BONUS: Blogging

I think blogging is a very effective way for students to turn in assignments. It helps the student by saving paper, ink, and having to carry home more binders. It benefits the teacher by making the grading process easier and more organized. It also allows the teacher to clearly see who has posted their assignments on time, and there are no excuses for late work. However, if a student claims his or her internet is down, the teacher should expect the hardcopy of the assignment the next day in class. Lastly, in my opinion, typing is easier and faster than hand writing, therefore blogging is my preference in turning in assignments.

#4 Outline of Essay (Try 2...)

Thesis: In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby represents Cinderella.


I. Rags to Riches
A. "For over a year he had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed" (page 98).
i. In the beginning of the novel, James Gatz had no money, and labored to receive food and shelter.
ii. James Gatz originated from a poverty stricken family.
iii. Gatz made a decision that he wanted better for himself, so he altered who he was.
B. "So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end" (page 98).
i. At age seventeen, James Gatz changed his name to Jay Gatsby.
ii. Gatsby's reasoning for this was to start over as a new person, and acquire wealth.
iii. After falling in love, Gatsby did everything in his power to gain wealth and fame in order to sustain the woman's attention.
C. "And it was from Cody that he inherited money- a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars" (page 100).
i. Gatsby inherited his money through illegal actions known as "bootlegging."
ii. Gatsby achieving the money in this way is in contrast to Tom and Daisy, who inherited their money from family members.
iii. Because Gatsby had to illegally gain money, it shows that his wealth is superficial.


II. Rejects Family
A. "His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all" (page 98).
i. Gatsby did not want to be associated with his parents because they were not prominent or wealthy.
ii. This shows that Gatsby is a very materialistic person and has no moral integrity.
iii. Gatsby relies on money rather than a family to bring comfort and security to his life.
B. 
i.
ii.
iii.


III. Gatsby's Parties/Balls 
A. " In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials..." (page 40).
i. Gatsby's parties were very lavish and the attendants came only to 
ii. He had parties only to flaunt his wealth, not for social purposes.
iii. Gatsby used his parties to try to impress Daisy.
B.
i.
ii.
iii.

#5 Body Paragraphs

For the first example, Jay Gatsby represents Penelope, who is the Goddess of faithfulness. Gatsby demonstrates this by being determined to stay faithful to Daisy while he is away at war. Gatsby is so devoted to Daisy that he did not try to meet any other women while he was away, even though Daisy was out dating dozens of other men. Also, even after Daisy says she loves her husband, Gatsby still waits outside of her house all night to make sure she is safe from him. Gatsby is still hopeful that Daisy will need him in the middle of the night, and although she never comes outside, he stays there until the next morning. Gatsby continually proves his love for Daisy through the actions that he takes in order to remain fully committed and faithful to her.


Second, Tom represents Achilles, who is, in essence, the God of war. This means that Tom likes to feel superior to everyone around him, and he does not like it when another person has any advantage over him. At one of his parties, Gatsby introduces Tom as a polo player, which is offensive towards Tom. Being a polo player during this time was considered "a blow" towards Tom because most of the men at Gatsby's parties did not have to work to acquire wealth, they inherited it from fellow family members. Next, Daisy disrespects Tom by having an affair with Gatsby. Daisy having an affair with Gatsby puts Tom in a position where he is not considered as important to her as Gatsby is. Furthermore, Daisy thinks that Gatsby is wealthier than Tom, which put Gatsby at a financial advantage over Tom. In addition, Myrtle Wilson makes Tom feel patronized when she talks back to him at their shared apartment. Tom is used to having an advantage over the women in his life and it caught him off-guard when Myrtle mocked him.

Finally, Daisy represents Venus, who is the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Daisy is a very beautiful woman, and she coerces Gatsby into falling in love with her. The text states that Daisy was going on many dates with many different men. This proves that Daisy was very appealing to men and she was considered a prized possession. In addition, Tom is also allured by Daisy's beauty and charm because he fights for her love even after he finds out she has been having an affair with Gatsby. In this period of time, most men would have gotten a divorce after finding out about their wives affair, but instead Tom fights even harder for Daisy until he has her back. These examples show how Daisy lures men into falling for her and how truly superficial she is. 

#4 Outline of Essay

Thesis: Three main characters in The Great Gatsby represent Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology.

I. Gatsby represents Penelope
A. Gatsby is determined to stay faithful to Daisy while he is away at war.
1. Gatsby was so devoted to Daisy that he didn't try to meet any other women while he was away, even though Daisy was out dating dozens of other men.
B.Even after Daisy said she loved Tom, Gatsby still waited outside of her house all night to make sure she was safe.
1. Gatsby was still hopeful that Daisy would need him in the middle of the night, and although she never came outside, he stayed out there until the next morning.

II. Tom represents Achilles
A. At one of his parties, Gatsby introduces Tom as a polo player and that is patronizing towards Tom.
1. Being a polo player was considered patronizing towards Tom because most of the men at Gatsby's parties didn't have to work to acquire wealth, they just inherited it.
B. Daisy patronizes Tom by having an affair with Gatsby because she thinks Gatsby is better than Tom.
1. Daisy having an affair with Gatsby put Tom in a position where he wasn't considered important to her.
2. Also, Daisy thought that Gatsby was wealthier than Tom which put Gatsby at a financial advantage over Tom.
C. Myrtle Wilson made Tom feel patronized when she talked back to him at their shared apartment.
1. Tom is used to having an advantage over the women in his life and it caught him off-guard when Myrtle mocked him.

III. Daisy represents Venus
A. Daisy is very enticing and she makes Gatsby fall in love with her.
1. Venus is the Goddess of Love and Beauty and Daisy is also viewed as beautiful and that is what makes Gatsby fall for her.
B. The text also states that Daisy was going on many dates with many different men
1. This proves that Daisy was very appealing to men and she was considered a prized possession.
C. Tom is also allured by Daisy's beauty and charm because he fights for her love even after he finds out she has been having an affair with Gatsby.
1. In this period of time, most men would have gotten a divorce after finding out about their wives affair, but instead Tom fights even harder for Daisy until he has her back.

# 3 First paragraph of essay

In The Great Gatsby, three of the main characters resemble Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. First, Gatsby represents Penelope, the Goddess of faithfulness. Next, Tom portrays Achilles who is the God of war. And lastly, Daisy resembles Venus, the Goddess of love and beauty. Greek Mythology is prevalent throughout the novel, and these classifications of characters are just a few of the many examples of it in the text.

Bonus

Back Then...

For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes. All night the saxophones wailed the hopeless comment of the BEALE STREET BLUES. while a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust. At the gray tea hour there were always rooms that throbbed incessantly with this low, sweet fever, while fresh faces drifted here and there like rose petals blown by the sad horns around the floor.

Through this twilight universe Daisy began to move again with the season; suddenly she was again keeping half a dozen dates a day with half a dozen men, and drowsing asleep at dawn with the beads and chiffon of an evening dress tangled among dying orchids on the floor beside her bed. And all the time something within her was crying for a decision. She wanted her life shaped now, immediately — and the decision must be made by some force — of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality — that was close at hand.

In the Modern Day...

Daisy was young and vibrant, and her fantasy world was all about being popular, having egotistical friends like herself, and knowing all of the latest "hit" music, which portrayed the lives of the artists singing. Throughout the night, the DJ would spin the most popular music choices while a hundred pairs of spike heels twisted with their partners on the glittery floor of the night club. As the night went on, almost all of the rooms were bumping with this contagious excitement, while some other people had just arrived in order to forget the sadness and hurt they possessed.

Daisy began to move on with her life; she started dating many young men that she met at the night clubs. She always had at least a dozen choices of guys, just in case one didn't work out. She would stay out all night long and fall asleep as the sun came up. Her little black party dress from the night before would be wrinkled on the floor, mixed in with the roses she received from the various dates she had been on. But for Daisy, clubbing wasn't enough. She was tired of messing around with all of these guys and she wanted to make a decision about who she would spend the rest of her life with. The decision could be made out of love, money, or practicality - she didn't really care, she just wanted a commitment.

#2 Greek Mythology Archetype

1. Gatsby represents a Biblical story because he starts out poor and then becomes very wealthy. This is an example of the David and Goliath story which is overcoming overwhelming odds. no page number (generalization)

2. Tom doesn't like being patronized, therefore he is a representative of Achilles, who doesn't like to have a weak side but it's still there. pg. 105

3. Gatsby represents the Goddess Penelope because he is determined to stay faithful and to keep hope with Daisy. pg. 92

4. Gatsby also represents the Goddess Cassandra because even when Nick told him that you can't recreate the past, Gatsby still tried and didn't want to believe it. pg. 110

5. Tom is also an example of Cassandra because he didn't want to believe that Daisy could be in love with someone else (Gatsby). pg. 132

6. Mr. Wilson takes the role of Madea when he murders Gatsby for the killing of his wife. pg. 162

7. Daisy represents the Greek Goddess, Venus, who is the Goddess of Love and Beauty, because she lures men, like Gatsby, into falling in love with her. pg. 89

8. Gatsby represents Pluto (Hades) because he's the God of Wealth and he was not a welcome visitor in the eyes of Tom. no page number (generalization)