Chapter 9 is an example of the shortcomings that come along with wealth. Gatsby put in so much work to host the parties that everyone loved attending. He dedicated so much of his life into building this "desirable" image for himself. At the time of his death, no one was there for him. Nick tried calling some of his acquaintances and all of them were too busy to pay their respects at Gatsby's funeral. One of them was even more concerned with some shoes left at Gatsby's house rather than Gatsby. In this time period, people's lives are empty; they are consumed by the material world. Mr. Gatz, Jay's father, is much more humble than one would assume. He had many visions for his son and was sure of his capability to contribute to the world. In the end, Gatsby's dream to retrieve his relationship with Daisy was unsuccessful. He set his expectations too high which only complicated the situation. Tom and Gatsby were conceived individuals who only cared for themselves and when it came down to it, their well being was what mattered most. They created messes but expected other people to clean it up for them.
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Chapter 8 begins with Nick waking up from this frightening reality that he had to warn Gatsby of something major. Gatsby recounts to Nick the times of his youth as the newly "Jay Gatsby". Daisy was the first "nice girl" he had ever known..the most desirable of them all. It excited Gatsby to know that Daisy was wanted by many; it made him feel that his life was worth something. However, Gatsby knew that the life he imagined with Daisy was a mere fantasy. He was a poor boy with no background other than that of what he made up for himself. Gatsby was more in love with the idea of wealth that he chose to overlook the separations that lay between him and Daisy. After breakfast at Gatsby, Nick decides he has to leave for work but he is weary of his decision: "..I didn't want to leave Gatsby. I missed the train, and then another, before I could get myself away." This may be foreshadowing the coming of a devastating event (that's why Nick didn't want to leave Gatsby by himself). The night after the accident, Wilson is determined to find out who was driving the car that killed his wife. He was sure that it was intentional because he had seen his wife running out to the car yet the car didn't stop. Prior to her death, Wilson had warned her that "God sees everything" in reference to the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Wilson knew that his wife was cheating on him but he was hoping that she would confess to her mistakes. Later that night, Wilson started on his search for the yellow car. By noon, he had asked for Gatsby's directions. Wilson eventually finds Gatsby's house and shoots him. Nick hurries to Gatsby's house and finds him floating in the pool. Just as Gatsby's dream was to build a dream life with Daisy, Wilson's goal was to avenge the death of his wife and he did..
There are no words to describe chapter 7 other than complete and utter chaos. Not only does the setting (hottest day of the year) contribute to the downturn of events, so do the emotions of each character. Nick and Gatsby go to Daisy's house, Tom and Jordan are also in attendance. There is tension from the beginning as Tom is certain that there are unspoken feelings between Daisy and Gatsby. Daisy even kisses Gatsby when Tom is getting drinks. This could be seen as a testament to their love however I see it as simple pleasure. Daisy does not love Gatsby as much as he would like yet she still feels connected to him. The reunion between Daisy's daughter and Gatsby is quite awkward. Daisy's daughter is a true testament to the love shared between her and Tom. No matter how much Gatsby loves Daisy, her daughter will guarantee that her and Tom will always share something that Gatsby can't erase. They all decide to go to New York; Gatsby rides with Daisy and Tom rides with Nick and Jordan. Tom stops the car at Wilson's garage where he is told the most devastating news: his mistress and her husband are moving out west. Suddenly, the only two things that Tom had under his control are slipping out of his hands. This feeling of exasperation will lead Tom to confront Gatsby at the hotel about his relationship with Daisy. Daisy admits to loving Gatsby but to Gatsby's surprise she also admits to having loved Tom. Gatsby was sure that Daisy would leave Tom to be with him but now he is not so certain. Nick describes Gatsby in this moment: "He looked..as if he had killed a man." Amidst all this chaos, Nick reveals: "I just remembered today's my birthday." On his ride back home, Nick foreshadows the events that would soon come: "So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight." The readers would soon discover that Daisy had killed Tom's mistress with the car. It's ironic that Tom's wife had killed his mistress; it could mean that she was subconsciously trying to get revenge on Tom after all these years. Gatsby decides that he would take the blame, he would go to all ends to make sure that Tom did not hurt Daisy for what happened. In the end of the chapter, Daisy and Tom are seen sharing an intimate moment with one another. They weren't happy, but they weren't sad either. They continue on with their wealth-absorbed lives while Gatsby takes the fall for their actions.
In Chapter 6, the true story of Gatsby is revealed. It is a magnificent example of "rags to riches"- a young boy born on a farm meets a wealthy sailor named Dan Cody who teaches him about wealth and luxury. It is ironic that Gatsby drank so little because Dan was a drunkard as Gatsby usually has lots of alcohol at his parties. After the death of Dan Cody, Gatsby was left with the education of how to be a proper wealthy man. For the rest of his life, Gatsby would try to emulate this image.
Because Tom was suspicious of a secret relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, he accompanies her to his party. The atmosphere was tense and harsh as both Tom and Gatsby tried to disguise their feelings of disgust for one another. Daisy, on the other hand, does not seem to be enjoying herself. In this chapter, we also see the differing ideas emerge from those of West Egg and East Egg. Tom accuses Gatsby of being a bootlegger: "Most self-made men are bootleggers." Gatsby is disappointed to know that Daisy did not have a good time. He wants everything to go back to the way it was. His hopes were to recreate the past by means of his wealth. Gatsby always seems to be searching for something in his past whether it's his love for Daisy or his past identity. It's as if he lacks present feelings.. In Chapter 5, Gatsby finally reunites with the love of his life, Daisy. Gatsby is extremely anxious for the arrival of Daisy. He even sends a man to mow both his lawn and Nick's lawn. Gatsby is afraid that he won't meet Daisy's expectations and is worried that the 5 years spent separate have built a wedge in their love. When Daisy arrives, Gatsby disappears. However, Gatsby returns to meet with Daisy. Their first encounter is so awkward that Gatsby even knocks over Nick's clock. After 30 minutes, Nick returns to find the shadow of doubt completely gone. Gatsby and Daisy are staring at each other with a sense of radiance that overwhelmed anything Nick had ever seen. Gatsby invites Nick and Daisy over to his house where he proceeds to show them his extravagant home in hopes of impressing Daisy. Daisy is consumed with the luxurious home of Gatsby and all of her belongings. One question is why she begins to cry when Gatsby shows her his collection of English shirts? It's almost as if she's trying to fill some sort of void in her life with materialistic things or maybe she no longer feels a love for Gatsby the individual. At the end of the chapter, I perceived a notion that Daisy isn't all that Gatsby expected. Once he finally meets Daisy, he has nothing more to look forward to. I personally think that Gatsby was enticed with the idea of Daisy, rather than Daisy's physical presence.
Chapter 4 begins with Nick recalling a time in which he wrote down the names of all the guests that had attended Gatsby's party that summer. He does this as a way to try to degrade all the people who kindly accepted Gatsby's lavish parties but had no real desire to get to know Gatsby as a person. One day Gatsby drives up to Nick's house and invites him out for lunch. Nick notices that Gatsby is never still, always preoccupied with something unbeknownst to Nick. Gatsby is hiding a deep secret that he fears will ruin his reputation if revealed. Gatsby begins to tell Nick of his upbringing in the Midwest and his studies done in Harvard. However, when Nick asks Gatsby what part of the Midwest he's from, he answers San Francisco which is clearly on the western coast of the US. This raises questions as to the validity of his story. How can a man suddenly attain so much wealth? Gatsby talks of his time in the war and the awards he received by every country including Montenegro. So as to validate his claim and leave a good impression on Nick, Gatsby pulls out the medal he was awarded from Montenegro and a photograph of him and his Oxford pals. On their way to lunch, a policeman stops Gatsby and Gatsby proceeds to show him a white card. There is no explanation as to what the card said but it made the officer cower down and completely forget why he had stopped Gatsby in the first place. Gatsby seems to have a certain charisma that forces people to do whatever he so desires.
Once they arrive at their lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to his friend, Mr. Wolfsheim. Mr. Wolfsheim is a mysterious character and there's a lot of ambiguity as to what he truly does. He is certainly involved in business, possibly the alcohol business considering this novel was written during prohibition. At lunch, Nick recognizes Tom Buchanan and quickly goes to introduce him to Gatsby. This is extremely awkward as Gatsby is in love with Daisy, Tom's wife. Gatsby leaves before he is actually to Tom. After lunch with Gatsby, Nick meets up with Jordan. Jordan begins by telling him the story of Gatsby's and Daisy's past. A few years back, she was a young girl in Kentucky where Gatsby, the young soldier was stationed. Gatsby and her fell deeply in love however Daisy married Tom after Gatsby left for war. Now that Gatsby was back, he bought the house across from Daisy in order to be closer to her. He threw extravagant parties hoping that one day Daisy would be lured in. After no sign of Daisy, he hoped to find someone who knew her. When he recognized Jordan as one of her friends, he asked her if she could request for Nick to invite Daisy over and have him casually drop by. In this chapter, it becomes clear to the audience the reason for Gatsby's parties, his longing for love, and his true desires. Gatsby didn't come to West Egg to divulge in the greedy and self-absorbing lifestyles of the 20s, he came here to reconnect with Daisy. He fears that Daisy will not love him so he comes up with a fake facade that he hopes will impress Daisy. The green light at the end of the bay represents Daisy. Chapter 3 begins with an elaborate description of the extravagant parties held by Gatsby- the expensive cars, the alcohol, and the orchestra among other things. On one night, Nick attends one of Gatsby's weekly parties and emphasizes that he had been invited rather than simply attending the party by choice. Nick wants everyone to know that him and Gatsby have some sort of unspoken connection, although Nick has never actually met Gatsby. Nick frantically searches for Gatsby and questions the party goers of his location. Nowhere to be found, Nick finds Jordan Baker, the golfer. After half an hour of wandering and a small discussion with two other girls, Nick and Jordan find Gatsby but Nick doesn't recognize his face. Gatsby introduces himself as a former veteran of the Great War but Nick does not acknowledge that it's him until Gatsby explicitly claims it's him. This is rather odd as Nick is has been very observant of Gatsby almost in an obsessive manner. There is something about the mystery of Gatsby which draws Nick in. It is clear that Gatsby is very delicate when speaking as to not reveal too much of himself and effectively allow people to continue to question his past.
Chapter two begins with the description of the valley of ashes- a desolate area of land where the railroad meets the road for some time. This serves as a stark contrast to the riches and posh mansions of West and East egg. In the valley of ashes is a large advertising board with the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg but no face. These eyes watching over the city may represent the eyes of God watching over the moral indecencies and the gradual decay of the rich generation. This may also serve as a metaphor for female genitalia. Tom and Nick go to the gas station in the valley of ashes where they meet up with Myrtle, his mistress, and travel to an apartment in New York City. On the way, Tom buys Myrtle a puppy as a sign of dominance and control.They decide to host a party and invite the McKees and Catherine, Myrtle's sister. They proceed to drink alcohol and let out their inner desires. Nick is disgusted at their behavior but also intrigued by the carelessness of their minds. Myrtle begins to chant Daisy's name in defiance and Tom punches her in the nose. Soon after this the party ended, and both the Mckee's and Nick leave the party. Somehow Nick ends up standing beside Mr. McKee's bed who is dressed in his underwear revealing Nick's homosexual tendencies. There is a lot of ambiguity as it is not clear how Nick ended up in this room and what their encounter consisted of....
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel narrated by Nick Carraway, a yale educated young man who prefers to reserve judgments as he believes this will allow him to truly understand those who were not as fortunate as him in terms of moral standards. The story begins with Carraway describing his first arrival in New York and the purchase of his home in West Egg. West Egg was home to the self-made millionaires, those who rose to the top with no help from others. East Egg, right across from West Egg, was home to the millionaires who had been rich since the cradle. One night, Nick drives to East Egg where he will meet his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. In his description of Tom, Nick emphasizes the cruel body of his and his desire to be liked by others yet remain above them. As all four of them are having dinner, Tom receives a suspicious phone call. Jordan, Daisy's friend, quietly explains to Tom that the woman on the other line is Tom's mistress. Things become awkward pretty quick and Daisy takes Nick outside for a chat. She explains to Nick what she is feeling in a sort of manner that urges understanding. She claims that all a girl can ever be in this world is a pretty little fool. This reflects the atmosphere of the time in which people subdued their emotions as a way to fit in the lavish and glamorous lifestyles of the 20s. As Nick heads home from the dinner, he looks out on the bay and sees a figure out in the horizon. The figure is no other than Jay Gatsby and he is reaching out to the water as if he were longing for something unattainable. There was nothing there but a faint green light, possibly representing the wish for moral decency among a group of people who are lost in their surroundings.
1. In the first paragraph, the tone of the story is jovial. The author describes a church scene in which adults and children are happily entering church. This is evident in his use of words such as "bright faces", "merrily, and "sunshine". As the story progresses, the tone shifts from jovial to gloomy and mysterious. This is evident in his use of words such as "darkly", "gloomy", "confusion", and "mysteries". The shift in tone occurs when the minister is first seen with the black veil; everyone is mystified at the minister's current choice of headwear.
2. Hawthorne's use of light/dark imagery is clear in the use of diction. The first paragraph uses light imagery,however, the story transitions to a use of dark imagery as the story continues. Nevertheless, Hawthorne doesn't completely abandon the use of light imagery after the first paragraph. He makes a contrast between light and dark imagery in the middle of the story when he discusses the funeral of a young lady and then proceeds to discuss the marriage of another young lady. Hawthorne seems to imply that light and darkness balance each other; one cannot exist without the other. 3. "Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil." In this sentence, the natural subject- verb direct object order is inverted to build and add to the suspense and mystery that has already been created. This sentences comes when the minister enters the church and all of the parishioners are amazed at his new appearance. The inverted order of this sentence helps to pack suspense for the revelation: the minister is wearing a black veil. 4.When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the young girl, his veil lifts. In that instant, his face is revealed to the body in the casket. An old lady claimed that the body of the young girl shivered when the minister's features were disclosed. As soon as Mr. Hooper realized that his veil had lifted back, he pulled it back in place. The first question that emerges when reading this part of the story is why the young body of the girl shivered at the sight of the minister's face. Is it possible that he killed her or maybe he committed some sort of sexual sin against her? Maybe, the minister felt ashamed of his actions and neglects to show his face to his victim. 5. The juxtaposition of the wedding of a wedding of two young people on the same day as a funeral of a young maiden goes right along with the theme of Light v. Dark. This stark contrast demonstrates that light and dark are joined; they both work together. This juxtaposition goes against one of the main ideas of transcendentalism that states "All people are born good, but society corrupts them". In this story, the minister is wearing a black veil to conceal his sins that were a result of his own individual thoughts and actions. It shows that following one's inner light is not always the best choice. 6. A reader may know that Hawthorne understood the power of rhetoric through his use of diction, rhetorical questions, and irony. He exhibits his powerful knowledge of diction choice when he transitions his choice of vocabulary from happy to gloomy in a swiftful manner. He makes a stark contrast that is obvious yet not too abrupt. "Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?" The preceding rhetorical question is successful in its attempt to make the audience wonder about one's own sins. The irony is shown through the main character of the story; the minister of a church has committed such a horrendous sin that he is forced to hide his face. 7. Hawthorne seems to criticize the basic tenants of Transcendentalism through the main focus of the story. The story is based on a minister's secret sin and decision to wear a black veil. Although, the sin is not revealed, it seems that it had something to do with the young maiden who died. The minister uses the black veil to hide his shame, sin, and guilt from those who look up to him. It could be said that Mr. Hooper was guided by his inner light to follow his inner desires but our inner desires are not always the ones by we should abide by. Transcendentalists believe that people are innately good yet this story proves that everyone has negative inner desires. Professor of religion and philosophy, Stephen H. Webb, in his satirical essay, "How Soccer is ruining America: A Jeremiad", describes the belief that soccer is an immoral sport meant to destroy the very foundation of America. Webb's purpose is to ridicule the absurd idea that soccer is ruining america through his use irony and sarcasm. He adopts an accusatory and hyperbolic tone in order to appeal to the reader's sense of humor and create an atmosphere of bewilderment.
Webb begins his essay claiming that soccer is destroying American society and undermining the capabilities of children by lowering the standard of hard work. He appeals to the dismayed emotions of the audience by personifying soccer: "Soccer is running America into the ground, and there is very little anyone can do about it." This sentence is meant to be ironic because "soccer is running" while one also runs in soccer. Webb then proceeds to continue his argument by asserting that soccer is dumbing America, and not only that but it is also the most boring game to watch. The author appeals to the sense of amusement in his opening paragraphs in order to mock those who claim soccer is ruining America. The abundance of absurd and nonsensical claims in the introduction causes the readers to step back and wipe their eyes in a sense of amazement. In addition, it draws the audience to continue to read the essay in order to see what other possible arguments the author is capable of making. The first argument made by Webb is that the use of feet in a sport is very wrong because feet are unholy and dehumanizing. He attempts to back his argument by using the fallacy known as appeal to tradition in which a situation is right simply because it has always been that way. He argues that God gave us our hands including our thumb in order to distinguish us from four-legged animals.This in turn means that feet should not be applied to any activity because they're a pure sign of disrespect and a need for redemption. By appealing to tradition, Webb says that humans have always been defined by their use of hands and that it ought to remain this way forever. In this moment, the audience becomes aware that the author's sole purpose is to defame the claims made by those who say that soccer is ruining America. This is due to the complete foolishness of the claim that humans were only designed to use their hands. If God gave us our hands, then he must have given us our feet..his complete lack of acknowledgement of feet disproves his argument in a way that is sarcastic and laughable. The second argument made by Webb is that sports were created to break kids down before they begin to build them up. In other words, kids should be exposed to failure and the sacrifices of hard work before they can experience success. Webb supports his claim by using an anecdote in which he discusses the ways in which baseball broke him down: "When I was a kid, baseball was the most popular sport precisely because it was so demanding. Even its language was intimidating, with bases, bats, strikes, and outs." In this paragraph, Webb seeks to defend the claim that soccer begins to build kids up from the start before it breaks them down. In the following paragraph, the author discusses the fears he faced as a baseball player such as the fear of disfigurement or of striking out. Webb indirectly redefines soccer as a sport that poses no fear or greater challenge to the players. However, it is known by most that soccer is a sport that involves strategy, agility, and quick movements. It is unreasonable and therefore ridiculous to make such an argument. The third argument is that soccer is a foreign invasion;according to Webb all things foreign are bad. By accrediting the creation of soccer to Europeans, Webb assumes that is a terrible sport simply because Europe is all about death and despair. This argument completely neglects the idea that soccer was adopted by Americans hence the name "soccer". Soccer in other parts of the world is known as football. This contradicts the idea of soccer as an invasion; rather soccer came and conquered the hearts of many Americans. In the fourth argument, there is a shift in perspective from denouncing to appreciative. The author begins to display the true purpose of his essay in a more direct approach. He alleges that soccer is a sport made for girls because it requires brain skill rather than physical strength. That is to say girls lack aggressiveness and toughness which is clearly sexist in all ways possible. Further in the argument, Webb states that soccer mimics the feminine experience of childbirth more than the masculine business of destroying your opponent. This may or may not be considered sexist to men as they may feel that physical strength used by men requires more stamina than childbirth. Nevertheless, this argument is no longer a complete dispute against soccer. In closing his essay, Webb seems to refute his previous argument while still maintaining an obnoxious tone. He addresses the idea that soccer is a foreign invasion, yet this time he refers to it as a self inflicted wound. Americans are to blame for their own embracement of soccer. In regards to soccer being an unholy or wrongful sport, Webb debates his former arguments by saying: "Baseball is too intimidating, football is too brutal, and basketball takes too much time to develop the required skills." This statement indirectly makes soccer out to be the perfect sport. In the next sentences, Webb says that soccer allows everyone in the family to play a role and that results in better parenting. Because soccer is a sport that drains energy, it is helpful to overworked parents who lack the energy to play with their children on their own time. In the last paragraph, Webb reveals that he is the parent of three soccer girls which works to build his ethos. Because the readers are now aware that Webb is a soccer dad who has knowledge of the game, it only supports the true purpose of this essay which is to deride claims that soccer is not a worthy sport. He essentially builds up the argument of his opponent with exaggerated claims and then proceeds to knock it all down. Webb's last sentence is the ultimate reveal of his true intention in this satirical essay: "Nonetheless, I must say that my kids and I come home from a soccer game a very happy family." To put it another way, you have just been led to believe the outrageous claim that soccer is ruining America. On Sunday, January 4th, Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Wenjian Lu. Wenjian Lu was one of the two officers who was ambushed and killed by a man who seeked revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. During De Blasio's speech thousands of police officers outside the funeral home turned their back on the mayor in a sign of anger. They feel that the mayor worsened the anti-police climate through his actions and words specifically that in which he told his biracial son to be careful around the police. The police officers feel as if the mayor has failed to support them during these tense times. They believe that his support of the protesters following the death of Eric Garner may have attributed to the anti-police climate that took the death of two fellow police officers.
In his speech, De Blasio seems to be very tense. He is aware that the police officers have turned their backs on him. He begins by saying "All of our city is heartbroken today", in a way of empathizing with both sides. He recognizes the dangers faced by police officers everyday and the daily sacrifices made by them. In rendering praise to Lu, De Blasio says: "He walked a path of courage, a path of sacrifice, and a path of kindness". The repetition of "a path of..." emphasizes the significance of each word. He continues to praise police officers in general for being the foundation of a society and the protection of all its citizens. Throughout the speech, De Blasio offers multiple examples as to enhance the great character of officer Lu. He does this by referring to Lu's relationship with his parents and his relationship with the other police officers. In entirety, De Blasio appeals to pathos to evoke a feeling of great sadness among the audience. Mayor De Blasio ends the speech by asking fellow New Yorkers: "Let us rededicate ourselves to those great New York traditions of mutual understanding and living in Harmony." He asks New Yorkers to focus on all things that unite them, and not on those that disunite them in hopes of strengthening the broken bonds. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois. He was addressing his Republican colleagues as their first US Senate candidate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. He begins his speech by referring to the Kansas- Nebraska Act and the repeal of Missouri Compromise by Stephen Douglas, attributing it to an escalation of unrest. Lincoln then asserts that the end to slavery agitation will not come until a crisis has occurred: "In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed". In this sentence, Lincoln seems to be referring to the civil war in which southern states will secede from the Union in order to preserve their way of life. Following the foreshadowing of the civil war, Lincoln unravels what will become the main argument in his speech: "A house divided against itself cannot stand". This may seem familiar as it originates from the bible: Mark 3.25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. In other words, Lincoln assures his audience that a country composed of half slave states and half free states will eventually cease to be a country. However, he clarifies his statement by saying that he does not believe the house, otherwise known as the US government, will not fall. It will either become entirely pro- slavery or entirely anti-slavery. Lincoln urges his audience to stand firm despite the troubling times because he believes that a stop in the spread of slavery will lead to its demise.
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