Statement of progress

At the beginning i wasn't so sure what my topic would be exactly, i had an idea but it was a really wide topic, so i began to narrow it down and only stuck to some things rather than my original plan to cover everything.
I began with what i knew the most about which was Catcher in the rye, and i did a diary entry, since my mind was still fresh from the things we had done earlier in class like the journal entries and the song project, so i stuck to what i knew the most first.
Later in thought i was having trouble picking genres or what i exactly wanted to do so i had a conference, i had a few things in mind, but after the conference i was more convinced in my choices and i was able to be sure of my genres.
Some books i used were The catcher in the rye, The bluest eye and girl, interrupted and i also read The disappearing girl by Dr.Lisa Machoian, which helped me understand mental illness a lot more and even though its main focus was girls with mental illness, it was still able to help me out, mostly for the genre i did for Holdens conversation with the psychologist, since in the book she had a dialogue with a former patient and i was able to see how psychologist react to a patients confessions and how they go about things.

As time went on i thought i had time to finish everything in time, but i didn't and my laziness took over, but now i know what it takes and i will know and be wise and prepared for next time.

Although i might have rushed a little, this project was a lot of fun and i enjoyed it as well as learned many things from it.

Bibliography

All Psych online, History of psychology ( 387 BC to present ), august 19, 2003
http://allpsych.com/timeline.html


Medical Prescription Drugs Image Generator 2009
http://161.58.20.24/signs/sign-generator/?parody=Doctor+Signed+Prescriptions&text=++Your+Name%0D%0A%0D%0A++500X30MG+Zanex%0D%0A%0D%0AFor+relief+of+stress%0D%0Acaused+at+work+place.%0D%0A%0D%0A+Take+1+pill+hourly.&font=HandItalic&color=blue&fontsize=17&move2=48&move=80&rot=-2&pic=Medical-Prescription-Drugs&offx=5&offy=5&spacing=35&tag=left&shade=no

Petri Liukkonen, Books and writers, 2008, J(erome D(avid) Salinger (1919-)
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/salinger.htm


Machoian Lisa, The disappearing girl. New york: Penguin Group, april 2005, pages 68-75

Salinger, Jerome David. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951.

Kaysen Susana, Girl, interrupted. New York: Turtle Bay Books,1993

Diary entry of a patient.

dear diary,

Yesterday was the worst day of my life, as if the humiliation of being in here wasn't enough, They dropped a bomb on me. They told me if i didn't get better in four weeks that my visit would have to be extended to six weeks and it was only my first day here and i wasn't going to let that happen.
Everyone in here scares me, i would say I'm the most normal out of everyone, even the nurses scare me. Ive never seen so many eyes desperate for freedom and sunshine, even a day to my visit i can feel my eyes slowly beg for the same. my welcoming made things worse, usually i can make at least one friend but here everyone made it quite clear they are not interested, and as for my friends back home, they never called, no e-mails, no messages. I never expected any, i only wished, but everyone knows wishes don't come true, you have to fight for them, maybe i need to fight harder. I wanted a chance to give an apology, to apologize for being the crazy friend, and i would also want to clear my name of all the accusations, but i guess that's what i am here for.
Another "highlight" of my day was my roommates friend, she cough me in the halls, and stared at me blankly for seconds, i felt awkward and when i couldn't bare her eyes stinging mine i shifted to the left to keep walking down the hall when she suddenly let out a scream. not the usual, i saw a bug scream, she let out a piercing scream, and it startled everyone as they came running to see what was happening, but it had haunted me. She screamed but there were a million words she was saying, i could tell. Men in white suits soon came to get her, and she looked as if she was going to brake if they pulled her any harder, she didn't want to be taken away. The nurses followed after, when the shouting ended, you could hear her slowly cry and beg for her mom. I wanted to go and keep her company,but they told me that i would be breaking the rules, and reminded me that it could make me stay here for an additional two weeks, so i went to my room and tried to get my mind of things, but that didn't help.
There is a strict schedule here, if you don't follow it, you are punished, the same goes for the rules. I am obligated to wake up at 7 am, after 7:40 no one is allowed back into the showers.
at 9 am we have to be in the cafeteria for breakfast, soon after that we go to our afternoon classes, at 12:30 we must report to the cafeteria once again to eat lunch, like rats. after lunch we can have a rest and watch t.v, no cable. after our brake we meet individually with our counselors, at 6:30 we receive our medications, and at 9pm lights are out. I don't know if i will be able to survive for four weeks, let alone six. We will have to wait and see.



Reflection-
After watching and reading girl,interrupted, i wanted to do something similar, like Susana's crazy encounter with the other girls and how she felt at the beginning but i changed stuff around a little bit so i wouldn't be retelling the story and instead of the same story i kind of made it mine, to give an insight on a patients first week

Letter to the government of the United States.

To whom it may concern,

i am pleading, with not just you but many for better health care and research towards mental health. In the mental institution i work in, McLean Hospital for the mentally ill, Ive seem not one but many come in perfectly fine kids, with no mental issues whats so ever, but they leave different. The society we live in today, is different, a kid acts strange for one day, or he is different from others, and fingers begin to point toward him, with the harsh words, and they immediately think they are crazy or they have problems. Too many mothers have come to me asking for my help because they're kid is simply acting out, sometimes it can just be the becoming of adolescence, but they insist something is wrong with there child. Entering the doors to the mental institution they are fine, but leaving they are reckless, because they have been told they are crazy, and its what they believe.
Our hospital is over populated. During this last year our numbers have increased dramatically and in many other asylums as well. We are not fulfilling our peoples needs, if you put a real good thought, you would see too, that many of the people here, don't need to be here, they are just simply misunderstood, and need to leave before they do turn crazy.
Other than that devastating fact, there are many other reasons as to why more research is needed toward mental illness, our patients need better care, better treatments and alternatives. It is evident that the care provided is not working, some of our patients and in other hospitals have been there for years, never really able to achieve freedom or accept the illness they have in order to move on. The medicines, work but for a short period of time and in order for America to be a better place, these people need to be helped. please take this into consideration, come by our asylum, or any in America and you will see what i mean more clearly, you will see that they do need help.

sincerely,
Nurse of The McLean hospital for the mentally ill.
Joan Nedlent.


Reflection-
While i was writing my timeline, i learned that during the 1940's- 1950's there was a lot of overpopulation in mental asylums and many of the patients were simply misunderstood people thought they had mental problems but they did not have mental problems and they did not need treatment, so i decided to write a letter to the government regarding my concerns towards the topic, and i thought using a nurse as the writer would be perfect because they are the ones to watch everything and everyone and experience one on one with patients and can distinguish the ill from the ones that are not.

Conversation between Holden and psychologist.

Psychologist: hello Holden
Holden: hi
Psychologist: how are you today?
Holden: fine
psychologist: Lovely day isn't it?
Holden : sure
P: okay, well how has your week been so far?
H: It really sucked
P: Why is that?
H: Because I've been dreading this day, so lets get it over with.
P: sure, so from the little i know, you spent some reckless days roaming around New York City.
H: That's right
P: What did you during that time?
H: i went out, and did stuff
P: what kinds of stuff
H: well...lets see, i spent a night with a prostitute, got robbed, and the very next day i got drunk, i also spent a day looking for Pheobe endlessly, and when i finally found her i couldn't have been happier, i had a date with someone i absolutely hate and....
P: sorry to interrupt, but how do you feel about this now?, after it all happened?
H: ashamed
P: no reason to be, you simply went through a phase.
H: no i didn't.
P: What made you turn to alcohol ?
H: i felt lonely.
P: why?
H: because i did, its not something i could explain.
P: What was going through your mind, before getting drunk.
H: i was just loaded with thoughts
P: what kind of thoughts? if you could specify..
H: loneliness, this was after the prostitute left, i felt sick, i actually looked out the window and thought of jumping.
P: That's horrible, but what stopped you?
H: i didn't want all the phonies passing by to look at me and feel sorry, its the last thing i want.
P: well did you want them to feel happy?
H: i didn't want them to feel anything at all.
P: do you think that kind of thinking is healthy?
H: sure why not.
P: well its not.
H: okay?
P: I'm sure you wont like this, but we will be seeing more of each other during the next month.
H: no we are not
P: you agreed with your parents
H: i agree to many things
P: do you want to get better?
H: yes.
P: then i will see you in two days.
H: ...that's what you think.
P: goodbye Mr.Caulfield, The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, maybe you should think about that, before our next session.
H: bye.



Reflection: During the ending of the book, we realise that Holden in is a mental institution and i wanted to do something relating to that, so i decided to do some research on psychology, to see how they would react to Holden's confessions, and i also watched some movies involving conversations with a psychologist, like girl, interrupted and Prozac nation.

Docter prescription for Holden Caulfield

Reflection-
After searching how to write a prescription or a recommendation letter from a Doctor, i came ac cross the page www.txt2pic.com and i decided to do the prescription instead and i looked at examples of how they are written and i did research on the types of medicines, Holden would have to take according to his symptoms in the book, like sometimes Holden had trouble sleeping because so many things were on his mind so i prescribed zopiclone and many times he was really depressed so i prescribed carbamazepine, etc.

struggle for beauty.

This is a poem about the pressures of society and how it drives Pecola Breedlove, From The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison into a state of madness. Her feelings of self hatred caused by society and their definition of beauty cause Pecola to desire something that is beyond what she can have, blue eyes.

Struggle for beauty.

As if the sun didn't shine,
and the water didn't run down the creek,
we would be dried, and in grieve.
you wouldn't enjoy this, but you would enjoy seeing it happen to me.
Evidently its what people in this town would like to see happen to me,
they are the cause but never the cure.
They purposely drown me and never throw a hand across for me to grab,
When they do throw a hand, its to tease me, see if I'm gullible enough to even reach for it, or simply for a good laugh.
I'm even the bigger fool, i would reach out.
They would once accept me, even for the slightest of seconds if i only had blue eyes, big blue eyes.
Behind those blue eyes would be love, happiness, talent, beauty, and intelligence.
Pretty dresses and soft blond hair, smiles to charm even the harshest creatures.
i could even love myself if i had blue eyes.


Reflection-
Again, finding a genre was difficult, but i knew i wanted to write a poem. At first i was going to do something about Holden Caulfield, but i was doing too much work about him so i settled for Pecola and her desire for blue eyes, in the beginning i wanted a specific moment to write about like when Pecola had a breakdown and thought she had blue eyes, but i couldn't wrap my head around it since i didn't know how it felt so i went for something more familiar and that is happening in today's society, the struggle for beauty.