CITR, john lennon, and mark david chapman
LvlyRita42@aol.com
Wed, 29 Dec 1999 22:57:49 -0500 (EST)
when i was in the sixth grade, i fell madly in Love with john lennon. simply,
plainly, he became, though i hate to use the word, my idol.
when i was in the seventh grade, i saw a documentary that chronicled the life
of mark david chapman, mr. lennon's assassin. chapman used CITR to justify
his act. he wanted to be his own catcher in the rye. he felt that if john
lennon were to continue in his manner, releasing albums to satisfy the public
and doing so many interviews, though just years before he had committed
himself to the "househusband" life, he would fall off the cliff. chapman
stated that he was only trying to preserve mr. lennon's near godliness. i was
in the seventh grade when i heard about that. i hadn't read the book yet, and
i began to regard it with just a bit of hatred, for i dimly saw it only as
the reason mr. lennon was dead.
when i was in the eighth grade, i began to change. i challenged many of the
institutions that had bound me (largely with mr. lennon's help). i'm not
citing any "bad girl" revolution, just an awakening (one which i didn't have
to drown myself for).
the summer after my eighth grade year, i felt brave enough to read CITR. i
fell madly in Love with holden caulfield.
fond wishes...
a very young, silly linny
ps. though i've been on the list for a while, i am one of those naughty
lurkers you hear so much about. boo :-)