Research Paper On Gershwin Concert

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides a reflection on the societal issues and attitudes of a modernist, post-war era. The “Roaring Twenties” was an age of prosperity, consumerism and liberalism that led to unprecedented economic growth and significant changes in culture and lifestyle. The right to vote redefined women’s roles and gave rise to a “new breed” known as the flapper, that drank, wore excessive makeup, and flaunted her disdain for conventionalism. The introduction of prohibition led to an increased demand for black market alcohol and bootlegging, thereby providing a financial basis for organized crime. Despite the progression, the 1920s was an era of social tensions

Class issues played a great role in The Great Gatsby it is the root of all conflict and excitement. Your class would determine not just how you lived but what kind of social life you would have whether it was “old money” or “ new money”. The American economy of during the roaring twenties was a time of economic progress for most Americans and where wealth became very important in your social life.

George Gershwin is one of the greatest influences to American music in the 20th century. His compositions can be found throughout the entertainment world, ranging from Broadway to motion pictures. Though he had a short career, George Gershwin's music continues to bring inspiration and delight almost sixty years later.

The 1920s was a distinctive time in American history set between World War I and the Great Depression. In 1931 an author named Frederick Lewis Allen published a contemporary history on the 1920s titled Only Yesterday in which he describes what it was truly like during that historical time. It was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, that really captured the carefree time known as the roaring twenties. The Great Gatsby reflects America in the twenties because it portrayed various characteristics of what it was really like in the 1920s.

The 1920’s, also known as the “Jazz Age” or the “Roaring Twenties”, was a time of decadence. The “Roaring Twenties” was common with constant variation in diplomatic, ethnic, and religious standards. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby as an account for the unstable time of egotistic pursuits of wealth and satisfaction.

The 1920’s better known as the roaring twenties was a period of dramatic social, and political change. Throughout history the roaring twenties was the first time most Americans lived in cities than farms. After the years of World War I this was a period where America and the public wanted to separate themselves from other parts of the world, foreign countries .

The 1920s gained its nickname, The Roaring Twenties from its wild and carefree lifestyle. The extensive wealth of the time filled most nights with parties, dancing, crazy antics, and illegal alcohol. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, encompassed all of the aspects listed above. Not only did the book express the exciting side of the Twenties, it also expressed lack of morality of the time. According to The Great Gatsby, this lack of morality stemmed from the focus on material items, drinking, and dreaming.

The 1920s is the decade in American history known as the “roaring twenties.” Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of life in the 1920s. Booming parties, prominence, fresh fashion trends, and the excess of alcohol are all aspects of life in the “roaring twenties.”

“In a decade that roared with social amends” it was often referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Two famous literature pieces are very similar connecting key events and issues from this time period. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Ken Allen’s “Roaring Twenties” both utilize conflict, foil and symbolism to help the readers acknowledge the influence of class and money over the characters during the Roaring Twenties.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, ‘’who was not only part of the irresponsible and extravagant life of The Roaring Twenties, but he also helped named this era, The Jazz Age with his novels.’’(Mescal Evler 587) The Roaring Twenties gave people the opportunity to become wealthy. Many people at the time of this era were making a lot of money and partying. Fitzgerald most well-known novel, The Great Gatsby, was based on The Roaring Twenties. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald makes us wonder and speculate whether the pursuit of wealth is a noble aspect of life or does it lead to corruption and shower greed upon an individual.

New York in the twenties “marked significant changes in lifestyle and culture” (Boundless). The twenties were booming with new technology and ways of life. They were also in prohibition, which led to corruption and organized crime groups like the mafia. New York in the 1920’s is authentically portrayed in the The Great Gatsby as the epicenter of wealth, crime, and good times.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920’s. The twenties had a lot going on that was great for some people and not for others. The roaring twenties was a time of prohibition and large criminal activity. It also was a great time for the economy because there were more jobs for men who just came out of the war. Women of this time period wore shorter dresses, cut their hair, smoked, swore and were given the right to vote. People spent their money carelessly and partied hard. Others fought for their rights, African Americans had to fight for their right to move into northern cities because people were threatened by other races and their cultures.

George Gershwin, born in Brooklyn, New York on 26 September 1898, was born the second of four children of Morris and Rose Gershovitz, Russians who immigrated to New York in 1891. George and his family lived on Manhattan's lower east side in a poor Jewish community. After settling down in New York, his father changed the family name to Gershvin. It was George who later altered his last name to Gershwin when he entered the professional world of music. Most of his family was not musically talented, but his brother Ira became a wonderful well-known musician.

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” was based upon “spirituals and plantation song from the South.” Bartok’s Ten Easy Pieces for piano were heavily influenced by “folk melody [that was] a kind of inspirational motto to be developed.” Gershwin understood there to be a need for a truly American voice in music, comparable to those of the great nationalist European composers, recognizing that “The only kinds of music which endure are those which possess form in the universal sense and folk music. All else dies.”

The thriving rich life in the 1920’s consisted of flashy cars, drinking, and partying. The 1920’s continues to be one of the most extravagant time eras known to man. Many were seeking the fortune brought upon by down unders and the ban on alcohol. F. Scott Fitzgerald strongly depicts how life was for the wealthy of New York. The Great Gatsby is set in New York, the setting plays a key part in action that’s portrayed throughout the movie and the music being transposed throughout gives it a modern, yet ancient feel, which is appealing to all age groups.