3B+Isolation

Opening:

Isolation is defined as the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others. There is a time in everyone's life when we have been alone, be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. In the novel __The Catcher in the Rye__ by J.D. Salinger, Holden is no exception. He has felt alone since the death of his brother and is sickened by the isolation that he feels everyday. Isolation can be felt in many different ways for many different reasons and through the course of this discussion we hope to show that isolation is more than it seems.

Five Questions:

1. Does isolation have a positive or negative connotation? 2. Is isolation today different than the isolation that Holden felt? 3. Can a person be isolated while in the physical presence of others? Does Holden experience this? 4. How is isolation connected to maturity? How is this reflected in Holden? 5. Do people with personalities differing from the social norm have a predisposition to conforming or becoming isolationist?

Place your citations (in MLA format) and explanations below. Each group member should include at least two citations.

Seligman, Katherine Seligman. “Social isolation a significant health issue.” SFGate [San Francisco] 2 Mar. 2009: Print. Katherine Seligman, a writer for SFGate, discusses the dangers of isolation. She shows that isolation can lead to sickness and is a significant health hazard many Americans have. Too much isolation can cause depression, in fact, according to the article, 20 percent of people at one time have felt unhappy because of isolation. Isolation can happen from various causes like not wanting to disturb neighbors or others assuming they are also busy. Seligman says that “people are so embarrassed about being lonely that no one admits it. Loneliness is stigmatized, even though everyone feels it at one time or another.” Isolation is a terrible thing to experience and can happen to anyone, whether they are following social norms or are too mature or not to be accepted into society.

Vedantam, Shankar Vedantam. “Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says.” Washington Post [Washington] 23 June 2006: Print Shankar Vedantam, writer for The Washington Post, talks about how isolation is rapidly growing in the United States. He explains in the article that isolation is a bad, unhealthy state to be in. When people go through problems “relationships support people in the same way that beams hold up buildings, more and more Americans appear to be dependent on a single beam.” Americans are gradually changing to be more isolated in their lives. However, anyone can have isolation in their lives, not because they are different from the social norm. Isolation doesn’t necessarily mean having no close ties with other people in your life. It can also mean that you feel alone at moments in your life from having only a few strong relationships.

Alber, Rebecca. “Six Ways to Avoid Feeling Isolated in the Classroom.” Edutopia. The George Lucas Educational Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. . This blog is written by Rebecca Alber who is an instructor at UCLA’s graduate school of Education, and she makes an important argument about isolation when in the physical presence of others. She shows that many teachers feel isolated in their classrooms as they lack a connection with the people around them. Because the children are not at the same point in their lives they cannot form a meaningful connection. The article also states that in order to avoid isolation it is best to share with others of the same age and form emotional connections. This is not something that is easy to do and this leads many teachers to become isolated. Following the same thought process, it is possible for a person to feel isolated when surrounded by people if there is no emotional connection made.

Bower, Bruce. “Social isolation: female cancer risk?” Science News: n. pag. General OneFile. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. This database provided information, written by Bruce Bower who is a writer for Science News with a masters degree in psychology, on the correlation of social isolation and the chance to develop cancer. According to the article, there are two types of isolation: physical and mental. This study was done with 7,000 participants over a period of 17 years. The results confirmed that women who had little social interaction were 5 times more likely to die from a hormone cancer than women who actively engaged in social interactions. Women who felt isolation were twice as likely to die from cancer. This article shows the correlation of isolation and health. As isolation increases, health is shown to decrease. This is relevant to the discussion because it supports the argument that one can be isolated even when physically surrounded by people. This is proven by the increase of cancer deaths seen by those who felt isolated even when around others.

Burns, Robert. “Comin Thro’ the Rye.” Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. . This poem is written by Robert Burns and is what the title of the story is named after. The poem, though not connected to the story, is also a Scottish song about children running through grass (rye). Holden misinterprets when he hears a little child singing the words to it- Instead of “If a body meet a body” not “If a body catch a body.” He finds a brief moment of clarity when hearing this child sing these words, and it shows his characterization that he is a fan of little children, most likely because how they are honest people who haven’t reached the phony stage yet. When he mishears this part of the poem, he thinks he has to catch these children and save their innocence and from adulthood. This adulthood is surrounded by sexuality, which Holden wants to hide from and save these children from. The poem itself can also be seen as deeply sexual, which is just another tool that J.D. Salinger puts in his story for readers to see.

Dasilva, Peter. “Antisocial Networking?” New York Times [New York] 30 Apr. 2010: n. pag. New York Times. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. . This article is about how technology affects kids’ friendships, and the role social networking plays in it. The author of the article, Peter Dasilva, talks about how different social interactions are now with kids due to the internet. Kids no longer have to have the face-to-face interactions that they used to if they choose to. Instead of talking to your friends in person, you can message them on Facebook. Even in lieu of talking on the phone, they just text in order to communicate. If Holden lived in this age of technology, things could be drastically different for his. There are plenty of kids who maintain relationships over the computer, and Holden could fall into this category. He struggles maintaining relationships in the book, but maybe with the help of social media he could continue to isolate himself in a sense while having numerous friends.

“Deprive and rule; Food and stability in North Korea.” The Economist 3 Jan. 2001: n. pag. General OneFile. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. This database published in the magazine The Economist provided information regarding the population living in North Korea. North Korea is described as the most isolated nation and as a result, it endures many problems. This article described the food shortages that occurred when the crops unexpectedly froze over. As a consequence of the nations isolation, they were unable to import food to provide to the people. This resulted in famine and starvation for many. This article supports the idea of the word isolation having a negative association shown by the vast majority who were negatively affected as a result of the extreme isolation of this nation.

“High-Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types.” Personality Page. Ed. Brenda Muller Ellis. BSM Consulting, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. . This website shows 16 personalities that are commonly seen in society. The vary from introvert to extroverts. There are explanations about the actions that a person with a certain personality might make. There are also short phrases that illustrate what a person with the personality might be like. an example is INTP, or a thinker. Based on the description and the title it is clear that a person with this personality is an introvert and while reserved, also places value on knowledge.

Mueller, Bruce F., and Will Hochman. “Holden Caulfield.” Critical Companion to J. D. Salinger: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2011. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Apr. 2014 . This database talks about the characterization of Holden Caulfield and how he bundles contradictions and makes for an eventful narrator. He seems like a strong and capable 17 year old boy, yet key parts in the story his childhood innocence and immaturity is shown. This database shows how readers can connect to his social and psychological opinions that displays his higher intelligence. But, this higher intelligence is also exposed in later chapters as inherent weakness.This will be used in the course of the discussion to help explain how Holden feels the need to satisfy a childish desire to belong with people that fit his type of maturity. But he has, ultimately, a lot of trouble making friends with people his age so he looks to younger children. It will ultimately connect to how he cannot grow into an adult because he is afraid to face the grotesque sexuality that is prevalent in adulthood.

Pappas, Stephanie. “7 Strange Cultural Facts About North Korea.” Live Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. This source provided information on when North Korea isolated themselves, the prison camps, daily life (information from people who escaped), and the problems (paranoid) that those who escaped suffers from. This article is relevant because it shows the negative affect of isolation and how the ideology of isolation may be tempting for countries but in reality, it has many consequences.

Pettineo, Jeff. “Isolation in The Catcher in the Rye.” McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011.Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Apr. 2014 . The article defines the famous character, Holden Caulfield, in J.D. Sallinger’s “Catcher In The Rye”, explaining the causes/effects of isolation and depression throughout the story. The article also explains Holden’s strict judgement towards others and mere constant rejection of sociability that so greatly causes issues in his life.

Sanna, Ellyn. “Thoreau, Henry David.” In Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom’s BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Apr. 2014  Biography and explanation of Henry David Thoreau and his content with oneself along the Transcendentalist philosophy in which solitude and isolation cleanse the body and spirit. The article explained the transcendentalist desire to Escape from Civilization in which Thoreau lived in the woods alone and the happiness that can be achieved with isolation and content with oneself.

Steinle, Pamela Hunt. “Holden as a Version of the American Adam.” In In Cold Fear: The Catcher in the Rye Censorship Controversies and Postwar American Character, 20&150;23. Ohio State University Press, 2000. Quoted as “Holden as a Version of the American Adam” in Bloom, Harold, ed. The Catcher in the Rye, Bloom’s Guides. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 . This literary criticism is by Pamela Hunt Steinle who is also the author of other novels such as "The Cold Fear". It discussed the similarities between Holden Caulfield and the American Adam. As stated by R.W.B. Lewis, the American Adam was "an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited him with the aid of his own unique and inherent resources". In this literary criticism the ways in which the American Adam has changed was analyzed. It is seen that the American Adam can now be a common person rather than a gangster or cowboy. This changes how Holden's isolationist attitude could be perceived. Rather than being socially inept, Holden is now a tragic hero who is unable to connect to others. This is important as it makes the connotation of isolationist seem positive rather than negative as many other sources define it.

Ilardi, Stephen. “Social Isolation: A Modern Plague.” Psychology Today. Sussex, 13 July 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. . This article provides evidence that people are feeling more socially isolated than in the past. Despite the new technologies that have risen such as Facebook, people are unable to find others to confide in. While among thousands of people, the article describes how people lonely and isolated because they lack the close friends that they need.