Great Gatsby Essays (693 words) - The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby

Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in the 1920's during the Jazz Age. Nick Carraway is a man in his late twenties residing on West Egg island in Long Island, New York living a "normal" life. That is, until he meets his mysterious neighbor, a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby. He is a man of mystery, living in a mansion that is constantly full of people, music, and fun. Nick's"normal" life gets thrown topsy-turvy when he gets involved in the life of this extraordinary millionaire. Marred by jealousy, cheating, and lying, Nick begins to feel the essence of living a glamorous life in the ?20's. He showed this when he said, "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." All along, I felt sorry for Nick being dragged into more and more tragedy, but I especially felt bad for him during one instance. His friend Daisy was married to Tom, but Tom was having an affair with Mrs. Wilson and Daisy had a thing for Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby were driving home from town after an argument amongst the group of friends when they passed the Wilson's gas station. Mrs. Wilson ran out to Gatsby's car, because they were driving Tom's car, and was hit. Mr. Wilson went positively crazy, and Nick felt torn by his mixed feelings towards his supposed friend Gatsby. "I disliked him so much by this time that I didn't find it necessary to tell him he was wrong." Gatsby's insensitivity brought on by his lifestyle made Nick despise him. This is the part where I think Nick really started opening his eyes to how Gatsby really was. This book really displays how the life of an important person is, especially in that time period. At first, Nick is awed and drawn in by the glamour and prestige, but he eventually figures out for himself how rough it really was. Although this book was set back in the ?20's, the lessons you learn from it still apply to society and life in general today. Anyone could read this book and draw a few lessons about life from it. Summary The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920's. It's about the lives of a group of people who all become entangled in a web of, lying, scandal, and cheating together. Nick Carraway lives a "normal" life on Long Island, until he meets his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Parties went on every weekend, and Nick gets caught up in Gatsby's"glamorous" lifestyle. Soon, everyone is involved in scandal, Daisy's cheating on Tom with Gatsby, Tom's cheating on Daisy with Mrs. Wilson, and Nick's caught in the middle. Gatsby ends up convincing Nick to get Daisy to come to Gatsby's house, because they had a history together. Daisy comes, and both she and Gatsby find out that their love for each other never went away. The trouble really begins when Tom finds out that Daisy's love for Gatsby has rekindled. One day while in town, Tom and Daisy fight, so Gatsby drives Daisy home in Tom's car. On the way, they hit a woman who turns out to be Mrs. Wilson who was thought the person in the car was Tom, and was trying to talk to him. All the while, Nick starts realizing how terrible a life like Gatsby's is despite the outer glamour. He also becomes emotionally attached to golf player, Jordan Baker. After Mr. Wilson finds out who was in the car that killed his wife, he goes crazy and kills Gatsby. In the end, two people wind up dead, and everyone winds up hurt in one way or another. Daisy and Tom remain together, Mr. Wilson is crazy, and Nick is hurt by Jordan who never loved him back. After all of this emotional suffering, Nick realizes that he learned a valuable lesson about life: Some of the supposed happiest people with the best lives often are a lot worse off, or end up a lot worse off than people with "normal" lives. The only thing he can do is go on living his life the way it was meant to be lead: not as a millionaire, or a prestigious person in society, but as a normal guy-the only way he knows how.

Response about Landscape and Narrative by Barry Lopez

Response about Landscape and Narrative by Barry Lopez As the title illustrates, ‘Landscape and Narrative’ by Barry Lopez illustrates the relationship between the landscape and a narrative.   The author illustrates that a narrative serves its purpose if it manages to illustrate the relationship between the interior and the exterior landscape effectively and in an orderly manner.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Response about Landscape and Narrative by Barry Lopez specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The exterior landscape represents the earth and the ecosystem while the interior landscape represents the mind, thoughts and everything that happens in a person’s mind.   Therefore,  it is clear that Lopez uses the issue of landscape to illustrate the role of a narrative as well as the points that ought to be considered to come up with an effective narrative. Lopez illustrates that a narrator should have knowledge on the interior and exterior landscape to come up with an effective narrative. Since the exterior landscape represents the land, a narrator is supposed to have a lot of knowledge on the   Ã‚  same to be in a position to effectively provide the relationship between the two landscapes. However, since it is not possible to have full knowledge on the land or the exterior landscape, observing the relationship between different elements can be very helpful. Most importantly, the author illustrates that full knowledge can only be realized if all the elements are studied together not separately. For instance, in an organization, there are different departments and the importance of each department can only be understood if someone studies how the whole system works. By so doing, the narrator is able to represent the exterior environment in such a way that the reader can identify with it and believe the narrator. Apart from that, the way it is presented is also a consideration as well as the phrases used since it is i mportant to ensure that all readers at all levels can be in a position to grasp the main idea and understand the content. In that case, Lopez has succeeded in illustrating how a story can be informative since it is a main prerequisite of an effective narrative. The role of a narrative is also a major idea that is brought out throughout the whole story.   Lopez   illustrates   that a well organized story that  unites the two landscapes is able to result to a state   of well being   since it is stated that â€Å" The  Ã‚   listener who takes the   story to heart will feel pervasive sense of congruence within   himself and   also in the world â€Å"(Lopez pp. 44). Therefore, according to Lopez, a well written story has got the power of healing and even  nurturing the spirit  of human beings after uniting the interior and the exterior landscape. Moreover, it provides individuals with knowledge concerning various elements in the land through studying their relat ionship as illustrated by the narrator.Advertising Looking for critical writing on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lopez uses the example of a narrative to illustrate the constituents of an effective narrative as well as the eventual roles played by the same. Use of the wolverine stories is very effective since by so doing, the reader grasps the intent of the author without major difficulties. Moreover, the  story also illustrates the power of presenting information of the exterior environment in an orderly manner and in a way that the reader can identify with the elements of the land. As a result, the author is able to believe the narrator and to take the information as truth. As an example, Lopez explains that after sending the information about the wolverine to a friend, she got a positive response though the friend had never seen the creatures. Therefore, although Lopez does not concentrate so much on presentation, she has made a major contribution in illustrating not only the role, but also the constituents of `the story. In conclusion, Lopez states that â€Å"As long as the  storyteller carefully  describes the  order before him, and uses his story telling skill to heighten and emphasize certain relationships, it is even possible for the story to be more successful  than the story teller himself is able to imagine† (Lopez pp. 146). Work Cited Lopez, Barry. Landscape and Narrative . 1970. Web.