Friday, January 24, 2020

How Fitzgerald Controls readers reaction To Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald delays the introduction of Gatsby until fairly late in the novel. This emphasizes the theatrical quality of Gatsby's approach to life, which is an important part of his personality. Gatsby has literally created his own character. As his relentless quest for Daisy demonstrates, Gatsby has an extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality, at the beginning of the novel, he appears to the reader just as he desires to appear to the world. We hear of Gatsby through Nick, and in a sense his reputation precedes him. Fitzgerald propels the novel forward through the early chapters by shrouding Gatsby's background and the source of his wealth in mystery. Fitzgerald uses Nick as a puppet and, because of this we first hear Nick?s feelings towards Gatsby in chapter one. Nick is looking back into the past at this point, and how he perceives him since he first met him. Nick says, ?Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have unaffected scorn? and at this point in the novel, Fitzgerald makes sure we don?t understand what Nick is talking about. He then drip feeds us more information throughout the book, but this gives a very mysterious impression of Gatsby. What shouldn?t we like about him? We haven?t even met him yet. Fitzgerald then controls Nick to say, ?If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the ?creative temperament? ? it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romanti... ...ross just as he would like to be perceived at the start of the novel. As his relentless quest for Daisy demonstrates, Gatsby has an extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality. This talent for self-invention is what gives Gatsby his quality of ?greatness?: indeed, the title ?The Great Gatsby? is reminiscent of names for such magicians as ?The Great Houdini? and ?The Great Blackstone,? suggesting that the persona of Jay Gatsby is a masterful illusion. As the novel progresses and Fitzgerald deconstructs Gatsby?s self-presentation, Gatsby reveals himself to be an innocent, hopeful young man who stakes everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworthy of him. Gatsby invests Daisy with an idealistic perfection that she cannot possibly attain in reality and pursues her with a passionate zeal that blinds him to her limitations.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Best Teacher

1. If my memory serves my correct, â€Å"The Best Teacher† I remember is my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Hawthorne. She taught at Stamford Middle School in Stamford, CT. Mrs. Hawthorne was tough, patient, caring, and didn’t mind going that extra mile for any of her students education. Whether it was staying afterschool, coming to your house for parent-teacher conferences, or even buying school materials for students that couldn’t afford them. Mrs. Hawthorne, to me, was the definition of a GREAT teacher. 2. I think when I teach my philosophy of education will be more of a behaviorist. Behaviorist puts emphasis on accountability, believes in practice, practices reinenforcement, and having objectives. All of these characteristics are what I think are important in helping a student learning and successed. This is also the philosophy I think most of my past good teachers followed. 3. My â€Å"life-changing† moment that involved my education was when I first met this Bronx native Geoffrey Canada. He came to our 8th grade class to talk to us, Ive never knew of Mr. Canada before that day. His speech was so heart-felt, almost like President Obama speeches. He talked about stereotypes, the importance of studying and practice, never giving up, and never settling for just getting by. Mr. Canada was a social activist, author, educator, and now is CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone. Harlem Children’s Zone is a group of charter schools in Harlem that focuses on combating effects of poverty and improving child/parent education. Mr. Canada has showed me that you can come from anywhere and succeed, but when you succeed you she help others strive to succeed.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - A Tarnished...

The Great Gatsby: A Tarnished American Dream Thesis: In his influential book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald recognizes and describes many of the less alluring characteristics of the 1920s and the pursuit of the American Dream including dysfunctional relationships, materialism and classism. The American dream states that people can work themselves up from rags to riches by hard work.1 For this reason, the new society has developed dreams of the blind pursuit of material, wealth, and economic success. F. Scott Fitzgerald realizes this big change in society, and considering the fact that he is a fighter for the old values, this novelist tries to warn people not to continue this wrong way. The ideal†¦show more content†¦Some of these people look for a more luxurious life, while others just marry for convenience. For instance, Myrtle Wilson holds an extramarital relationship with Tom Buchanan, for he can provide her with luxuries that her own husband cannot afford, and both Tom and Myrtle make Wilson appear like a fool, because he thinks she goes to see her sister in New York (Fitzgerald, 30), while Myrtle is actually going to meet with her lover, whom she regrets marrying. Actually, she even expresses inconformity with their marriage, for The onl y crazy I [Myrtle] was when I married him [George]. I knew right away I made a mistake. (Fitzgerald, 41) In addition, carelessness is also present when Daisys attitude makes Gatsby believe that she will wait for him until he comes back from war. However, she marries Tom because I [Gatsby] was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me! (Fitzgerald, 137) People who get married for interest, like Daisy did when she got married to Tom, prove the carelessness existing in the 1920s in American society when dealing with relationships. Another proof of carelessness for the person, with whom they hold a relationship with, is Tom and MyrtlesShow MoreRelated Death of a Dream in Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay1480 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby and the Death of a Dream      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates the roaring twenties by showing the division of society.   The Buchanans live on one side, East Egg, and Jay Gatsby lives on the other side, West Egg.   The Buchanans belong to the socialites, yet their lives have no meaning.   Gatsby tries to chase the American Dream, yet his idea is tarnished.   He throws parties to try and fit in with the socialites.  Ã‚   Gatsbys pursuit of the American Dream is doomed because he triesRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay1546 Words   |  7 Pageshad seen before. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald imbues a story with many themes and qualities from his own life, reflected in the parallels between his own history and that of Gatsby and Nick Carraway. With new, unbridled, booming economic growth, what started as the Great American Dream became a vulgar, empty, greedy pursuit of material goods. On top of this rise in national wealth, the addition of disillusione d World War I veterans looking to grab the American Dream and use it to hoist themselvesRead MoreElizabeth Barrett Browning And F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby984 Words   |  4 PagesThe universal values portrayed through the texts ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ (1845) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1926) highlight the similar and different intertextual perspectives and values relevant to the Victorian Era and 1920 s Jazz Age. 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