Listen to the novel at your pace.
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Read the novel at your pace.
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"I Am a Rock" is a 1965 song by Simon and Garfunkel. The lyrics are here: i_am_a_rock.pdf. The speaker of these lyrics claims that he has built a fortress around him and alienation is what he has willingly chosen for his mode of existence. But if you read it against its grain, the speaker thirsts for love and friendship.
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Chapter 1: Let me tell you my story if you want to know the truth . . .
The narrator confides that he is currently near Hollywood, California, trying to "take it easy" after going through the "madman stuff." What can you infer from this statement?
The narrator repeatedly says "if you want to know the truth." But he does not seem to know why he sabotages himself and habitually flunks out of school. What reason do you think makes the speaker to fail himself again and again?
He refuses to begin his narrative in the conventional way--what he calls, "all that David Copperfield kind of crap." Writing David Copperfield, Charles Dickens uses chronological order of his protagonist's life, from birth of David Copperfield to the present day. Even though the narrator of this novel rejects the conventional storytelling techniques, he directly and indirectly shares much information about his personality and background. Identify three biographical facts and come up with three adjectives that in your mind capture the narrator's personality.
The narrator claims that somebody stole his camel-hair coat while he was attending Pencey Preparatory Academy. What personal item, left in the coat pocket, was also stolen?
Why did the narrator go up on Thomsen Hill? Read between the lines:
"I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. . . . when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse."
"If I get a change to remember that kind of stuff, I can get a good-by when I need one--at least most of the time I can."
How does the narrator react to the silent treatment he received from his fencing team?
Chapter 2: the last day at Pencey Prep and paying a visit to "Old Spenser"
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Chapter 7:
Chapter 8:
Chapter 9:
Chapter 10:
Chapter 11: |
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