Monday, January 21, 2013

Great Gatsby Essay


Jacob Anason

The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby” is filled with characters that use wealth to get what they want, the most obvious being Jay Gatsby. It also has characters with strange behavior that can be analyzed to find out their deeper thoughts. Gatsby himself is especially interesting to get a better look at. He throws big extravagant parties but at the same time is somewhat withdrawn and seems distracted. He has a big house and lots of money but doesn’t seem happy with it all. Gatsby needed all of his wealth to make him happy, but it wasn’t the wealth itself that he thought would accomplish that, it was the love he thought would come with it. This essay will look at “The Great Gatsby” through the psychological and economic lenses.

West Egg and East Egg were two very different communities. East Egg was very wealthy and fashionable. It was filled with giant houses that looked more like palaces than homes. Across the bay was West Egg. The west was very different. Nick describes it best when he says, “I lived at West Egg- the well, the less fashionable of the two” (page 5). It is easy to see the difference in social class here. On one side you have rich fancy mansions, and on the other Nick is paying $80 a month rent. Gatsby’s mansion was an exception to this however; he had a magnificent mansion next door to Nick. There is a reason that Gatsby chose to live in the less wealthy Egg. He was plenty fashionable to live in the East, but there was a specific reason he didn’t. That will come up later in the essay.

Gatsby has plenty of money and shows it by his popular parties every Saturday night. Few people at these parties had actually been invited; the rest had just come from the city to have a good time. Many of them were not of wealth and came to take advantage of Gatsby’s money and generosity. Gatsby doesn’t seem to care about this fact and it even seems like he isn’t happy at these parties. “Some time before he introduced himself I’d gotten a strong impression that he was picking his words with care. “Almost at the moment when Mr. Gatsby identified himself, a butler hurried over toward him with information that Chicago was calling him on the wire” (page 48). He puts on a face for the parties to seem happy but inside he isn’t. His work is more important to him than being social at his own party.

Why isn’t he happy if he is so rich? Why does he throw the parties if he doesn’t enjoy them? By using the psychological lens to look at what we have learned from the economic lens we can find the answers to these questions. On page 21 Nick sees Gatsby staring off his dock at a distant green light. With all of the money that Gatsby has it seems reasonable to think that there is nothing he would long for. Yet, Nick observes him reaching out towards the light as if it’s something he wants that is just out of his reach. What could it be that he is reaching for? Gatsby is reaching for love. He knows that Daisy, the girl he loves, is just across that water and he is reaching for her. The only reason he worked so hard to get his money was because he thought it would bring her to him. This is why he lives in the less fashionable egg. He wants to be as close to Daisy as he can, but he isn’t confident enough to live right by her. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out arms farther… And one fine morning-” (Page 180). The green light was more than just a symbol of Daisy, it represents the entire human race’s struggle to recreate the past and achieve their life goals. “’I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (page 110) This quote shows Gatsby and Nick talking to each other, Nick believes you can change the past. but Gatsby thinks differently. The past is what he longs for when he reaches toward the green light. Nick clearly thinks that whats in the past is forever in the past and he has learned to move on, but Gatsby can't let it go. He got a taste of perfection in his youth and has been chasing it ever since.

From studying Gatsby it is clear to see that even though he worked hard to acquire his wealth, it is not the wealth that he wants. His acquisition of wealth, the parties, moving to West Egg, everything he did was another step in his persistent quest to recreate the past he had with Daisy. The money was merely a means to an end. Gatsby understands that the best things in life can't be touched or even seen, but they are the things we feel inside and make us happy. In the end Gatsby died, but he died happy. He finally got to be with Daisy and that was all he ever wanted. He was happier dying young knowing he accomplished what he wanted to than if he had lived to be 100 and never got back together with Daisy. Gatsby said it best when he said, “What was the point of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?” (page 150) Everything in life is so much better when there is someone to share it with.
 
Cite
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Blog post #8


"25 To Life"
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Yeah
Too late
I can't keep chasing em
I'm taking my life back
Caught in a chase
25 to life
I don't think she understands the sacrifices that I made
Maybe if this bitch had acted right I would've stayed
But I've already wasted over half of my life I would've laid
Down and died for you I no longer cry for you
No more pain bitch you
Took me for granted took my heart and ran it straight into the planet
Into the dirt I can no longer stand it
Now my respect I demand it
Imma take control of this relationship
Command it, and imma be the boss of you now goddammit
And what I mean is that I will no longer let you control me
So you better hear me out this much you owe me
I gave up my life for you, totally devoted to you while I've stayed
Faithful all the way this is how I fucking get repaid
Look at how I dress fucking baggy sweats, go to work a mess
Always in a rush to get back to you I ain't heard you yet
Not even once say you appreciate me I deserve respect
Ive done my best to give you nothing less than perfectness
And I know that if I end this I'll no longer have nothing left
But you keep treating me like a staircase it's time to fucking step
And I wont be coming back so don't hold your fucking breath
You know what you've done no need to go in depth
I told you, you'd be sorry if I fucking left
Id laugh while you wept
Hows it feel now, yeah, funny ain't it, you neglected me
Did me a favor although my spirit free you've set
But a special place for you in my heart I have kept
It's unfortunate but it's,
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
I feel like when I bend over backwards for you all you do is laugh
Cause that ain't good enough you expect me to fold myself in half
Til I snap
Don't think I'm loyal
All I do is rap
How can I moonlight on the side
I have no life outside of that
Don't I give you enough of my time
You don't think so do you
Jealous when I spend time with the girls
Why I'm married to you still man I don't know
But tonight I'm serving you with papers
I'm divorcing you
Go marry someone else and make em famous
And take away their freedom like you did to me
Treat em like you don't need them and they ain't worthy of you
Feed em the same shit that you made me eat
I'm moving on forget you oh,
Now I'm special? I didn't feel special when I was with you
All I ever felt was this
Helplessness
Imprisoned by a selfish bitch
Chew me up and spit me out
I fell for this so many times
It's ridiculous
And still I stick with this
I'm sick of this but in my sickness and addiction
You're addictive as they get
Evil as they come vindictive as they make em
My friends keep asking me why I can't just walk away from
I'm addicted
To the pain, the stress, the drama
I'm drawn in so I guess imma mess
Cursed and blessed
But this time imma
Ain't changing my mind
I'm climbing out this abyss
You screaming as I walk out that I'll be missed
But when you spoke of people who meant the most to you
You left me off your list
Fuck you hip-hop
I'm leaving you, my life sentence is served bitch
And it's just
[Chorus]
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late
Caught in a chase
25 to life

Implied Reader

In this song Eminem is talking about how hip hop has taken away his life. It has consumed him since he began and the critics have not appreciated him. On the surface it may seem like he is talking about his ex-wife, but when you look deeper into the song it is plain to see that he is talking about his music career.  Eminem is hoping that the people who listen to this song know enough about him and his life to understand what he is saying.

Actual Reader

When I listen to this song I think about past relationships that I have had and how I was used. I was taken for granted and a lot of the feelings Eminem has for hip hop I have had about past relationships. It is not a good feeling.

I think reader response is a good thing. It takes two to tango. When you get two perspectives on something it is more complete and a more well-rounded experience. When I listen to a song I enjoy it a lot more if there is something in my life I can relate it to. Like 25 to life, if I only listened to it to get Eminem’s life story it wouldn’t be as enjoyable but when I relate it to my own life I find a lot more pleasure.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Blog Post #7 The Social Network


Both of the Marxist and Psychological lenses can be used to look deeper at The Social Network. It is an interesting movie by itself, but when you look at all of the different aspects of it, it becomes even more enticing.
Using the Marxist/Economic lens we can look at how money and resources are used by the characters in The Social Network. Mark uses his smarts and computer to make Facemash. Once he uses his friend’s money to get Facebook started, he moves to California because that’s where he can find good connections.  The two brothers that recruit Mark use their resources the most in the movie. They use their power and status to convince Mark to work for them; they use their Dad’s name to get a meeting with the president of the college, and they use their money to get a very good lawyer. The main point of the movie through the Marxist lens is that in order for Mark to make it big and the brothers to get what they feel they deserve, they need to have money in their pockets and important people on their speed dial.
            When looking at it through the Psychological approach we can look closer at why Mark needs Facebook to work so badly. When we take a look at his life we can see why. First he loses his girlfriend and he doesn’t have a job. After that he gets rejected from the Finals club. He sees a need that people have and he is very confident that he knows how to fill it. Mark needs Facebook to work because he has nothing else. For as smart as he is, so far in life he has nothing to show for it and he knows that people will love the idea.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Blog Post #6

In my opinion, the main point of this episode was not to look only at the surface. At first they thought it was a tumor and were convinced that was the answer, but House wasn't so sure. He needed to look deeper to find the solution. When you look at House, you can see that there is more to him than meets the eye. On the outside he appears to be a grumpy old man who is only looking to do things his way. But when you peel back his layers you can see that he actually cares about his patients. He wants to help them, he even opened up to one of his patients.

I agree with this message. It is good not to judge a book by it's cover. I don't think it is right to make assumptions about others before we know the whole story. I know that in my own life I do this quite often and it is something I am looking to change.

In today's society people are judged on their looks, their wealth, their friends, everything. At the same time they are being told to be themselves. How can they be themselves with all of the judging that is going on? It is very difficult. This House episode is sending a powerful message to its viewers, and I am backing it up. America, please please don't judge others.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Blog Post number #5

I believe that she wrote this to prove a point about society. She wanted people to realize how stupid some of our traditions are. None of the ones we have are as outlandish as in "The Lottery", but the point is still clear. Why do something when the meaning of it is unclear? People do things just because they have been done for a long time. They might think that these traditions are wrong but they do them anyway just to conform to society. Old Man Warner is a represntation of the older generation in today's society. A majority of this group does not like change. They want things to stay the way they have been for the past 30 years. The changes that our younger generation has been making and the trends we have going do not please them. Tessie is similar to the people that stand up for what they believe in but get shot down by society.  She wanted to change but the rest of society wanted to stay the same.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Blog post #4

 In both the novel Into the Wild and the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, the characters display a very adventurous lifestyle. Neither of the two main characters can sit still for very long. They display a deep urge to keep active. Chris McCandless needs to keep on the move and venture through the different parts of the country. Mr. Fox craves the thrill of of the chase when he steals for a living. He promises his wife that he will give it up, but ultimately he cannot stay away for long.

On page 39 in the novel Chris says, "It's a good place to spend the winter and might finally settle down and abandon my tramping life, for good." He was seriously thinking about staying in Bullhead and living there. He was loving the town and actually had a steady job. But ultimately, the urge to keep moving was just to great and he left. Chris just had the spirit of an adventurer and couldn't stay still for too long or he started to feel like he would explode. Mr. Fox was the same way, he couldn't be tied down either. When he and his wife were captured and he found out she was pregnant he promised that he would be done. He stayed true to his word for many years but eventually gave in. He couldn't stay away from that lifestyle. His excuse for it was that he is a wild animal. It's just his nature to act like that.

Mr. Fox and Chris McCandless are two birds of a feather. It is not simply that they like having adventures, rather, it is a necessity for them. No matter how great the pressure is to settle down and have a normal life they just can't give in, no matter how badly they want to. They are destined not to live like everyone around them. That is not who they are, or who they want to be. The enjoy the life they live and anyone who tries to tell them differently is wrong.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Into the wild #3

Chris is a misguided young man who thinks he can do more than he actually can. He is foolish for thinking he can survive with little supplies. In his ambition to live alone and tramp around there is nothing wrong, but how he goes about that is seriously flawed. This is my understanding of Chris and it hasnt changed throughout the novel. The motivation that Chris has for completing his adventure is that he loves being free to do what he wants. This is exampled on page 108 when it says, "Chris loved those trips the longer the better. There was always a little wanderlust in the family, and it was clear early on that Chris had inherited it." This was an example from when he was out in the wilderness with his grandpa as a young boy, clearly this love of nature and freedom carried into his adult life. On page 114 it states that; "It's somewhat surprising that Chris ceded to pressure from Walt and Billie about attending college when he refused to listen to them about so many other things". This shows how indepedent he loved to be. The fact that him actually listening to his parents is surprising proves that he is super independent and loves doing things on his own with no help from anyone.