Gaddis’ use of metaphors throughout his writing, makes for a strong theme and allows for the reader to explore a stronger understanding and connection to history in a more atypical manner. It is also interesting how he focuses on updating history and making it more unambiguous- easier to understand by the utilization of contemporary interests. An example of that would be when Gaddis mentioned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Something as simple as that promotes understanding and interest. It is a connection to the reader. His constant references back to Friedrich’s painting allows a person to have a visual understanding of what he is expressing about our relationship with history, which is best if there is “detachment from- or if you prefer, elevation above- the landscape that is the past, so it also requires a certain mastery” (7). Furthermore, Gaddis mentions, "history is arguably the best method of enlarging experience" (9) and "what historians do... is to interpret the past for the purposes of the present" (10). …show more content…
The fog will only clear from updating our history more explicitly, two of Gaddis’s purposes, essentially widening our view. We already know what is in front of us, but once we detach ourselves from what we already know and become vulnerable to other ways of thinking, reevaluate our history, we can then make progress towards a balanced understanding – as characterized by Gaddis, "historians have always been... abstractionists" (17). "We decide [of the thousands who have crossed the Rubicon] which ones to write about" (23) and understanding what is ‘factual’ or more evidence based, but also comprehending the often overlooked aspects that led to those events- but most importantly how we fit into it
She carries the audience through her argument in a logical sequence. First, she makes her claim that student do not know history and explains her reasons (250). She then elaborates on what history students are taught and what exactly is wrong with the methods by which they learn (251). After this, she explains the job of a historian to the reader – how historians confront primary sources to “make some sense of what once happened” (252). To end the article, Simon describes how students can better learn history through exploring primary sources (253). This structuring and organization helps the reader to understand and to believe Simon’s
The Great Gatsby is a symbol itself. The Great Gatsby was written to represent the rise and fall of the American Dream. The author places the rich and wealthy lifestyle on a high pedestal while he shows the dramatic consequences of moral and social decay amongst the characters. As each turning point is revealed, the American Dream slowly crumbles in the selfish hands of those who remain ignorant to anything else in the world. The significance of the many symbolic elements in The Great Gatsby plays a role in revealing the underlying themes of the American Dream, the ongoing clash between love and wealth and social and moral destruction.
Memories, symbols, and patterns greatly affect a piece of literature, if these connections are made by the reader either consciously or unconsciously they can often lessen the difficulty of the piece and enhance the reader’s understanding of the material. For example, the great American novel, The Great Gatsby, is packed with important memories, symbols, and patterns that further enrich the novel with the true dark side of the American Dream. A major symbol in The Great Gatsby is the presence of the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, that Gatsby is seen reaching towards. The light, on one level, represents Gatsby’s longing for a perfect future with Daisy, which is close and visible, but never quite close enough to reach. On another level,
The author F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the idea of symbolism throughout the novel by reinforcing characters and events to connect to each other with the climax, by using various colors objects and symbols to interpret to the main idea in the novel of great Gatsby. One for example he used was the green light, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Tj. Ekleburg to exemplify the main focal point of these highlighted key ideas to portray there embedded interpretation that are incorporated in the story.
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents a novel with elaborate symbolism. Fitzgerald integrates symbolism into the heart of the novel so strongly that it is necessary to read the book several times to gain a full comprehensive level of understanding. The overtones and connotations that Fitzgerald gives to the dialogues, settings, and actions is a major reason why The Great Gatsby is one of the classics of the 20th century.
Gaddis wrote, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, to inform audiences why a historical consciousness should matter to us today. He used knowledge from past historians to portray the method that historical writings represent what cannot replicate. Gaddis worked to describe historical consciousness using visual imagery to express metaphors because science, history, and art all depend on metaphors. The past is something we can never have and through metaphors and representation, Gaddis accurately illustrates the meaning of a historian and how history cannot relive, retrieve or rerun but can only represent it.
Figurative language is utilized in The Great Gatsby in terms of unveiling the unsavory side of society despite romanticizing it as well. One literary device that is used is motif; a motif used is the geography as represented by East and West Egg.
The F. Scott Fitzgerland who's an author of the Great Gatsby passage usage of diction, image, details, figurative language and different type of structures of the sentence creates the passage more visible and understandable.For example, the author uses a word" the valley of ashes" to describe the valley. Furthermore, he creates an image in the reader's mind with descriptive and concise words for the valley in the better structure of the sentence. Besides, he also uses the figurative language to create a better image that helps the reader to comprehend. Moreover, he uses detail such as the eye of doctor T.j. are blue and gigantic, to convince the reader to ponder about how it's important to the story. Overall, the author would have a
ideas or concepts. For example, a dove is usually used to represent peace. In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses a lot of symbolism to connect the characters with each other or to other objects. Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism helps advance his thematic interest in his novel of The Great Gatsby. In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses various colors, objects, and gestures as symbols to portray the lack of moral and spiritual values of people and the different aspects of society in the 1920's.
The book “The Great Gatsby” is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald uses many literary devices throughout the novel. One prominent literary device used is imagery. The use of imagery in the novel makes the reader paint a better picture of what is going on throughout the book. “Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore.”
In this excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many literary devices that assist the audience in understanding the narrator, Nick Carraway, and his view of the Valley of Ashes. The word choice and details used throughout the passage greatly succeed at making the Valley it’s own, distinguishable land. In addition, Fitzgerald uses figurative language like metaphors to give the reader a better understanding of the the depressing and dreary setting. Without the use of these devices, Fitzgerald might not have been able to develop this recurring setting in the novel.
It can be a form of “escape” into a totally different world that is only a figment of ones own imagination. While there are texts and books that tell us what occurred in the past, we are still able to indulge ourselves in this “historical drug” and put any sort of twist or interpretation that we, as readers, find more appealing. Art history, by definition is just the study and interpretation of all studies, paintings or sculptures in relation to art. Elkins states his point fairly straight forward. He essentially states that one must have an educated background and have studied the particular painting or sculpture before seeing it face to face. Elkins makes a great analogy when he says that studying a particular piece beforehand is like a face to face meeting in the library. If no studying has taken place before hand, when you get to the picture, it is as if you are looking through books and bookshelves trying to figure out what it is displaying. He discusses in the chapter the key importance of knowledge and education. He says, “Without knowledge, you’re just ignorantly guessing. Without knowledge you’re either wrong or on a much simpler bases than the artist really had in mind.” I personally agree with this
Literary devices help convey and strengthen the message of a story. Whether it be symbolism, tone, juxtaposition, or diction, authors have been using their special tools of writing for hundreds of years. “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is no exception. Fitzgerald used diction, tone, and the characters of “The Great Gatsby” to impact his audience by repainting America the way he viewed it in his setting.
However, they must balance this imaginative outlook with the reality that scientists connect to, so that their information is reliable. So, while describing history, a historian has the ability to extend information in an artistic manner, but they must also stay within the constraints of actuality. I agree with his statement in the way that he compared the two opposing subjects, but I would not typically think of arts and sciences having a connection through history.
To know the past is to know the future. In his essay Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are, David McCullough argues about the importance of studying and teaching history. In his essay, he explains that there are three main points about history: character and its effect upon destiny, our failure of teaching the future generation, and the importance of learning and listening to history. David McCullough strongly advocates that audience should start to listen to and teach about the past in order to learn about the way a person’s character can affect their destiny.