Everything in The Great Gatsby is seen in two ways: on the one hand as glamorous, romantic and exciting, and on the other as crude, corrupt or even disgusting. This double vision applies to people, places and events. In a unified essay of 750 - 1000 words, show how this is true, and explain its significance, using specific references to the novel to support your ideas.
*identifies more than three examples of people, places and/or events being views in different and or opposing ways.
*explains the double perspective and supports the explanation with relevant examples; discusses the extent to which the narrator is in and not in gatsby's world.
I had a lot of trouble to decide how i wanted to structure it. I must have tried to rewrite it in various different ways but all ways I could think of including in the essay below i didn't really like.
I also would like to mention that I'm a bet rusty when it comes to essays...the last time that i wrote an essay was I'd say about 8 or 9 years ago. So, now i have to do them again to upgrade my highschool courses.
I was also never really good at essays either.
My questions are:
1) Could I do three examples or more of say: people and events instead of doing places? I think that is what the question is implying anyway.
2) is there a book or relevant article that will help me in writing an essay?
3) anything i may have missed , whether it be small or not, just point it out. Please.
The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and depicts life in the roaring twenties, this is a term used for the nineteen twenties. Through out the story there is a double vision that applies to people, places and events with in the story. Double vision in the story can be seen as glamourous, romantic, and exciting or as crude, corrupt and disgusting. The significance of the double vision is to depict how the "Roaring Twenties" had two views of viewing life.
People in The Great Gatsby have a standard double vision to them all: Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Tom is defiantly one of the least liked character's in the novel. He is a racist, adulterer and reacts violently some or rather most of them times. He even hits Myrtle so far as to break her nose. His character it's self is quite crude to begin with. Eventually as the book progresses, Myrtle is hit by Gatsby's car, that Daisy was driving, and dies. Tom is in shock but then he goes over to handle Wilson. After he has calmed him down he, Nick and Jordan continue back to East Egg. On the way there, Tom sheds some tears; " In a little while I heard a low husky sob and saw that tears were overflowing down his face. 'Goddamn coward!' he whimpered. 'He didn't even stop his car.'" This shows that he was devastated to lose someone as close as Myrtle. He reveals he has genuine romantic feelings for his mistress, but at the same time he is angry with the person who done this.
Daisy the beautiful girl from Louisville, Kentucky whom was very popular with military men at the base located there. However below the beauty she is a careless person, as Nick describes her. Her true love is with money and material luxury making her view of love corrupt in a sense that she only values those items. She also thinks of her daughter as a second thought.
'You ought to see the baby.'
'I'd like to.'
'She's asleep. She's three years old. Haven't you ever seen her?'
'Never.'
'Well, you ought to see her. She's-'
For a brief time she was capable of romantic feelings was when she was with Gatsby for that brief time, before he was shipped for war overseas. She then had given up on waiting and married Tom in nineteen nineteen.
Jay Gatsby had a dream when he returned from war. That was to win back Daisy. He held large glamourous parties at his home on West Egg. He also made sure that the house was facing the opposite of Tom and Daisy's house on East Egg. As well as gain wealth from illegal sources that would be considered corrupt.
Places in The Great Gatsby also have double vision applied to them. New York is a place in novel where they enter it but then leave again. It is said that New York is exciting and can be a place to meet "romantic ladies" as Nick says. However it can also be a dangerous place. People get shot there. Tom and Myrtle choose New York as a place to commit their adultery and as well to fight. " 'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I'll say it when ever I want to! Daisy! Dai-'
Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand."
West Egg is a place where all the inhabitants are all recently wealthy. They also don't have a good sense of taste either. This place is exciting like New York however it is a place that doesn't merit the good taste of the people of East Egg whom have a socially established connections. This makes West Egg seem to be filled with many corrupt individuals.
East Egg is home to people with inherited wealth and an already established social connection unlike the people on West Egg. They are glamourous here. They are also snobs in a way because of their highly established social connection and their good luxurious taste for life and material items. These people can come off as disgusting because of the way they think of other people on the West Egg.
Event's in The Great Gatsby: Gatsby's Parties are large and glamourous. They are parties where you can meet people without being romantic. It is a fun large and exciting party.
Tom's party was small and cluster phobic. People lost each other and found each other then lost each one once again. Nick wanted to escape from the this party but he couldn't find a way out. He also get drunk at this party.
Nick's dinner invite to Tom and Daisy's house, at the being of the book. It seems like an exciting opportunity for Nick to meet his cousin and a old friend of his Tom once again. Things quickly go array when Tom receives a call. When Jordan tells Nick that it is from Tom's mistress he is quite surprised. For Nick to find out in this manner it was quite crude and or corrupt because when Tom and Daisy come back they act as though everything is fine. When really underneath it all it really isn't okay.
Double Vision in The Great Gatsby can be seen in two ways, glamourous, romantic and exciting or crude, corrupt and disgusting. These double visions are seen throughout the story in various forms of people, places and events. It gives off to show how true the double vision is applied to the various parts of the story. In conclusion there is always a small double vision that is seen throughout the novel.
He reveals he has genuine romantic feelings for his mistress, but at the same time he is angry with the person who done this. But he knows it was Daisy; did she do it on purpose? Could this be a ruse to divert suspicion from the real perpetrator?
There are far better examples of how little attention Daisy pays her daughter than this one; how about when Nick first comes to see Daisy, and all of the women are dressed, lying about the sitting room?
Jay Gatsby had a dream when he returned from war. That was to win back Daisy. He held large glamourous parties at his home on West Egg. He also made sure that the house was facing the opposite of Tom and Daisy's house on East Egg. As well as gain wealth from illegal sources that would be considered corrupt.Why did he desire Daisy so? What was the attraction to her specifically? What did she symbolize to him after the war?
Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." Why do they choose to fight here? Is it safer than West Egg?
West Egg is a place where all the inhabitants are all recently wealthy. What is the importance of this recentwealth?
These people can come off as disgusting because of the way they think of other people on the West Egg. Are East and West Egg direct mirrors of each other? What does this symbolize?
What is the motivation for these parties? Is it to have a good time? To connect with others? Or something deeper?
Okay, thanks for looking at it. I've since re-written it.
Like Strunk said, "omit needless words!" :)
Hey, i was wondering if someone could look at this essay for me and tell me if it sounds like it could be an Argumentative Essay.
Question:
Chose a theme that, in your opinion, answers the question "what is the great gatsby really about?" In a argumentative essay, explain the importance of this theme and why it should take priority over two of the other themes discussed in this lesson.
ESSAY:
REMOVED
ESSAY:
The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book depicts the post world war one era in the nineteen twenties and is about how the American Dream is corrupted by easy money and relaxed social values. Double Vision also helps to depict the sense of how the American dream has been corrupted. Double Vision is classified as one object that can be viewed in two opposing ways. Throughout the novel there are many ideas of characters, places and events that represent a double vision. Those ideas can be seen as either romantic, glamorous and exciting or crude, corrupt and even disgusting.
New York is the place that represents, in The Great Gatsby, as an uninhabitable, amoral quest for money and pleasure. This is where a double vision applies to New York. Not only can it be a place where money and pleasure are gained, but also can be a place of danger and corruptness. By example people go there to do illegal business, Gatsby does most of his business in New York. That is where he met Mr. Wolfshiem. One of Mr. Wolfshiem's friends was shot outside a hotel. New York is a place in the novel for the characters to go to have fun and escape reality. That is why none of the characters in the novel live in New York city.
The midwest is represented with the traditional social values and morals. It is the opposite of what is happening on the east coast. Nick says in the end of the story that he felt that the east coast is corrupt and it makes an honest person turn to a dishonest person. Therefore he wants to return to the midwest. He hopes to regain social and moral values he lost while living on the east coast.
Double vision is also present in the characters with in the novel. Daisy has a double vision about her. On one hand she is the beautiful and a glamorous women but she can also be deceiving. Her love is shallow. Daisy loved Gatsby very much, but he was sent out overseas to war. After only waiting for him for about six months she then married Tom Buchanan from Chicago.
The narrator doesn't get away from the double vision either. Nick is a honest man from the midwest. His father told him to reserve judgment on people because if he didn't then he would misunderstand them. So he took his fathers advice to heart and that is why he is the one that is the narrator in this book. He has the ability to reserve judgment on people. However Nick has his double vision moments. He considers himself as an honest man however he isn't very honest to the girl that he loves. He couldn't tell her that he didn't love her and then he ran off to New York. Where he continued to tell her that he loved in letters. He had a affair with a girl in New York while still not being able to break things off with the girl in the midwest. Then he met Jordan and it wasn't until they break up that Jordan then calls him out on his dishonesty. Which of course he dismisses quickly.
Gatsby's parties were glamourous when they were congregated. Many people came from New York just to attend his parties. His parties were only held in an attempt to lure Daisy to them. Gatsby had hoped that she would have heard of them and then she would come to the party but his attempts to lure her failed. His parties did not end on a happy note however. People were drunk or angry after wards making the parties seem like a corrupt and crude place to be afterwards. However Gatsby continued to have them almost every weekend. To bring interesting people to his house for a few hour's on the weekend. It kind of makes him feel not so lonely. Since he lives in such a huge house on his own.
Double Vision in The Great Gatsby can be seen in two ways, glamourous, romantic, exciting or as crude, corrupt and even disgusting. Fitzgerald's novel was a personal reflection on his own life. He used double vision to show how one thing can look and feel the same but in context doesn't actually represent for ones actions. In this we reveal how reveal how true the double vision is applied to various people, places and events within the story. In conclusion at all times during the duration of the novel. Double vision was present in subtle ways and in some ways it did represent how he felt about certain people in general.
For the first essay, the numbering of your points is unnecessary. Also, pick one theme and discuss it exclusively throughout your essay. I'd go with the idea of the corruption of the American dream. What exactly is the American dream? You say it is corrupted, but how, exactly? You might want to consider that the Declaration of Independence talks about how people have "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Perhaps the problem is not that the dream has become corrupt, but that one of the weaknesses of allowing everyone to pursue their own happiness is that not everyone is capable of recognizing what will make them happy. Some, like Gatsby, may even make their happiness contingent on something he can never have. This might point the way to a more detailed analysis of the theme you say you will focus most on.
In that first sentence, you said certain themes were "mentioned," but I thin it is more accurate to say a theme is "conveyed" or "represented" than to say a theme was "mentioned."
It is a little redundant to say "a dream of gaining the American dream"... how about a "vision of achieving the American Dream."
Sean's idea of focusing on one theme is good, or, alternatively, can you find a common element that is inherent within the themes you described?
Giving your essay a main point, a strong purpose which takes form as a message -- a sentence at the end of the first paragraph -- they require you to affirm the idea of "double vision." That is pretty cool... and I think you could reflect on that a little more than you already do in the last paragraph. You write quite well... I found an error here, though:
In conclusion at all times during the duration of the novel, double vision is present in subtle ways, and in some ways it does represent how he felt about certain people in general.
:)
sara213
We have to suspend your account for copy-pasting the first essay, sorry.
EFI don't mean to be rude, but help me understand this copy and paste rule?
The last time one of the mods removed the essay but they never gave a reason why it was removed ect... You should at least explain why it was removed and for what reasons, so I know what is going on.
please and thanks.
PS...thanks Sean and Kevin
Hello!
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Thanks!!
