How does the ending shape your overall interpretation of the novel?
The ending of the novel concluded with the death of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby's dream was to be with Daisy but in the end, his actions led him to his death. He died alone without Daisy. In this novel, money seemed to be one of the main focuses. Because many people were rich, they thought they could get away with almost anything. Tom and Daisy, for example, we're careless people who thought since they were powerful they could get away with anything. Money does not buy happiness as we can see in the novel. Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby were all not very happy. Dreams can be observed as another theme in the novel. Like Gatsby, many people have dreams. Like Gatsby, many dreams go unfulfilled. This is an American classic that is still studied and remembered because it is about dreams. Gatsby rose from poverty to immense wealth.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Chapter 8
Select a passage that reveals Nick's attitude.
" I've always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end...I enjoyed the breakfast, Gatsby" (Fitzgerald 154)
In this passage, Nick's feelings about Gatsby is shown. Nick has always respected Gatsby and that he would do anything for his dreams to come true, but at the same time he disapproved of Gatsby's actions. Though Gatsby was corrupt and powerful, he was still a good man. To me, Gatsby's actions leads him to his death.
" I've always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end...I enjoyed the breakfast, Gatsby" (Fitzgerald 154)
In this passage, Nick's feelings about Gatsby is shown. Nick has always respected Gatsby and that he would do anything for his dreams to come true, but at the same time he disapproved of Gatsby's actions. Though Gatsby was corrupt and powerful, he was still a good man. To me, Gatsby's actions leads him to his death.
Chapter 7
Select a passage that utilizes symbolism.
"The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer" (Fitzgerald 114).
In this novel, weather seems to play an important part. The weather in this chapter was the warmest day and almost the last day of summer. The summer and heat is a symbol for the dislike between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. In this chapter, Gatsby confronts Tom on the hottest day of summer. This contributes to the overall meaning of the novel because bad weather only foreshadows bad things to come.
"The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer" (Fitzgerald 114).
In this novel, weather seems to play an important part. The weather in this chapter was the warmest day and almost the last day of summer. The summer and heat is a symbol for the dislike between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. In this chapter, Gatsby confronts Tom on the hottest day of summer. This contributes to the overall meaning of the novel because bad weather only foreshadows bad things to come.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Chapter 6
Select a passage that reveals the nature of the narrator.
“I’m delighted to see you,” said Gatsby, standing on his porch. “I’m delighted that you dropped in.”
"As though they cared!" (Fitzgerald 101)
Nick is starting to become bitter and harsh towards the people of East Egg and Gatsby. He realizes that everyone here is selfish and greedy. Throughout this chapter, Nick's attitude changes. At first he is indifferent towards some of the characters. Later on in this chapter, Nick's distaste for Tom Buchanan is shown. Nick is critical of Tom's snobbish and arrogant attitude. When Nick leaves the party, he tries to recollect a phrase he once heard. This is starting to show that East Egg is starting to transform Nick into someone who is corrupt. The reader can notice this change in Nick by his actions and thoughts.
“I’m delighted to see you,” said Gatsby, standing on his porch. “I’m delighted that you dropped in.”
"As though they cared!" (Fitzgerald 101)
Nick is starting to become bitter and harsh towards the people of East Egg and Gatsby. He realizes that everyone here is selfish and greedy. Throughout this chapter, Nick's attitude changes. At first he is indifferent towards some of the characters. Later on in this chapter, Nick's distaste for Tom Buchanan is shown. Nick is critical of Tom's snobbish and arrogant attitude. When Nick leaves the party, he tries to recollect a phrase he once heard. This is starting to show that East Egg is starting to transform Nick into someone who is corrupt. The reader can notice this change in Nick by his actions and thoughts.
Chapter 5
Select a passage that develops the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby.
“We haven’t met for many years,” said Daisy, her voice as matter-of-fact as it could ever be.
“Five years next November.”
"The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer set us all back at least another minute." ( Fitzgerald 87)
This passage shows that both Daisy and Gatsby know how long they have not seen each other for. Daisy adds somewhat of a guess to her answer as she says "many years". On the other hand, Gatsby is straight forward and remembers as he says "Five years next November". This shows that Gatsby is maybe counting the years until he would meet her again. This also shows that Gatsby and Daisy have a romantic relationship. The author uses simple conversation to show us detail about the two characters.
"He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and is unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an over wound clock." ( Fitzgerald 91-92)
This passage also shows how Gatsby truly feels about Daisy. Gatsby acts as if he is a teenager around their crush. He acts nervous and cannot collect his thoughts. This shows that he loves Daisy. He loves Daisy more than Tom does and would treat her better than him. Trouble can only occur in the future with this love triangle.
“We haven’t met for many years,” said Daisy, her voice as matter-of-fact as it could ever be.
“Five years next November.”
"The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer set us all back at least another minute." ( Fitzgerald 87)
This passage shows that both Daisy and Gatsby know how long they have not seen each other for. Daisy adds somewhat of a guess to her answer as she says "many years". On the other hand, Gatsby is straight forward and remembers as he says "Five years next November". This shows that Gatsby is maybe counting the years until he would meet her again. This also shows that Gatsby and Daisy have a romantic relationship. The author uses simple conversation to show us detail about the two characters.
"He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and is unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an over wound clock." ( Fitzgerald 91-92)
This passage also shows how Gatsby truly feels about Daisy. Gatsby acts as if he is a teenager around their crush. He acts nervous and cannot collect his thoughts. This shows that he loves Daisy. He loves Daisy more than Tom does and would treat her better than him. Trouble can only occur in the future with this love triangle.
Chapter 4
Select a passage that gives the reader background information about Gatsby.
“He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers. “One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil. Reach me a rose, honey, and pour me a last drop into that there crystal glass" (Fitzgerald 61).
Gatsby remains a mystery to most people, and there are may rumors that surround him. In the below passage, a little more of Gatsby's personality is shown.
" He looked at me sideways -- and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying. He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford," or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before... and I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him, after all" ( Fitzgerald 65).
The sentence "He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford", or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before" shows how Gatsby is somewhat secretive and a liar. Gatsby's eagerness to rush the details of his past makes it seem as if Gatsby is hiding something. The indefinite answers that Gatsby gives shows that he thinks he can get away with almost anything just because he has money.
“He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers. “One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil. Reach me a rose, honey, and pour me a last drop into that there crystal glass" (Fitzgerald 61).
Gatsby remains a mystery to most people, and there are may rumors that surround him. In the below passage, a little more of Gatsby's personality is shown.
" He looked at me sideways -- and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying. He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford," or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before... and I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him, after all" ( Fitzgerald 65).
The sentence "He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford", or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before" shows how Gatsby is somewhat secretive and a liar. Gatsby's eagerness to rush the details of his past makes it seem as if Gatsby is hiding something. The indefinite answers that Gatsby gives shows that he thinks he can get away with almost anything just because he has money.
Chapter 3
Select a passage that describes the party.
"The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the centre of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light" (Fitzgerald 40-41)
This passage brings about surrealism. The Earth is personified by the party as "lurching away from the sun". The sentence " The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath;.." describes how numerous amounts of people arrive at the party, but as soon as they arrive they have already become a part of the party. The author makes Gatsby's party seem bizarre and unreal. Because of Gatsby's parties and wealth, he is very popular in the town. He is somewhat mysterious since no one knows where he came from or how he made his wealth. To add on, the parties can be a way for the people of the town to relieve stress and have fun.
"The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the centre of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light" (Fitzgerald 40-41)
This passage brings about surrealism. The Earth is personified by the party as "lurching away from the sun". The sentence " The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath;.." describes how numerous amounts of people arrive at the party, but as soon as they arrive they have already become a part of the party. The author makes Gatsby's party seem bizarre and unreal. Because of Gatsby's parties and wealth, he is very popular in the town. He is somewhat mysterious since no one knows where he came from or how he made his wealth. To add on, the parties can be a way for the people of the town to relieve stress and have fun.
Chapter 2
Select a passage that develops a character.
"The fact that he had one was insisted upon wherever he was known. His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomsoever he knew. Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her — but I did. I went up to New York with Tom on the train one afternoon, and when we stopped by the ashheaps he jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car.
“We’re getting off,” he insisted. “I want you to meet my girl.”(Fitzgerald 24).
This passage highlights the character of Tom Buchanan. We can take note that Tom is characterized as selfish because he only thinks of himself. In this passage it says that Tom would leave her (Daisy) at the table and go socialize with whomever he knew while at restaurants. This sentence highlights his selfishness and disloyalty. Also, his affair with Myrtle says a lot about his feelings for his wife. This shows he does not love his wife, Daisy. Tom comes off as an arrogant person who is powerful but not happy. This adds negativity to the novel as a whole. The reader will learn to dislike Tom hence allowing the reader to foreshadow only negative events including Tom.
"The fact that he had one was insisted upon wherever he was known. His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomsoever he knew. Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her — but I did. I went up to New York with Tom on the train one afternoon, and when we stopped by the ashheaps he jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car.
“We’re getting off,” he insisted. “I want you to meet my girl.”(Fitzgerald 24).
This passage highlights the character of Tom Buchanan. We can take note that Tom is characterized as selfish because he only thinks of himself. In this passage it says that Tom would leave her (Daisy) at the table and go socialize with whomever he knew while at restaurants. This sentence highlights his selfishness and disloyalty. Also, his affair with Myrtle says a lot about his feelings for his wife. This shows he does not love his wife, Daisy. Tom comes off as an arrogant person who is powerful but not happy. This adds negativity to the novel as a whole. The reader will learn to dislike Tom hence allowing the reader to foreshadow only negative events including Tom.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Chapter 1
Select a passage the describes the setting.
A: " I lived at West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two, though this a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. My house was at the very tip of the egg., only fifty yards from the Sound, and squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard - it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thing beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby's Mansion..."
This passage contributes to my interpretation of the work as a whole because it describes the setting in which the main character lives. He lives in a decent house but right next to him is a big mansion. The author makes it seem as if the main character's house is nothing compared to the mansion making him seem smaller. We can tell by the narration and description that Nick is not as rich as the others that surround him. He is well off but does not flaunt everything he has like everyone else around him. We can infer that he is a polite and modest man.
A: " I lived at West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two, though this a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. My house was at the very tip of the egg., only fifty yards from the Sound, and squeezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season. The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard - it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thing beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby's Mansion..."
This passage contributes to my interpretation of the work as a whole because it describes the setting in which the main character lives. He lives in a decent house but right next to him is a big mansion. The author makes it seem as if the main character's house is nothing compared to the mansion making him seem smaller. We can tell by the narration and description that Nick is not as rich as the others that surround him. He is well off but does not flaunt everything he has like everyone else around him. We can infer that he is a polite and modest man.
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