Great Gatsby Week 1.4

"One thing's sure and nothing's surer… The rich get richer and the poor get – children” (Fitzgerald 95).

     Fitzgerald is trying to state the point that wealthy citizens will just get more money and never achieve complete happiness while the less privileged citizens can lead joyous lives without material wealth. When in possession of a large sum of money, people get carried away and their only focus is to obtain more money. The part of society that lives in poverty is able to achieve satisfaction in life because their focuses are set on more important things such as “children.” The primary purpose of this quote is to illustrate that money can not always buy happiness.

 “I saw him opening a chest of rubies to ease with their crimson-lighted depths, the gnawings of his broken heart” (Fitzgerald 67).

     Gatsby shows Nick a picture of him taken during his time at Oxford and Nick pictures Gatsby looking a chest full of rubies to help him find comfort in his depressing life. Gatsby finds that buying expensive items eases his longing for Daisy. Although the shining rubies would offer no alleviation towards his pain, Gatsby would like to think that they are helping him solve his problems. Again, he thinks he has to impress people with material wealth in order to stand out as “great.” He turns to luxury to hide his struggles just like alcoholics turn to alcohol and drug-users turn to drugs. Gatsby’s “drugs” for comfort are money and popularity.

“Recovering himself in a minute he opened for us two hulking patent cabinets which held his massed suits and dressing-gowns and ties, and his shirts, piled like bricks in stacks a dozen high. “'I've got a man in England who buys me clothes. He sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season, spring and fall” (Fitzgerald 92).

     Gatsby is giving Nick and Daisy a tour of his home and shows them his closet which is fully-stocked with expensive clothing and accessories. Nice shirts are stacked high on cabinets and his clothing is bought by an English man. This shows that Gatsby thinks so highly of himself that he does not even shop for himself. He is concentrated on the idea of impressing Daisy to win her approval because he thinks that money creates happiness. In today’s society, people try to awe others by showing off how many material items they can purchase. They are focused on the assumption that they will gain more friendships and acceptance if they are able to make a lot of luxury purchases.

“There must have been moments in the afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything…No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart” (Fitzgerald 95). 

     The author is stressing that people overestimate their ability to achieve their dreams in real life. The actuality of Daisy’s character falls short of Gatsby’s expectations. He believed that since they had experienced a romance previously, that their love would immediately be reignited. He pictures Daisy as being the woman of his dreams and perfect in every way, but occasionally he notices things about her that do not resemble his dream. This concept applies to the real world because people shoot too far in life and are often let down by their achievements. They do not fully succeed in what they set out to do resulting in mental failure.

“The modesty of the demand shook me. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths” (Fitzgerald 78).

     This quote explains that Gatsby has been waiting for Daisy’s love for five years. He went to great measures to gain the opportunity to meet with Daisy by buying a luxurious mansion across the bay from her house. Gatsby has thrown extraordinary parties in the hopes that he will catch Daisy’s attention. He asks Nick to set up a tea party for him to coincidentally run into Daisy. When Nick agrees, Gatsby is overwhelmed with gratitude and offers many favors in exchange. The author portrays Gatsby’s character as determined to get what he thinks he wants in life. Although Gatsby’s idea of the perfect life may be far reaching from reality, he strives for them to come true.  

Fiction 1.3 "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood"

Should Teenagers Be Allowed To Try Adulthood?

     The main point argued in "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood" by Leon Botstein is that high schools are hindering the development of adolescents because they isolate teens into cliques and stereotypes. The author fails to explain the primary purpose of high school which is to provide a social and educational bridge into the real world. Adulthood can not be mastered when on a rushed route through one's adolescent years; lessons take time to be retained in the brain. High school is a definite necessity when preparing for the obstacles of adulthood. When experiencing the process of high school, students gain much-needed social skills, basic knowledge, and the concept of who they want to be in the real world. Botstein believes that high school is limiting teens to only interacting amongst their similar-aged peers. Although this may be true, it offers a sense of comfort to teens that are intimidated by working with older people. The ability to connect among peers must be achieved before one can achieve success on their own. As well as social comfort, one must be well informed of basic information. Botstein thinks it is necessary to rush into college, but a person can not do well in college if they are not properly prepared. If too much information is crammed into the brains of students in order to rush them off to college, then they will not retain the information properly. With the aid of high school, students develop a judgement of who they are and what they would like to major in. Botstein argues that by spending less time in high school and more time in college, a student will succeed more in the real world. This is not true because the student does not have enough time to fully develop an opinion concerning what they aspire to be. Major conflicts would result from a younger graduating class. There would be a higher rate of unemployment considering the demand for jobs right out of college. In addition, high school students need time to develop an understanding of maturity towards ideas and concepts of life. Botstein suggests that since our generations are maturing more quickly physically, teens do not need to spend as much time maturing their skills in life. This is a false accusation because the generations of children are becoming increasingly mentally immature. Sports and hobbies are viewed as stereotypical dividers by the author, but they are merely a way to accompany people in acquiring cooperation and leadership skills. Teens learn how to give orders as well as receive them from other teammates resulting in the improved ability to communicate effectively. Hobbies open up a broad spectrum of interests that may take a student years to finally decide on which one they would like to pursue. Much time must be given in order for them to consider their options of which hobbies they would like to strive for in life. Leon Botstein's idea of shortening the time spent at secondary school would be unable to work properly because teens would not gain proper education of how to survive in the real world.