Dr. Heidegger's Experiment DCQ

As people grow and evolve, their beliefs are solid and unwavering. Humans are stubborn, incapable of change. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s claim that men are capable of change is valid. In The Catcher in the Rye,Holden Caulfield reveals the never changing tapestry that is a man’s personality. He begins as a contemptuous adolescent, critical of all those around him. Regarding everyone as a “phony”, Holden isolates himself from his surroundings. Continually dwelling in the past, Holden refuses to move forward. He is judgmental of those around him, beginning with his classmates and peers. As he progresses in the novel, his attitude toward life does not change. He regards his teachers as phony as well, claiming they only act like teachers. Holden reveals a highly superficial nature in his judgements toward others, for he disregards deeper judgments in favor of superficial ones. This is further highlighted in his social commentary, when he simply categorizes people. Holden sees himself as an adult, but he is merely an child in adult’s clothing, as throughout the novel, Holden does not realize his own superficiality, and this becomes one of his defining characteristics. Holden seeks out imperfections in others, rendering himself incapable of the slightest change. Holden ends his journey on the same note and with the same personality which he begins with: a quick to judge, superficial one. Former vice-president Albert Gore, the world’s leading environmental reform advocate, is prime example of one incapable of change. The author of An Inconvenient Truth urges civilians to think about the environment, warning that the human race is on the brink of an inevitable environmental disaster. With his beliefs, Gore should also follow a green lifestyle. Gore is simply a hypocrite, however, as his own practices are nothing like his beliefs. Residing in a twenty room mansion, Gore and his family consume twice the annual energy usage of a typical household in the United States. He