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.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
# 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.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
#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)
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)
#1 Dust in the Great Gatsby
1. pg. 2- Foul Dust in the wake of Gatsby's dream
-Foul dust represents what "haunts" Gastby.
-Foul means old, bad smelling, etc.
-Foul dust is what is keeping Gatsby from achieving his dream
-Foul dust could represent money because it corrupts him
-Daisy could represent Gatsby's dream because that is who Gatsby longs for and "dreams" for
2. pg. 27- White ashen dust on Wilson's suit
-Ashes represent death and Wilson ends up dying in the end
-White ashen dust- old (white hair)
-Dust on his suit means he was working hard
-Dust could also mean that he never wears the suit (not fancy)
3. pg. 66- Sawdust of Gatsby's statements
-Leaking sawdust at every pore- Nick is saying that Gatsby's statements are obvious lies.
-Gatsby is "full of sawdust" meaning he is full of deceit
-Nick describes that Gatsby's lies are equivalent to a turbaned "character" which represents Gatsby as trying to be someone that he isn't. (He's covering up his true identity)
4. pg. 151- Dust in the house of Daisy's youth
-"Shining dust" is an oxymoron because dust is dull and not shiny.
-Shining dust could be glitter on the floor
-Shining dust represents a fairytale archetype (fairy dust)
-The slippers were "shuffling the shining dust" which could represent Daisy shuffling with men because she started having half a dozen dates a day.
5. pg. 116- Dust from Daisy falls on daughter
-The powder from Daisy's face falls onto her daughter's hair and later Daisy says that the girl looks like her and "has her hair and the shape of her face"
-Powder is used to cover up imperfections and that may represent the daughter
-Daisy doesn't really have a relationship with her daughter
-Daisy's daughter getting the powder on her represents the little girl gaining Daisy's personality and qualities
6. pg. 137- Myrtle's blood mixed with dust
-The dust is from the car stirring up dirt on the road
-Daisy was driving the car that killed Myrtle
-Dust represents decomposition of the human body, which will happen to Myrtle's body soon.
-Dark blood mixing with the dust represents dirty blood and Myrtle was filled with dirty (evil) blood because she was unfaithful to Mr. Wilson
-"Extinguished" is a word associated with putting out fires and fires produce dust, or ashes
7. pg. 148- Dust in Gatsby's house
- The dust in Gatsby's house appeared after Daisy had left him and she was considered his "light"
-All of the important servants had been fired and the new ones did not care enough to clean the house well
-The dust represents the deadness of Daisy and Gatsby's relationship.
-The dust appeared after Gatsby stopped having his parties
-The dust gathering in his house shows how enormous his house is, but it is empty and nobody ever cares enough to clean it up. This scenario represents Gatsby's life because he is alone and Daisy came into his life and made a mess out of Gatsby's heart and life but didn't care enough to fix it.
-Foul dust represents what "haunts" Gastby.
-Foul means old, bad smelling, etc.
-Foul dust is what is keeping Gatsby from achieving his dream
-Foul dust could represent money because it corrupts him
-Daisy could represent Gatsby's dream because that is who Gatsby longs for and "dreams" for
2. pg. 27- White ashen dust on Wilson's suit
-Ashes represent death and Wilson ends up dying in the end
-White ashen dust- old (white hair)
-Dust on his suit means he was working hard
-Dust could also mean that he never wears the suit (not fancy)
3. pg. 66- Sawdust of Gatsby's statements
-Leaking sawdust at every pore- Nick is saying that Gatsby's statements are obvious lies.
-Gatsby is "full of sawdust" meaning he is full of deceit
-Nick describes that Gatsby's lies are equivalent to a turbaned "character" which represents Gatsby as trying to be someone that he isn't. (He's covering up his true identity)
4. pg. 151- Dust in the house of Daisy's youth
-"Shining dust" is an oxymoron because dust is dull and not shiny.
-Shining dust could be glitter on the floor
-Shining dust represents a fairytale archetype (fairy dust)
-The slippers were "shuffling the shining dust" which could represent Daisy shuffling with men because she started having half a dozen dates a day.
5. pg. 116- Dust from Daisy falls on daughter
-The powder from Daisy's face falls onto her daughter's hair and later Daisy says that the girl looks like her and "has her hair and the shape of her face"
-Powder is used to cover up imperfections and that may represent the daughter
-Daisy doesn't really have a relationship with her daughter
-Daisy's daughter getting the powder on her represents the little girl gaining Daisy's personality and qualities
6. pg. 137- Myrtle's blood mixed with dust
-The dust is from the car stirring up dirt on the road
-Daisy was driving the car that killed Myrtle
-Dust represents decomposition of the human body, which will happen to Myrtle's body soon.
-Dark blood mixing with the dust represents dirty blood and Myrtle was filled with dirty (evil) blood because she was unfaithful to Mr. Wilson
-"Extinguished" is a word associated with putting out fires and fires produce dust, or ashes
7. pg. 148- Dust in Gatsby's house
- The dust in Gatsby's house appeared after Daisy had left him and she was considered his "light"
-All of the important servants had been fired and the new ones did not care enough to clean the house well
-The dust represents the deadness of Daisy and Gatsby's relationship.
-The dust appeared after Gatsby stopped having his parties
-The dust gathering in his house shows how enormous his house is, but it is empty and nobody ever cares enough to clean it up. This scenario represents Gatsby's life because he is alone and Daisy came into his life and made a mess out of Gatsby's heart and life but didn't care enough to fix it.
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