Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Interpreter of Maladies
I think Mr. Kapasi was just was taken aback as I was at the lack of familial ties within the Das family. He made the perfect comparison in say that "Mr. and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents" (Lahiri). Jhumpa Lahiri's short story Interpreter of Maladies is a family conversion condensed into nine pages. I was more surprised at Mrs. Das' disconnection with the children than her husband's. Mothers almost always have an unexplainable tie with their offspring, but she acted like it was too much to ask to act like she loved her or even just to take her daughter to the bathroom! Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das are both in a loveless marriage and crave attention of which they are deprived by their spouse. That's why they cling so quickly to each other. He likes that she's interested in him, and she is enchanted at the notion that he might be able to help rid her of the burden of the knowledge of her past. Mrs. Das made a mistake though; she forgot that, in both physical and spiritual healing, the method of remedy is not always easy or painless. She expected Kapasi to give her a quick-fix answer or advice as to what she should do regarding her past affair. I found it very symbolic that his number blew out of Mrs. Das' purse when she reached in for a brush for her son. In that moment, she no longer had any reason for contacting him on their return home. He had already helped to heal her. In the moment that she showed genuine love and nurture to her children, she didn't have any use for his interpreting skills anymore.
Everyday Use
Throughout the entirety of Alice Walker's short story Everyday Use, I was further and further disgusted by Dee. Walker starts off the bat implying that Dee is a spoiled, selfish girl in saying that "'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her" (Walker). Dee is a self-centered young woman, with no respect for her mother and what she's done for her children. I was so confused by Dee's actions when she returned to visit her mother and sister. She was suddenly so interested in her old house's humble, homemade things from which she had so eagerly run away. All she can think about is herself, and the moment SHE deems something worthy of her desire, it belongs to her. I found it annoying that she wanted take back with her things such as the churn and the dasher. These were items that her mother and sister NEEDED and USED. She knew this, yet still openly stated that she merely wanted them for her own decor. I thought the whole short story ended in irony. Dee, who all her life had gotten whatever she desired, but never wanted what she had, was denied the meticulously made quilts she had once scorned. On the opposite end, Maggie, who had accepted the role of living in her sister's shadow and having nothing "reserved for her", was given the precious family quilts for her own.
Dream Deferred
Langston Hughes poem Dream Deferred makes use of several literary techniques and strategies. The poem is settled around the question of "what happens to a dream deferred?" (Hughes). I noticed that, not only is the majority of the poem composed of similes, but that most of them refer to foods. It is one of the few poems in this group of literary works which actually has a rhyming scheme, which, in my opinion, makes for a smoother and more flowing read.
He also uses punctuation to further connect with his audience. Only one of the seven phrases of the work is a statement; the rest are questions. I think Hughes uses the many questions to involve the reader, to make us think, and to form our own opinions of what becomes of deferred dreams. His statement of "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load" (Hughes) seems to be HIS thoughts on the matter. He doesn't put it as a question like the rest of the poem; he states it as though it is a fact he believes in. Hughes gives some similes suggesting that a deferred dream is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I feel that the overall tone of the poem is that a dream lost lays a heavy burden on the heart.
He also uses punctuation to further connect with his audience. Only one of the seven phrases of the work is a statement; the rest are questions. I think Hughes uses the many questions to involve the reader, to make us think, and to form our own opinions of what becomes of deferred dreams. His statement of "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load" (Hughes) seems to be HIS thoughts on the matter. He doesn't put it as a question like the rest of the poem; he states it as though it is a fact he believes in. Hughes gives some similes suggesting that a deferred dream is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I feel that the overall tone of the poem is that a dream lost lays a heavy burden on the heart.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Hazel Tells LaVerne
Machan's diction is extremely informal in her poem Hazel Tells LaVerne. Her vernacular appears to be African American. She uses words such as "musta", tryin ta", and improper English like "well i screams". I noticed that there is no punctuation or capitalization in this poem. This, combined with the lax usage of diction, makes this poem seem very personal, as though a friend were sitting across from me telling me the story herself. The poem was kind of a sick twist on the old legend of The Princess and the Frog. It was the practical version; no woman in her right mind would put her lips to a frog's skin without hesitation. To me, the poem reminds me of growing up. When we're young and naive, we believe (or at least WANT to believe) in fairy tales of princes and princesses, magic and mystery. As we grow older and more mature, though, as Hazel apparently has, we are thrust into the real world. And the real world has no room for fairy tales. The poem might also be about how we can sometimes throw away amazing opportunities which present themselves to us, merely because they seem too far-fetched or too good to be true.
Mr. Z
Mr. Z is a poem of a man who was a man ashamed of his background. From the context of this poem, and the fact that he was "taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error" (Holman), Mr. Z must have been at least partially African American. Who raised him to believe that who he was was an 'error'? He lived an exhausting life trying to disprove every stereotype that might connect him to his true race, and the author gives numerous examples of this. I love how Holman used the analogy of a plant when he said Mr. Z was "flourishing without roots." Mr. Z had no base, no foundation or pride in his up-bringing. Mr. Z might represent any man or woman who is ashamed by the color of his or her skin. He can't have died as a "distinguished member of his race" (Holman), because he had never embraced his race to begin with. The author almost seems embarrassed or offended by Mr. Z's denouncement of his ethnic background! He spoke in matter-of-fact stanzas, giving pure facts about Mr. Z's life. He hid his disgust of Mr. Z's actions as much as Mr. Z had tried to hide any evidence of his race.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Perrine Poetry
This reading brought up thoughts about poetry that have never crossed my mind. I noticed that, like our class, few people had the same interpretation of Emily Dickinson's poem. He gives very convincing evidence supporting the fact that it is truly written about a sunset. He looks so much deeper into each individual word of a poem or work then I ever have. I noticed that under the title of this piece, Perrine says "To what extent can teachers demand 'correct' interpretations of poetry? Are there no incorrect answers?" This gave me the impression that he would be supporting the fact that different words can mean something separate to any one individual. However, his elaboration contradicts what I first thought. I believe he goes on to state that differing interpretations are acceptable, so long as they can be applied and associated with almost every detail of the poem.
I never would have guessed that Melville's poem was about stars and not a marching army! But, after reading the rest of Perrine's explanation, it all becomes clear. It's a little unsettling. It makes me wonder how many other poems and works I've missed the meaning of. But isn't poetry SUPPOSED to be interpreted differently so that each person can find a way to connect to it? In reading this and suddenly agreeing with every explanation of Perrine, am I forfeiting my personal opinion and interpretation because someone made me feel like I was wrong? The overall message I took from this reading is that each word, no matter the kind, has so much power. Each word has the power to change what the reader thinks the poem is about. It's shown me that I need to be much more careful and picky in the words and adjectives that I choose if I want to get my point across.
I never would have guessed that Melville's poem was about stars and not a marching army! But, after reading the rest of Perrine's explanation, it all becomes clear. It's a little unsettling. It makes me wonder how many other poems and works I've missed the meaning of. But isn't poetry SUPPOSED to be interpreted differently so that each person can find a way to connect to it? In reading this and suddenly agreeing with every explanation of Perrine, am I forfeiting my personal opinion and interpretation because someone made me feel like I was wrong? The overall message I took from this reading is that each word, no matter the kind, has so much power. Each word has the power to change what the reader thinks the poem is about. It's shown me that I need to be much more careful and picky in the words and adjectives that I choose if I want to get my point across.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 170-180
I can't believe no one came to his funeral. The second he stopped spoiling selfish strangers with parties and fun, no one had any use for him. Fitzgerald reveals at this point in The Great Gatsby that it had been Tom who'd betrayed Gatsby. Gatsby was murdered because Tom was too much of a coward to admit the truth to Myrtle's husband. How can Carraway not be bothered by the fact that Daisy didn't bother to make contact with him at all about Gatsby's death?! She had loved him, or so she claimed. I think Carraway sums up Daisy and Tom perfectly at the end of this novel. "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy---they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (Fitzgerald, 179).
I think Fitzgerald wanted us to get a couple messages out of his novel, and I found a quote for each.
theme 1: "Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead" (Fitzgerald, 172). We need to show the people we care about how much they mean to us before it is too late.
theme 2: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald, 180). We never move on from our past. Not completely anyway. We are forever wanting to either change the past or resurrect it.
I can't believe no one came to his funeral. The second he stopped spoiling selfish strangers with parties and fun, no one had any use for him. Fitzgerald reveals at this point in The Great Gatsby that it had been Tom who'd betrayed Gatsby. Gatsby was murdered because Tom was too much of a coward to admit the truth to Myrtle's husband. How can Carraway not be bothered by the fact that Daisy didn't bother to make contact with him at all about Gatsby's death?! She had loved him, or so she claimed. I think Carraway sums up Daisy and Tom perfectly at the end of this novel. "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy---they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (Fitzgerald, 179).
I think Fitzgerald wanted us to get a couple messages out of his novel, and I found a quote for each.
theme 1: "Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead" (Fitzgerald, 172). We need to show the people we care about how much they mean to us before it is too late.
theme 2: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald, 180). We never move on from our past. Not completely anyway. We are forever wanting to either change the past or resurrect it.
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 157-169
I was struck by the symbolism in this passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was a man of great wealth, but that meant nothing to him because he was so emotionally impoverished. He had told Carraway earlier that he had never swam in his pool to enjoy it for himself. How ironic that he was doing just that when Mr. Wilson murdered him and committed suicide himself. It showed that Gatsby's life was ended at the exact moment that he'd first started to try to make the most of it and make himself happy with what he had.
His fantasy of a life with Daisy had kept him from living up until moments before he died. He had "paid a high price for living too long with a single dream" (Fitzgerald, 161). Where are Daisy and Tom? They just packed up and left, and Daisy was too selfish and uncaring to telephone Gatsby or send him any message. When he died, he probably had the smallest bit of hope left that she would come to him. She just couldn't cut him loose. And now it's too late and she's not even there for him. She wasn't there for him in life though, so why would she be there for him in death?
I was struck by the symbolism in this passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was a man of great wealth, but that meant nothing to him because he was so emotionally impoverished. He had told Carraway earlier that he had never swam in his pool to enjoy it for himself. How ironic that he was doing just that when Mr. Wilson murdered him and committed suicide himself. It showed that Gatsby's life was ended at the exact moment that he'd first started to try to make the most of it and make himself happy with what he had.
His fantasy of a life with Daisy had kept him from living up until moments before he died. He had "paid a high price for living too long with a single dream" (Fitzgerald, 161). Where are Daisy and Tom? They just packed up and left, and Daisy was too selfish and uncaring to telephone Gatsby or send him any message. When he died, he probably had the smallest bit of hope left that she would come to him. She just couldn't cut him loose. And now it's too late and she's not even there for him. She wasn't there for him in life though, so why would she be there for him in death?
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 147-156
Relationships are starting to unravel. Carraway no longer as any interest in Jordan Baker. I think he finally realizes that she's not really worth his time. She is a self-absorbed young woman, and he no longer wants to waste his time with her anymore. Similarly, Carraway truly believes that Gatsby can do and DESERVES better than Daisy. It's pointless to try to convince him of this though. Gatsby has blocked off reality to hold on a little bit longer to his five year-long fairy tale in which he and Daisy run away together at last. "He couldn't possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free" (Fitzgerald, 148). Fitzgerald reveals at this point in The Great Gatsby how mentally unstable Gatsby now is. He has imagined this fantasy ending to his and Daisy's story for so long, he refuses to believe that it's never going to happen. Shame on Daisy for not putting him out of his misery!
Relationships are starting to unravel. Carraway no longer as any interest in Jordan Baker. I think he finally realizes that she's not really worth his time. She is a self-absorbed young woman, and he no longer wants to waste his time with her anymore. Similarly, Carraway truly believes that Gatsby can do and DESERVES better than Daisy. It's pointless to try to convince him of this though. Gatsby has blocked off reality to hold on a little bit longer to his five year-long fairy tale in which he and Daisy run away together at last. "He couldn't possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free" (Fitzgerald, 148). Fitzgerald reveals at this point in The Great Gatsby how mentally unstable Gatsby now is. He has imagined this fantasy ending to his and Daisy's story for so long, he refuses to believe that it's never going to happen. Shame on Daisy for not putting him out of his misery!
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 133-145
Gatsby is too noble for his own good. This passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is the most shocking so far. I can't believe Daisy killed Myrtle! Gatsby is going to be blamed for it; his decision to take the blame of the manslaughter will come back to haunt him, I guarantee it. Why wouldn't they have stopped? It feels like all the characters are going crazy. Gatsby knows that he hasn't always had ALL of Daisy's love, Tom knows Daisy wants to leave him, and Daisy is faced with the most difficult situation of her life! At the end of this chapter, Carraway realizes something Gatsby will never grasp: Daisy is never going to leave Tom for him. He left Gatsby "standing there in the moonlight---watching over nothing" (Fitzgerald, 145). Daisy isn't going to fight for Gatsby like he has continuously fought for her. He is delusional and she is selfish.
Random thought, but Daisy and Tom don't seem to be much good of parents. Their daughter is mentioned maybe twice, and they are never home with her!
Gatsby is too noble for his own good. This passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is the most shocking so far. I can't believe Daisy killed Myrtle! Gatsby is going to be blamed for it; his decision to take the blame of the manslaughter will come back to haunt him, I guarantee it. Why wouldn't they have stopped? It feels like all the characters are going crazy. Gatsby knows that he hasn't always had ALL of Daisy's love, Tom knows Daisy wants to leave him, and Daisy is faced with the most difficult situation of her life! At the end of this chapter, Carraway realizes something Gatsby will never grasp: Daisy is never going to leave Tom for him. He left Gatsby "standing there in the moonlight---watching over nothing" (Fitzgerald, 145). Daisy isn't going to fight for Gatsby like he has continuously fought for her. He is delusional and she is selfish.
Random thought, but Daisy and Tom don't seem to be much good of parents. Their daughter is mentioned maybe twice, and they are never home with her!
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 121-132
This section is Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is just awkward from beginning to end! It starts out with the men trying to be civil with each other, but it escalates to a heated argument at a surprising speed! The escalation was initiated by Tom when he spat at Gatsby, "'What kind of row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?'" (Fitzgerald, 129). From that point on, Daisy is caught in the middle of two slightly delusional men. Gatsby believes she is just as devoted to him as he is to her, and Tom arrogantly insists that Daisy's heart is all his. "'Your wife doesn't love you...She's never loved you. She loves me'" (Fitzgerald, 130). It seems like Gatsby is trying just as hard to convince Daisy of her undying love for him as he is Tom! Daisy is barely able to say that she never loved her husband, and I think that terrified Gatsby. For the first time in five years, he is doubting her feelings for him. This is leading up to the climax of the novel. Daisy can't go back on what has happened: she has confessed her love for Gatsby, but is reluctant to leave her husband. She is the one who will have to make the ultimate choice. I want her to go to Gatsby, but Daisy doesn't seem like much of a risk taker, and staying with Tom wouldn't be that much of a risk.
This section is Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is just awkward from beginning to end! It starts out with the men trying to be civil with each other, but it escalates to a heated argument at a surprising speed! The escalation was initiated by Tom when he spat at Gatsby, "'What kind of row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?'" (Fitzgerald, 129). From that point on, Daisy is caught in the middle of two slightly delusional men. Gatsby believes she is just as devoted to him as he is to her, and Tom arrogantly insists that Daisy's heart is all his. "'Your wife doesn't love you...She's never loved you. She loves me'" (Fitzgerald, 130). It seems like Gatsby is trying just as hard to convince Daisy of her undying love for him as he is Tom! Daisy is barely able to say that she never loved her husband, and I think that terrified Gatsby. For the first time in five years, he is doubting her feelings for him. This is leading up to the climax of the novel. Daisy can't go back on what has happened: she has confessed her love for Gatsby, but is reluctant to leave her husband. She is the one who will have to make the ultimate choice. I want her to go to Gatsby, but Daisy doesn't seem like much of a risk taker, and staying with Tom wouldn't be that much of a risk.
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 113-120
At this point in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is of no use to his numerous guests. After the night that Daisy had come, he had stopped the charade. "So the whole caravansary had fallen line a card house at the disapproval in her eyes" (Fitzgerald, 114). It's like he's gone into a state of depression, like the fact that she hadn't enjoyed herself had completely deflated him.
I couldn't believe how much Daisy and Gatsby abandoned all attempts at propriety when they were at the Buchanan house. Right in front of Miss Baker and Carraway, Daisy confessed her love to Gatsby, and kissed him on the lips. This was all fine and sweet, until we're told that Tom witnessed the whole thing! "She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded" (Fitzgerald, 119). That has to be so awkward! Tom has no right to be angry with Daisy, considering the fact that he's been openly cheating on her for months! It's even more awkward when, as the manners of the time went, everyone in the house tried to keep acting like nothing had happened. Will Tom hurt Gatsby for kissing Daisy?
At this point in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is of no use to his numerous guests. After the night that Daisy had come, he had stopped the charade. "So the whole caravansary had fallen line a card house at the disapproval in her eyes" (Fitzgerald, 114). It's like he's gone into a state of depression, like the fact that she hadn't enjoyed herself had completely deflated him.
I couldn't believe how much Daisy and Gatsby abandoned all attempts at propriety when they were at the Buchanan house. Right in front of Miss Baker and Carraway, Daisy confessed her love to Gatsby, and kissed him on the lips. This was all fine and sweet, until we're told that Tom witnessed the whole thing! "She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded" (Fitzgerald, 119). That has to be so awkward! Tom has no right to be angry with Daisy, considering the fact that he's been openly cheating on her for months! It's even more awkward when, as the manners of the time went, everyone in the house tried to keep acting like nothing had happened. Will Tom hurt Gatsby for kissing Daisy?
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 97-111
Gatsby is confiding so much in Carraway...he must be the first friend he's had/trusted in years! In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby revealed his utter poverty before he happened across his fortune from an old friend.
Gatsby is literally obsessed with Daisy. I can't decide if it's creepy or romantic. He was devastated when she didn't have a good time at one of his lavish parties. He is living in the past, and is convinced that he can resurrect the relationship he and Daisy once shared. Half crazy with desperation, he says to Carraway, "'I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before...she'll see'" (Fitzgerald, 110). I'm starting to think that Gatsby is somewhat delusional. Does he really think he can erase five years of change and win her back? What is he going to do next?
I'm so distracted by Gatsby and Daisy that I didn't really care that Carraway and Miss Baker kissed! I don't see that relationship going very far; she is too shallow.
Gatsby is confiding so much in Carraway...he must be the first friend he's had/trusted in years! In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby revealed his utter poverty before he happened across his fortune from an old friend.
Gatsby is literally obsessed with Daisy. I can't decide if it's creepy or romantic. He was devastated when she didn't have a good time at one of his lavish parties. He is living in the past, and is convinced that he can resurrect the relationship he and Daisy once shared. Half crazy with desperation, he says to Carraway, "'I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before...she'll see'" (Fitzgerald, 110). I'm starting to think that Gatsby is somewhat delusional. Does he really think he can erase five years of change and win her back? What is he going to do next?
I'm so distracted by Gatsby and Daisy that I didn't really care that Carraway and Miss Baker kissed! I don't see that relationship going very far; she is too shallow.
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 85-96
This passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is almost painful to read! Gatsby and Daisy reunite at last after more than five years apart. They're closer than they have been in years, and yet they've never had MORE separating them from each other! It's clear how much Gatsby adores Daisy; she seems to have the power to enchant even her cousin! Throughout the tour of Gatsby's house, "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes" (Fitzgerald, 91). All he wanted was to please her. He couldn't care less what the dozens of people at his parties thought of him or his home, but Daisy's opinion clearly means everything to him. That's so different from Tom, who won't even acknowledge the fact that Daisy has original thoughts of her own!
Daisy breaks into sobs at the sight of Gatsby's beautiful assortment of shirts, but that's not the reason for her sorrow. I think it hit her all at once how much she had missed out on. She was in the presence of a man who adored her and loved her more than life, while she would go home to a man who barely tolerated her and who was unfaithful. Both Gatsby and Daisy must feel a sense of helplessness right now.
This passage of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is almost painful to read! Gatsby and Daisy reunite at last after more than five years apart. They're closer than they have been in years, and yet they've never had MORE separating them from each other! It's clear how much Gatsby adores Daisy; she seems to have the power to enchant even her cousin! Throughout the tour of Gatsby's house, "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes" (Fitzgerald, 91). All he wanted was to please her. He couldn't care less what the dozens of people at his parties thought of him or his home, but Daisy's opinion clearly means everything to him. That's so different from Tom, who won't even acknowledge the fact that Daisy has original thoughts of her own!
Daisy breaks into sobs at the sight of Gatsby's beautiful assortment of shirts, but that's not the reason for her sorrow. I think it hit her all at once how much she had missed out on. She was in the presence of a man who adored her and loved her more than life, while she would go home to a man who barely tolerated her and who was unfaithful. Both Gatsby and Daisy must feel a sense of helplessness right now.
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 73-84
Jordan Baker tells us the history of Daisy and Jay Gatsby in this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Daisy sounds like she found her way around pretty easily when it came to male suitors. While Gatsby was just one among many, I think he's the one who has affected and stuck with her the most! You can't forget your first love...it's impossible, and I think Jay Gatsby was Daisy's first love. But then the war took him away from her. His letter to her almost made her not marry Tom! I feel like Daisy went down the road of convenience rather than love when she went through with the wedding.
I fear for Gatsby. He "'bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay'" (Fitzgerald, 78). He is clearly still madly in love with Daisy even after five years apart, but that could just set him up for disappointment. He hasn't given up hope, and hope can be a dangerous thing when it comes to lost love. Gatsby is desperate to the point where he's begging Carraway to have Daisy over to his house so that Gatsby can just "happen" to drop by. How does he expect her to react five years, a marriage and a baby later??
Jordan Baker tells us the history of Daisy and Jay Gatsby in this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Daisy sounds like she found her way around pretty easily when it came to male suitors. While Gatsby was just one among many, I think he's the one who has affected and stuck with her the most! You can't forget your first love...it's impossible, and I think Jay Gatsby was Daisy's first love. But then the war took him away from her. His letter to her almost made her not marry Tom! I feel like Daisy went down the road of convenience rather than love when she went through with the wedding.
I fear for Gatsby. He "'bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay'" (Fitzgerald, 78). He is clearly still madly in love with Daisy even after five years apart, but that could just set him up for disappointment. He hasn't given up hope, and hope can be a dangerous thing when it comes to lost love. Gatsby is desperate to the point where he's begging Carraway to have Daisy over to his house so that Gatsby can just "happen" to drop by. How does he expect her to react five years, a marriage and a baby later??
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 61-72
Carraway spends some quality time with Gatsby in this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. I think Gatsby is getting so nervous as they keep driving because he knows he's getting closer to Daisy. Gatsby seems like such a helpless romantic. If anything, he is just plain helpless! For a man of such power and wealth, he seems really miserable with his life. When telling Carraway of his personal experience in the war, he said "'It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life'" (Fitzgerald, 66). At this point in the book, Gatsby reminds me of Noah in The Notebook. They both went off to war partially to forget about or distract themselves from the painful thoughts of the woman they love back home. How can you TRY to die in a world war and FAIL?
I don't understand why everyone seems to automatically doubt everything about Gatsby. Everything people know of his past, they question: his role in the army, his education, how he came upon his wealth. Although if I came across someone so guarded as Gatsby, I might question him too. What favor does he want of Carraway, and why can't he talk to him about it himself? Does it have to do with Daisy?
Carraway spends some quality time with Gatsby in this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. I think Gatsby is getting so nervous as they keep driving because he knows he's getting closer to Daisy. Gatsby seems like such a helpless romantic. If anything, he is just plain helpless! For a man of such power and wealth, he seems really miserable with his life. When telling Carraway of his personal experience in the war, he said "'It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life'" (Fitzgerald, 66). At this point in the book, Gatsby reminds me of Noah in The Notebook. They both went off to war partially to forget about or distract themselves from the painful thoughts of the woman they love back home. How can you TRY to die in a world war and FAIL?
I don't understand why everyone seems to automatically doubt everything about Gatsby. Everything people know of his past, they question: his role in the army, his education, how he came upon his wealth. Although if I came across someone so guarded as Gatsby, I might question him too. What favor does he want of Carraway, and why can't he talk to him about it himself? Does it have to do with Daisy?
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 49-59
This section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby mainly focuses on our narrator, Nick Carraway. We learn of his inner feelings. He seems like he lives such a lonely life, but the presence of Miss Jordan Baker seems to intrigue him. I think it's more infatuation than affection that draws him to her though. He even says "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity" (Fitzgerald, 57). I'm confused though at Carraway's statement that Baker is "incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald, 58). Does he mean that she is dishonest to herself and with her emotions? She does seem to be the master of disguise when it comes to her true feelings; she is always putting on a haughty, careless face to mask what she is really thinking. Or does Carraway mean that she is dishonest in the way she gossips about others? He barely even knows this woman, how can he claim to have thought to be in love with her?!
Fitzgerald supplies us with a seemingly pure and honest narrator. This could be so that we will trust his statements and opinions throughout the novel, but it also serves to show how untrustworthy everyone else around Carraway seems to be. Carraway even says that "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (Fitzgerald, 59). I think Fitzgerald is using an honest narrator to make us suspicious and cautious of every other character in the novel.
This section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby mainly focuses on our narrator, Nick Carraway. We learn of his inner feelings. He seems like he lives such a lonely life, but the presence of Miss Jordan Baker seems to intrigue him. I think it's more infatuation than affection that draws him to her though. He even says "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity" (Fitzgerald, 57). I'm confused though at Carraway's statement that Baker is "incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald, 58). Does he mean that she is dishonest to herself and with her emotions? She does seem to be the master of disguise when it comes to her true feelings; she is always putting on a haughty, careless face to mask what she is really thinking. Or does Carraway mean that she is dishonest in the way she gossips about others? He barely even knows this woman, how can he claim to have thought to be in love with her?!
Fitzgerald supplies us with a seemingly pure and honest narrator. This could be so that we will trust his statements and opinions throughout the novel, but it also serves to show how untrustworthy everyone else around Carraway seems to be. Carraway even says that "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (Fitzgerald, 59). I think Fitzgerald is using an honest narrator to make us suspicious and cautious of every other character in the novel.
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 39-48
Finally! In this section of the book, we actually MEET Gatsby. Gatsby's parties sound a lot like those of today! Carraway states "I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited" (Fitzgerald, 41). This reminds me of high school parties today, because once word gets out that so&so is going to have a party, anyone who hears of it just shows up. Whether they were invited or not is irrelevant. Gatsby himself reminds me of Edmund Dantes in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo. They are both mysteriously wealthy, well-known by name, and yet no one seems to know anything about them! They both also throw extravagant parties for people they don't know, and they don't even seem to enjoy the companionship or attention of the activities! I feel like Gatsby is just lonely in that big mansion so he feels like he needs to fill it with party guests on a regular basis.
I'm reading all these rumors about Mr. Gatsby. Did he do something illegal? Could he really have killed a man? Carraway's description of Gatsby is much more endearing than that of Tom. I think Fitzgerald wants us, as the readers, to like Gatsby while simultaneously knowing almost nothing about him!
Finally! In this section of the book, we actually MEET Gatsby. Gatsby's parties sound a lot like those of today! Carraway states "I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited" (Fitzgerald, 41). This reminds me of high school parties today, because once word gets out that so&so is going to have a party, anyone who hears of it just shows up. Whether they were invited or not is irrelevant. Gatsby himself reminds me of Edmund Dantes in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo. They are both mysteriously wealthy, well-known by name, and yet no one seems to know anything about them! They both also throw extravagant parties for people they don't know, and they don't even seem to enjoy the companionship or attention of the activities! I feel like Gatsby is just lonely in that big mansion so he feels like he needs to fill it with party guests on a regular basis.
I'm reading all these rumors about Mr. Gatsby. Did he do something illegal? Could he really have killed a man? Carraway's description of Gatsby is much more endearing than that of Tom. I think Fitzgerald wants us, as the readers, to like Gatsby while simultaneously knowing almost nothing about him!
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 23-38
Tom Buchanan in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby truly has no shame. Carraway is his wife's relative, and he still wants to show off his mistress to him. I am just as disgusted with Myrtle; she is married too! The only difference is that, unlike Daisy, her spouse is totally oblivious to the affair. As Tom so callously puts it, "'Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive'" (Fitzgerald, 26). But for as much as Tom bashes Daisy and Mr. Wilson, it seems like he either truly loves her, or is too territorial to let her go. I say this because Myrtle's sister Catherine confides to Carraway that "'Neither of them [Tom and Myrtle] can stand the person they're married to'" (Fitzgerald, 33), and yet Tom lies about Daisy's religion. He says the reason he can't be with Myrtle is because Daisy is Catholic and they don't condone divorces, when in fact she is NOT Catholic. I think Tom just wants an excuse to stay with his wife but still run around with Myrtle.
Fitzgerald uses more foreshadowing in this chapter of the novel. We get another nugget of information on Gatsby; he might be a man worthy of fear! Catherine herself admits to Carraway that she is "'scared of him. [She'd] hate to have him get anything on [her]'" (Fitzgerald, 32). Does Gatsby blackmail people from whom he wants something? Why is so little known of him?
Tom Buchanan in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby truly has no shame. Carraway is his wife's relative, and he still wants to show off his mistress to him. I am just as disgusted with Myrtle; she is married too! The only difference is that, unlike Daisy, her spouse is totally oblivious to the affair. As Tom so callously puts it, "'Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive'" (Fitzgerald, 26). But for as much as Tom bashes Daisy and Mr. Wilson, it seems like he either truly loves her, or is too territorial to let her go. I say this because Myrtle's sister Catherine confides to Carraway that "'Neither of them [Tom and Myrtle] can stand the person they're married to'" (Fitzgerald, 33), and yet Tom lies about Daisy's religion. He says the reason he can't be with Myrtle is because Daisy is Catholic and they don't condone divorces, when in fact she is NOT Catholic. I think Tom just wants an excuse to stay with his wife but still run around with Myrtle.
Fitzgerald uses more foreshadowing in this chapter of the novel. We get another nugget of information on Gatsby; he might be a man worthy of fear! Catherine herself admits to Carraway that she is "'scared of him. [She'd] hate to have him get anything on [her]'" (Fitzgerald, 32). Does Gatsby blackmail people from whom he wants something? Why is so little known of him?
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 13-21
Tom seems to be your classic, overbearing husband. He has no regards or respect for the thoughts and opinions of others. He seems to be constantly interupting people as though what they have to say doesn't matter. He treats Daisy like a child that he has to somehow tolerate. In this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby though, we are bombarded with more information on the other characters.
"Don't talk. I want to hear what happens" (Fitzgerald, 14). Miss Baker reminds me of my mom; she too tends to shamelessly eavesdrop and somehow obtain knowledge of other people's lives. I think Miss Baker will be the reader's source to information, for she seems to have it all. I was further disgusted with Tom when she revealed to Carraway that "Tom's got some woman in New York" (Fitzgerald, 15). How could he so shamelessly be cheating on his wife? Daisy always seems to be chirping away happily, but there has to be some kind of darkness within her; she must feel trapped.
On a side note, what was Gatsby creepin' on from the other side of the waters at the end of this chapter? What does he want?
Tom seems to be your classic, overbearing husband. He has no regards or respect for the thoughts and opinions of others. He seems to be constantly interupting people as though what they have to say doesn't matter. He treats Daisy like a child that he has to somehow tolerate. In this section of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby though, we are bombarded with more information on the other characters.
"Don't talk. I want to hear what happens" (Fitzgerald, 14). Miss Baker reminds me of my mom; she too tends to shamelessly eavesdrop and somehow obtain knowledge of other people's lives. I think Miss Baker will be the reader's source to information, for she seems to have it all. I was further disgusted with Tom when she revealed to Carraway that "Tom's got some woman in New York" (Fitzgerald, 15). How could he so shamelessly be cheating on his wife? Daisy always seems to be chirping away happily, but there has to be some kind of darkness within her; she must feel trapped.
On a side note, what was Gatsby creepin' on from the other side of the waters at the end of this chapter? What does he want?
The Great Gatsby
Gatsby: pages 1-12
At the beginning of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, I was so confused as to who the narrator was. I had always just assumed that Gatsby himself would be telling the story. But after finishing this first section of the book, I think I understand why Fitzgerald used Nick Carraway. He provides a fresh, unbiased perspective to everything. Fitzgerald separated him from the life of his relative Daisy so that, when reunited at the beginning of the novel, Carraway would be as oblivious as the reader to the happenings and history of all the other characters. This allows us to connect with Carraway, because we only know what he knows, and we are confused when he is confused. For instance, we are given the little information of the fabulously wealthy Mr. Gatsby, so he is just as much a mystery to us as he is to Carraway.
There seems to be some foreshadowing in this section of the book in regards to Tom, Daisy's husband. When Carraway describes his intimidating demeanor, he states that "it was a body capable of enormous leverage --- a cruel body" (Fitzgerald, 7). I don't think Fitzgerald wants us as the reader to particularly like Tom Buchanan. He has Carraway describe him using words such as "arrogant", "dominant", "aggressive", and "gruff". Based on this first impression of Tom, I don't think I'm going to grow to like him very much throughout the novel.
At the beginning of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, I was so confused as to who the narrator was. I had always just assumed that Gatsby himself would be telling the story. But after finishing this first section of the book, I think I understand why Fitzgerald used Nick Carraway. He provides a fresh, unbiased perspective to everything. Fitzgerald separated him from the life of his relative Daisy so that, when reunited at the beginning of the novel, Carraway would be as oblivious as the reader to the happenings and history of all the other characters. This allows us to connect with Carraway, because we only know what he knows, and we are confused when he is confused. For instance, we are given the little information of the fabulously wealthy Mr. Gatsby, so he is just as much a mystery to us as he is to Carraway.
There seems to be some foreshadowing in this section of the book in regards to Tom, Daisy's husband. When Carraway describes his intimidating demeanor, he states that "it was a body capable of enormous leverage --- a cruel body" (Fitzgerald, 7). I don't think Fitzgerald wants us as the reader to particularly like Tom Buchanan. He has Carraway describe him using words such as "arrogant", "dominant", "aggressive", and "gruff". Based on this first impression of Tom, I don't think I'm going to grow to like him very much throughout the novel.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
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