so i didn't scare him

Hi Ely,

How wonderful that you wish to become an English teacher!  It sounds like you have an ardent love of literature already, and that is the foundation for knowing how to teach it.  I can tell you will do an excellent job as a teacher someday. 

It sounds to me like you enjoy reading bildungsromans (edit: yay! new word lol), or coming-of-age stories, quite a bit.  Both Catcher in the Rye and Ham on Rye fall into that category.  They are contemporary takes on that classic story.  Now, you might consider reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (edit: this is ernest hemingway's favorite book) if you haven't already, as that one is a bildungsroman, too, and quite an important one in the American literary tradition. 

As for Rand, well, I believe many people critique her basic philosophy, which is that of objectivism.  This means that she believes each individual is hindered by other individuals, and the individual should strive to succeed on his or her own merits entirely, and should not need the help of others to succeed.  True success, she believes, is individual.  She illustrates this fact within her novels, and so many people feel it is short-sighted.  Nonetheless, it is fantastic that you have read this novel, and you now have a basis of argument with it that few have.  You'll find many people critique ideas, but have no basis on which to base their critiques. 

W. H. Auden is a phenomenal poet, of course.  He was an interesting man himself, too!  See his "September 1, 1939" and how his views on that important poem changed.  Which of his poems do you like most?

I like your Emerson quotation; it speaks to an essential truth many of us forget along the way.  It also adds something that we might forget: we should not try to shape others into something they are not.  We should not be part of the force that forces people into something they do not want to be. 

I hope you have a great day, Ely!  It's wonderful to hear from you again.

Best,
Mr. Crimando