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14 Comments
Davina
11/11/2014 01:57:06 pm
The underlying message of the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is that money doesn’t buy happiness. Gatsby pretended that he was “the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West” just so he could fit in with society. The parties he held were so legendary that “people didn’t get invited- they went there”. Gatsby believed that Daisy “only married [Tom] because [Gatsby] was poor and she was tired of waiting for him.” In the end Daisy turned her back on Gatsby, despite his money and chose to be with Tom. Gatsby learned too late that he had “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” because of his pursuit of Daisy.
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11/11/2014 02:29:20 pm
“The Great Gatsby” is based in New York in the 1920’s, a time when the white race was considered supreme, while other races were viewed contemptuously. Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan’s husband, exemplifies racism. He passionately states in the book that “It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control over things.” The thought of races intermarrying was a horrible one to Buchanan, who stated unequivocally that “…and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.” Disdain towards Jews can also be seen in “The Great Gatsby” through the descriptions given and the actions taken by Meyer Wolfsheim, Jay Gatsby’s partner in crime. He is described as “a small, flat – nosed Jew…with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril” and speaks English with a bad accent. He comes across as dishonest when he says “I handed the money to Katspaugh and I sid: ‘All right, Katspaugh, don’t pay him a penny till he shuts his mouth.’” He is then written off as a money-hungry man, with no feelings toward his friends at the end of the book, when he tells the narrator Nick that he won’t come to the funeral of Gatsby, his partner of many years.
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Kaila Mink
11/11/2014 02:45:33 pm
The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. It is full of vibrant characters and eloquent descriptions. Each of the characters have a full set of flaws that make them incredibly unlikable. Fitzgerald created characters that were intricate and twisted. They were selfish, greedy, and cynical. He made them hard to like, and so his challenge as a writer became greater. If an audience doesn’t like any of the characters, it will be hard to hold their attention to the story because they have nothing invested in it. Fitzgerald makes up for his imperfect cast by using colorful language and imagery. You can see Daisy’s ‘fluid’ house, you can hear the laughter from the parties.
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Mushka
11/11/2014 03:48:41 pm
The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. One of the themes of this book is Fitzgerald’s use of colors. When a person or object is described with a specific color, the author is hinting that it has a characteristic that is symbolized by that color. For example, white symbolizes femininity and innocence. Daisy often wears white dresses, is described as “powdered white” and she used to drive a white car. Yellow and gold symbolize money. Some examples in the book are Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce, Daisy, who is a “Golden girl” and Gatsby’s gold tie.
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Sarah
11/11/2014 03:58:46 pm
Before I actually read The Great Gatsby, I thought it would be a boring and dull book as so many classics are exactly that. But what I discovered when I began reading is that it is actually extremely well written and very interesting. I ended up really enjoying it. What I didn’t like was how immoral everyone seemed to be. Even the main character Nick, who is consistently referred to as an honest and sincere person, doesn’t even bat an eye at the adulterous relationships and decadent behavior going on. Although I think that all the characters have negative qualities, I liked Gatsby the best. Although he lies throughout the book, hiding his background and his business, he also seems naïve in a way. He truly believes that after 5 years, everything can go back to the way it was. That Daisy loved only him during that time. He loves Daisy so much that he is even willing to take the blame for running Myrtle over. I felt a bit sorry for Daisy, since her husband was cheating on her with Myrtle but she turned out to be nothing more than a shallow, vapid, airhead (which is what I thought from the beginning.) Tom is an annoying human being. He and Daisy are similar. They can do what they like and it won’t really affect them because they have money. It seems like they just run away and forget about the whole drama. When Nick met Tom on the street after the incident, Tom didn’t even seem to know that it was not Gatsby but Daisy who ran Myrtle over further proving my point that Daisy is a selfish person. Since Nick doesn’t even correct him I don’t like him much either. The only worthwhile character was Gatsby.
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Chana Levine
11/12/2014 09:56:28 am
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Mushka
11/23/2014 05:15:59 am
I like the way John Green interprets The Great Gatsby. He focuses on the book's symbolism, its themes, and its irony. I agree that yellow and gold are symbolic of wealth. I found it interesting that some of the yellow and gold objects were connected with death: Gatsby's yellow car, T.J Eckleburg's yellow glasses, and Myrtle's yellow house. I agree that one of the themes of The Great Gatsby shows the many flaws in the American dream and how wealth isn't actually good. I think that Gatsby is a very ironic character. As John Green says, he has a pool but doesn't swim, he sells liquor but doesn't drink, and he is a man of leisure, but he doesn't partake in any leisurely activities.
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Davina
11/24/2014 10:51:09 am
In John Greens analysis of The Great Gatsby, one of the first thing he comments on is that in America, successful means rich. In my reflection, I commented that the entire book seems to revolve around money. John Green also agrees that Tom Buchanan is being very racist, especially considering that he does absolutely nothing all day. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy commented about her daughter “I hope she is a fool, a pretty little fool,” because that’s what a woman was supposed to be during that time. Even though, they gained the vote in 1913, we didn’t gain dignity until much later. I totally agree with John Green, I like this guy!
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Davina
11/24/2014 10:52:10 am
Yhe Fault in Our Stars that is, I read the Great Gatsby
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Estee
11/24/2014 02:29:51 pm
John Green gives an interesting and thought provoking analysis on the Great Gatsby. He answered our question on what yellow represents in the book. He says that it represents wealth and golden opportunities, as seen with Gatsby's love for Daisy - Gatsby may see Daisy as a golden opportunity to gain what his wealth can bring him - the ability to be, as John Green puts it "A someone from somewhere." John Green also points out that not all of the characters in the book are 'bad guys'. Nick is a relatively good guy; he is not racist, he does not want to marry someone already married, and he doesn't have a consuming desire for wealth and fame.
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Kaila
11/25/2014 10:07:56 am
John Green explored the major themes of The Great Gatsby. He explained that the use of the color yellow in the book is to symbolize wealth which is intricately connected to the American dream, another major theme in the book. He discusses how the characters don't enjoy their wealth or their parties and instead are greedy, always looking towards the green light and what they don't have. Another one of my questions was why doesn't Gatsby drink at parties. He doesn't drink because the party is a means to the end, the end being to get Daisy back and reclaim his past. He can't enjoy the present and instead lives standing with his arms outstretched towards the green light at the end of her dock.
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Sarah
11/27/2014 03:34:32 pm
In his video's John Green pointed out the color theme of yellow and that yellow/gold symbolizes the American Dream. He also made a point of saying that book characters don't have to be likeable and I totally agree, as I really disliked Nick. Another one of my questions had to do with Gatsby standing outside Daisy's house waiting for her. I agreed with his assessment that Gatsby might only love Daisy for what she represents only halfway. I think he might've started out thinking that, but he grew to love her truly, otherwise he would've moved on and not taken the blame for running over Myrtle, or standing outside her window...
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Chana Levine
11/30/2014 04:36:21 pm
John Green’s analysis of “The great Gatsby” discussed the many questions that emerge from reading this book. The description of the american dream and our continuous drive to achieve it. He discussed the irony of the 1920’s about the loads of money and abundant parities that are going on during this time and how unhappy the characters still appear to be. The questions on the importance of Nick Carraway’s character are answered and show why he holds a significance to the story. I agree with John Green when he questions the intentions of Gatsby and whether they were pure or not. His overall understanding of this book are clear and i like the way he related his opinions.
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Chaya Ornelas
12/1/2014 03:24:58 pm
In his Vlog analyses John Green talks about The Great Gatsby and its symbolism, focusing on the color yellow, the green light, and the American dream. The yellow and gold in the novel, as he says, are symbols of wealth and money – linked closely to what is considered the American dream. The green light is something that Gatsby is always and will always be reaching for – also in away the American dream – his American dream anyways, which is essentially, the past. In terms of answering my own questions – he only really got to one, barely. He skated over the subject of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg’s eyes but didn't directly answer my question. I do agree with John Green about most everything he said – he brought light to a lot of things that I might have touched on but couldn't place and enjoyed his insight on the novel as a whole.
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