i don't want to go to jail
here's my essay on page 189 (yeah one page) of Catcher in the Rye
Encounter with Mr. Antolini:
"The Mr. Vinsons of the world…"
Education. It’s something you have to want. You can’t achieve the mind of a scholarly thinker from inheritance or inevitability, you must want, in order to achieve. Anyone can progress if only they have the want. Want is what feeds into the most useful tool at the disposal of every man woman and child; will power. Whether one wants to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or philosopher, or psychoanalyst or what have you, it can be achieved only with the will to work for it. Some are born more genetically capable, but the fact of the matter is that an intelligent and educated person can express his thoughts much more clearly than a man simply intelligent, or the "unscholarly thinker".
Mr. Antolini’s words help Holden come to grips with one of the essential questions of life; whether to try to become the most he can be, or to settle for what comes without effort. At this point in his adolescence, Holden Caufield questions the value and meaning of life. He sees the world through tinted eyes and finds himself questioning human behavior and ability, or lack thereof, in itself. Although the reasons why he should want to become an educated person are for him to find on his own, Mr. Antolini gives him the option to think about the choices clearing confronting him. He was yet to notice these reasons for himself. When he decides to learn, he will find, "among other things," that men like him have had these same thoughts. People have contemplated these same ideas, and he should be relieved to know he is not the first. These predecessors can teach Holden through their records, and Holden might someday teach others, continuing this pattern of educated persons. This pattern, known as a phenomenon of human nature, makes it not simply education, but as Antolini said, "It’s history. It’s Poetry."
Carrying this new information with him on his journey, he is presented with a fundamental question: should he apply himself? Is it worth it to learn? Antolini’s harangue was more than that, but advice, useful advice, to Holden. Holden must choose whether he will or will not subject himself to such advocacy. He will become a pillar of this chain or an element that helps to break it down. He can add to this establishment that is society, or be a termite in the woodwork. One person doing good can build a whole pillar; one doing bad is only a termite, which, unfortunately, with enough followers can take down the mightiest of structures-like this countries education system.
If Holden chooses, along the course of his lifetime to start down a new path, one he has yet to travel, he would have the foundation to do so, and easily be able to excel. With an education, goals can be reached that would never be thought possible or probable without one. "Cinderella stories," as they are sometimes called-when someone with low opportunities, can move up in the world by one of two ways; the unlikely chance of luck, or by working for it through hard work and skillful learning.
As most everyone someday does, Holden will someday find a deeper meaning in life. Having a sound mind will give these ideas a solid base. You can’t just cheat yourself out of an education, and what Mr. Antolini gave him that night was more than enough to push him in the direction toward finding that meaning, if he would only choose to use it to his advantage.
The book as a whole sparked ideas for me personally, and made me realize that the saying "a mind is terrible thing to waste," is more than a cliché. In particular, Mr. Antolini made me contemplate the same subjects he wanted to place into Holden’s thoughts. If ever one were to rethink furthering their schooling, when they had the necessary means to do so, one would be wasting the essence of who they could be. Meaning in life first comes from a vast understanding of the life around us, though the most knowledgeable person is the one who understands that they know nothing.
Encounter with Mr. Antolini:
"The Mr. Vinsons of the world…"
Education. It’s something you have to want. You can’t achieve the mind of a scholarly thinker from inheritance or inevitability, you must want, in order to achieve. Anyone can progress if only they have the want. Want is what feeds into the most useful tool at the disposal of every man woman and child; will power. Whether one wants to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or philosopher, or psychoanalyst or what have you, it can be achieved only with the will to work for it. Some are born more genetically capable, but the fact of the matter is that an intelligent and educated person can express his thoughts much more clearly than a man simply intelligent, or the "unscholarly thinker".
Mr. Antolini’s words help Holden come to grips with one of the essential questions of life; whether to try to become the most he can be, or to settle for what comes without effort. At this point in his adolescence, Holden Caufield questions the value and meaning of life. He sees the world through tinted eyes and finds himself questioning human behavior and ability, or lack thereof, in itself. Although the reasons why he should want to become an educated person are for him to find on his own, Mr. Antolini gives him the option to think about the choices clearing confronting him. He was yet to notice these reasons for himself. When he decides to learn, he will find, "among other things," that men like him have had these same thoughts. People have contemplated these same ideas, and he should be relieved to know he is not the first. These predecessors can teach Holden through their records, and Holden might someday teach others, continuing this pattern of educated persons. This pattern, known as a phenomenon of human nature, makes it not simply education, but as Antolini said, "It’s history. It’s Poetry."
Carrying this new information with him on his journey, he is presented with a fundamental question: should he apply himself? Is it worth it to learn? Antolini’s harangue was more than that, but advice, useful advice, to Holden. Holden must choose whether he will or will not subject himself to such advocacy. He will become a pillar of this chain or an element that helps to break it down. He can add to this establishment that is society, or be a termite in the woodwork. One person doing good can build a whole pillar; one doing bad is only a termite, which, unfortunately, with enough followers can take down the mightiest of structures-like this countries education system.
If Holden chooses, along the course of his lifetime to start down a new path, one he has yet to travel, he would have the foundation to do so, and easily be able to excel. With an education, goals can be reached that would never be thought possible or probable without one. "Cinderella stories," as they are sometimes called-when someone with low opportunities, can move up in the world by one of two ways; the unlikely chance of luck, or by working for it through hard work and skillful learning.
As most everyone someday does, Holden will someday find a deeper meaning in life. Having a sound mind will give these ideas a solid base. You can’t just cheat yourself out of an education, and what Mr. Antolini gave him that night was more than enough to push him in the direction toward finding that meaning, if he would only choose to use it to his advantage.
The book as a whole sparked ideas for me personally, and made me realize that the saying "a mind is terrible thing to waste," is more than a cliché. In particular, Mr. Antolini made me contemplate the same subjects he wanted to place into Holden’s thoughts. If ever one were to rethink furthering their schooling, when they had the necessary means to do so, one would be wasting the essence of who they could be. Meaning in life first comes from a vast understanding of the life around us, though the most knowledgeable person is the one who understands that they know nothing.