The Great Gatsby

7/26/18

Entry # 1

Question # 1

The aspect of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing that makes it so different or unusual is the

number of instances of personification, metaphors, and imagery throughout all of his book. The

use of these poetic devices throughout the novel, mixed with the tone being in a 1st person

flashback, as to make the narrator omnipotent, makes Fitzgerald’s writing incomparable.

Imagery is used by Fitzgerald throughout The Great Gatsby frequently to describe better what

Nick had seen, an example of such imagery is, “A wafer of moon was shining over Gatsby’s

house, making the night fine as before, and surviving the laughter and the sound of his still

glowing garden” (Fitzgerald 55). This excerpt demonstrates imagery as well as personification;

the moon is personified as “making the night fine.” Metaphors are present consistently

throughout the writing, as Daisy arrives for tea at Nick’s modest house he talks of Daisy’s voice

as such, “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain” (Fitzgerald 85). Nick

is saying that Daisy’s voice was literally “a wild tonic in the rain” is, in this case, a metaphor, as

he is not merely comparing it to a wild tonic one might have in the rain. Throughout The Great

Gatsby personification, imagery, and metaphor are used to convey better precisely what F. Scott

Fitzgerald wished to express through his words, and this helps make his writing extraordinarily

unique and different.

The Great Gatsby

7/26/18

Entry # 2

Question # 7

The image that stayed in my mind after I read were the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg on

the sign in the valley of ashes. Eckleberg's eyes were memorable because throughout all of The

Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald continuously goes back and talks about the eyes, and how

they’re always watching throughout multiple chapters, being brought up in chapters 2, 7, and 8.

Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes were introduced through a description of the valley of ashes, Fitzgerald

writes:

But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you

perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J.

Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no

face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-

existent nose. Evidently, some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice

in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot

them and moved away. But his eyes dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun

and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. (Fitzgerald 23-24)

It is the level of detail in Fitzgerald’s imagery that makes the image stick in the mind’s eye.

Throughout the novel, they are referred to, by some, as the eyes of God, specifically by Wilson

in chapter 8, and how they are always watching and seeing what some can’t.
The Great Gatsby

7/26/18

Entry # 3

Question # 5

Jay Gatsby is frequently described in his looks, and mannerism throughout The Great

Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald begins describing Gatsby’s peculiarities in chapter 1,

with a passing comment from Jordan Baker, the conversation goes as such:

“’You live in West Egg,’ she (Jordan) remarked contemptuously. ‘I know somebody

there.’

‘I don’t know a single- ‘

‘You must know Gatsby.’” (Fitzgerald 11)

With Miss Baker saying that Nick must know Gatsby is Fitzgerald pointing out early on that

Gatsby is extraverted and know everyone, and everyone else knows him in exchange. Gatsby is

again described, this time physically as well as spiritually by Fitzgerald in chapter 3, he writes:

He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare

smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five

times in life. It faced-or seemed to face-the whole external world for an instant, and then

concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. (Fitzgerald 48)

Gatsby is shown as a man who doesn’t care who you are; he believes that anyone is welcome in

his life and show it through both his party and with his accepting smile. Jay Gatsby is illustrated

by F. Scott Fitzgerald consistently throughout his work, and he paints a clear picture of who this

man is.
The Great Gatsby

7/26/18

Entry # 4

Question # 3

Throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the author uses language to convey

the sense of life and culture in the time of prohibition. Fitzgerald continually describes the

colorful and fun culture and atmosphere in the 1920s prohibition. Fitzgerald writes:

There was dancing now on the canvas in the garden; old men pushing young girls

backwards in eternal graceless circles, superior couples holding each other tortuous,

fashionably, and keeping in the corners-and a great number of single girls dancing

individualistically or relieving the orchestra for a moment of the burden of the banjo or

the traps. By midnight the hilarity had increased. A celebrated tenor had sung in Italian,

and a notorious contralto had sung in jazz, and between the numbers people were doing

‘stunts’ all over the garden, while happy, vacuous bursts of laughter rose toward the

summer sky. A pair of stage twins, who turned out to be the girls in yellow, did a baby

act in costume, and champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger bowls.

(Fitzgerald 46)

Through this single excerpt, Fitzgerald illustrated the party atmosphere that is found frequently

throughout the book. The feelings of fun and pure joy that exudes from the period and settings,

as it was the “roaring” 20s.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

8/10/18

Entry # 5

Question # 5

Throughout Nickel and Dimed the author, Barbara Ehrenreich, uses straightforward and

precise language to show the characteristics and looks of her coworker in Maine, Holly. Barbara

Ehrenreich writes this about Holly’s appearance, “But the relevant point about Holly is that she

is visibly unwell-possibly whiter, on a daily basis, than anyone else in the state. We’re not just

talking Caucasian here; think bridal gowns, tuberculosis, and death.” (Ehrenreich 95). Stating

that holly is “visibly unwell” is merely a window into the low wage world that the author dwelt

in for some time, implying that Holly could not be getting any medical help at all. Barbara

Ehrenreich later talks of Holly’s characteristics again, saying:

During an eight-to-nine-hour shift, I never saw her eat more than one of those tiny

cracker sandwiches with peanut butter filling, and you would think she had no use for

food at all if it weren’t for the fact that every afternoon at about 2:30 she starts up a food-

fantasy conversation in the car. (Ehrenreich 96)

By describing how Holly barely eats, and then fantasizes about food, later on, is yet again

showing how Holly is very clearly in need of much help in the medical department, or the money

department. Holly is what could be considered a semi-typical low wage married woman in the

workforce, she is not adequately cared for and is even unable to take care of herself.
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

8/13/18

Entry # 6

Question # 2

The topic discussed in Nickel and Dimed is that of the struggles of the low wage world,

Barbara Ehrenreich approached this subject with a very straightforward and distinct tone, meant

to convey the seriousness of the issue. Barbara Ehrenreich states that:

There are no secret economics that nourish the poor; on the contrary, there are a host of

special costs. If you can't put up the two months' rent you need to secure an apartment,

you end up paying through the nose for a room by the week. If you have only a room,

with a hot plate at best, you can't save by cooking up huge lentil stews that can be frozen

for the week ahead. You eat fast food or the hot dogs and Styrofoam cups of soup that

can be microwaved in a convenience store. If you have no money for health insurance . . .

you go without routine care or prescription drugs and end up paying the price.

(Ehrenreich 27)

Ehrenreich’s tone is evident and serious; her language is concise and unambiguous, she wants to

convey the material in a way that will get the point she is trying to make across, her point is that

life is difficult for low wage workers. Ehrenreich also says, “What you don't necessarily realize

when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you're really selling is your life.”

(Ehrenreich 187). She again uses clear-cut language to make sure that her point is noticeable.
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

8/20/18

Entry # 7

Question # 7

In Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich makes the scene of the women from “The

Maids” sitting around and talking as Barbara is getting prepared to leave. The ladies are telling

Barbara how they feel about the owners that the company does service for, and how they feel

about the company they work for, and their way of life. The reason that this sticks in the reader’s

mind is that the way that the ladies answer, and how the author lets it linger as the final pages of

the chapter. Barbara Ehrenreich writes:

This is the answer from Lori. Who at twenty-four has a serious disk problem and an

$8,000 credit card debt: ‘All I can think of is like, wow, I’d like to have this stuff

someday. It motivates me and I don’t feel the slightest resentment because, you know,

it’s my goal to get to where they are.’ (Ehrenreich 118)

Then she writes this:

And this is the answer from Colleen, a single mother of two who is usually direct and

vivacious but now looks at some spot straight ahead of her, where perhaps her ancestor

who escaped the Great Potato Famine is staring back at her, as intent as I am on what she

will say: ‘I don’t mind, really, because I guess I’m a simple person, and I don’t want what

they have. I mean, it’s nothing to me. But what I would like is to be able to take a day off

now and then… if I had to… and still be able to buy groceries the next day.’ (Ehrenreich

118 – 119).
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

8/21/18

Entry # 8

Question # 3

Throughout Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich uses her straightforward

language to show the lifestyle of the low wage world. Barbara Ehrenreich talks

throughout the book about the difficulties that come with the lifestyle that she lives

during her investigation. Barbara Ehrenreich was going through all of her times

eventually testified that:

Something is wrong, very wrong, when a single person in good health, a person

who in addition possesses a working car, can barely support herself by the sweat

of her brow. You don't need a degree in economics to see that wages are too low

and rents too high. The problem of rents is easy for a noneconomist, even a

sparsely educated low-wage worker, to grasp: it's the market, stupid. When the

rich and the poor compete for housing on the open market, the poor don't stand a

chance. (Ehrenreich 199)

As she went through her investigations, she writes all about how she had to regularly

even sacrifice her health at times, by eating nothing but fast food. She always was

making decisions that could have caused her health issues, making her point even more

saddening.
Richer and Poorer & Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

8/31/18

Entry # 9

Inequality of Opportunity

The article Richer and Poorer talks a lot about inequality in the economy and

contained within that is the idea of inequality of opportunity. Inequality of opportunity

defined merely is the idea that not everyone has the same opportunities in life to get

specific jobs or to make money. This is usually caused by parents not having enough

money to put their son or daughter through school and forcing them to work so that they

typically will not earn much above minimum wage. There is also an element of inequality

of opportunity in the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Most of her co-

workers displayed little opportunity, some even seeming stuck in their low wage jobs. It

is these people that do not have opportunities that Richer and Poorer focuses on with its

topic being, Our Kids, a book, was written by Robert Putnam, it is a Novel that focuses

on how people’s lives were affected by the opportunities they were very clearly given as

kids, displaying the whole idea of inequality of opportunity. Robert Putnam is quoted as

saying, “’All sides of this debate agree on one thing, however: as income inequality

expands, kids from more privileged backgrounds start and probably finish further and

further ahead of their less privileged peers, even if the rate of socioeconomic mobility is

unchanged.’” (Richer and Poorer). Putnam is arguing that inequality of opportunity is still

a big issue even after all the change that is happening, and that it is always getting worse.
America’s Surprising Views On Income Inequality & The Great Gatsby

8/31/18

Entry # 10

The Underdog

The underdog, the character that seems to have nothing going for them, it is a

classic trope in books and films. The Great Gatsby has a major underdog, Jay Gatsby, he

was born into a family that had absolutely nothing and then left home in search of his

own fortune, and eventually found it. He is what many Americans aspire to be, successful

in most every way. In America’s Surprising Views On Income Inequality the author

Maria Konnikova talks of how the American mind set loves all of the underdog stories,

because they show what they want to happen to them, she talks to psychologist Shai

Davidai. Konnikova writes:

But, Davidai argues, perhaps a more pertinent explanation, at least in the United

States, is one that is distinctly rooted in Western culture: our obsession with the

underdog. ‘You have Rocky fighting the champion, the Little Engine That Could.

You have stories of successful businessmen rising from nothing – Martha Stewart,

Steve Jobs. You root for underdog sports teams in sports,’ he says. (America’s

Surprising Views On Income Inequality)

It is this infatuation with those who are the underdog, fighting the uphill climb to make it

to the top that is what America is obsessed with at all times.

The Widening Racial Wealth Divide & Nickel & Dimed:On (Not) Getting By In America

8/31/18

Entry # 11

Assistance for the hardworking poor

In the article, The Widening Racial Wealth Divide the writer, James Surowiecki,

talks about the wage gap between African-Americans and Whites. He talks about how

over the past many years the already existing wage gap has widened and widened. The

widened wage gap is also something brought up in the book Nickel and Dimed by

Barbara Ehrenreich, but not based upon race. In all places there is a wage gap, it is not

only affecting those who are of a different race, but it also affects everyone who has to

live with low wage jobs. Mostly African Americans are part of the low wage world,

being paid a minimum $7.25, the federal minimum wage, or for tipped workers $2.13.

There is a severe issue, as many people have difficulty living off of this and have to seek

assistance. At one point, Barbara Ehrenreich writes, “Is there help for the hardworking

poor? Yes, but it takes a determined and not too terribly poor person to find it.”

(Ehrenreich 101). She then had to trek and spend money to not even receive any financial

aid, only a food voucher after many hours-worth of work. So, if it was that difficult for a

person with their Ph.D. to get assistance, there is no real help for the hardworking poor. It

is a situation where there are programs, but not programs that work, and the people who

are genuinely in need of help are going neglected, not everyone can apply for every

program that is made available, making it ineffective.

The Lives Of Poor White People & Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

9/01/18

Entry # 12

Climbing Out of Poverty

The Lives Of Poor White People, written by Joshua Rothman, is all about Hillbilly

Elegy a book by J.D. Vance, which is all about his life as a young boy in hillbilly

America. He talks of how he escaped from poverty by joining the marines and then

getting an education at Yale Law. He was one of those success stories that is commonly

heard all the time, but Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich has a much different

view on escaping poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich’s venture through the low wage world

ended up bringing into light the grim idea that those success stories are indeed one in a

million. At one point her coworker leaves her job at Walmart in search of a job that will

pay hopefully $9 an hour instead of the $7 she got working at Walmart. It is due to these

low wages, and low amount of connections that most will never escape from poverty and

the low wage world. Rothman writes:

But Vance focusses on the obstacles to their migration. Some of those barriers are

economic or educational. But Vance also catalogues the cultural barriers that keep

poor, small-town whites isolated, and points out that many of them are erected by

elite people who simultaneously take pride in being progressive and enlightened.

(The Lives Of Poor White People)

Vance’s views that most people will not have that opportunity or will not take that risk

are that of someone who went through the hardest parts of that life.