Throughout his lifetime, F. Scott Fitzgerald made many interesting and original quotes. Many of these quotes relate to his novel, The Great Gatsby, and many of his views about life are expressed through the characters in his novel.
"That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton…I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works."
I believe that this quote is represented in the novel through the narrator Nick. Although Nick is not poor by any means, his affluence pales in comparison to those living around him, especially Gatsby. In West Egg, Nick is just a man trying to get by selling bonds. West Egg is the "poorer" of the two islands, and Nick always seems to be watching the luxurious lives of the inhabitants of East Egg from the outside looking in.
“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.”
I think that in this quote Fitzgerald is trying to say that all success in life comes from taking a chance, even if that chance could potentially lead to danger. He expresses this belief through his character Gatsby. What Gatsby does for a living is illegal, and he knows that he could get caught. He takes this risk because he wants to be successful and he believes in the American dream that anyone can gain fame and fortune if they work hard enough. In Gatsby's opinion, the riches outweigh the danger.
“A great social success is a pretty girl who plays her cards as carefully as if she were plain.”
In this quote, Fitzgerald instructing his daughter about a quality that he believes women should have. He is saying that a woman who knows she's beautiful shouldn't act like she knows she's beautiful. This quality is best displayed through the character Daisy. Daisy knows she is a pretty woman and she is aware that men are attracted to her, but she never flat out speaks of her beauty and never comes across as too wise. She knows that there is a certain way that women of her social class are expected to behave.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Great Gatsby Journal
In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates some very interesting characters. Quotes from these characters often reveal a lot about their personalities and the roles that they play in the book.
"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." -Nick Carraway
I believe that Nick's assessment of himself is accurate to an extent. For the most part, he is indeed honest. He's a very good narrator because he doesn't twist the details of the story to try to make himself or anyone else seem like something they are not. He simply states the things that he observes, the events that he witnesses, and the emotions that he feels. However, the flaw in Nick's statement is shown exactly at the time when he makes it. He has a relationship with a girl back home, whom he is no longer interested in, and is afraid to break it off. This makes the reader wonder just how honest he really is. Is he actually a coward for not being up front about the issue?
"So I turned my head away and wept and said 'All right, I'm glad it's a girl and I hope she'll be a fool'--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy
This quote raises a few issues. First, it seems to suggest that even in the 1920s, when the United States was becoming more modern, it was still seen as "better" or "more honorable" to have a boy. However, to make such a statement is a little overly dramatic, as is Daisy's character. It seems as if she's telling this to Nick because she wants him to feel sorry for her, but I don't believe that she has anything to feel sorry about. Many people would be happy to have a healthy baby girl. Daisy tries to make her life seem more tragic and difficult than it really is.
"This idea is that were Nordics...and we've produced all the things that go to make civilization, science and art and all that."- Tom Buchanan
Tom is definately the most stereotypical character that Fitzgerald creates. He is a proud, arrogant man who gets most of his pride from his great physical strength. Like many men of his time, he believes in white superiority, so much that he reads books about it. I found this a little strange because Tom does not seem like the kind of person who really reads much at all. Any educated person knows that his statement is untrue, science and art come from all over the world. It makes a reader wonder why fitgerald chose to put this type of character in his story and what he will represent later.
Link to my wordle http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/657726/Untitled
"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." -Nick Carraway
I believe that Nick's assessment of himself is accurate to an extent. For the most part, he is indeed honest. He's a very good narrator because he doesn't twist the details of the story to try to make himself or anyone else seem like something they are not. He simply states the things that he observes, the events that he witnesses, and the emotions that he feels. However, the flaw in Nick's statement is shown exactly at the time when he makes it. He has a relationship with a girl back home, whom he is no longer interested in, and is afraid to break it off. This makes the reader wonder just how honest he really is. Is he actually a coward for not being up front about the issue?
"So I turned my head away and wept and said 'All right, I'm glad it's a girl and I hope she'll be a fool'--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy
This quote raises a few issues. First, it seems to suggest that even in the 1920s, when the United States was becoming more modern, it was still seen as "better" or "more honorable" to have a boy. However, to make such a statement is a little overly dramatic, as is Daisy's character. It seems as if she's telling this to Nick because she wants him to feel sorry for her, but I don't believe that she has anything to feel sorry about. Many people would be happy to have a healthy baby girl. Daisy tries to make her life seem more tragic and difficult than it really is.
"This idea is that were Nordics...and we've produced all the things that go to make civilization, science and art and all that."- Tom Buchanan
Tom is definately the most stereotypical character that Fitzgerald creates. He is a proud, arrogant man who gets most of his pride from his great physical strength. Like many men of his time, he believes in white superiority, so much that he reads books about it. I found this a little strange because Tom does not seem like the kind of person who really reads much at all. Any educated person knows that his statement is untrue, science and art come from all over the world. It makes a reader wonder why fitgerald chose to put this type of character in his story and what he will represent later.
Link to my wordle http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/657726/Untitled
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Julia Ward Howe
A Wild Night
http://books.google.com/books?id=Af4EAAAAYAAJ&dq=later%2Blyrics%2Bhowe&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=a4FCdWRefT&sig=JI8C5IkIq2yCDb-ToO3e0YFGTIQ#PPA256,M1
1. Julia Ward Howe was a writer, activist, and abolitionist. She was born in 1819 and died in 1910. She composed many of her writings during the time of abolition and the Civil War. In her poem A Wild Night, Howe creates a battle scene not with guns and cannons, but with the forces of nature. It seems as if the land itself is being affected by the war, as the sea, sky, wind, and clouds are all in a state of chaos. I think that Howe chose to write her poem this way to show how the war influences everyone, not just the soldiers who are fighting on the front.
2. The rhythm and rhyme of the poem help to make it more powerful. Howe uses a lot of imagery and makes the reader feel like the are experiencing the scene themselves. The feeling that I believe the reader feels the most is despair. In the poem, God is just looking down at all of the dark events that are happening and seems to be almost powerless to stop any of it. The speaker prays for protection, but is not certain that their prayer will be heard.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_Proclamation
Howe's Mothers Day Proclamation was a speech against violence, especially the two wars which had recently occurred, the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Howe believed that women had an obligation to society to maintain peace. She says that women should not praise men who love war or glorify their actions. Her message is very different from those who view soldiers as brave and heroic. As a reader, I found this viewpoint very interesting and unique.
4. Julia Ward Howe's works are very American because they strongly reflect the social and political issues of her time. Abolition, pacifism, and equal rights for women were very common themes in the period when most of Howe's works were written. The imagery she uses is also very American because it describes the land of the nation.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Af4EAAAAYAAJ&dq=later%2Blyrics%2Bhowe&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=a4FCdWRefT&sig=JI8C5IkIq2yCDb-ToO3e0YFGTIQ#PPA256,M1
1. Julia Ward Howe was a writer, activist, and abolitionist. She was born in 1819 and died in 1910. She composed many of her writings during the time of abolition and the Civil War. In her poem A Wild Night, Howe creates a battle scene not with guns and cannons, but with the forces of nature. It seems as if the land itself is being affected by the war, as the sea, sky, wind, and clouds are all in a state of chaos. I think that Howe chose to write her poem this way to show how the war influences everyone, not just the soldiers who are fighting on the front.
2. The rhythm and rhyme of the poem help to make it more powerful. Howe uses a lot of imagery and makes the reader feel like the are experiencing the scene themselves. The feeling that I believe the reader feels the most is despair. In the poem, God is just looking down at all of the dark events that are happening and seems to be almost powerless to stop any of it. The speaker prays for protection, but is not certain that their prayer will be heard.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_Proclamation
Howe's Mothers Day Proclamation was a speech against violence, especially the two wars which had recently occurred, the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Howe believed that women had an obligation to society to maintain peace. She says that women should not praise men who love war or glorify their actions. Her message is very different from those who view soldiers as brave and heroic. As a reader, I found this viewpoint very interesting and unique.
4. Julia Ward Howe's works are very American because they strongly reflect the social and political issues of her time. Abolition, pacifism, and equal rights for women were very common themes in the period when most of Howe's works were written. The imagery she uses is also very American because it describes the land of the nation.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kate Chopin and American Realsism
The author who I chose to read about for this assignment is Kate Chopin. Chopin's writings came about in a very pivotal time in American literature. Romanticism was ending and Realism was beginning. While the Romantics created almost fantasy-like worlds in which they could slip away from reality, Realists used writing to expose the cruelties and injustices of the world for what they were. As I read Kate Chopin's works, I saw that she used elements from both of these styles of writing.
In A Pair of Silk Stockings, a woman suddenly finds herself in what is practically a fairy tale. She has enough money to buy what she needs and also things that she simply desires. As she gives in to each temptation, she falls more and more into a dream-like state that she wishes would never end. The feeling that the story gives readers is similar to that of the stories of the Romantics. However, there is a fundamental difference. The woman in the story is not really wealthy. She is not really one of the women who can regularly indulge in the luxuries she has been allowed to experience for one day. This is where the reality sets in. Chopin describes the world that every woman of her time longed to live in, and then shows just how few got to actually experience it.
Lilacs, another short story by Chopin, is an example of the harsh ways in which the women of her time were judged. The main character, Adrienne, almost has two identities. One is the kind, respectable woman that she is seen as by everyone at the convent she visits every year. The other is the eccentric mistress she is viewed as by her servant Sophie. Adrienne does not tell Sophie why she leaves every year, most likely because she knows the nuns would never approve of her seeing a man who is not her husband. When they discover her secret, she is forbidden to return to the convent. Some may say that she was living a life of sin, but I believe that she was simply a woman living in a society with a very strict moral code. Chopin shows the harsh punishments given to whoever broke that code. This was the reality of the world in which she lived.
In A Pair of Silk Stockings, a woman suddenly finds herself in what is practically a fairy tale. She has enough money to buy what she needs and also things that she simply desires. As she gives in to each temptation, she falls more and more into a dream-like state that she wishes would never end. The feeling that the story gives readers is similar to that of the stories of the Romantics. However, there is a fundamental difference. The woman in the story is not really wealthy. She is not really one of the women who can regularly indulge in the luxuries she has been allowed to experience for one day. This is where the reality sets in. Chopin describes the world that every woman of her time longed to live in, and then shows just how few got to actually experience it.
Lilacs, another short story by Chopin, is an example of the harsh ways in which the women of her time were judged. The main character, Adrienne, almost has two identities. One is the kind, respectable woman that she is seen as by everyone at the convent she visits every year. The other is the eccentric mistress she is viewed as by her servant Sophie. Adrienne does not tell Sophie why she leaves every year, most likely because she knows the nuns would never approve of her seeing a man who is not her husband. When they discover her secret, she is forbidden to return to the convent. Some may say that she was living a life of sin, but I believe that she was simply a woman living in a society with a very strict moral code. Chopin shows the harsh punishments given to whoever broke that code. This was the reality of the world in which she lived.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Writing and Social Change
I am a firm believer that writing definately has the power to enact social change. You may not realize it on a day to day basis, but some of the most famous pieces of writings in history have dramatically changed the course of our world. Political writings such as the Declaration of Independence have shaped nations and affected each and every person living in them. Religious writings such as the Bible and the Koran became the foundations of cultures around the world. They have created feelings of peace among people, but have also started many wars.
June Jordan's "The Bombing of Baghdad" is an excellent example of writing for social change. She speaks out against a war that she firmly believes is wrong. The poem is full of emotions and Jordan creates vivid images of the chaos of battle and the people being affected by it. She makes the reader feel the pain and the loss that war causes. She makes the reader see that there was no reason for so many lives to be so violently ended. I think that we need to pay more attention to writings like this. Some people may think that writers like Jordan are just "hippies" or that poems like "The Bombing of Baghdad" are just a waste of time, but people can greatly benefit from reading these things. We need to pay attention to writers because, for better or for worse, their words have the power to cause great changes.
June Jordan's "The Bombing of Baghdad" is an excellent example of writing for social change. She speaks out against a war that she firmly believes is wrong. The poem is full of emotions and Jordan creates vivid images of the chaos of battle and the people being affected by it. She makes the reader feel the pain and the loss that war causes. She makes the reader see that there was no reason for so many lives to be so violently ended. I think that we need to pay more attention to writings like this. Some people may think that writers like Jordan are just "hippies" or that poems like "The Bombing of Baghdad" are just a waste of time, but people can greatly benefit from reading these things. We need to pay attention to writers because, for better or for worse, their words have the power to cause great changes.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Price of a Child Assignment
Mia DeSimone
January 30, 2009
Mr. Fiorini
English III
Dear Tyree,
I feel that writing this letter to you is nothing short of my obligation to you as a person and a friend. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude toward you and your family. You helped my children and I through some very difficult and frightening times. You always made us feel welcome. You gave my children the family they never had. Most importantly, you saved Bennie's life.
I was well aware that Pryor would never sell Bennie to me. I never even considered the idea. After much searching, I was lucky enough to find a very kind white man who is against slavery to go to Pryor and buy him for me. I was so afraid that the plan wouldn't work, but by some miracle it did. We are now a true family again. I am thankful every single day because I never imagined this could happen. Although so many good things have happened, I still feel heartbroken in a way. All of us felt this when we had to leave your family. Etta and Mattie miss having someone their own age to play with. Africana and Cyrus were like cousins to them. And most of all, I miss you.
We both know very well that because of our situation, you and I couldn't be what we wanted to be. I cared for you very much, and I know you cared for me. Even though we couldn't be together, you brought a new life to me. You restored a hope in me that died when Etta's father was killed. I thought it was gone forever. You will always be the person who made me believe in love again. Thank you.
There are still difficulties in our lives. Life as a free black woman isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. We are now renting a small apartment in New York until we can afford a little place of our own. I found a job at a bakery, but it isn't much.
Sometimes everything becomes very overwhelming. Sometimes I want to break down and run back to you and your home. But I know that's not possible, and I know that I am stronger than that. I now know that I am strong enough to get through anything. You are the one who showed me that and I will never forget it.
Hopefully, we will be able to visit you all again one day. Until then, please send my best wishes and eternal thanks to your family.
Sincerely,
Mercer Gray
January 30, 2009
Mr. Fiorini
English III
Dear Tyree,
I feel that writing this letter to you is nothing short of my obligation to you as a person and a friend. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude toward you and your family. You helped my children and I through some very difficult and frightening times. You always made us feel welcome. You gave my children the family they never had. Most importantly, you saved Bennie's life.
I was well aware that Pryor would never sell Bennie to me. I never even considered the idea. After much searching, I was lucky enough to find a very kind white man who is against slavery to go to Pryor and buy him for me. I was so afraid that the plan wouldn't work, but by some miracle it did. We are now a true family again. I am thankful every single day because I never imagined this could happen. Although so many good things have happened, I still feel heartbroken in a way. All of us felt this when we had to leave your family. Etta and Mattie miss having someone their own age to play with. Africana and Cyrus were like cousins to them. And most of all, I miss you.
We both know very well that because of our situation, you and I couldn't be what we wanted to be. I cared for you very much, and I know you cared for me. Even though we couldn't be together, you brought a new life to me. You restored a hope in me that died when Etta's father was killed. I thought it was gone forever. You will always be the person who made me believe in love again. Thank you.
There are still difficulties in our lives. Life as a free black woman isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. We are now renting a small apartment in New York until we can afford a little place of our own. I found a job at a bakery, but it isn't much.
Sometimes everything becomes very overwhelming. Sometimes I want to break down and run back to you and your home. But I know that's not possible, and I know that I am stronger than that. I now know that I am strong enough to get through anything. You are the one who showed me that and I will never forget it.
Hopefully, we will be able to visit you all again one day. Until then, please send my best wishes and eternal thanks to your family.
Sincerely,
Mercer Gray
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