Similarities And Differences

Here is a breakdown of what Holden and Yusra have and don't have in common:

Similarities:

-Both have siblings they care for. Holden has Phoebe and D.B., and he also had Allie who died before the story began. Yusra has a sister who helped her swim the boat to shore.

-Both moved around. Holden moved around New York the whole night, and he is narrating from California. Yusra went from Syria to Germany. She also went to Rio to participate in the Olympics.

-They are very similar in age, Holden is only a year younger than her as he is narrating.

-They both speak English. It isn't Yusra's first language, but she has a good grip on the language.

Differences:

-They have very different views on life. Holden is gloomy while Yusra is pretty happy.
-She's short, while he is very tall.
-Yusra is a girl, while Holden is a boy.
-They are from very different times. Yusra is currently alive in 2016, while Holden's story takes place in the 50's.
-Yusra lives in and is from Eurasia, while Holden lives in America.
-Holden is a fictional character from a book, while Yusra is very much real.

An Interesting Meeting

I decided I wanted to write a scene of the two meeting from both point of views, to really show the differences between the two.

Holden's Point of View
I really didn't want to be there that day, at school I mean. I had just gotten my second strike from the principal, and he didn't seem too happy that I was there. He's such a phony, he only sits with a cold expression on his face all day. Unless he's meeting parents, of course.
My day only got worse when I ran into some girl I'd never seen before in the hallways. They were crowded, and you'd think people could at least look where they were going. She was talking into a small box, she was treating it like it was a phone. I've never seen a phone like that in my damn life.
She apologized profusely, I just had to keep saying that it was okay. I really hate people like that, who don't stop apologizing even after you've told them it was fine.
Finally I got her to stop apologizing, and she told me her name. It was a foreign name, I don't remember what it was now.

Yusra's Point of View
I was rushing down the hallway, excited to tell my sister about the big news about the Olympics. I was talking to my friend on my cellphone, telling her about the Olympics. I was walking so fast I barely noticed the looks I was getting from everyone. People usually recognized me as the girl who saved a boatload of people, but I was just doing the right thing. None of the others in the boat could swim.
I bumped hard into someone's shoulder. he looked very angry and upset already, I felt as if I had just made his day worse. I began apologizing, but he kept saying it was okay. I wanted to make sure he knew I meant it, I really didn't want to make his day any worse.
After I finally stopped saying sorry, I got a good look at him. He was wearing a weird red hat, it looked funny, but also kind of cool.
I introduced myself, but he didn't really seem to be paying attention. When we parted ways, I remembered my sister and began running down the hallways again.

Postcards To Family

Holden would obviously write to his little sister, she is one of the people he likes the most. He loves her a ton and I feel like he trusts her a lot. I made him write her a postcard a week after he arrived in Hollywood.

Front:

Back:

I decided to have Yusra writing to her family that she left behind in Syria. I'm not sure if she actually has family in Syria still, but this is what I feel she would right if she did. I had her write to them the news that she was going to be in the Olympics.

Front:

Back:

Views On Life

It's no secret the Holden Caulfield basically hates the world. On page 170 when his sister asks him to tell her one thing he really likes, he's basically speechless. All he can come up with is this kid that he wasn't really friends with that he saw dead and his siblings. He doesn't like most of the people he meets, with very few exceptions. He manages to find something to hate about everyone he meets. They are all phonies. We know that he is very depressed by the end of the book, and that is why he is in a mental facility at the beginning. He also finds himself crying a few times throughout the book, signs of where he'll end up. Looking at life through the eyes of Holden, you get a real sense of sadness.

Yusra Mardini has quite a contrasting story. She was born in Syria, and had to escape the war on a boat overfilled with people. She ended up saving an entire boat full of people, that she didn't even know. When the motor on the boat stopped, she and a few others jumped out and swam the boat for three hours until it reached shore (sbnation). Instead of letting her past define her, she went on to compete in the 2016 Olympics. . She has such a cheery attitude and in every picture she is always smiling. She wants to "represent all the refugees because I want to show everyone that after the pain and after the storm comes calm days" (unicefusa). She is becoming a beacon of hope for people in tough situations.

Wanted

Holden Caulfield has done some things in the book that could get him arrested in 2016. Yusra is a very kind girl, but here I will be addressing a future crime that could get her deported.

Wanted: Holden Caulfield

For Underage Drinking and Smoking, Hiring A Prostitute, and Sexual Assault

"We horsed around a little bit in the cab on the way over to the theatre. At first she didn't want to, because she had her lipstick on and all, but I was being seductive as hell and she didn't have any alternative." (Salinger 125).

"I'm quite a heavy smoker, for one thing-that is, I used to be." (Salinger 5).

"I can't sit in a corny place like this cold sober. Can'tcha stick a little rum in it or something?" (Salinger 70).

"I figured if she was a prostitute and all, I could get in some practice on her, in case I ever get married or anything." (Salinger 92).

Now some of these arguments wouldn't hold up well in court. For example, Holden didn't do anything too bad with Sally, but he forced himself on her. The drinking and alcohol would most likely just result in a fine. That is talking about todays standards though, these charges would have likely gone unnoticed (like they did in the book).

Wanted: Yusra Mardini

For crimes committed by other refugees

Yusra has not done anything wrong, she is just a girl who was born in a bad situation, became a hero, and competed in the Olympics. The crime is more where Germany (Where she is living now) stands on refugees. She hasn't committed crimes in Germany herself, but other refugees have. The murder of an eighteen year old girl was linked to a Syrian refugee. People are afraid that if these law breaking refugees are not deported, then the people of Germany will want all Syrian refugees deported As a Syrian refugee, she would be in danger of deportation too (Mailonline). 

Identity Cards

Name: Yusra Mardini

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 117 Pounds

Nationality: German

Place Of Birth: Syria

DOB: March 5th, 1998

Age: 18 years old

Name: Holden Morrissey Caulfield

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: Unknown, probably around 120 Pounds

Nationality: American

Place Of birth: New York?

DOB: 1933

Age: 17 Years Old (As Narrator)