Catcher in the Rye/Into The Wild Project Proposal

Write your project proposals here for Catcher In The Rye.

1 requirement for the honors project---they must be based on both books from this trimester,
Into the Wild and Catcher in the Rye-and the project should be based solely on a guiding question, idea or main claim that is summarized in a brief statement.

Proposals should include 350 words outlining specifically what you will do and how you will accomplish it, a timeline with due date before the end of the trimester, and supplies that you will need (if applicable), and your guiding question, idea, or main claim.

I propose to do a short story that explores what it would be like If Chris McCandless and Holden Caulfield went into the wild together. The first half would be from Chris's point of view, and the second half would be from Holden's point of view. Both halves would have explanations of the journey and the living conditions (from each perspective), and they would also talk about what each character hopes to accomplish from the joint adventure (maybe they'll have the same goal?)

I plan to start writing the story by Jan. 25 or 26, and I should have a complete story anywhere from feb. 13-16 (definitely by the 16th). I'll write parts of the story every day, and I plan on bringing drafts for teacher review (to make sure I'm not missing anything, don't have any loose ends, and I'm on the right track). I'll need to keep copies of both books.

What I'm trying to prove through this project:
Are there any similarities between the personalities of Chris McCandless and Holden Caulfield? If they went out into the wild together would they have the same motivations or reasons?

Emma and my project proposal is that we create a sort of pen pal relationship between Holden and Chris. I will be Holden and Emma will be Chris and will exchange a total of 12 letters in all, as well as post cards, mementos, pictures, and anything else that we see fit. In the letters, Holden will tell Chris how to live in our plastic urban world etc. and Chris will tell Holden how to mature, find humility, be respectful etc. As far as an outline of the work, we plan to use all four weeks efficiently. Starting this week, I will give Emma letters every Wednesday and Saturday and she will give me letters every Thursday and Monday. We will do this for the next three weeks, with Emma writing the last letter on Monday the 13th. The weekend before the 13th , meaning the 11th and 12th, we will have a sleepover and assemble all the pieces and parts in a scrapbook types fashion. Things that we will need include, but are not limited to, the Catcher in the Rye book, Into the Wild book, pencil, lots of paper, time, scrapbook, pictures, postcards, pressed flowers, ticket stubs, etc. From doing this project, we hope to gain insight into the minds of Chris McCandless and Holden Caulfield. This may include the lessons they each learned, what life was like for them, what we think they felt and though and much much more!
Yay! (it's Emma now). So far we have each written and exchanged one letter each. They're great! The letters are minimum 1 page front and back (although we're just doing 2 pages front so we can glue them in a scrapbook). We have introduced ourselves, explained how we came to be pen pals, and told a little bit about our life. We have used words/quotes/dialog/description from the books and Elia REALLY got into Holden's voice! it was totally awesome.
Can't wait to see the finished project!
Emma and Elia

For my project I would like to write a diary for Chris and Holden. But separate diaries for each of them. I would want to write down about what they did that day and what there day was like. Just a journal with how the're day was and if they want to reflect on certain things. So the due date for this for me would be best if it was on Feburary 16 or 17. This would work well because then I could have more entries to put in it. I would put about 5-7 entries that details how their day was. I could also make a cover for each diary that shows how each person was and what happened on their journey or what it was like. So first I could start taking pieces of paper and writing about a page for each day, then as I come to the end when I have written each diary I could put on the cover what displays how their journey went and what kinds of things happened along the way. I will accomplish this by spacing out each day by writing each diary entry and trying to sound like Chris and Holden in the best way that I can. So my main idea for this project is writing a diary for both people so that way I can see how they both left and went on a journey, but to see how it was different and also what they did that made it similar for each of them.

For my project I propose that I create a series of letters as if Chris McCandless and Holden Caulfield were pen pals.
My guiding question is what would Chris and Holden talk about? The idea is to come up with the possible topics that Chris and Holden could have in a conversation and how they relate to each other’s lives. Both would explain what they did / do/ are doing / will do, talk about their relations with family, and ask the other questions about their life. The project would be two to four letters long, each letter hand written, because Chris always wrote letters, and in an envelope addressed to the other person with a return address. Each letter I would spend one to two days rereading and thinking of what each person would say and respond due to their personalities and characteristics. The remaining days I would work on the envelopes, Chris’s return address would periodically change. I would then turn the project in on the 16th or 17th of February or if done sooner, turn in on that date. This would allow a feel of what Chris would think about Holden and vice versa and how they would interact with each other. This would also point out key similarities and differences between them. The only supplies that I would need would be some envelopes.

Chris Mc Candless and Holden Caulfield, if locked in a room together would either be best friends, or they would kill each other. That is the question that I am trying to answer, and since one of them is dead, and the other never existed, I'm going to have to make it up as I go along. I plan to write out a narrative of what each person says and does, written as if this was one of those horribly intrusive weird reality TV shows. Creepy right, ? But the worst part of it is that I will have to plunge back into that sandpaper-filled cheesegrater of a story, Catcher In the Rye. If anyone sees little bits of my soul laying around, chances are they've been shaved off from my reading that book. I don't know exactly how long I want to make this story be, but I will try not to cheap out and to make it a meaningful length. This should hopefully all be finished by the 17th, but I will try to get it done ASAP. I won't really need many supplies except for the two books, and my computer to type it out on. Maybe I'll stick a few line drawings in somewhere. Umm, I'm about 100 words off of the requirement, but I've said everything that needs to be said, so I'm gonna end it here..........

Update: 2/21/12 Almost done with written part.
I will also include several hand drawn scenes from said TV show. these will be referred to throughout the transcript.

Question:did this have a due date? (the post)
Anyway, for my honors project, I want to find quotes from Into the Wild that remind me of Holden, and quotes from Catcher in the Rye that remind me of Chris McCandless, and the opposite (quotes from Into the Wild that Holden would totally disagree with, and vice versa). I want to write these on a baseball mitt in green ink (like Allie's). The question I am trying to answer is: how much to Holden and Chris have in common? What makes them so different? Te materials I will need are: 1. A baseball mitt 2. A green sharpie 3. The two books 4. Paper, pencil, etc.
TIMELINE:
1. Find quotes (probably on Friday because right now I am sick)--1 for each of the four categories
2. Write why for each quote
3. Write them on the baseball mitt
4. Type the why's
5. TA-DA!

Guiding Question: What are some similar ideas between Into the Wild and Catcher in the Rye, and how can these ideas be expressed in music (in other words what songs have to do with these books)?

For my honors English project I am relating the books Catcher in the Rye and Into the Wild through music. I am choosing five songs which I think express various and important ideas from both of the books. The ideas being expressed could be things such as how the main characters (Holden and Chris) felt at certain times, what they were doing with their life, what I think they might be thinking at different times during the story, their relationships with other people like family, and so on. After I choose these five songs, I am also going to write my own original song. It will have lyrics and accompaniment. It will also be based on a main idea expressed in both books. I will put these six songs on a CD, and make a cover that relates to Into the Wild and Catcher in the Rye. I will also write a brief paragraph for each song, explaining what idea it is representing, what it has to do with the two books, and why the idea is important and significant.

I will turn all these things in to Mr. Jester on the seventeenth of February.

I have already chosen my five songs. I have also written my song, and added the accompaniment to my song. I just need to record it and make a couple of changes, and then I will be done with my original song. I have all the other materials I need, and to finish my project I just need to make a CD cover and explain in a paragraph or two for each song, why they relate to our English books.

The things I will need to complete this project are:
-music (I have all the music I need)
-CD, CD case, and CD cover
-garage band

PS I'm kind of late on writing this proposal so I've already done most of this stuff...

AHHHHHH This is late & I've already done my project!
but i dont need any 0's on my report card.
soooo....
My Project Proposal is a Journal written solely by Holden about his experiences traveling the American West and the Alaskan wilderness.
The plan is for Chris to tell Holden to keep a journal on their adventures, because Chris says "you won't feel as lonely". Holden does not take McCandless' advice and instead waits till they are on the Stampede trail traveling into what Holden calls "a death trap" because there is no way "that phony can expect to survive in the Alaskan wilderness."
Question to stay focused on:
What would Holden's journal look like if he went with Chris McCandless on his trip into the Alaskan Wilderness.
THE PLAN:
1. Write 5-8 handwritten pages in Holden's style and personality. By 2/11
2. Not using profanities such as those that Holden uses. By 2/11
3. Create a journal cover that looks like a Tolstoy book cover or just a bunch of paper shoved together that would look like has no value to the owner, most likely the latter. By 2/14
4. Add photos, a leaf, stains that look like blood, coffee, boiled water that was spilled, etc. By 2/15
5. Make sure it sounds like Holden and make any necessary changes. By 2/15
6. Go over and check it to make sure I like it. Add anything else. By 2/16
7. TURN IT IN! By 2/17

So that is my project!