Week 3 Homework

Re-read Chapter 9 of The Catcher in the Rye. Tell the story of what happens in this chapter using third person narration. Use the narrative voice and possibly the thoughts of the other characters to reveal your feelings about Holden at this point. Position your reader to view Holden in the way you choose. Do you want readers to view him as a lonely adolescent with whom they should sympathise, as a loser and a dropout or in some other way.

What I'm reading

I have just finished an autobiography that I would really recommend as a good read. It is called "Infidel" and is written by Ayyan Hirsi Ali. She is a Somali woman who ended up being a member of the Dutch parliament. Quite a story there obviously! Although English is her third language, this book is very well written and her command of the language would put many of us to shame. She tells the story of her life, from her childhood in Somalia with its emphasis on clan loyalty to her decision to escape from an arranged marriage and her subsequent life in Holland, as first a refugee, and finally a spokeswoman for Muslim women. Ali is initially a devoted Muslim but comes to believe that Islam needs massive reform in order to save Muslim women from religion-inspired violence. If this would offend you, then perhaps this is not the book for you. Otherwise, a really enlightening and enjoyable story.