Some people may call this person Grandpa, Pop-Pop, Granddad, Gramps, and Poppa. I call this person Papaw, he was and still is my hero, inspiration, and best friend. His name was Douglass Carlyle Hatfield. He had to grow up in a very small house with seven brothers. I grew up hearing about how hard it was for them. As he grew up he got out and made something of himself so that he could one day provide for a wife and family. Not many people can escape poverty the way he did. Papaw had great work ethic; however, it was not a cake walk. The mines were not an easy job, but he managed to make it work and get better at it. My papaw worked almost every day on a twelve-hour shift, he worked hard and got what he deserved. While growing up, I was always by his side no matter what, that’s what made us so close. He was such a hard worker, I wanted to be just like him. In my mind, I was half way there I already had his name, at the time I was still Heather Carlysle Hatfield. When mom made me get my last name changed to Funk, I was very irritated. I immediately told Papaw about this injustice and he just whispered in my ear, “You will always be a Hatfield to me.” That phrase will always be in my mind.
In third grade, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was only eight years old. At that time, I did not fully understand what was wrong with him and why he was not progressing in getting better. No one would explain what was wrong and that it was serious. They just kept expressing that he
The man I called papa was my grandfather, my mentor, and my friend. Always a great example for what exceptional leader was. With noble integrity and a unique sense of human responsibility, always taking care of others. He was always
When F. Scott Fitzgerald was writing The Great Gatsby, he was not only working as a writer, he was an artist painting a piece through his words. While making the lives of fictional characters come to life for the reader, one of the main tools he used to do this was by using the symbolism of colors. Nick Carraway, the main character, befriends many of the wealthiest and corrupt people of Long Island, while exposing them for what they truly are in the journeys he endures with them. His extravagant use of colors to illustrate scenes and characters helps us determine the symbolism behind them, and how they’re used to expose the true personalities of the characters.
Since American literature’s emergence, the American dream has become a conceptual ideal for many people throughout history. Although the dream has its own distinct aspects throughout different time periods, it predominantly focuses on the foundations of wealth, success and a desire for something greater. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fiction novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, is primarily known for the numerous lavish parties he throws each weekend at his ostentatious mansion in West Egg in an attempt to reunite with Daisy Buchanan, a woman he falls in love with prior to entering the war before the Roaring Twenties. However, he is seized with an impotent realization on the fact that his wealth cannot afford him the same privileges as others that are born into the upper echelon. Gatsby is completely blinded from his opulent possessions until he becomes oblivious of the fact that money cannot buy love or happiness. Throughout the story, the predilection for materialistic features causes many characters to lose sight of their aspirations, demonstrating how a dream can become easily corrupt by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. Fitzgerald uses the Roaring Twenties as the setting of this novel. The twenties were a time of promiscuity, new money, and a significant amount of illegal alcohol. Fitzgerald was a master of his craft and there was often more to the story than just the basic plot. He could intertwine political messages and a gripping story flawlessly. In the case of The Great Gatsby, he not only chronicles a love story, but also uses the opportunity to express his opinion on topics such as moral decay, crass materialism, individual ethics, and the American dream.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the compelling story of the lengths one man goes to in order to try and win back the love of his youth. In order to do so, the titular figure of the novel, Jay Gatsby, reinvents himself from the hardscrabble soldier of his younger years into an enigma of a millionaire; during his time living at West Egg, Gatsby is revered by all, but known by none. Despite the lavish lifestyle which has made him ever so well known, Gatsby is never able to win back Daisy, the girl who has for so long represented the culmination of all of his desires. To convey the complex themes of the novel, Fitzgerald makes use of the literary techniques discussed in How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, especially in his portrayal of the geography of the Eggs and in Gatsby’s quest to win Daisy’s affection. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s desperate struggle to ingratiate himself into Daisy’s life to illustrate how one can never overcome the socio-economic barriers placed upon them at birth.
The American dream is a tacit promise given to all citizens in this country, which states that regardless of social class, any individual can aspire to new heights based upon the ideology of meritocracy. The American dream is a “recurring theme in American literature”(Pearson) and in American society. However, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s critically acclaimed novel, presents the American dream as an illusion which can never be achieved, and according to recent events in America, Fitzgerald is evidently correct. The personification of Daisy as the American Dream, the issue of meritocracy, Myrtle’s death, the image of the green light, as well as the manner in which Gatsby is denied entry into the
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby chronicles Jay Gatsby’s ill-fated attempt to recreate a lost love from his past. Through single-minded focus, he transforms himself from penniless James Gatz of Minnesota to the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby of West Egg, New York. Despite the fact that Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s lost lover, has come to terms with their separation, Gatsby maintains his firm belief in the notion of rebirth, convinced he can recreate the past. Furthermore, the novel serves as Fitzgerald’s personal introspection, voicing his own desire for renewal in the search for his identity. Therefore, a central theme in the novel is rebirth, exemplified by the actions and motivations of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s examination of his own life.
Money, commonly associated with happiness and success, is deceiving because it doesn 't necessarily breed enjoyment at all. Lorraine Hansberry 's A Raisin in the Sun and F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby examine the difference between wealth and appreciation of life. Lorraine Hansberry explains this with Walter, a negro father in a poor family who seeks more money than is realistic to bring happiness into the family. Fitzgerald uses the character Jay Gatsby to show that wealth doesn 't imply success or happiness. Both characters occupy strikingly different roles in their stories, yet decently portray money 's impact on life. In The Great Gatsby and Raisin in the Sun, wealth is made to seem as the key to happiness, but, in essence,
1.“You could tell right away that Alex was intelligent,” Wester-berg reflects, draining his third drink. “He read a lot. Used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often. A couple of times I tried to tell him it was a mistake to get too deep into that kind of stuff, but Alex got stuck on things. He always had to know the absolute right answer before he could go on to the next thing.” (Krakauer ch3, pg 18)
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby is a detailed and attentively structured book outlining a tragic love story that revolves around Jay Gatsby, a wealthy yet mysterious man, and the dainty and fragile woman of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan. The story is revealed through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway, who significantly becomes a part of Gatsby 's life due to the fact he was harshly involved by him. Throughout the book, it becomes evidentially clear that obsession takes over the personality of Gatsby turning his relationship towards Daisy all the more toxic. Moreover, the obsession that Gatsby accumulates towards Daisy causes severe consequences towards his own life ultimately leading to his own downfall. Overall, Fitzgerald’s
Achieving the American Dream means reaching a level of material wealth and social status to almost everyone. Although most people think they would pursue the American Dream with integrity and sincerity, the allure of material wealth often leads people to compromise.Their moral compass often becomes relative and their relational pursuits often become predatory. Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the morality of society and the pursuit of the American dream through his characters’ actions and worldviews.
Ever since the formation of America, cultural values and ideals have been strongly centered on the belief that any man, no matter his initial station in life, can achieve greatness and prosperity, should he be willing to work hard and have initiative. Americans had trust in the idea that they would find a certain level of success, as long as the aforementioned traits were put into practice; no prerequisites were required to obtain these goals, and all people had a chance to better their situation. However, this long held belief was put into question in the aftermath of the First World War; millions of soldiers and civilians were killed, advanced methods of warfare destroyed homes and cities, and the
Wealth is a major theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. It drives the behaviors of the book’s major characters and creates the tension and tragedies that unfold throughout the story. Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, and Nick are all affected by what they believe wealth will bring them but, in the end, only Nick truly understands the misery that having a fortune can bring.
A life of luxury requires an arduous journey of dedication to achieve it. To embody the American Dream, one must strive to succeed. However, some may go too far in the process, and make irreversible decisions. This dream of copious amounts of wealth causes multiple characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s well-known novel The Great Gatsby to perish from selfishness. Based in the roaring twenties, also known as the jazz age, Fitzgerald sheds light on a major problem in society. Since a poor farm boy in North Dakota, to a rich gangster in New York, Jay Gatsby has been in pursuit of the American Dream. This dream lead Gatsby to believe that money and wealthy can buy anything, even happiness and love; ultimately leading to his downfall. Daisy Buchanan, who also believed in the American Dream, wished to marry Gatsby, however she could not due to the immense differences between economic and social class. By becoming a gangster, Gatsby achieved an equal wealth status; however this banished him to a life with a tainted past. The green light on Daisy’s dock was Gatsby’s only way to hang onto his goal. To clear his past and attain the ideal American Dream social status, Gatsby tried to woe Daisy into marrying him, believing his money alone would be enough to win her love. F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates how the American Dream causes destruction and corruption in society.
The American Dream has been a staple of the identity of the US for hundreds of years. It is the idea that somebody can come from nothing and work their way to the top. It is associated with obtaining wealth, satisfaction, and the luxury of material objects. From the outside, the American Dream looks like a flawless path to happiness. However, the validity of how attainable the American Dream is has been long debated. It is arguable that the American Dream has become misguided, leading those who seek it down a path that ultimately ends in failure of genuine success. This idea has even made it’s way into multiple works of literature. Authors create protagonists that endure the journey of the American Dream. Conversely, some authors use their characters to express negative feelings towards the concept of the American Dream. One example of an author who does this is F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick witnessing how Gatsby flounders under the riggers of the American Dream leaves him disillusioned, and ultimately pushes him away from pursuing the American Dream.