The
Catcher in The Rye Pre-reading Scavenger Hunt 
The
Catcher in The Rye Pre-reading Scavenger Hunt
In order to gain a better insight into
the book we’ll be reading as a class, you will be responsible for learning
about the book’s background, the historical context of the book, and literary
elements to support reading comprehension. With a partner, you’ll have
one class period to research the five topics below.
Use the links that appear below each question to answer the questions.
Part I. Author’s Background and key facts about the book
1. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/salinger.htm
2. http://www.levity.com/corduroy/salinger1.htm
3. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/facts.html
Use these websites to find some interesting facts about the author, J.D. Salinger’s life and about the book. List below four facts about the book and two facts about the author.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Part II: The Historical Context
Use the following websites to gain a better understanding of life during the
1940s and 1950s.
1. Fast Attacks
and Boomers: Submarines in the Cold War
2. Spotlight:
Biography: Korean War, 1950-1953
Find one interesting historical fact from each website
above.
1.
2.
Part III: The Practice of Banning Books
Use the website to discuss why The Catcher in the Rye was banned.
What seem to be the main reasons for banning this book?
1.
2.
3.
Part IV: Literary Elements?
In order to fully understand The Catcher in the Rye, we will need to fully
understand several literary devices.
Using the following website, define the remaining terms (two have been defined
for you):
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/
1. theme:
2. symbol and symbolism:
3. antihero: the protagonist (or main character) in
a story who lacks typical heroic qualities of bravery, strength, intelligence,
etc. An antihero is usually
an outcast from society and knows it.
4. foil:
5. motif:
6. hyperbole:
7. bildüngsroman: A German word for “novel of development”;
also known as a “coming of age story”. It is usually a narrative
of a youthful character who grows and matures in some way.
8. point of view:
9. tone:
10. imagery:
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Page last updated 12/09 by Madeline Britton, Librarian