Rhetorical Analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Themes of hope, success, and wealth overpower The Great Gatsby, leaving the reader with a new way to look at the roaring twenties, showing that not everything was good in this era. F. Scott Fitzgerald creates the characters in this book to live and recreate past memories and relationships. This was evident with Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship, Tom and Daisy’s struggling marriage, and Gatsby expecting so much of Daisy and wanting her to be the person she once was. The theme of this novel is to acknowledge the past, but do not recreate and live in the past because then you will not be living in the present, taking advantage of new opportunities.

Quote with context: When explaining the different connotations surrounding the color white, the narrator questions “what is it that in the Albino man so peculiarly repels and often shocks the eye, as that sometimes he is loathed by his own kith and kin! It is that whiteness which invests him, a thing expressed by the name he bears. The Albino is as well made as other men – has no substantive deformity – and yet this mere aspect of all-pervading whiteness makes him more strangely hideous than the ugliest abortion. Why should this be so?” (Melville 166).

intruding to him until the third chapter but instead building up the mystery around him. It also expresses how he would be with a crowd that he invites but he’s not part of the group at all. Like when you shop up to a party that you don’t know anyone. That feeling is showed off to him as I read on “standing alone on the marble stops and looking from one group to another” “Sometimes they come and went without having met Gatsby at all”.

As the narrator, the audience gets a deep insight into how Nick feels about Gatsby. Nick views Gatsby as an admirable figure, and thinks that Gatsby’s capacity to dream makes him “great.” Nick illustrates how, “...Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island sprang from his platonic conception of himself. He was a Son of God. A phrase which means anything means just that.” Plato was a Greek philosopher who created the idealism that every person aspires to some perfect or vastly superior form of itself. Therefore, when Nick refers to “platonic conception,” he is describing how Gatsby created himself based on envisions of his fondest dreams. Born into a poor farming family in North Dakota James Gatz always had a dream to belong in the upper class of

Holden contemplates moving out west by himself to fulfill his desire of independence, leaving Phoebe, the only person who truly cares for him, behind in the process. When Holden returns home from Pencey, he explains to Phoebe that he got expelled from school. Phoebe expresses her great concern for Holden’s safety from their father, but Holden reassures her he has a plan. He tells her “In the first place, [he’s] going away. What [he] may do, [he] may get a job on a ranch or something for a while. [he knows] this guy whose grandfather’s got a ranch in colorado. [He] may get a job out there… [He’ll] keep in touch with [Phoebe] and all when [he’s] gone, if [he goes]” (Salinger 165). “I’m going away” makes Holden sound like he has committed to departing. “I may get a job out there” highlights how Holden has thought this through and how he wants to continue with this idea. However, “may” connotes a sense of uncertainty which portrays his corrupt morals because he does not have a definite plan for when he reaches the west, but he will abandon his sister anyways. Holden reassures Phoebe he will still be there for her by saying “I’ll keep in touch”, even though he decided to leave her. Holden’s explanation to Phoebe about moving fulfills his wants and will make him independent, however he will be leaving Phoebe behind, who is the only person who truly cares about him since his parents are never around and uninvolved. Later on in the novel, Holden finally decides to leave for the

Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s unrequited love for Daisy is evident, as well as George Wilson’s love for his wife, Myrtle. Unlike Gatsby, Wilson is the least important character in the novel due to his important role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unique plot scheme that led to Gatsby’s murder. However, both characters have similarities and differences the reader is incapable of detecting due to Wilson’s brief mentions in chapter two and seven. Gatsby and Wilson’s love is similar due to their love murdering them both and their affection by remaining loyal to their women, but Gatsby was more ambitious to obtain a wealthy girl like Daisy and Wilson was forcing Myrtle to move west.

In the film of The Great Gatsby, based on the novel, Director, Baz Luhrmann shares the elaborate tale of the infamous Jay Gatsby. Taking place in the era of the 1920’s, also known as the roaring twenties, Luhrmann is able to bring the film to life by constructing breathtaking scenery creating a glamorous environment full of ecstasy in order to make the modern day audience get a feel for what life in that time period would have been like today. Though the story is about the main character, Jay Gatsby desperately trying to rekindle the spark he once had with his past love Daisy, Luhrmann infers that this is more than just another film about hopeless love. Throughout the film Luhrmann there is much evidence that reveal the overall theme of the story. Through the overdramatic characters, who seem oblivious to consequences of their actions, as well as the events that take place toward the end of the film, Luhrmann looks to show the audience the destructiveness of money, wealth, and the American Dream. As the film concludes, the narrator, Nick Caraway, solidifies that the purpose of telling the story of The Great Gatsby is to reveal how hopes of achieving the American Dream can corrupt and degrade the human spirit.

Often times when we consider strong persuaders, a few names easily come to mind. Over the course of history, we’ve seen persuasive candidates like Christopher Columbus that have convinced governing bodies to allow them to explore our planet in the effort of discovery, to political figures comparable to Abraham Lincoln that seek innovation in public sentiment to improve opportunities for all Americans regardless of their ethnicity or gender. These types of positive uses of persuasion allowed the accomplished men that used them to generate powerful advancements for their goals. Powerful use of persuasion isn’t always a tool used by the righteous, however.

When Cody died, he left the boy, now Jay Gatsby, a legacy of $25,000. Unfortunately

     F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism

In the passage, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses pugnacious and arrogant tones to reflect Nick’s initial thoughts of Tom, first through Tom’s appearance, then through his actions. Nick’s tone, when he first sees Tom waiting for him in his riding clothes, shifts from one of curiosity to fear and aggression. When Tom begins to talk, all of Nick’s initial thoughts of him are verified through Tom’s abrupt arrogance. Although Nick does not directly acknowledge his hatred and envy of Tom, through Nick’s description of Tom’s appearance and condescending attitude towards him, the reader recognizes a rigid tension between the two.

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, about half of the main characters present themselves as something they are not. Throughout the novel, the theme of passing is apparent in Nick, Jay Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle Wilson, although they are all passing, each does it for a very different reason. Many scholars have touched on the idea that these characters are not who they appear to be and that their passing is associated with social class issues of the 1920s. Fitzgerald’s characters are built around the idea of passing and social class restrictions.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that has many different themes. Fitzgerald shows the themes that he uses through his character’s desires and actions. This novel has themes in it that we deal with in our everyday life. It has themes that deal with our personal lives and themes that deal with what’s right and what’s wrong. There are also themes that have to do with materialistic items that we deal desire on a daily basis. Fitzgerald focuses on the themes of corrupted love, immorality, and the American Dream in order to tell a story that is entertaining to his readers.

He thinks just because he is the son of Salamander that he is the strongest wizard in the world.” said Gray. “ He and I don’t get along because he has fire magic and I have ice magic.” said Gray. Little did Lucy know, he wanted to be friends with Natsu to be popular and noticed. “ You know just being friends with Natsu won’t make you popular and noticed.” said Lucy. “ DId you read my mind!?” yelled Gray. “ Yes, I did. Celestial wizards have the power to sense presences and read people’s minds.” said Lucy. “ Wow, I wish I could read Natsu’s mind to see what he thinks about me.” said Gray. “ I think your cool and I want to be friends.” said Natsu. “ AAAHHHHH” yelled Natsu and Lucy. “ When did you get here?” Natsu and Lucy asked. “ Using my

How came people did not respect Fitzgerald’s writing in the twentieth century, but why people are respecting and valuing Fitzgerald work in the twenty-first century? Fitzgerald had a hard time to profiting from his writing, but he was not successful after his first novel. There are three major point of this essay are: the background history of Fitzgerald life, the comparisons between Fitzgerald and the Gatsby from his number one book in America The Great Gatsby, and the Fitzgerald got influences of behind the writing and being a writer. From childhood to adulthood, Fitzgerald faced many good and bad experiences that inspired him to achieve his own American dream in a short amount of time.