Ethan's Online JOurnal

Fitzgerald has a very poetic way of presenting language. He uses the same devices consistently throughout his writing.

1. Select three passages from the book (about a paragraph or two in length) that we have NOT annotated as a class. Annotate these passages and identify the language features that Fitzgerald uses. Explain the effect of these features and why he may have chosen to use them.

1 – “This is the valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat (simile) into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens (alliteration); where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys (metaphors) and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”                                        

2 – “Appalled by its raw vigour that chafed (personification) under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded (personification) its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing.” 

3 – “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us (represents Gatsby’s hopes that slowly fades away). It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further… And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current (metaphor), borne back (alliteration) ceaselessly in the past.”

2. Fitzgerald uses many allusions throughout the novel. Select one of these allusions and explain the connection between it and the book.

“Meyer Wolfsheim? No, he’s a gambler.” Gatsby hesitated, then added, coolly: “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series in 1919.”

This is an alluding to the actual event of major league baseball that happened in the USA. The event was a true story and was an actual huge scandal in America at the time. This allusion is used to show that Wolfsheim is a very smart man with a lot of power to be able to do that. It is to emphasise his characters position in society.

 

1. Explain what you think Fitzgerald is trying to say about society by presenting the idea of illusion so thoroughly throughout the text.

He is trying to portray that America is not a classless society and if anyone tries to change their class it always ends in tragedy, much like what happened to Gatsby. He tried to change from being a low class boy with no money into an insanely wealthy man, and he ended up getting killed all because of it.

2. Discuss how “illusion” is a real idea for teenagers. What problems/challenges/issues do teenagers face each day and how can we relate them to illusion.

For teenagers, their is the illusion of being the coolest and most popular person around. Young people try to be someone they are not by wearing the fashionable clothes and doing things they may not enjoy just to fit in with the “cool” crowd. This is an illusion because they are hiding behind someone who they are not, they just pretend to be this person to fit in with everyone else who is doing the exact same thing as them.

 

We have looked at several symbols in The Great Gatsby. Select 3 key symbols from the text and do the following for each symbol:

– Provide a description (using quotes) of the symbol from the text.

– Explain when and why the symbol appears throughout the text.

– Analyse what the symbol helps you to understand about an important character.

– Make a link between the symbol and the idea of illusion.

Green light: This is the light that is on the end of pier at Daisy and Tom’s mansion, it can be seen from Gatsby’s house, Gatsby often comes out to his pier to watch the green light. The symbol appears at the beginning of the novel but fades away towards the end of the novel, this is because the light symbolises Gatsby’s hopes and dreams and towards the end he begins to lose hope in his goal to get Daisy so the light fades. The light acts as his guide to get to Daisy to lead him to his overall goal.

Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg: These eyes are on a gigantic sign on the Valley of Ashes, they look over the valley. T.J. Eckleburg is a Doctor for eyes which is why his eyes are being advertised over the city. The symbol appears when the characters go through the Valley of Ashes to and from West Egg, towards Manhattan. The eyes represents god looking over the American society as a moral wasteland.

Flowers: A daisy flower symbolises innocence, purity, and beauty. Daisy Buchanan’s name is appropriately chosen as she appears to have all of these qualities, through the eyes of Gatsby. But what you often don’t see at first glance in a daisy is the yellow in the centre. This yellow represents her cupidity and moral corruption and her innocence and purity is just her appearance. This is an example that Gatsby shouldn’t of judged a book by it’s cover in this situation.

1 – List the four main settings in the novel. Provide a description for each setting and explain what each setting represents.

West Egg: This is where Gatsby’s mansion is where all his extravagant parties take place, and Nick’s small house is just next door. It is in Long Island, New York. This setting represents ‘new money’ meaning the people that live here made their money later in life like Gatsby, they were not born into a wealthy family and they had to put in work to make their riches.

East Egg: This is where Tom and Daisy’s mansion is situated Long Island, New York. It is on the other side of the bay to Gatsby’s home and Gatsby can see a green light at Tom and Daisy’s house. He purposely situated his house here so he could always keep an eye on Daisy. This setting represents ‘old money’ meaning the people that live here have had their wealth for a long time. They were born into wealthy families and never had to work hard to make themselves a living.

Valley of Ashes: This is where Tom Buchanan’s affair, Myrtle who lives with her husband George Wilson who is a mechanic. The people who live here are quite poor and all work hard to make a living for themselves. This is also where the gigantic sign with a picture of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s look over the valley. This setting represents the pursuit of wealth as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure.

New York City: This is where Tom has his rented apartment, in which Nick goes with him to visit his secret affair, which is Myrtle Wilson. This is also where Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, Tom and Jordan go and Tom and Gatsby have their argument over who Daisy wants to be, which leads to Myrtle being killed after being hit by Gatsby’s car. This setting represents people trying to make wealth, and to quest to make riches and get pleasure.

2 – Select two of the settings from above and discuss how these settings helped you to understand the idea of illusion in the novel. Use quotes to support your ideas.

Valley of Ashes: This shows the illusion that you can’t escape the poverty life and automatically get into the wealthy lifestyle. There is two examples of this in the book. Firstly, Gatsby illegally became rich to try and get the girl that he dreamed about, this resulted in him being shot  in the back of the head and killed. Then secondly, Myrtle tried to leave the Valley of Ashes when she thought she saw Tom’s car speeding past, she walked out and got hit by the car which killed her instantly.

East Egg: This setting displays an illusion as it is described as the ” more fashionable of the two,” the other being the West Egg. It is meant to be filled with happiness from all the wealth inside, when really it is filled with weak and disappointing characters. Tom and Daisy’s relationship for example, Daisy only stays with Tom for his money as she is well aware of his affairs with other woman.

1 – Describe three key characters and how they change in the novel.

2 – Explain what each character helped you to understand about illusion in the novel. Use quotes to support your ideas.

3. Describe three important relationships in the text and explain what they revealed about illusion

Nick:  Nick Carraway is the stories narrator, and everything is told from his perspective and what he thinks about the situation. He is lower class to everyone else that he surrounds himself with, such as Daisy, Tom and Gatsby, but he is accepted in because he is family to Daisy being her cousin. Throughout the novel he often serves the other characters by being their confidant, meaning the other characters trust him to hold their secrets. This is because Nick is honest and tolerant. He could be seen as a character that is almost spying around everyones personal lives. He changes throughout the novel as he realises he is actually really lonely and he has no one. “Thirty – the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning brief-case of enthusiasm, thinning hair.” Throughout the novel, Nick portrays the illusion of him being a kind and understanding person that wouldn’t want to offend anyone, but as he hangs around with Gatsby, Tom and Daisy a lot, they begins to rub off on him. He really is quite judgemental and self-absorbed by the end of the summer.

Daisy: Daisy Buchanan is Gatsby’s dream that he has devoted a lot of his life to getting back after he got back from the war and she was married to a man called Tom Buchanan. She was born into a wealthy family and has lived as an upper class citizen her whole life. Daisy now lives with Tom across the bay From Gatsby in Long Island, New York. Without her Gatsby’s entire extravagant lifestyle of partying every night would of never happened because Gatsby thinks that if he has money that she will want him. She changes throughout the novel because at the start of the novel she seems as though she is a really beautiful and charming person, but by the end of the story she is seen as disappointing character. This is shown in the story as she knows about her husband, Tom’s affairs with other woman, and she does nothing about it. This is because she loves the life with so much power and money. She helps portray the idea of illusion as she can be seen as a rose. It looks innocent on the outside but when you touch it the thorns will hurt you, Daisy being the rose and Gatsby, the one touching it.

Gatsby: James Gatsby is a very wealthy man that lives in the giant mansion next to Nick’s small house. He hosts massive parties every night and anybody who is anybody attends. Most of the people who go to his parties don’t even know Gatsby, and many thinks he isn’t a real person. Jay Gatsby is an actual person, he is a wealthy man living in a mansion in the West Egg of Long Island in New York. He has devoted his life to get his girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, which is why he has his extravagant parties, in hope that Daisy will wander into a party one day. Gatsby changes throughout the novel because at the beginning of the novel he thinks Daisy is the perfect woman, he thinks she is a loving, caring person which is why he wants her so bad. Towards the end of the novel he begins to realise that Daisy really is a shallow and disappointing person. He realises that he is in love with the idea of Daisy not Daisy herself.  Gatsby’s illusion is the biggest of all. When James Gatz left to the war, Daisy left him as she was in need of someone who could treat her to a wealthy lifestyle, so she left Gatz to be with Tom Buchanan, a very wealthy man who lived in Long Island, New York. 5 years later, a man by the name of Jay Gatsby emerged from nothing into this wealthy lifestyle that people like Daisy want to be part of. Jay Gatsby is an illusion, James Gatz is the real person behind him, he only became Gatsby so he could get the girl of his dreams.

Relationship between Gatsby and Daisy: This relationship began 5 years prior to when the events in the book take place. Gatsby and Daisy were madly in love, but Gatsby had to leave to go to war. Daisy said she would wait but then left him as he was poor and she wanted a man with wealth and riches. 5 years after that, and when the book takes place Gatsby is a wealthy man who lives in Long Island, New York in a gigantic mansion. This relationship shows illusion because Gatsby is not a real person. James Gatz is a poor man that is acting as Jay Gatsby, only because he wants to be with Daisy.

Relationship between Gatsby and Nick: Nick lives in a tiny house next to Gatsby’s massive mansion, the two become close acquaintances over the summer as Gatsby is on the quest for Daisy. They meet at a party at Gatsby’s near the beginning of the novel and create a close bond throughout the novel. This relationship shows an illusion because in the duo Nick is meant to be the kind and caring character, when throughout the novel Gatsby begins to rub off on Nick and Nick becomes a more self-absorbed person.

Relationship between Daisy and Tom: These two characters are a married couple living in the East Egg of Long Island, New York, which is the area of ‘old money,’ meaning they were born into a wealthy family and lived well their entire life. Daisy is aware that Tom is in an affair with another woman, called Myrtle from The Valley of Ashes, but never does anything about it. This relationship shows illusion as Daisy knows of Tom’s affairs, but doesn’t want to leave him because he is a wealthy and powerful individual. She only loves him for his money and not for him.

 

 

 

 

What is Fitzgerald trying to achieve when he opens this chapter?

When Fitzgerald opens this chapter he tries to make Gatsby seem as if he is lying about his past, as the things Gatsby is saying often sounds over-thought, for example; “We stayed there two days and two nights, a hundred and thirty men with sixteen Lewis guns, and when the infantry came up at last they found the insignia of three German divisions among piles of dead.” Otherwise, what Gatsby is saying sounds like he hasn’t thought about it at all, for example; ” ‘What part of the Middle West? I inquired casually. ‘San Francisco.’ ‘I see.’ ”

 

During summer, a blue dome encompasses the dry, mountainous landscape. Small irregular-shaped balls of white are dispersed across the celestial sphere, remaining stationary even with the frail but satisfyingly tepid breeze, which blows the hair on your head only slightly. In between all of this is a big, yellow star that constantly fires an intense beam of bright glare. The heat that radiates off the beam feels as though it is searing your skin.

 

The brown dirt beneath your feet at the base of mountain often crumbles as you walk over it. Higher up the mound the dirt is much more solid from the thousands of tyres that roll over it every day. Various tyres are controlled by the various bikes that are ridden by fearless people that accelerate their way down the steep incline at insane speeds. These people are all dressed in colourful outerwear, making them easily visible across the scene. They all wear helmets that protect their entire head, making the people’s faces invisible.

 

Down the centre of the trails, stands towering, metal poles, which hold up the chairs that carry the riders up above the few clouds that appear in the sky. It can be heard creaking as you are carried up. Intense strength is used to constantly drag the tonnes of riders and bikes up the hill, it is incredible.

 

When you’re out on the trails it is immensely peaceful, apart from the almost inaudible sound of the hum that the tyre tread makes on the earth; it is so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. As you approach the last stretch, large, yellow buildings come into your peripheral vision. A clocktower can be seen in amongst the buildings looking proudly, down over the mountainside like he owns the land.  

 

As winter closes in, the feeling of having an enormous, spherical ceiling is ravaged by the obnoxious grey and black clouds that fill what is normally a magnificent blue sky. Instead of small, white fluffy balls scattered around, there is one angry-looking grey that masks off anything on the other side.

 

The strong gale that blows directly at you at hundreds of kilometres an hour burns any bare skin that is out. Behind the murky clouds, the sun is nearly opaque, all that can be seen is a white circle that stands out between the enormous, misty cumulonimbus. The sun must be tired in this cold season, because it doesn’t feel as though it is pushing any of its heat down to the Earth.

 

Below the long sticks that are attached to the most uncomfortable boots you could ever wear is a soft substance that is blindingly, bright white like a swan’s feathers. This matter that covers all the dirt on the ground disperses a crisp waft that nips at your fingers, making them feel numb and lifeless.

 

As you step over the white, retrograde dirt you can be traced, as your footprints are mimicked as you tread on the floor. Small flakes of the ethereal material continually drop from the heavens, floating calmly and gently to the ground. It slowly piles up on top of itself, but within seconds is demolished by a flash of people riding wooden strips connected to the soles of their feet. These people carve the whiteness with their sharp edges, making a hiss as they shred over the mountain. The small mounds become a smooth, flat surface, this happens over and over as though it is in a cycle.
The towering mountain is buzzing with people everywhere, completely unlike the opposite season. Poking the clouds up with its head, the clocktower can be seen through a murky view, the rooftops of all the buildings covered in a white duvet.