Great Gatsby 2.4

1.) "I tossed half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams."
Nick is unable to sleep well throught the night after Myrtle's death. He is worried about Gatsby waiting outside of Daisy's home in the middle of the night because Nick does not want him interfering with Daisy and Tom's relationship anymore. Nick is fed up with Gatsby pursuing his dream that will never come true. He knows that Gatsby has not caught up with reality, and will not let go of the past. Gatsby's dreams will eventually be crushed, and the harsh feeling of reality will set in on him. Nick is worried about whether or not the truth of Gatsby will be revealed to Daisy, diminishing all hopes Gatsby has of winning Daisy.

2.) "His house had never seemed so enormous to me as it did that night...we sat smoking out into the darkness."
Nick is astonished at the vast size of Gatsby's mansion because it seems more spacious and empty than he had remembered it. This marks Gatsby's downfall as he begins to realize that Daisy has given up on him. He no longer throws lavish parties filled with excitement because they were only attempts to impress Daisy. The build-up of dust in his house is a sign that Gatsby's hope is decreasing, and the dark atmosphere resembles the darkness in his heart. The empty, silent house symbolizes that Gatsby is empty without the consent of Daisy's love. The mood that he puts off is noticed by Nick, and that is why Gatsby's mansion appears to be bigger and silent.

3.) “I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn’t believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer cared.”
Nick believes that Gatsby has given up on Daisy. Gatsby was waiting on Daisy’s phone call, but it never comes. He decides to go for a swim on the last possible day of the season. This is the bottom of his downfall as a character because he has decided to change his busy, hopeless lifestyle to one of serenity. Gatsby does not care about impressing people anymore if he cannot have Daisy, so his soul has died inside of him. Wilson murdering Gatsby was merely useless because he had already died emotionally.

4.) “At first I was surprised and confused; then, as he lay in his house and didn’t move or breathe or speak, hour upon hour, it grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested—interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which every one has some vague right at the end.”
Nick realizes that he is the only person that could take responsibility for Gatsby after his death. Not one other person in the world seems to be affected by the death of Gatsby because his only reason for existence was impressing Daisy. He did not develop personal relations with anyone besides Nick, and most of the people Gatsby did know had either died or disappeared. Daisy, Tom, Wolfshiem, and Klipspringer all refuse to go to Gatsby’s funeral because they cannot bear to face the truth. Daisy and Tom are stuck in their perfect world and don't want to be affected by the harsh consequences of reality.

5.) “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

Nick states that there are certain people in the world that focus only on themselves like Tom and Daisy. This results in them creating catastrophes in other people’s lives even though they are content with what is happening in their own lives. They turn to wealth in order to solve their problems, but in reality this only allows them to hide from their problems. The carelessness of some people results in the destruction of others’ lives.

2.3 Valedictorian Essay

While there are negatives to a school naming their valedictorian such as anxiety and pressure, the honor creates motivation for students to try their hardest in school. There would be little drive for students to have a high GPA if, potentially, there was no competition. They would begin slacking in their school work because they had no important reason for doing well in school. Achieving valedictorian usually guarantees acceptance to the college of the student's choice, as well as numerous sholarships. Modern-day students are much more competitive than in the past, and they want to be rewarded for their dedication to academics. While there can be those students that cheat their way to the top, most valedictorians put much effort into gaining the top spot of their class. Numerous hours of studying and homework are put into achieving the highest possible grade. It would be unfair not to point out the role model for all other students because it sets a path for all other students to follow. Although struggling to beat one's classmates can cause tedious, stress-enducing agony, the competition teaches real life skills. Nothing simply comes to someone in life; they must put determination into achieving their life goals. Competition is a key factor in college, careers, and many other aspects of daily life such as relationships. One can not rely on success being given to them unless they put in the time necessary. Since the education system in the United States is decreasing compared to many other foreign countries, the drive for academic success is imperitive. Countries such as Japan are filled with work-savvy students that are willing to dedicate their entire lives to school work. If schools were to eliminate valedictorians and celebrate a larger number of students, then the students that received no special recognition would feel even more rejected from achievements in high school. They would know that they did not make the increased percentage of students graduating at the top of their class. More thorough regulations should be required for valedictorians so the rules are more clear. This would hinder the confusion that results in court cases. Although the title of valedictorian does not ensure that that person is the smartest student in the class, it does show that they are the most dedicated, hard-working student. This is a good basis for college acceptance when college boards are determining who would succeed in attending their schools. Those students work for recognition and they deserve it because of the tedious work involved. There is a risk of cheating in almost every daily activity from working out to a college entrance exam; a student utilizing their knowledge and strategies to work their way to the top of their class is not cheating if they follow all of the rules. They could possibly be criticized by their classmates, but those classmates could have done the same exact thing if they had similar determination. Valedictorians are necessary to high schools because they provide fellow students with a sense of direction and motivation for competition.

Great Gatsby 2.2

"I wouldn't ask too much of her...you can't repeat the past." 

Nick is telling Gatsby that he shouldn't expect too much of Daisy because she is not what she used to be. In the past Gatsby and Daisy were madly in love and nothing could have separated them; nothing except the fact that Gatsby didn't have a lot of money. Now that he is rich, he is trying to re-create his ideal version of Daisy. She is now in love with Tom as well as Gatsby, and she will never live up to Gatsby's old expectations. Gatsby is convinced that he can relive the most exciting era in his life, but Nick assures him that he can't. 

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

Jordan is reassuring Daisy that the fall season brings new life that was previously drained from the Summer heat. Daisy is concerned about what they are going to do for the next thirty years of their lives. The characters have lost their sense of direction because of so many events occurring at once. Jordan blames the scorching summer heat as the reason behind so much confusion. Their overwhelming lives will be calmed with the arrival of fall. The change in seasons resembles rebirth because it introduces relief from the heat. The cool weather of fall symbolizes a refreshing change in their lifestyle. 

"There was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well."

Nick observes that Mr. Wilson is so shocked at the suspicion of his wife cheating on him that he looks sick. Nick also observes that Tom is similarly distraught by the fact that Daisy is in love with Gatsby. Mr. Wilson and Tom are devastated which is the reason for their "sick" appearance. The major difference in humans is whether they are completely content with what is going on in their lives or not. People of all races, religion, and social status are equal in the fact that their emotional standing is the most important factor in determining their satisfaction in life. 

"She told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw."

Daisy thinks that's she secretly tells Gatsby of her love for him, but her husband sees the event. Tom is completely shocked by seeing this because he never suspected of Daisy being disloyal to him. Although Tom had gone behind Daisy's back with Myrtle, 
he is appalled at the idea of Daisy cheating on him. This is a major turning point of the novel because the seemingly-perfect lifestyle of the couple is disrupted by the harsh truth. Major conflicts are foreshadowed to erupt between Gatsby and Tom because they are both in love with Daisy. In truth, Daisy is in love with the idea of being loved and financially stable. 

"So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight- watching over nothing." 

Nick leaves Gatsby alone outside as he is watching over Tom and Daisy. Tom had just learned that Daisy is in love with Gatsby, so Gatsby is concerned that Tom will have a heated argument with Daisy. Although the couple seems perfectly content as if nothing had ever happened, Gatsby is determined to stay outside their window all night just to make sure Daisy is safe. Nick believes that Gatsby should leave the house because Tom and Daisy are doing just fine, and he is growing increasingly weary of the truth behind Gatsby. He thinks that the couple is happy with each other and that Gatsby does not need to interfere with their relationship. 

Commencement Speech

The speaker is correct when she says that after graduating from college, students should pursue their own goals rather than others'. From the first day of kindergarten to the graduation of college, students are influenced to fulfill what others want them to. Teachers tell students to make good grades, friends tell their friends that they are only cool if they fit in, and parents show acceptance when their child has succeeded in what they wanted them to. Students can "put down the backpack" once they have completed their education because the real world is about pleasing theirselves. They do not have to be perfect anymore or try so hard to live up to the standards of other people. Rather, they must go beyond the boundaries of society's basic rules and seek life based on their own rules. People must ask themselves questions such as, "Why am I doing this?" to make sure that the answer is "for myself." The sole purpose of every action in their life needs to be for the benefit of themselves in order to achieve happiness. After college there is no set of limitations or requirements to follow because they must be determined by one's self. In order to succeed, rules need to be broken. Following rules set by others will not create a sense of fulfillment because they were not for the sole purpose of happiness in the individual. Although one could possibly be judged for doing something out of the ordinary, it does not matter. As long as they believe that they are doing what is important to their life, it is acceptable. Since no single person is exactly like another, limitations should not be universal. Most people think that once someone graduates from college they must start a career, get married, and then have children. If someone were to go against this set of rules imprinted into the minds of Americans, they would be frowned upon. In reality, decisions made should be based on that person's desires only. They must not sacrifice their character in order to make others accept them. To succeed, one must persuade others that their regulations are important to helping society. Parents try to persuade their children to do what they want them to do, but this sacrifices individuality. Trying to please others will only result in a fake personality. Being fake does not help anybody because success is only achievable by people that are content with themselves. In order to live a successful life one must accept that perfection is different to every individual. The ideal image and grades are opinionated to society, although people think that there is a set of guidelines they must follow. People need to identify all of the flaws in theirselves before they can fully accept the fact that they are not perfect. They will learn to respect the fact that not all other people can live up to their expectations. Everyone has a different view on the "perfect" life, so there is not a universal code for perfection.