...The Great Gatsby Essay On the outside, The Great Gatsby seems to be a story about a twisted love affair. Fitzgerald is showing the many changes happening during the 1920’s society, and how it affected the idea of the American dream. Fitzgerald shows the strive for the wealth, which defined the American dream in the 1920’s and which continues to defines as a desire for wealth and success today. In the book, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is showing the corruption of the American dream by throwing parties, making love and having money. After WWII, there was an economic boom which left people suddenly rich, and they were referred to as the “new money.” There quickly became a difference between the “new money” and the people who were previously wealthy. What used to “pursuit of happiness” is now the pursuit of money and greed. The “new money” people don’t like the “old money” people. Jay Gatsby throws parties throughout the summer to show of how much money he has. “There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer night.” ( ) This quote shows that Gatsby has a lot of money because he can afford to throw parties throughout the summer. Money is everything in the world today and it was a huge part in the world back in the 1920’s economy too. The Great Gatsby also symbolizes love throughout the story. There were love affairs between married couples and single people. The biggest affair out of all the characters was definitely Daisy and Gatsby. Jay Gatsby has the biggest...
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
...Socrates relates divinity to Eros or love, who is a god (Phaedrus 25). He asserts that there are varieties of loves, but that it is overall divine because of Eros. In Douglass’ case, the ministers’ response to slavery is to, “strip the love of God of its beauty and leave the throng of religion a huge, horrible, repulsive form.” (Douglass). Believing the ministers are disobeying the Bible’s teachings, Douglass questions the church’s support of slavery. He instead attempts to persuade the church to exemplify God’s love and the Beautiful instead of encouraging the ugliness of slavery. Since the church is replacing God’s love and beauty with ugliness and injustice, Douglass’ claim that the church is not exemplifying the Beautiful aligns with Socrates’ definition of the Beautiful and the overall pursuit of the Good. When discussing good and bad pleasures, Socrates and Callicles analyze orators who address a crowd of men, women, and children. Socrates claims that the good and beautiful form of rhetoric is when the orator’s goal is to help the audience receive “maximum improvement” through his speech (Gorgias 503). He continues discussing the pursuit of the Good in an orator’s speech saying, “…striving always to say what is best, whatever the degree of pleasure or pain it may afford the audience” (Gorgias 503). Having the audiences’ best interests in mind demonstrates that the orator is pursuing the Good. In his conclusion, Douglass exemplifies the pursuit of the Good when restating his...
Words: 838 - Pages: 4
...10 Things I Hate About You and the Pursuit of Happiness 10 Things I Hate About You is a Shakespearian parody that is based on his literary work, Taming the Shrew, but also pays homage to his other works as well. This film is a loose adaptation that uses modern day teenage problems and settings as well as modern day language in place of Shakespeare’s old world customs and a language that has long since been put to rest. While this film has many archetypical characters, concepts, themes and symbols, one thing sticks out the most and that is the concept of the pursuit of happiness. No matter what day in age we are in this is a concept that we as humans are always trying to obtain. The induction of this film surrounds around the character Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new-comer that is being shown around by school by his new friend Michael, as he burns, pines and perishes over the sweet, sexy and much adored innocence that is Bianca Stratford (Larissa Oleynik). It is here that you learn that she is untouchable as her tyrannical father will not let her date. At this time, you are also introduced to a few key characters such as Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan), the egocentric king of the popular crowd and Katarina “Kat” Stratford (Julia Stiles), the polar opposite of her younger sister and plays an ill-tempered harridan with cutting wit that is hell bent to not be tempted by the idiocies of teenage life. It is here that the pursuit of happiness starts. Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)...
Words: 744 - Pages: 3
...An issue important to me Very quickly in the past two years I realized the kind of person I am. I am an enthusiastic boisterous person that is moved by the dreams and aspirations of others. I absolutely love the intrinsic motivation of people. The want to pursue a purpose in life and love what is created by them. We all have a talent vested within us waiting to be flourished at the right time. I have a strong sense of optimism that this is imbedded within every human soul on this planet. If I speak to someone that doesn’t know nor has no basis of some sort of desire to chase or acquire, I really like to try and cultivate and bring out these aspirations for that person. Not only does this bring me closer to someone but it lifts the spirits and pride of anyone I talk to. For example, I remember speaking to a girl in pre-calculus. No one really talked to her; she always looked down and stayed in the corner. This really bothered me that bothered me that no one would give her the light of day, so I spoke to her. When I introduced myself the light on her face was as if the Berlin wall just fell down. She had a beautiful smile that I never knew of because she never did. I asked her for her name and complemented on its uniqueness. I was overthrown with warmth to know that these little nuances of politeness do not go unappreciated. I didn’t ask her how her day was; I didn’t ask her how her week was or what her favorite color was to fill in the silence. I looked at her into the beautiful...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...Shakespeare demonstrates how A single event can provoke radical change, because of this lifes delicate balance is shifted towards a single focus that consumes ones entire being. The character of hamlet is a fitting example of an individual who sacrifices his identity to accomplish a desire that infiltrates his life changing it drastically. When hamlet learns the alarming truth behind the death of his beloved father he becomes filled with the insuppressible urge to act and avenge the death. He becomes completely absolved in his task, to the extent that he sacrifices many aspects of his life. Hamlet decides to become temporarily insane in order to convince those around him that he cannot hold complete responsibility for his actions in pursuit of his goal. Hamlet is royalty and is well accustom to the proper behaviour necessary in his position. Furthermore he is a prince and sole air to the throne. In light of this hamlets reputation is especialy important if he wants his pupils to support his reign. Its clear that hamlet has become an intelligent, cunning individual. He is cleverly able to detect that rosencrantz and guildenstern are spying on him for Claudious when he states “you were sent for there is a kind of confession in your looks ” clearly he has developed good people skills throughout the years. He demonstrates again the his amiability and well developed reputation when he welcomes the players with the words “you are welcome, masters; welcome all. I am glad to see the...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...good man’s heart. Money can help feed, clothe and shelter people but it can also lead people to heinous acts that leave those closest to them shocked. The decisions people make in pursuit of monetary assets can potentially push their loved ones away; this is especially true when people become obsessed with the idea. Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” tells the story of a married couple that is eventually torn apart by money and the pursuit of it. Nora Helmer has been desperately working to pay back a loan she took out to pay for a trip to Italy when her husband was sick. Krogstad is blackmailing her about this to gain a higher position and Torvald, Nora’s husband, is ignorant of all of this. They are all committing acts that they would not normally do in pursuit of money. This drives a wedge between Nora and Torvald, and Krogstad’s pursuit of money had already injured his relationship with people in his past. Money has driven all of them to do things that have driven people away. This happens everywhere. The lust for money, even when it is for a supposedly good cause, will drive those a person loves the most away and this is portrayed perfectly in Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. The kind of hurt the hunt for money brings can be easily seen in the character of Krogstad. His love, Mrs. Linde, left him in pursuit of money and this left Krogstad devastated. She did this to support her family but her grab for money still hurt Krogstad profoundly. Krogstad claims that when Mrs. Linde left him...
Words: 1167 - Pages: 5
...realism. It bases on the background of Jia, Shi, Wang, Xue four families’ rising and falling, with the clue of the love tragedy of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. It truly and artistically reflects the historically declining trend of China’s feudal society. “A Dream of Red Mansions” can also be described as “Girls’ Country”, which is the anthem of female, but also is the threnody of women. The heroine Lin Daiyu, Annatto Fairy, wants to repay the goodness of God Shen Yin, taking her lifetime of tears in exchange for his being saved. Her rebellious sprit and solitary character, makes her as a lotus opening at a secluded place, clinging to her own pureness—for pure you came and pure shall go. She is sentimental and unfortunate, and is doomed to being lonely and pathetical .She, Lin Daiyu, lives under another’s house—Rong mansion, Grand View Garden, and she has no one to complain her sadness to. She is “Yea to the very end of heaven, Where I could find a fragrant grave!” in frustration, “What time the third moon comes, the scented nests have been already built. And on the beams the swallows perch, excessive spiritless and staid” in sorrow, and finally ends up with the sadness of “Flowers fade and maidens die; and of either naught any more is known” (Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, 2003: 213) “Jane Eyre” shapes an image of a woman, who fights bravely for equality and love in the Male-centered society, in the history of English literature. Jane looks plain, and she is an orphan living with...
Words: 8010 - Pages: 33
...was rising, and so it caused America to change. A lot of people became wealthy. Also, lots of newly wealthy people were spending at unprecedented levels. Because of the rising stock market Fitzgerald believed people had grown cynical, greedy, and obsessed with the pursuit of pleasure. When the stock market rose it affected Fitzgerald belief about the American Dream because it gave criminals a way to make a lot of money off illegal alcohol. The prohibition opened up ways for criminals to make good money fast. Fitzgerald’s attitude about the American Dream is represented in “ The Great Gatsby ” because Gatsby projects his hopes and dreams upon Daisy; however, Gatsby’s dream is ruined by the unworthiness of its object which was Daisy. In The Great Gatsby, F.Scott’s Fitzgerald cynicism about the American Dream in the 1920’s is represented by the Characters Daisy, Gatsby, and George....
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...corruption Welles film explores the fragility that frames human experience. To what extent does this statement encapsulate your views of the text The complexity of the human experience is shaped by individual’s attitudes, morals and perceptions. Orson Welles Citizen Kane explores this complexity through its portrayal of media tycoon Charles Kane, highlighting the centrality of ambition and corruption in an individual’s pursuit of power and relationships. Wells employs avant grande cinematography to engage and persuade the audience of the instability of the human experience. Citizen Kane demonstrates how despite the individuals desire for relationships; their ability to forge connections can be undermined by their personal perceptions and ideals. Kane’s moral vacuity and ambitious nature is central to his inability to sustain meaningful relationships. Leland apathy notes, “All he (Kane) ever wanted out of life was love”, with this desire for love resonating in the motif of ‘Rosebud’, emblematic of his mothers love. Nonetheless, Kane’s superficial pursuit of transient pleasures and ambition results in the corruption of his relationships. This is accentuated in the breakfast montage, which depicts Kane and his wife Emily at progressive breakfasts throughout the course of their marriage. To begin with Kane seems to be the ideal husband – he compliments her, spends time with her, and smiles at her. This is visually and aurally reflected by the physical closeness of the two, as...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...some point in our life during the dating and mating process. There are many different views and answers to these questions, but in this paper I want to focus on the secular world views and the biblical views and how both views contradict each other. The Secular View on Dating and Mating Popular or mass culture (including advertising and self-help books) is the most obvious and direct influence on the attitudes associated with the pursuit of romantic relationships (Paul Hollander, Expert Advice on Dating and Mating, p.1) Romance today is now filtered through a media that says marriage is a joke, gay marriages are considered normal, and divorce is your way out. In seeking a mate the world tends to go to the internet dating sites, and social networks for direction. People are also swayed by what the media says is ideal to pursue through TV shows, movies, and talk shows. In today’s world love means sex, and if you’re not sexy then you can’t possibly find the love you are searching for. So the world puts all of there focus completely on things like age, physical beauty, body shape, status symbols, and sex which only focus on the outward appearance. More relationships today are about the thrill, a good relationship revolves around pleasure seeking; once the thrill is gone the relationship is dead. Gods Views on Dating and Mating Relationships are one of the most important elements of the...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...school Moves to NYC after the war Found the new extravagant lifestyle seductive and exciting Fitzgerald and Gatsby Idolizes wealth and luxury Falls in love with a beautiful young woman while at military camp Narrator Nick Carraway; he also implies that he is the book’s author Point of View Both first and third person Presents only what he himself observes Tone Ambivalent and contradictory; sometimes he seems to disapprove Gatsby, and sometimes he romanticizes and admires Gatsby, describing events in nostalgic and elegiac tone Background Year written: 1925 (the Jazz Age) American economy soared; great prosperity for majority Prohibition (18th Amendment in 1919) ‘bootleggers’ Money is everything Plot Nick Carraway moves from Minnesota to New York (West Egg) to learn about bond business West Egg: wealthy and fashionable area; where the “New Rich” live Nick has social connections with East Egg, where the “Old Rich” live Nick’s classmate at Yale, Tom Buchanan, lives with Nick’s cousin Daisy in East Egg Tom has a lover, Myrtle Wilson, in the Valley of Ashes Valley of Ashes is a gray industrial dumping ground At one party, Nick breaks Myrtle’s nose because she taunts Tom about Daisy At Gatsby’s party, Gatsby tells Jordan that he was in love with Daisy Stares at the green light at the end of her dock Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle was to impress Daisy Nick arranges a reunion for Gatsby and Daisy,...
Words: 863 - Pages: 4
...The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 2 In The Importance of Being Earnest, almost every character is in pursuit of another; Jack is in pursuit of Gwendolen’s love, whom is in pursuit of Jack, who she believes is Ernest. Meanwhile in the country, Dr Chausible is in pursuit of Miss Prism’s love, and Cecily of Algernon’s love; similarly to Gwendolen’s situation, Cecily is fooled into believing Algernon is called Ernest. Wilde has created this situation to mock the upper class of the time and also uses it in various ways to build comedy throughout act 2. Within act 2, the audience witness many entrances and exits, one of the most significant from the Merriman during the dispute between Gwendolen and Cecily. During the dispute, Gwendolen and Cecily are disrupted by the Merriman, ‘followed by the footman’, with ‘the presence of the servants [exercising] a restraining influence, under which both girls chafe’. This builds the comedy within this scene as the Merriman sets the table slowly, with ‘a long pause’, further infuriating Cecily and Gwendolen; this creates anticipation within the audience, as they would be anxiously wait for the dispute to continue. One could interpret the entrance and exit of the Merriman as Wilde placing more importance in the servants than the people they are serving, another way to mock the upper class of the time. Another important exit in the act is when Cecily and Gwendolen ‘retire into the house with scornful looks’, expecting the men to chase after...
Words: 1084 - Pages: 5
...Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and one other area of knowledge. Candidate Name: Nastassja Isabelle Session Number: 002636-063 School Name: Binus International School Simprug Session: May 2013 Word Count: 1598 “The sign of an intelligent people is their ability to control their emotions by the application of reason”, American author, Marya Mannes once said. Emotion is defined as a strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. In the pursuit of knowledge, there are times when emotion could be involved in order to gain a better understanding of a certain aspect. However, relying on emotions too much could also cloud our judgment, for it is a very subjective way of knowing. This essay will discuss how reliable our emotion is in the pursuit of knowledge in two areas of knowledge; history and the arts. To start with, emotion plays a big part in judging historical figures and events that were immortalized through history books. The question is, would it be accurate enough to judge them solely based on our emotions? Take Richard III for example. He is known as an evil deformed hunchback in history. Shakespeare had popularized Richard III’s ‘deformed hunchback’ image by his famous historical tragedy titled “Richard III” where he was portrayed as a king who ruthlessly lies, murders, and manipulates, so many people had viewed Richard III like that. Shakespeare’s “Richard III” was one...
Words: 1926 - Pages: 8
...first one also because it was not as exciting to watch also. It involved one character, which was Mitch, he was talking to the crowd about a type writer, but comes to the conclusion that he is a typewriter himself, In this play he is trying to pursue something himself also, but I feel like he doesn’t know how to pursue this certain something. This something turns out to be a piece of paper, and in the end he exchanges names with this piece of paper. The difference between this play and that play is that he wasn’t trying to pursue this something at first until he seen it after explaining to the audience on how he is a typewriter. The third play “Foreplay, or the Art of the Fugue” was similar to the other three because it consisted of a pursuit also. Three guys are trying to run game on these girls so they can end up having sex with them at the end of the night. They take them on this circular golf course and...
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
...intriguing of the change from fervent statement of love of God in many chapters in The Beguine Movement to sarcastic perspective towards piety to God in The Third Day, The Tenth Novell of The Decameron. The different attitude to the God, the Christianity reflects the influence of Renaissance that was trying to object the superstition and promote the humanism in the time period when people's love of God was getting more zealous and blind. When Boccaccio wrote The Decameron, there was Black Plague attacking Florence. Boccaccio witnessed the frightening disease that caused a huge amounts of corpses send out of the city every day. That's why we can see that the entire The Decameron is praising that love of human beings is the noble source of intelligence, and the important value of freedom of love. Although during that time period, the church was executing the confinement and mortification, it still cannot prevent the impulses of love from the humankind. The selected content in The Decameron depicts a ridiculous story about how a monk taught an innocent girl how to "Put the Devil in the Hell". Reading through the paragraphs, we can feel the sarcastic description of how the monk explained his sexual impulse as a righteous and pious activity to God. " Temptations did not long delay an assault on his constancy ", even the monk himself could not stop "putting away all saintly thoughts, prayers and mortifications", why people were forbidden to love, why people were dehumanized. The innocent...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
