Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Chapter 9


1. Picture:



2. Picture Explanation:
I chose this picture because in the end of this chapter after Gatsby's Funeral Nick moves back west. He moves because he is done with the fakeness and the way they live there lives.


3. Quotes:
"He must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass. A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about...like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees."
This quote shows that Gatsby was the perfect example of The American Dream. Unfortunately, Gatsby failed The American Dream when he died. He was not able to be a self made man, and get alot of money with little effort. He was also unable to have the freedom to pursue happiness. Gatsby's life failed him completely.

4. Theme and Significance:
In the final chapter of The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is murdered. A few chapters earlier, Myrtle was murdered, but not by Gatsby. Myrtle's husband strongly believed that Gatsby was the person who hit and run Myrtle, all because it was his car. So for his revenge he went after Gatsby. He shot Gatsby and killed him instantly, but then shot himself afterwards. Nick planned Gatsby's entire funeral and learned that nobody cared about Gatsby the way he thought they did. He realized that people were using Gatsby for his luxurious parties, and at his parties all they did was gossip about him. Nick realized that the only friend Gatsby had, was him and himself. Daisy did not even care about Gatsby the way Nick thought she did because she did not even show up to Gatsby's funural, and she did not even show the slightest bit of mourn even by sending a letter or making a phone call. Nick realizes that moving to New York wasn't the best idea because from the day he moved there to the day he moved away from there, life was extremely eventful for him. So, Nick moves away back to the midwest, probably never forgetting the experience he had in New York.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Chapter 7

1. Picture:




2. Picture Explanation:
Above is a picture of New York City. In this chapter everybody goes to New York City. One day when everybody is together, Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan Baker, there is tenstion in the air. Tom is catching on to Daisy and Gatsby's love affair. Tom plans to confront Gatsby about his feelings for Daisy. Gatsby suggests that he take Daisy to New York City, but instead Daisy suggests that everybody go to New York together as a group. Tom insists and urges this to happen, because he really wants to confront Gatsby. Once everybody is in New York, Tom does confront Gatsby. Tom tells Gatsby that Daisy loves he and only he, and that Daisy and he have a history that Gatsby would never understand.
3. Quotes:
"It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well. Wilson was so sick that he looked guilty."
This quote shows that people with morals and people without morals are similar to people who are sick and people who are well. People who have morals are good people. Good people are usually well-minded, and normal. People without good morals tend to be the people who are sick-minded and a little on the crazy side. In this book examples of characters who symbolize this is Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, and Myrtle.
"I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out."
This shows the part in the book where Tom confronts Gatsby about having an affair with his wife. Tom caught on quickly to Daisy having an affair with Gatsby. It angered Tom greatly so he plotted his confrontation. He wanted to humiliate Gatsby, as well as get Daisy back under his control. After Tom planned the confrontation, it did not backfire in his face, it worked very well.
"There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind, and as we drove away Tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control."
This shows that Nick realizes that Tom is a very bold, angry man. When Myrtle is killed in the hit and run car accident, he lost all control he had of her because she died. Also, when Tom realized that Daisy was having an affair with Gatsby, he felt like he lost all control of Daisy, although it only took him one try to get her back under his wing and away from Gatsby.
"Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table....They weren't happy...yet they weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together."
This shows the time in the book after Tom confronts Gatsby in New York. Gatsby stays outside Tom and Daisy's house because he is worried that Tom might hurt Daisy. Nick decides to stop by and catches Gatsby hiding in the bushes. Gatsy explains to Nick why he is there and askes Nick to go inside and check on Daisy for him. Nick does and realizes that everything is well in the house. Tom and Daisy are sitting at their kitchen table eating and talking. Nick doesn't go back outside to tell Gatsby because he knew it was not what Gatsby would want to hear.
4. Theme and Significance:
In this chapter, we learn more about the characters true colors. Nick, Gatsby, Jordan, Tom, and Daisy decide to go New York for a day. During that time, everybody is realizing who is having affairs with who. Tom gets angry that his wife is having an affair, though ironically he is too, and he immediately wants to confront Gatsby about it. Tom trys to tell Gatsby that Daisy is not in love with him, and that he and Daisy have had a history that Gatsby would never understand. On the way home from New York, Daisy hits Myrtle killing her, though Daisy drives away. Gatsby is worried about Tom hurting her when she gets home so he stays and watches in the bushes, ironically showing how obsessed with her he really is. Not knowing that Tom is getting his control of Daisy back, Gatsby sends Nick to check up on her. Nick realizes all is well.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Chapter 8

1. Picture:



2. Picture Explanation:

This Picture represents the restlessness of this chapter after Daisy decides to stay with Tom. Nick feels restless because he doesn't know what he can do to help Gatsby. Gatsby feels restless because he wants to wait for Daisy but he doesn't know if she will ever come back to him.

3. Quotes:

"Toward dawn I heard a Taxi go up Gatsby's drive and immediately I jumped out of bed and began to dress-I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about and morning would be too late."

This quote sets the theme for the whole rest of the chapter. It shows how restless and unsettled everyone is after returning form the city. Everything begins to fall apart now.

" 'You ought to go away.' I said. 'It's pretty certain they'll trace your car.' 'Go away now old sport?' 'Go to Atlantic City for a week, or up to Montreal.' He wouldn't consider it. He couldn't possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do."

This quote shows how much Gatsby is in love with Daisy. He doesn't want to leave if there is even the slightest chance Daisy will take him back. He wanted Daisy to know that he would always love her, and he would drop anything and do anything for her.

" 'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn lot put together.' "

In Nick saying this to Gatsby it shows how Nick may not have always agreed with Gatsby's life style, he came to respect and love Gatsby as a close friend. Nick has a lot of respect for Gatsby. Nick states that Gatsby is better than all of his fake friends put together, including Tom, Daisy, Jordan, etc. Nick was Gatsby's only friend. Nick showed that he truly cared about Gatsby when he put together his entire funeral. When nobody, except for Gatsby's father, owl-eyes, and Nick showed up to Nick's funeral, that's when Nick realized that people were so cruel that they used Gatsby, and they never truly cared about him.

"It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the Gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete. "

This quote the when Gatsby is killed and Wilson kills himself. They refer to it as a holocaust because it is just 2 in a line of lives that never needed to be lost and more blood that never needed to be shed.

4. Symbolism and Theme

In this Chapter, we reach the Climax of the book. After the return form the city, Gatsby is hurt and confused when Daisy doesn't seem like she cares about him as much as he does for her. He waits for her even though she never comes to see him. He wants so badly to be with er but she does away with him like it's nothing. Nick feels restless for Gatsby and he tries to console him and goes over to see Gatsby when he gets home from Daisy's. Nick soon realizes that Gatsby, as much as he is mysterious, his feelings are genuine and his is indeed a genuine person. He is in love with Daisy, but maybe he is in love with the old Daisy. Then Wilson is shown as being almost a mad man as he contemplates Myrtles affair as well as his death. He is convinced that the person driving the car was her lover and that murdered her. He goes to Gatsby and finds him in his pool. He shoots and kills Gatsby then turns the gun on himself.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Chapter 6



1.Picture



2.Picture Explanation:
This picture represents Gatsby's poor upbringing, because that's what the chapter is about. It shows how as a child he was not of wealth.





3.Quotes:
"It was James Gatz that had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants, but i was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row boat, pulled out the Tuolomee and informed Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour."
This quote shows the beginning of Gatsby's transition from poor to wealthy. He is given his first glimpse of wealth and that's what he wants to be.

"That Yacht represented all the beauty and Glamour in the world."
This shows the way Gatsby thinks that money is everything. This part of his life is when he falls in love with money.

"He told me all this very much later but I've put it down here with the idea of exploiting those first wild rumors about his antecedents, which weren't even faintly true. Moreover he told it to me at a time of confusion, when I had reached the point of believing everything and nothing about him."
When Gatsby tells Nick the story of his life fore real, he does it because he trusts Nick in a way he trusts no one else. When he does this Nick is on the verge of believing and not believing the rumors around Gatsby's mysterious past, but when Gatsby tels him this he feels everything is so completely untrue.

"But he would be uneasy anyhow until he had given them something, realizing in a vague way that was all they came for."
Nick becomes aware that no one comes to Gatsby's house for his company. They go for the things he gives them and does for them and that Gatsby really has no real friends.

4.Theme and Significance
The theme of this chapter would have to be truth. In this chapter, Gatsby tells nick the story of his adolescence and how he came to be the man he was. He told him the truth about his wealth and how he really didn't have any till he mt Dan Cody and was introduced to that life style. After he sees what it is like to have money and to be wealthy, he knows that's what he wants for him elf. The theme would be truth because until now, Gatsby has been the most mysterious character in the book. No one really knows what the truth is about him, but they all have there assumptions. After this, Nick believes Gatsby and knows that he never really believed all those bad rumors about him. This chapter is so significant because your view of Gatsby changes completely. Just when you start to believe that maybe the rumors about Gatsby were true and maybe he had a shady past you find out that he just didn't come from money, he earned it. you also learn that he was very self sufficient and self disciplined. When Nick shows up at Gatsby's House a couple weeks later he finds Tom Buchanan there, and then he accompanies Daisy to one of Gatsby's party. This is also significant because it is the beginning of the awkwardness there that will eventually lead to the eruption in the city.


Sunday, March 9, 2008

Chapter 5

1. Picture:




2: Picture Explaination:
Nick and Gatsby plan a secret reunion of Daisy and Gatsby. On the day of the reunion, it is cloudy and raining. But once Daisy shows up and the reunion between her and Gatsby starts going really well, the sun comes out. The sun stays out the entire time of the happy reunion. Once Daisy leaves the clouds come back and it begins to rain again. This symbolizes Gatsby's love and happiness for Daisy.


3. Quotes:
" 'I talked with Miss. Baker,' I said after a moment. 'I'm going to call up Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here for tea.' "
This shows that Nick is keeping his word to help Gatsby with the reunion of him and Daisy. Nick keeps his promise and plans the reunion just as Gatsby asked him to.


" 'If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay....You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.' "
This quote shows Gatsby telling Daisy everything he feels. Gatsby would always watch the green light across the water, knowing the green light was at Daisy's dock, so he admits it to her that he's been watching. Gatsby was very nervous about the reunion that he almost called it off right when Daisy showed up. But once Daisy and Gatsy talk about old times and the way they feel, Gatsby beomes very happy that he spills all his feelings to her.

"One thing's sure and nothing's surer. The rich get richer and the poor get - children."
This shows that rich people get richer and richer, while poor people get children. The more children the poor people, the more miserable they are because they do not have enough money to support their children. The rich people just move higher and higher up in society. This is an example of the way Gatsby is. He is a rich person, who just gets richer and richer. But he does not get happier and happier.



4. Theme and Significance:
In this chapter, one of the main themes is color. Different colors represent different things, and even for different people. The color blue represents sadness. Gray represents glommy and dullness. The colors silver and gold represent wealth and power. Green represents money and jealousy. The color red represents boldness. And the color white represents pureness. In this book, the characters symbolize different colors. For example, Gatsby symbolizes silver, gold, and multicolors for wealth, power, and mysteriousness. Daisy symbolizes lavender, blue, and pink for shy, soft, sadness, happiness, and love.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Chapter 3

1. Picture:

2. Picture Explanation:

This picture represents Gatsby throwing his luxurious parties. In this chapter he throws his first party of the book. Many people go. Such as Nick and Jordan Baker. At the party people gossip about Gatsby while they drink. They spread rumors they hear to Nick and Jordan Baker. Gatsby does not drink at his parties though. He also does not socialize. He just watches his guests in silence, and only talks from time to time.

3. Quotes:

"You look at him sometime when he thinks nobody's looking at him. I'll bet he killd a man."

This shows that people gossip about Gatsby at his own party! The people not only spread rumors they hear. They also make some up of their own. It proves that people are really careless since they have the guts to say bad things about a person behind his back at his own party.

"My eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another with approving eyes. I wondered if the fact that he was not drinking helped to set him off from his guests."

This shows that Gatsby distances himself from his own guests. He isn's one of the best party hosts. He doesn't socialize with his guests. He doesn't speak very often. He also doesn't drink. He stands in a distance and analyzes what is happening.

"At first i was flattered to go places with her because she was a champion and everyone knew her name. Then it was something more. I wasn'nt actually in love, but I felt sort of a tender curiousity."

This shows Nick beginning to have feelings for Jordan Baker. They go out on a few dates, and he begins to realize that he likes that she is famous. But he also likes that she intimidates him and leaves him in suspence. He is cautious around her wondering what will happen next.

4. Theme and Significance:

In this chapter Gatsby throws his first party of the book. Gatsby is a man of wealth, so he throws luxurious parties all the time. Nick and Jordan Baker are invited to the party. Some other families invites to the party are the Leeches, the Blackbucks, the Ferrets, the Bulls, and the Duckweeds. They all drink and gossip at this party. Mostly these people are gossiping about Gatsby. These people's last name is symbolic to animals. It is an animal reference. These type of people lack human emotions. There last names are symbolic to show events that happen to them. Such as death, affairs, or suicide. This also teaches us that rick people are not perfect people.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Chapter 4

1. Picture -->


2. Picture Explanation
This picture show how were are now in this chapter seeing that there are two sides of Gatsby; the side he wants people to believe, and the side people talk about. It shows how we will soon see the real Gatsby, and how what people say isn't always completely wrong.


3. Quotes
" 'He's a bootlegger,' said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers.'One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil' (pg.65)"
This quote shows how in the point of the story were in right now Gatsby is still very mysterious and it also show how people will gossip behind your back and say things that aren't true yet still be your friend.


"Benny McClenahan arrived always with four girls. They were never quite the same ones in physical person but they were so identical one with another that it inevitably seemed they had been there before.(pg.67)"
This quote lays the over theme for the next couple of chapters about the party's at Gatsby's. It shows how that everyone that attends the party is just like the people that attended the last one and the one before that. It shows how everyone in that crowd is just a faceless rich person to Nick.

"A phrase began to beat in my ears with a sort of heady excitement: 'There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired'. ( pg. 81)"
This quote shows the main theme of most of the book; that every one in there society is the same. In this quote Nick is saying that everyone he knows can be put into one of these categories. At this part in the book Nick is beginning to see that nothing is as glamorous as it seems, and nothing really is what it seems.

"He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford', or swallowed it or choked on it as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt his whole statement fell to pieces and I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him after all."
This shows how Gatsby's mysteriousness is almost faltering, and the people who doubt his stories may be right in doing so. It is the beginning of the unveiling of the real Gatsby.


4.Theme and Significance
In chapter four nick goes into the city with Gatsby. On the ride there he tells Nick all about his past and all of his accomplishments. and although Gatsby is trying to clear the record, all he does is make Nick more apprehensive about his past. When they get to lunch and Wolfshiem, because he is a shady character is there that also gives Nick the impression the the way Gatsby got all his money is less then unsavory. After lunch he runs into Jordan Baker who confirms Nicks belief that Wolfshiem is shady and that Gatsby is doing business with him that is illegal. The theme of this chapter is mysteriousness. It also has a lot of confusion. It show how it is hard to see the line between real and unreal. Between what people think and what u want them to think.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Chapter 1

1. Picture:


2. Picture Explanation:

The outside of the egg is hard, and is made of shell. The inside of the egg is yellow and made of liquid. The egg represents that people may look one way on the outside but be a different way on the inside.

3. Quotes:

"Whenever you feel like critizing anyone just remember that all the people in this word haven't had the advantages that you've had"

This shows that you shouldn't judge people by what they have. People may or may not have full control of the advantages or opportunities they get in life. Nick had a few advantages such as his education, wealth, and race.

"A national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anticlimax"

This shows Tom's best years of his life were in college. Everything else is of him being miserable, even though he is wealthy. Tom has an arrogant personality. He praises himself alot, he is racist, and he is proud of his college career as a football player.

"Completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall"

This shows that Jordan Baker is a snobby woman who thinks that she is better than other women. She thinks this because of her wealthm and skills at tennis.

"He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, as far as i was from him i could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, that might have been at the end of the dock"

This shows that Gatsby is keeping an eye on something across the water. He has some type of feeling for whatever the green light beholds.

4. Theme and Significance:

In this chapter we learn the significance of all the characters. We learn about the main character Nick. He is also the narrator. His father teaches him not to judge people from just the outside, but from the inside as well. Nick is a man of advantages. He has money, and a good education. A friend of his is Tom. They went to college together. Tom is a confident, arrogant man. In college, he was the star of the football team. Tom loved college so much, that once it was over and he graduated, his life changed. He became a miserable man. Tom has a friend named Jordan Baker. She is a famous athlete who plays tennis. She is also a woman of riches. She is proud of what she has and she thinks she is better than others because of it. Another character we learn about is Gatsby. Gatsby is one of the richest men in the book. He lives in a huge mansion, and throws luxurious parties. At the end of the chapter he is reaching his arms out across the water. His arms are reaching out to a green light on the other side, showing that he wants whatever is over there.