Response to "The Importance of the Work"

I have to say that I've been opposed to banning of books for quite some time. To ban a book like The Catcher in the Rye based on cursing and morality is ridiculous. I didn't learn curse words from The Catcher in the Rye and I, certainly, didn't build my morals according to Holdens. I agree with the author of this article, on page 12 they state "Talk about novels belongs in all sort of places- classrooms, living rooms, dormitories, coffeehouses, neighborhood taverns, community centers, even in the pages of studies such as this one- but not in courts of law..." I also agree with the author in later saying that J.D. Salinger is not accountable for misreadings of his novel. I understand we all have different minds and interpret things in different ways, but that is no reason for banning a book.

I think my favorite part of the this article was the first full paragraph on page thirteen, where the author discribes Holden's character as a real person and as a mirror image of our faces. I think that idea is what makes The Catcher in the Rye such a success, how many of us go through the day thinking like Holden? We don't always say it out loud, but we think like him, all of us.

Over all, I rather enjoyed reading this article. Happy holidays everyone =-)

Brown; It's More Than a Color

I’m a simple girl,
With simple needs.
I don’t require
Extravagant gifts
Or a lavish lifestyle
In order to be
Happy.
Just a warm cup
Of coffee.

My comfort lies
In nature.
Whether I’m sitting within
Or observing from afar.
Watching the dirt
Blow this way
Then that.

Calming,
Like the
Strumming
Of a wooden guitar.
Sounding out
The neutrality
In my soul.

As the bark
Of a cherry weeping willow,
Nothing will penetrate
My spirit.
Though my
Innocence may come and go
With the seasons,
My endurance
Will stay rooted
To the ground.

My Ring

I have this ring I wear on my pinky. Not many people notice it, they tend to stray to my other six rings, but it's my favorite. I'ts gold and in the shape of a crucifix. People think it's part of me being the "super religious" person I am, and it is to a point, but that's not the real reason it's there.

It used to belong to my mom. She got it from Colombia about 30 years ago when she was 16 in a market place, I believe. I always loved her rings, I loved the way they looked on her hands when I was a kid and your mom's hands were just the prettiest things. One day when I was around 12 years old we were in the kitchen getting ready to go out; my older sister, my mother, and I were standing by the island when she put the ring down and said, "Who wants it?"

I snatched that ring up so fast my sister didn't even have time to think.

When I first got the ring, I used to debate with myself back and forth on whether I wanted to be burried with it when I died and keep it forever, or pass it on. Eventually I decided I wanted to pass it on. I created this whole plan to give it to my second daughter, because I am the second daughter and my mother is too. I also would name her Aura Lucia, becuase that's my mother's name and my grandmother's name and it was supposed to be mine too. I always felt kind of gyped for that. I thought I'd make it a family hairloom of some sort; pass it from Aura Lucia to Aura Lucia. I thought it was a fitting plan to keep it going that way, considering my mom took after her mom and I take after my mom; I hoped this cycle would continue and create this neverending circle. I still like the idea of connecting the generations and if it all pans out that way I'd invisioned that'd just make life ten times sweeter. Regardless of who it is, though, I'm plan on passing the ring on.

Now every time I look at my hand, I think of my mom. I think about everything she's given me besides my favorite ring. She's given me independence and taught me how to look after myself, make decisions wisely and on my own. She's given me a good home, a good family, someone to talk to even when I don't feel like talking much. My mother's given me a good life and some one to look up to, and I love her dearly for everything she's ever given me.