The Catcher in the Rye Essay Topics Name _________________________Unit: The Catcher in the Rye

Date __________________________The Catcher in the Rye Essay Options Please choose one of the following options for your essay. Your essay should be 5-6 pages in length, and it must be more than five paragraphs. Also, please review the additional resources on edmodo – they will only help you!!

1. The Catcher in the Rye and Ordinary People are both coming-of-age stories. Explain how both stories fit this genre. You should answer the following questions in your essay:

a. How is the character’s journey like an “apprenticeship to life?”b. What is the loss or discontent that the character suffers?c. What are some of the clashes or conflicts between the

character’s needs & wishes and the views & judgments of society?

d. How does the character create an identity? Who does she/he become? Does the character find a place in society? Why or why not?

2. Holden mentions inferiority complexes several times throughout the novel. What does this mean? Do you think Holden has an inferiority complex? Regarding what? Your essay should contain information from both The Catcher and the Rye and the article “Inferiority Complexes” by Timothy Lin. Please make sure you use direct quotes from both the novel and the article to support your thesis.

3. The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development.  It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization. Review the information on the hero’s journey on edmodo. In what ways is Holden a traditional hero? In what ways is he an antihero?

4. There are several poems that connect well to The Catcher in the Rye. Please choose one of the poems on edmodo. How does this poem connect to Catcher? Remember to use TPCASTT when analyzing the poem.

5. Reading J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” was a rite of passage for generations of teenagers who saw in Holden Caulfield, the high school truant, an enemy of adult phoniness and hypocrisy. The novel, as Charles McGrath wrote in Mr. Salinger’s obituary, attained cult status in mid-20th century America for its portrayal of adolescence and “its fierce if alienated sense of morality and distrust of the adult world.” Does Catcher in the Rye resonate with teenagers today? Does the Holden Caulfield version of alienation speak to a generation connected on Facebook? Please use direct quotes from the articles on the subject.

6. Your assignment is to write a report for Holden’s file and for the other doctors in which you share your diagnosis of Holden. In your introduction, be sure to share the patient’s background and state the purpose of your report. In the body, identify what you believe to be Holden’s two or three most significant problems. Be sure to include evidence from your session (the book) to support your analysis. In your conclusion, write about your recommendations for Holden’s treatment and your predictions for his recovery. (There are additional resources on edmodo!)

Reminders:1. Remember, a thesis is an ANSWER to a specific question.  A thesis

statement makes a claim or proposition that reflects a specific POV. The thesis statement should recognize BOTH sides of a prompt, yet focus on two to three specific points (discussion points) sometimes called points of analyses.

A thesis statement MUST be controversial (provocative) thoughtful (not TRITE, banal, or hackneyed) reasonable (able to be proved with specific EVIDENCE).

A thesis statement is the roadmap for an entire essay.   The placement of the thesis statement is often the LAST sentence in

the introductory paragraph.  FIRST begin with a hook. Then using transition, end with the thesis statement, including the author and title of the work if necessary.  

Do not place evidence/quotations in the introductory paragraph.

Please, NO beginning rhetorical questions, and NEVER begin a paragraph with just a quotation.

2. Integrating Quotes See the PPT on edmodo

3. Concluding with a Thematic Observation Conjecture: When the ending of conclusion suggests that the reader needs to consider beyond what is presented in the story.

Considering the total effect of the work: comment on the full impact of the work as it is discovered after we consider all the parts.

How the part of the work considered in the paper relates to the work as a whole: add what you have not considered in the principal parts of the paper.

How form has contributed to content: often a good close for papers on poetry or a work whose shape (chapters, acts, verses) help shape the theme of the composition.

Evaluation: What a close study of the work has done for your understanding of the work’s more subtle features.