Author: mewhinney.5

Text Review: Catcher in The Rye

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I am sure many of you have read this text, its been historically used as the “summer reading” book for many students going into their sophomore year of high school.  While it has been years since I fully read the entire text, I know doubt remember the impact it had on my when I initially read it.  The story follows Holden Caulfield across a three day time period in Manhattan.  Holden was recently expelled from his fourth school and seemingly doesn’t know where to turn.  Throughout the novel he runs into people form all sorts of backgrounds whether that is a prostitute, elevator operator, or a cab driver.  All of these characters push Holden down even farther than he initially was.  Holden also constantly tries to reach out to figures from his past.  These include old girlfriends, academic advisors, and teachers.  All of these encounters feel pointless, nothing good or bad necessarily come of them.  Holden is wasting away in Manhattan, avoiding going home and accepting the fact that his mistake has seriously derailed his life.  While on the surface I have no obvious connections with Holden, which is probably a good thing.  However, when I first read the novel I felt personally connected with Holden and his inner thoughts.  Throughout the novel he narrates his feelings of pain while growing up and facing the real world, he describes how he pushes away others in order to protect himself in a way.  Holden is a sixteen year old, in New York City by himself.  The personal growth and discovery he experiences over these three days ties in closely with some of the material we have discussed over the course of this semester.  Whether its Deming in The Leavers or Marji in Persepolis.  Holden determines his self identity through his experiences with strangers, old friends, and authority figures.  Much like the Deming and Marji, Holden bases his identity off of their perceived thoughts of the other.  I believe in writing this piece J. D. Salinger wants us to take away the perplexity of growing up and discovering who we really are.  Holdens journey is long and confusing, as I said seemingly pointless at times.  However, you have to remember that every event is a learning opportunity and those are what shape us

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DSIS: Trumps Refusal to Acknowledge Systemic Injustice

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Right now we have found ourselves in a time where almost anything in the country can be somehow related back to the Presidential Election. From COVID-19 and economic changes to racial injustices and oppression, the state of our country is constantly changing and the 2020 Presidential race has already proven to hold more tension and pressure as a  of result of it. These topics, along with many others, were the pressing points that were addressed in the recent debate. Political affiliation and opinions aside, both candidates made claims that sent the media and social platforms into a spiral. In particular, President Trump made several comments regarding the pressing racial injustices that the country is facing. In reference to the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group, Trump claimed that they should “Stand back and stand by,” encouraging rather than denouncing their actions and mantra. He also made statements about his contributions to “ending systemic racism”, which is rather contradictory to his opinion on the Proud Boys. As the leader of the free world, his words and his actions hold even more power than anyone else. As a wealthy Caucasian man, to make a statement about ending oppression in America is rather ironic. As someone who does not directly experience the hardships that are faced by minority groups, it is not only ignorant to claim that they no longer exist, but it is also counter productive for the Country’s wellbeing.  As such a powerful figure and a member of the majority groups of the nation, it is his responsibility to be even more open minded and empathetic to their situations, and it is oppression in itself to turn a blind eye to them.  Trumps refusal to denounce these groups or acknowledge the larger issue feeds into the issue of systemic injustice.  Moving to a larger picture, how can we expect the problems within our country’s infrastructure to be fixed when the leader of our country doesn’t believe they exist?  Whether we are discussing police brutality, the broken prison system, or the entry barriers to higher education.  Large issues like this can only be solved by someone willing to work towards change, something we are clearly lacking in our presidency.  While during the Civil Rights movement John Lewis and Martin Luther King were working towards equal rights and a ban on segregation.  Today’s fight has several similarities, the minorities in this country are being oppressed by the man who is meant to be the leader of the free world.  Trump absolutely condemns these actions in the fight for justice, however he has gone as far as defending Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse.  While at the same time showing little sympathy for innocent victims of police brutality.  The systemic injustices in this country cannot be solved until there is someone in a position of power who is willing to put in the effort to do so.  

Week 9 Context Presentation – Psychology of moving as a child

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Week 9 Context Presentation – Psychology of moving as a child

Moving is often thought of as one of the most stressful situations someone is placed in.  This is stress is only compounded upon when you are a young child, thought to be abandoned by your mama and moving from New York City to a wealthy suburb.  While the stress levels are apparent I would like to dive deeper into the psychology of children when they are moving.  

Deming is faced with an incredibly difficult situation,  his mother never returns from work one day, leaving the young child to think he has been abandoned.  One can only imagine the levels of anxiety this would bring on.  Moving can ruin important friendships and disrupt a balance that a child may being to form in their life.  This effect is even worse for children who, “are introverted and those whose personalities tend toward anxiety and inflexibility” (Darling 2010).  Deming certainly faces these issues which only get worse when he moves upstate.  Moving is often times something that one cannot control, similar to his mothers disappearance.  These types of rash and sudden changes make it difficult for one to form any sort of identity.  Moving during childhood raises the chances of mental health problems by nearly three times (Thriveworks 2018).  Changes like these tend to make children less resilient and mores sensitive.  Stability is vital to a young child, something that Deming is clearly deprived of during his young teenage years.  These situations lead to fewer high quality relationships, lower life satisfaction, and lower sense of personal well being (Thriveworks 2018).  

Deming not only faces the stress of moving to the suburbs during The Leavers.  He also faces the added stress of his missing mother, continued pressure to forget his cultural roots, and discrimination within his new community.  Regardless of the situation before the move, this sudden change in Deming’s life certainly affects him on a scale that you may have not already assumed.  

References: 

Darling, Nancy. “Moving Is Tough for Kids.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 11 July 2010, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-kids/201007/moving-is-tough-kids. 

Guest. “Moving Is Tough for Kids and Can Potentially Impact Their Mental Health: Here’s How You Can Make It Easier for Them – Thriveworks.” Counseling and Life Coaching – Find a Counselor, 3 Feb. 2020, thriveworks.com/blog/moving-tough-kids-impact-mental-health/.