The Imprtance of Work

This article goes into great detail to show how Holden Caulfield has become an American literary icon. It makes a very valid comparison to show Holden and Huck Finn are very similar. Both of the novels were banned in certain areas, but have become parts of the language curriculum in others. The crude nature of both books express what is happening in our culture. It even links Salinger's work to the transcendentalists from the 1800's. The article shows what the beat generation was all about. These authors experimented with new things and will be incorporated into out literature forever.

Brown

Brown is the color that represents me the most. I am above all an outdoors man who loves everything about nature. I hunt, fish, ride ATVs and can spends hours every day working in the yard. Brown symbolizes comfort and simplicity. Being outside makes me feel comfortable and puts me at peace. A bad day of hunting or fishing always beats a good day of school. No matter how frustrated I get, i can always go outside and find something that eases stress. I'll go outside, ride my quad, or cut grass. It might seem like work to most people, but I enjoy it now and probably always will.

Brown is simple. So am I. I don't need to live in a hustle and bustling city where everything gets handed to me. I work and pay for what I want. It is simple to me. I can only see myself living in a rural environment with a brown utopia of woods behind my house. The city annoys me. It seems boring to me because it is the same thing day in and day out with much more crime. Nature changes everyday, and there is always something that can cure my boredom.

When i am outside, nothing can go wrong. I understand that it will occasionally rain or snow, but I don't let it get to me. I'll just put it in four wheel drive if I have to and keep truckin'. I laugh when people come to Sussex County from the city and become amazed by seeing trees and cows. The only brown they have ever seen has been the tint of brown in all of the city's brick buildings. Brown represents who I am the best.

Korean War Medals

In my room, I have Korean War medals. I got all of my grandfather's war medals after he died on October 10, 2002. But their is one medal that I hold above the rest. It is a 50th anniversary service medal. The reason that I hold it closer to me than the rest is because this one he actually gave to me about a year before he died. My grandfather;s medal sits facing me on my dresser so I am reminded of him as soon as I wake up in the morning.

My grandpa Cassidy always put me above the rest of his grandchildren. I am the last blood Cassidy and that was a big deal to him. He had three sons and only one grandson. I guess that is why he decided to give the medal to me. i was also handed his service flag at the funeral. It usually goes to the wife of the deceased, but in this case it went to me. My grandmother had died before my sister was born. It was a unanimous decision that I would get it.

I still remember coming out of band one day after school when I got into my mom's car. She didn't look so good, and then she broke the news to me. It was strange, I never shed a tear after my mom told me. I just sat there silently soaking in what had just happened. No one close to me had ever died before and i was just in disbelief. I knew my grandpa was not even close to healthy because of his years of smoking and drinking, but those aspects never seemed to cross my mind. His funeral was on my sister's birthday.

I have always remembered vivid details about him. Like his Lincoln Town Car that just reeked of cigarette smoke every time you entered. And his phlegmy laugh with his deep tone of voice. He had a best friend named Martha That would tell you everything you needed to know. We learned many extra things about my grandpa at his funeral because of her. I'd probably slap her if I ever saw her again. She didn't need to say some of the things she said.

My grandfather was a Corporal in the Army during the Korean War. Now some of my friends call me Corporal Cassidy, but i don't think they honestly know where it stems from. I have all of the patches from his uniform and his VFW cap with the I Heart Beer pin on it. All of these small items and especially that service medal help me relive all of the good times i had with him and how much I want to see and talk to him now.

A Long Way Gone

"If fear alters behavior, you're already defeated." Brenda Hammond

This quote represents a major theme in A Long Way Gone. Almost all of the people that showed fear when the rebels came to their villages were defeated. Fear can cause the brave to be cowardice and drive them to run away from putting up a fight. Ishmael and his brother Junior during the first few chapters of the book stuck together even though their parents might be dead. Running back home to see if they were still alive could have caused fear to rush through them and cause them not to fight.

Twice, so far, rap and hip-hop music has saved them. When they are stopped by groups along their path, their cassette tape of music saves them each time. Someone in each group that has stopped them has seen the kids perform their dance routine. if they were to have shown fear in any part of the process, they could have been done for.

All of this seems to go back to not allowing fear to control your life. You can't go on living a life of fear. It will weigh you down no matter what you are doing. A Long Way Gone is a great example of how fear doesn't alter behavior and how you build courage from not showing your fears.