Who is more genuine? Holden or Igby.

After reading Catcher in the Rye and watching the movie Igby Goes Down in English class, I’ve realized who is more genuine. While reading Catcher in the Rye, I always thought that Holden was doing things against society, and he was, but not as much as Igby did.

Holden was never at home, he didn’t follow the rules, he never went to school, never was nice to anyone, and wasn’t treated well by others. Yet for Igby, he barely had anything. He was kicked out of school, his parents were very ill, his brother was busy doing his own schooling, he didn’t have any friends, no more schools could take him in, etc. He had to get a job off of DH just so he could get drugs! Thing is, DH beat him up because he was so frustrated with Igby.

Holden had parents to go to. He knew they weren’t that inviting, but from what I took in, they weren’t as bad as what Igby has. Also, Holden had his sister Phoebe to run to when he really needed help. When he felt like he had no hope left, or just simply needed to get a smile on his face, he could run to his sister for that. As for Igby, he had to run to strangers to get laid, or rely on drugs to make him "happy".

In my opinion, Igby is more genuine because he never gave up. Face it, in the end...Igby had it bad. He killed his mother, he had no one to go to, he relied on drugs too much. Yet he ran away, so he could start a new life. As for Holden, he had someone to run to, he only smoked, he still had "friends" somewhat. At least he had people to talk to, even if they weren’t the nicest. Sure, he got beat up, but he brought that upon himself. Igby got beat up just because DH was frustrated with him. Igby never yelled at DH, brought up a fight with him, disagreed with him...nothing.

Overall, Holden followed the rules more so than Igby. He allowed himself to be a rebel, yet somehow followed the laws at the same time. He hated life, and thought he deserved more, but everything Holden got in the end, is what he deserved. He never strived for schooling, friends, parents, etc. If he really wanted all those things, he would have tried harder. As for Igby, he didn’t have much of a choice. His mother didn’t speak highly of him, only his brother. So when he tried to get help from people, most of them would think "oh, that’s so and so’s son. Sorry, no. We can’t do anything for you." Igby did try...that’s what I loved about him. He didn’t try as hard as he could have, but he still tried. He never followed the rules, unless he really wanted something, or thought it were right. He never even committed suicide in the end, which I’m surprised he didn’t. Having to put up with all of that is terrible. He’s so strong inside and out, it’s amazing. Finding out that Igby never went to a psych ward really surprised me. It just shows how much strength and believe he has in finding something better. In achieving greater things.

Merideth's English Blog # 4 - Need An Escape?!

Lately, everything has been going wrong. I'm so stressed over things, and I know what to do, but I don't want to do it. It's like I want to get better, but I believe the right thing to do is to dwell for a while, get away, and learn from my mistakes, and make new ones. I feel like I should venture off and experience different things, and let everyone around me have some space from me, and me from them.

Now, I honestly don't want any sympathy. That is nothing I long for. What I wish, is for people to understand that I don't need help. I'm a strong person, I just like to be sad at times, you know?

If I had anywhere to go, I'd venture off to some place I've never been before. Get some money I have, board on a train, and jump off it when I feel like it's the right time to do so. I want to do this, because I feel like it's right. Like I'm meant to do this, to learn new things. Also, knowing me, even if it weren't the right thing to do, I'd probably do it anyway.

I'd walk around until I found a place to stay, and keep to myself from there. The last thing I need is to have people talking to me. Venturing off on my own means staying on my own for a while. Being strong and independent would help me out a lot as a person. I'd visit some places that I want to visit, and possibly meet other people down the road. Things happen for a reason, so I'm not going to go around hiding from things.

I may go to Toronto, New York, London, anywhere. I just know that wherever I go, I can learn this lesson no matter the surroundings around me. I just need a new scene, new faces, new personalities...new everything to have the strength to go back home.


Merideth

Apocalyptica - rock n' roll hall of fame

Apocalyptica is a Finnish cello metal band, with four cellists and a drummer. The four famous cellists are Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Max Lilja, and Antero Manninen.

They formed in 1993, just with their four cellists playing Metallica covers at Sibelius-Academy. In 1996, Apocalyptica released their first debut album which consisted of most of their favourite Metallica covers. They then released their second album not too long later in 1998; Inquisition Symphony. This album consisted of covers from Faith No More, Sepultura, and Pantera. Eicca Toppenin also decided to include some of his original songs just to show how naturally talented they are.

In 1999, Antero Maninen left the group, and was then replaced by Perttu Kivilaakso.

In 2000, they released their third album; Cult. This album featured 10 original songs, and 3 covers. This album finally had features of other artists singing on it. Therefore, showing off even more of their natural talent. This is when people really started to love Apocalyptica.

In 2002, Max Lilja left the group, leaving Apocalyptica with only three cellists.

In 2003, Apocalyptica released their fourth album; Reflections. This album was more so experimental, than anything else they've done. They tried to be unique, and they accomplished that.