance and change. The universe had existed forever and was created by tiny atoms. Everything was made up of these atoms because they met by chance. They did not believe in God and humans did not have immortal soul. They may have had soul but it was made up of tiny atoms because nothing could exist that was not made up of them. However, the key to epicureanism is that all humans have free will. They do whatever they want whenever they want without consequence as long as it makes their atoms happy. If epicureans were not happy then they killed themselves. This is why plebs were stoics. If they were Epicureans they would all kill themselves because they were so miserable. So how did an epicurean senator who started a civil war become so popular among the stoic plebs?

Caesar realized that the plebs were miserable before Pompey did. He realized that if he gave them material items they would love him. He didn’t have to give them much, but just little things and they would turn their frowns upside down. He gave them parades, celebrations, and happiness.

Caesar realized that the plebs were miserable just like most other stoics. He used his epicurean beliefs to his advantage and imposed them on the plebs. This was one advantage that Pompey did not have. His stoic philosophy was based more on sticking through the hard times no matter how miserable you are, while Caesar’s had the clear advantage to the plebs. The Epicurean philosophy was all about making your atoms excited and this was very appealing to the plebs. This is why Caesar was such a success, he outsmarted Pompey and gained the support of thousands of plebs.

As a child, X-Men was one of my favorites shows. I loved watching it on tv and I didn’t miss an episode. When the movies came out, I jumped at the chance to watch them. The first, second, and now the third. X-Men the Last Stand is the exciting conclusion to the X-men series and it did not disappoint me.

Worthinton Labs, a pharmaceutical company, creates a cure to supress the X gene in mutants and eliminate their powers. They offer the cure to any mutants who may want to eradicate their powers. However, not all of the mutants are excited about this discovery and are offended. Magneto and his followers believe they do not need to be cured. He raises an army and war soon wages between his army and anyone who gets between them and the source of the cure.

I do not blame the mutants for not wanting to be cured, they were born with their powers and have had them all their life. Their powers were not something they chose but recieved nonetheless. It would be like someone trying to cure me from being myself. I did not choose where I was born, who my family were, my cultural background, or what I look like, but all of these things make up who I am. If a pharmaceutical company in the United States invented a cure that stopped the user from being a Canadian white boy living in small-town Alberta, I would be pretty miffed too. However, the difference between me and Magneto is that I would never create an army and attack everything between me and the pharmaceutical company.

There are, however, a couple mutants who want the cure. They no longer want to live with their powers and just want to be normal. One of these mutants is Rogue. Her powers allow her to drain someone else’s powers and energy when she touches them. But she cannont control these powers. She is unable to touch anyone without harming them. She cannot even touch her own boyfriend. She seeks out the cure and becomes a normal human being. If I was in her position I would take the cure too. She lives a lonely and sad life and misses out on so much. It is not like Storm who can control the weather or Wolverine is pretty much invincible. Their powers are much better than their consequences. But Rogue’s are not. She would much rather live a life where she is accepted and can be aorund people without harming them than live a life where she is alone and sad.

I love the X-men series and, like I said, this movie did not disappoint me. It is full of action and there is never a boring part. Not to mention it would be totally awesome to have mutant powers. X-Men is a classic and this movie is for everyone who enjoys action and adventure.

Like plenty of other avid readers, I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series and was excited to get a chance to read the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Like other Harry Potter fans out there, I have read all of the other books of the series and have read nearly all of them multiple times. J.K. Rowling has outdone herself with this series. In the final book she explores how life’s many pressures can influence our decisions.

The decisions we make throughout life are effected by different aspect that we face on a daily basis. These can include our fears, our dreams, and the pressure put on us from those around us. In the Deathly Hallows, Harry sets out to destroy Voldemort once and for all with the fate of his own life and the rest of the Wizarding World resting on his shoulders. If this isn’t pressure than I don’t know what is. I crumble under the pressure of deciding what I should eat for lunch. Being faced with the burden of so many innocent lives I would definitley be a wreck.

When faced with pressure, those like myself who are not good at dealing with it tend to become almost paralysed. Our minds freeze up, our hearts beat fast, and our actions are very tense. However, Harry faces none of those symptoms. He remains cool and calm and thinks all of his actions through wisely. He is like those few people that, when faced with such a sense of urgency, use it to propel themselves forward. He uses his burden to achieve his goal. He knows he cannot back out and works so much harder to destroy Voldemort.

Pressure can take other froms as well. Fear is one of those forms and is probably the most overwhelming of them all. At the end of the book, we find Harry beginning to give into fear. Harry must walk through the Forbidden Forest to his death. He must face Lord Voldemort and stand quietly while he is murdered by the Dark Lord. Harry is faced with two opposing pressures. The pressure of the lives of the rest of the Wizarding World and the fear of his own death. Once again, being faced with this decision I would be a wreck. Harry however nows that he must carry on and does so. He never loses sight of his goal even when faced with death.

I love the Harry Potter series, especially this book. J.K. Rowling is a genius and uses her books to explore the topics of love, death, and magic. The conclusion to this series is extraordinary and entertaining. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows should be read by everybody.

For the assignment A Journey to Nowhere I wrote the poem Refuge. When I read the assignment I immediately pictured someone in a forest running or hiding from someone else. I wrote about a young girl trying to escape her mysterious pursuer. I am pretty proud of this poem. It may not have been my best poem to date but I am happy with the end result.

Tracy Riley’s poem A Journey to… Where? is also about a journey. Her poem tells about a person who is going to a new country to start a new life. The man is obviously contemplating his decision during the poem. Not following his intuition he never makes it to his destination because his plane crashes.

When I hear the word journey I immediately think about someone running or hiding or on a huge life changing adventure. Tracy has come up with a different and unique idea. An idea I would probably never come up with in my life. I enjoyed reading Tracy’s poem and her ideas.

These are the poems that I nominate for the poetry competition. I really enjoyed writing these three poems and think they are pretty good.

http://iblog.stjschool.org/jozeller/2009/04/27/turning-back

http://iblog.stjschool.org/jozeller/2009/04/29/hope

http://iblog.stjschool.org/jozeller/2009/05/03/238

These are the poems written by other people that I nominate. I really enjoyed reading these poems. They were well writen and very descriptive.

http://iblog.stjschool.org/kmccrea/2009/05/01/five-easy-pieces

http://iblog.stjschool.org/tstafford/2009/05/06/a-journey-towhere

http://iblog.stjschool.org/mhynek/2009/05/05/his-hands-are-swollen-covered-in-oil

Hot beads of sweat ran down her face.
Running, hiding, evading.
She sought refuge in the forest,
Trying to reach her destination before her pursuer.

She had no time to rest,
The mysterious man was looming,
His arrival imminent,
Capture was certain.

The unforgiving forest,
Providing no path,
And blocking most sunlight,
Only makes her journey more difficult.

Her pursuer,
A man dressed in black,
Is gaining on the girl,
Like a Lion hunting its prey.

The sunlight beginning to fade,
Darkness spreading over the landscape,
Prime conditions for the predator,
The girl is out of her element.

Time is slipping through her grasp,
Panic and desperation becomes her.
Her destination,
Now a dying light off in the distance.

Survival growing less likely
With every step she takes.
Looking up at the stars she prays,
Searching for any means of mercy or hope.

Her heavy footfalls
Now more loud and distinct,
Are the first to find new hope,
Stumbling upon new terrain.

An unforeseen miracle,
A new site of refuge.
Survival is in view again,
A growing light at the end of the tunnel.

One flame burns quietly.
A flicker of orange,
Hidden among a pile of smoldering ash.
A small dark cloud billows out of its top.

Prepared to be blown out at a moments notice,
It hangs on to its life, clinging,
Not letting go.
It burns and burns.

It would burn forever if it was able.
This is how it differs from the other flames,
The flames that have burned out.
It never gives up.

The flame glows,
A symbol of hope.
Spreading warmth
Over its desolate lands.

Shadows dance around the room,
The light begins to waver.
The flame is growing smaller,
Flickering, it is gone.