"Phonies"

For this week’s English post, I have decided to write about the Cather in the Rye, and Holden’s opinions about “phonies.” Holden, the main character of the story, talks about how he dislikes “phonies,” or people that feel one way but act another. Near the beginning of the book the two phonies he talks about are Ackley and Stradlater. He talks about how Ackley acts annoying and loud because he is insecure and thinks that he is unpopular. In Holden’s mind, Ackley is a phony because he hides his true feelings and acts like someone he is not just because he is insecure.
Holden also shares his thoughts about Stradlater. He really doesn’t like him very much but is nice to him anyway. And that brings me to my next point. In my opinion, Holden is a bit of a phony. I think he is a phony because he himself feels one way about certain people, but acts differently towards them. For example, how he feels about Ackley. Holden dislikes him and points out all of his flaws, but at the same time, he is nice to him and doesn’t let him know how he really feels about him. He acts like everything is fine and dandy. And it’s the same situation for Stradlater. Holden doesn’t like him either but is still nice to him and continues to do favors for him. These are fine examples of a phony to me.
In short, even though Holden says Ackley and Stradlater are phonies, I think he is also a phony and just hasn’t realized it yet. If Holden didn’t spend so much time worrying and thinking about how much Ackley ans Stradlater annoy him, maybe he would come to realize that his is in some ways just like them.

Die the Death of A Salesman

How many still die the death of a salesman? In my opinion, hundreds maybe thousands every day. Business back in the 1920’s was pretty rough, but I think business today can be just as rough if not worse. In so many situations today I see people get let go from jobs they thought were secure. Even before the recession, business is never truly safe. With the way the world is these days, everything comes back to business, everything is about business. From television to school, and everything in between, business runs the world.
With the country in the state it is now, business is defiantly not a secure topic. The recession we are currently in has put thousands out of jobs. My own mother for example got laid off her job a few months ago and is now looking for a new job. Since she got laid off, more and more people from her company also got laid off, and now the entire business is set to go under some time soon. This could happen to anyone at anytime from the looks of it. I would not want to be involved in business right now, especially in knowing that I could possibly lose my job at any time. Back in the 1920’s, I don’t think they had to cope with a country wide recession. I don’t know what I would do in a situation like this. Maybe I would look for other jobs out there as something to fall back on just in case my business goes under.
In short, I believe business today in the 21st century is defiantly more difficult to deal with than business in the 1920’s. The recession defiantly plays a huge role in making business more difficult. The recession has made it easier for people to lose their jobs, and therefore made it easier for more and more people to die the death of a salesman.