Thursday, April 15, 2010
Are you worth it?
"You're worth the whole damn bunch put together" (page 162).This passage gives great insight into different aspects of the book. It gives you a look into Nick's character, it shows how he sees other characters in the book. How he finds that Gatsby, being a "gorgeous" person, is a better person than every other character in the book. It also shows how the different levels of social status act in day to day life. The fact that this nouveau riche man is the only person being persecuted, and that none of the old money families are being punished for the immoral and just down right bad behavior, is an insight to modern day status quo. The rich get richer and keep their cushy life, while the working man does his time and gets nothing. The rich can push around those in less fortunate positions, knowing that their wealth can shield them from the consequences. This passage is also important because it is the only compliment that Nick ever gives Gatsby. Even though his character is such a formal, generous being, other characters always find themselves thanking him. Nick swears as he gives this compliment, which also has a variety of meanings. It could show that he has a dislike for the old money characters, using offensive language when describing them. It could also mean that he is uncomfortable complimenting Gatsby, using the offensive language to make himself seem masculine. Even though he is sharing his feelings on the situation it still comes out in a way that makes him seem confident. It could also have been said just to try and cheer Gatsby up. No matter the way it is analyzed, it is obvious that this passage looks into some important aspects of the books inner workings. So when life gets you down, and you feel like you just cannot go on, remember, you're worth the whole damn bunch put together.
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> Nice connections to the theme of nouveau riche and old money.
ReplyDelete> A very high proportion of your sentences begin with the word "it." You might want to consider revising your syntax to improve sentence variety.
> Your concluding statement is very solid, but it feels like a sentence that would be more appropriate in a more casual piece of writing (e.g. a newspaper article) as opposed to a formal analysis of literature.
> When you put the word "gorgeous" in quotation marks in formal writing, it implies to the reader that this is a direct quote from some piece of literature. Quotations should be followed by citations.
I like how you portrayed the old money characters.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Gatsby isn't as egotistical as the rest of the characters and is less self centered. Hence why Nick said he was better then them; because Gatsby had redeeming qualities that gave him value as a person, instead of just money.
Your motivational conclusion was pretty awesome, man.