Blog #3 Syntax

·         “’It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before” (92).

The interruption of the phrase with a dash along with the repetition of the word “such” serves to emphasize the beauty of the shirts by isolating the phrase and repeating the word that describes the extent. This also reveals more of Daisy’s emotion and obsession with money. The accent on the second half of the sentence illuminates the author’s purpose to disclose Daisy’s shallow personality and obsession with money as well as to convey her astonishment at Gatsby’s achievements in such a small amount of time.

·         “The lawn stared at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning dials—finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run” (6).

The polysyndeton before the dash highlights the vast extent of area that the lawn covered, continuing the phrase by adding another conjunction in a place where the phrase seems like it should end. To further this emphasis on the length of the lawn, Fitzgerald places a dash followed by the word finally when describing the end of the expanse of lawn outside the Buchanan’s house. The dash furthers the author’s purpose of portraying the Buchanan’s wealth by isolating the second half of the sentence, accenting its contents and meaning. In addition, the word “finally” implies a sense of relief about seeing the end of the vast expanse of grass after watching the lawn continue for so long. In general, the author is providing the reader with a depiction of the wealth of Tom an Daisy by describing such a seemingly common and simple object as an example.

Blog #4 Text Connection

            Throughout American history, conflicts between whites and minority groups have been present since the arrival of Europeans on America. The tension and beliefs about minorities during these times is similar to the views of East Egg inhabitants to West Egg inhabitants, particularly Tom Buchanan towards Jay Gatsby. When it came to the Indian tribes in the west, Americans looked at them as inferior and savage, even if they followed the ways of the whites. The government would attempt to grant them more equality and independence, however, when land was needed, these efforts were tossed aside and were replaced with various acts that displaced, intruded on, and even killed the Indians. In the case of The Great Gatsby, Tom and the rest of the East looked at the West as inferior since they felt the need to flaunt their newly formed wealth. In addition, they saw them as uncivilized, particularly at Gatsby’s parties in which many people were drunk passed the state of rational thought. All of these were excuses for the east to call themselves superior. Similar situations happened with blacks. Slaves worked harder than their white masters on the farm, yet were looked at as though they were powerless and incapable of taking care of themselves. “New money” worked to earn their money and were not born into money like “old money” and white slave masters were, yet they were looked down upon for having to have done the hard work to earn their living. The people who put in the effort  and work to get their profits were considered inferior  those who had their money given to them. In both situations, one side’s haughty views caused them to gain a sense of superiority due to their financial position and birth.

Blog #5 Personal Review

            The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was not what I expected it to be. Overall, the book was decent, but at times rather frustrating. Gatsby’s personality originally seemed “great” like the title suggests, but is quickly changed by his back story and his overactive imagination. His character is still one of my favorites out of the book along with Nick’s and followed by Jordan’s and Michaelis’s. However, after hearing so much about the book throughout my childhood, I expected a deeper meaning and a more elaborate plot. Characters such as Daisy and Tom act as strong antagonists, but seem to lack much good in them. Adding a few good qualities to them would make the more realistic. Gatsby, although not the same “great” I was expecting, at least seems more realistic and balanced.

            Although I have a lot of criticism towards aspects of the book, I did enjoy it and am glad I read it. Nick’s humor and sarcasm added humor to the book which helped ease up some of the tension that is created between “new money” and “old money.” The plot was different than anything I have ever read which gave me insight and knowledge on a topic I knew nothing about. Gatsby’s character alone set the book apart from most others. His innocence yet corruption made him a very interesting figure to follow. He was involved in many illegal affairs in order to attain his money, yet he holds dreams from when he was still considered a child (which can also be considered admirable, even if it is a little unrealistic) and on occasion acts a little naïve and immature. In most books I have read, the characters can be easily compared to characters of another book that have the same personality. In the case of Gatsby, I know of no books that have a character similar to him.

            As a whole, the book was enjoyable and different. The underlying morals and meanings create a larger sense of purpose for the book and added complexity to the mostly simple plot. Most importantly, the character of Gatsby and his tragic and ironic death made the book have more emotion which easily makes it a much greater work than it ever could have been without Gatsby’s odd and quirky “new money” personality. 

Blog #2 Diction

By contrasting the two opposing tones, Fitzgerald effectively mirrors the vast differences between the “new money” of West Egg and the “old money” of East Egg. His diction provides an unpleasant feeling towards West Egg, describing it as “less fashionable,” “superficial,” and “bizarre” (Fitzgerald 5). Each word connotes a feeling of oddity and falseness, making West Egg seem to lack originality, adding to the author’s critical tone. In addition, the words “less fashionable” create a sense of inferiority. Fitzgerald implies that the effort of West Egg to appear wealthy has caused them to seem pathetic in the eyes of “old money” who think of them as “bizarre” and false. His criticizing tone mimics that of the people of East Egg, as if people of East Egg themselves were discussing West Egg. Similarly, the words used to describe East Egg seem as if they were sarcastically written by a person from West Egg. In contrast with West Egg, East Egg is portrayed as a “fashionable” place with “white palaces that glittered along the water” (Fitzgerald 5). This vast contrast in word choice for each location results in an overall tone that seems to be mocking the two sides for their judgments of each other. The author emphasizes the ridiculous perspectives and stereotypes of each side by contrasting them side by side, illuminating the opinions of each about the other. Fitzgerald at one point goes to the extent of calling their differences “sinister,” which could also refer to their personal opinions about each other. Overall, Fitzgerald’s mocking tone expresses the vast differences between the two sides of the bay by juxtaposing their evident physical differences while suggesting at many mental disagreements by mirroring their opinions with his own tone.

Blog #1 Rhetorical Strategies

• ·         Metaphor: “Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could sucks on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder” (110).
• ·         Simile: “He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breathe, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God” (110).
• ·         Symbolism: “’It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before’” (92).
• ·         Irony: “He (Gatsby) would never so much as look at a friend’s wife” (72).
• ·         Cliché: “All I kept thinking about, over and over, was ‘You can’t live forever; you can’t live forever’” (36).
• ·         Paradox: “Among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table I remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one, and yet to avoid all eyes” (15).
• ·         Personification: “The lawn stared at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls an burning dials—finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run” (6).
• ·         Alliteration: “wide open to the warm windy afternoon” (6).

Fitzgerald’s extensive use of figurative language assists in achieving his style that mirrors that of the common person of the time with occasional added dramatic feeling. When the author reaches out of his usual style, he expresses the differences in the described object that separate it from the average society. When Fitzgerald describes that “Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could sucks on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder” (110), he clearly illustrates Gatsby’s realization that he is destined to be great, not just a poor soldier. The sophisticated metaphor is a drastic change from the normal language and vernacular used throughout the book which serves to separate Gatsby apart from the ordinary people as a man who is meant for something greater. Each rhetorical strategy develops a character or a place, making them stand out against the parts of the book that are in the average style that parallels the average person. When Daisy pronounces “’It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before’” (92), the author reveals how shallow “old money” is by using Gatsby’s shirts as a symbol for money. Daisy breaks away from average society by revealing her obsession with money that has been ingrained into her head since she was a child growing up in a wealthy family. The depth of the strategy divides itself from the simplicity of the normal text in order to create the more dramatic style that Fitzgerald utilizes to describe his lead characters. Overall, Fitzgerald’s manipulation of language allows him to develop his characters in a style that is disconnected from the underlying manner.