Catcher in the Rye Character Poems - Quia

NAME: _______________________
Catcher in the Rye Character Poem

Point Value: 15 Points
Due Date: Wednesday, December 11

Your task is to compose a poem and/or song in the voice of a character from The Catcher in the
Rye (Some example characters are listed below.)

Picture the character at a specific moment in the novel. Imagine what he/she is thinking and

feeling at that moment about Holden, about that present time and place, about his/her life.

What is the character hoping or fearing or regretting? What is the character looking at or
hearing, and what does it cause him/her to think about?

The title for the poem/song should contain the character’s name and at least one prep phrase

indicating where or when that character is speaking (e.g. “Holden Caulfield in his room at the
Pencey”). Be creative. The scene can extend beyond the literal settings of the novel (e.g. “D.B. in
his jaguar on the way to visit Holden”). The scene can occur before or after an actual moment in
the novel (e.g. “Horwitz in his cab after Holden leaves”).

The poem/song should communicate clearly the thought or mood of that character at that
moment in a voice and language appropriate to that character. The poem/song should be at least

ten lines. There is no requirement on the amount of verses. The poem/song can be free verse or
it can have a particular rhyme.

____ / 5 Points: There are no misspellings, the poem is at least ten lines long, and the poem
includes a prep phrase indicating where or when the character is speaking.

____ / 5 Points: The poem is typed, printed out, and brought to class to present on Wednesday,

December 11. Students are allowed to be as creative as possible: colored font, appropriate
drawings, etc. These will be displayed in the classroom.

_____ / 5 Points: The poem clearly communicates the thoughts or mood of the character being
portrayed. The voice and language is appropriate to that character. You may use any words
written in the book in the poem.

TOTAL: _____ / 15 Points
Characters you might consider choosing to write about:

1. Holden Caulfield 10. Faith Cavendish
2. Phoebe Caulfield 11. Sally Hayes

3. Allie Caulfield 12. Jane Gallagher
4. D.B. Caulfield 13. The nuns
5. Ackley 14. Harris Macklin
6. Ward Stradlater 15. James Castle

7. Dr. Thurmer 16. Maurice
8. Selma Thurmer 17. Sunny
9. Mr. Spencer 18. Others?

A Terrific Writer

By: Harris Macklin

(on hearing Holden Caulfield, an old roommate from Elkton Hills School, is in a sanitarium in
California)

I never told him
he was a

terrific writer.

Some things
you can’t just
go up to somebody and say.

He would tell me
I made him half-crazy,
but I knew he was all crazy all by himself.

One moment,
he was up on Everest
talking about kettle drums and checker boards.

The next moment,
he was disappearing and sinking

into madness and melancholy.

He was a duck
swimming in carrousel-like circles

in his own lagoon.

Sometimes when I would hang my clothes,
he would hang his thoughts up
in his book of unlined paper.

He would write for a long time
and didn’t want to be bothered with my words.

So I would whistle.

He never seemed to mind.
In fact, when I stopped whistling, he would stop writing.

Perhaps, I should have never stopped.

Name One Thing
By: Hannah Tibbetts – Saint Viator High School ‘09

(Phoebe talking to Holden and asking him to name one thing he likes)

Silence.
That's how our conversations usually run

He looks at me
With those amber eyes
So full of hate and fear
Like a burning fire or lightning

Backed in a corner
When those words escape my lips

Name One Thing

He tries to get himself out of it
and looks at me as if I'm half-crazy

I repeat the question
Just to see his reaction
His eyes leave scars on my soul

Almost like burns

Name One Thing

Allie.
Why does he bring that up?
Hitting a place that's still so sore
That's not a real answer, I say.

Name One Thing