The Repeat Read: "The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald"

Megan Paul

Period 5

Mrs. Smith
The Repeat Read

 

                                     

       

What literary thoughts did you have as you read? What literary elements jumped out at you as you read this time (and maybe didn't last time)?

The Great Gatsby is not only a story of failed love, but it is also one of the American Dream. However, I believe it is not a positive reflection of the American Dream, but rather an example of the negative impact that greed can have on a society. Fitzgerald uses East Egg, West Egg and the Valley of ashes to show the huge differences between the social classes. East Egg represents the aristocracy, or old wealth. West Egg represents the new wealth, those who have made their fortunes in their lifetime. Finally the valley of ashes, created by the soot from the steam locomotives passing through, represents how the upper class can deplete the lifestyles of the less fortunate. Watching over all of this are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, who’s billboard seems almost godlike. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg stares down upon the wasteland that the rich have created through their greed. Finally, there’s the reoccurring image of the green light, which symbolizes Gatsby’s continued hope that he will get Daisy back. “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 our arms farther”.

Relates to our essential questions: What is love and why is it so complicated? How does our past inform our present? I thought about these a lot in reference to Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship. 

Identify two poems which could be paired with your novel and explain why you chose them.

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town, 

We people on the pavement looked at him: 

He was a gentleman from sole to crown, 

Clean favored, and imperially slim. 

And he was always quietly arrayed, 

And he was always human when he talked; 

But still he fluttered pulses when he said, 

"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. 

And he was rich - yes, richer than a king - 

And admirably schooled in every grace; 

In fine we thought that he was everything 

To make us wish that we were in his place. 

So on we worked, and waited for the light, 

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; 

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, 

Went home and put a bullet through his head. 

-    Edwin Arlington Robinson – 

I chose Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson because I felt as if it really describes Gatsby. Robinson portrays Cory as a wealthy and notable figure in society. Throughout The Great Gatsby, characters (especially Nick) constantly talk and wonder about Gatsby. When Robinson writes "in fine we thought that he was everything to make us wish that we were in his place" this really reminded me of Gatsby's life. To a stranger it looks like he has everything; wealth, a beautiful house, and lots of "friends". However, Gatsby's life is far from perfect, as he has built everything around trying to get his true love Daisy back. Although Richard Cory commits suicide and Gatsby is murdered, the circumstances of their deaths were similar. They both seemingly had everything, but there was something missing in their lives that made them miserable. 






Green Light - John Lennon

 THE SECOND COMING
    Turning and turning in the widening gyre
    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
    The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
    The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
    The best lack all conviction, while the worst
    Are full of passionate intensity.
    Surely some revelation is at hand;
    Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
    The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
    When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
    Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
    A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
    A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
    Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
    Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
    The darkness drops again but now I know
    That twenty centuries of stony sleep
    Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
    And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
    Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
- William Butler Yeats -

I find it really interesting that this poem can relate to both Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe while also relating to The Great Gatsby. The poem tells a story of how greed can corrupt an entire society. In Gatsby, the “mere anarchy” is both the corruption of the upper class society and Gatsby’s personal troubles with his love for Daisy that isn’t reciprocated.

What did you notice this time around about the characters?

This time, I noticed how the characters’ individual flaws stood out a lot more than when I originally read the book. I found that Gatsby appeared more desperate to me, most likely because I already knew what would happen in the end. At the end of the book after Daisy declares her love for Tom, Gatsby still refused to accept it: “he wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and [Nick] couldn’t bear to shake him free” (Fitzgerald 155).” Poor guy. Knowing that his love for Daisy would ultimately cause his demise made me take pity on him through out the book. During my first read, I initially was excited for Gatsby when him and Daisy reconnect. However, this time I felt sorry for him, since I knew that it wouldn’t last. 

How did you engage with the book?

When rereading, I found it helpful to have my notes from when I originally read the book in junior English beside me. In all honesty, I didn’t do anything else besides that. I regret that now, and I probably should have at least used post its, but I wanted to focus on enjoying the book. Even though I didn’t actively jot down my thoughts, I made mental notes in my head of the passages and quotes I enjoyed. I found that the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones that had originally struck me during the first read. 

Are you glad you chose this book? If yes, why? If no, why not and what book do you wish you had read instead?

I am definitely glad that I reread The Great Gatsby, but I wish I hadn’t chosen it for this project. Ever since last year I’ve been meaning to read it a second time, but I wanted to do so simply for pleasure rather than for a school assignment. I think I would have had a more personal connection with the book if I had simply read it without any schoolwork attached. 

What passages and parts of the book struck you the most this time?

As I stated in the last question, I found that the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were those that I had enjoyed previously. They struck me just as much (if not more) the second time around. One of my favorite quotes is when Daisy says to Nick “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 21). I believe this gives the reader their first real insight into Daisy’s mind. It shows that she views women as subservient to men, which largely influences the way he conducts her life. This also really reminded me of Hamlet, as he took a similar view of women, such as when he told Ophelia that she should marry a foolish man.

Another passage that really struck me was: "That's my Middle West . . . the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark. . . . I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life" (Fitzgerald 184). It didn’t stand out to me because of any literary elements, but rather because I felt I could relate to it. Next year I’ll be attending Tulane University in New Orleans, and I know it’s going to take some adjustment to get used to the culture. I’m excited to live in such a vibrant city, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if my New England raising will make it harder for me to adapt.