Gatsby stops throwing parties because he is too distracted by his love for daisy. Gatsby believes daisy loves him and she never loved tom. He mistakingly believes she is going to leave Tom for him and they were going to ride off into the sunset together. Gatsby is itroduced to Daisys child in this chapter but he refuses to believe the child is really hers. When Daisy does not immediatly confess her love for gatsby, they decide to go into the city together. Tom is now aware that Daisy and gatsby have feelings for one another and he decides to confront them about it. In a hotel in the city, Tom calls gatsby out as a fraud and exposes his poor background which upsets daisy. Gatsbys refute was simply that daisy has always loved just him no matter his background, however this proved to be wrong. Daisy confesses that she did at one point love Tom. Tom then sends them back to Long Island to talk about things. On the way back to Long Island, Tom nick and Jordan see a woman who was hit by a car in the valley of ashes. They soon discover Myrtle, toms mistress, was the woman who was hit. When hearing of the car that hit her, they automatically assume gatsby was the murderer. When Tom and nick return home nick finds gatsby waiting to see if daisy is okay and gatsby refuses to leave.
Chapters 5 and 6
4/27 Chapter 5 begins with Nicks curiousity about Gatsby's house for it apears to be holding a party. However, once nick arrives, he sees that Gatsby is alone. When Gatsby invites Nick to go to Coney island, Nick turns him down revealing that their relationship might not be as it previously appeared. Later in the chapter, nick invites daisy over to meet gastsby after a long period of time of not communiccating. The initial meeting is awkward but as Gatsby and Daisy become familiar with one anhother again things return to normal casualty. Chapter 6 discusses Gatsbys past and how he was actually born into a poor family on a farm and developed all of his wealth on his own. Gatsby fell in love with the wealthy lifestyle after living it with an idol figure and aims to be like him. Gatsby believes wealth is the solution to everything including winning Daisy back. Tom reveals Gatsbys upbringing to Daisy and upsets her. again, Gatsby thinks that wealth is the way to win Daisy and happiness.
Chapter 3 and 4
4/23 Chapter 3 discusses Nick and how Gatsby's party affected him. Unlike the other attendents, Nick recieved a personal invitiation asking him to show up revealing a relationship between the two characters. After searching for Gatsby most of the night, Nick finds Gatsby mysteriously in the background out of the "light". This reveals Gatsby as an outsider in the rich and glorious world, much like Nick. i think the author did this to show the reader the relationship between the two characters and expalin how they connected. Chapter 4 once again describes the relationship between the two characters. The reader soon discovers Gatsby's ties with Daisy and why he moved into the house across the bay. This chapter also reveals once again that gatsby does not fit into the glamorous world he pretends to be in. Daisy struggles with her marrigae to Tom and her love for Gatsby. Nicks sexuality continues to be questioned in the way that he engages in romantic activity with Jordan.
Chapter 2
4/20
In chapter 2 of 'The Great Gatsby", some new characters are introduced to the reader. "But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic - their retinas are one yard high.... But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground." In this quote, the writer is putting Eckleburg as a high being, such as God. He looks over the dumping ground with his gigantic and blue eyes. The reader finds out that Tom has a tendency to be bossy. This is shown when Tom takes hold of Nick's elbow and forces him off of the train to meet his girl. The reader also finds out that Tom has a mistress, which is not his wife. This is where the sexuality of this chapter comes into play. It is also in this chapter that Nick appears to be homosexual (???). (He may have feelings for Gatsby because he says that everyone like Gatsby is against his morals, but Gatsby is acceptable.) The novel begins with the mention of the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Although religion is blatantly ignored throughout the novel, the eyes seem to symbolize the fact that God is omniscient and sees all of the scandalous affairs of the New York elite. He seems to look down upon the “valley of ashes” that Tom and Nick need to pass in order to get to New York. This valley of ashes seems to represent the people that were left out of the prosperity of the roaring twenties. The valley of ashes is obscure compared to its location between the Eggs and New York City, and is the perfect representation of how people tend to remember the 20’s as a time of great prosperity, when this was not the case for many. Myrtle and Wilson are a part of the forgotten impoverished people of the Roaring Twenties. Although Wilson seems content with his situation, Myrtle is in denial. With help from her affair with Tom Buchanan, Myrtle is able to create a falsified self-image where she is one of the social elite. This is accurately displayed by her selectivity when choosing a nice taxi. Myrtle seems to able to convince herself while she is with Tom, that she is a lady of noble upbringing and is entitled to wealth and possessions. This is demonstrated by the party that she throws and her pompous demeanor. Although the first chapter seemed mostly focused on characterizing Nick, the second chapter appears to be highly symbolic.
My only question in this chapter is regarding a statement made by Nick Carraway after Tom, Myrtle, and he had passed over into New York from the valley of ashes: “We backed up to a gray old man who bore an absurd resemblance to John D. Rockefeller.” I believe that maybe Fitzgerald included the statement to indicate that even the lowest of the low in New York are better off than those in the valley of ashes. He could also have intended to clearly indicate the change of scenery from the valley of ashes to that of New York City by associating a business tycoon with the new location.
The Great Gatsby Chapter 1
4/15/15 The Great Gatsby, narrated by Nick Carraway, starts off discussing advice his father gave him. This flashback helps describe the way Nick looks at life now and shaped his morals. It also reveals his family as the "old wealth" of America who have strong views on the world. These morals have caused him to be criticized throughout his life and caused the feeling of insecurity to form. His views reveal that he is not infatuated with wealth as many in his family are. Although these insults continue, he stays positive and creates a simple happy mood in the story. When nick travels back to East Egg to visit Daisy (his cousin), he reveals her character as cheerful and "bright" All characters are set up as wealthy and almost perfect which is apparent by Nicks interpretations of them. He is honest in the way that he speaks to both Daisy and her Husband, although he keeps many of his opinions to himself. All these things, feed into the wealthy theme and paints the story as dream like. Nick appears to be the eyes and ears to the social elite because he is the one character that can see through the glitter and dream like world. Because of his seimi-objective view he is able to reveal this world to the reader in a simple relatable way.
The Minister's Black Veil
3/11/15 1-5 done on socrative 6. Hawthorn is crafty in his diction and syntax and uses rhetorical strategies to elicit responses from his readers. Studying throughout his life, Hawthorne learned how to use rhetorical appeals to better his arguments. All of his writings display his knowledge and how well he can put it to good use. It would be tom-foolery to convince yourself that Nathaniel Hawthorne simply sat down one day and began throwing words 7. Even for someone with no prior knowledge of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s personal beliefs or opinions regarding the ideas of Transcendentalism, it would be very easy to tell what they are through his writing of The Minister’s Black Veil. The entire plot of this composition is in direct opposition to transcendental views. For example, Hawthorne takes a minister, who would typically represent the holiest of men, and perverts him. It is also clear that Hawthorne has identified the fallacy within the idea that you should ‘conform to the idea of non-conformity’ within Transcendentalism.
8. Although its possible that the best stories are those that leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what truly happened, Im more of a fan of those with a direct, concise ending. That being said, Hawthorne did a very good job of leaving his audience with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Throughout the composition, it is made apparent that Mr. Hooper has something to hide, and that something is sin. I believe that the minister has either consensually or non-consensually engaged in inappropriate acts with the girl who died. I believe this because the minister wears his veil in an attempt to hide himself from the world but while standing over the cold body of the girl, makes an internal connection with her. It is almost as though he is briefly removing his veil in order to completely expose himself to her.
Rhetorical Analysis: How Soccer Is Ruining America
1/27/2015
De Blasio Rhetorical Analysis:
January 9, 2014 The Mayor of NYC provided the citizens of America with a eulogy for a NYPD officer who was murdered by Eric Garners avengers. Many people claimed the mayor was taking sides with the officers and not supporting Eric Garners. With his eulogy Bill de Blasio needed to connect both sides to this tragedy and make them understand the wrongdoing on both ends. The Mayor used many rhetorical strategies in his eulogy. One of these strategies is his use of pathos. He shows his sadness with both tears and his words. Although, even after his speech, officers are still wary of whose side he is on and do not know if they have the mayors full support.
Rhetorical Analysis of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
November 25, 2014 "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is a call to action through the use of calm rational argumentative strategies. Thomas Paine uses diction in the first sentence by using the word "simple" as a parallel. He explains how simple facts lead to argument which lead to opinion. He is arguing for American Independence in this book. He begins with general reflections about government and religion, then progresses on to the specifics of the colonial situation. This text was written pre-revolution and describes the tension Paine found himself in. Some of the strategies of argumentation he uses are answering in objection, false dilemma, and appeal to authority. Paine's tone throughout this story projects sympathy in his audience. He makes his readers believe everything he is saying is logical and that revolution is the only answer.
Texting and Driving PSA Analyses
Due October 28, 2014 Video 1: Texting and driving Summary- This video shows a girl and her friends in a car listening to music and the girl begins texting. next, her car swerves into a lane and everything freezes. She gets out of the car and begins talking to the mother in the oncoming vehicle. She explains how she was just sending a short text and because of that text, her and her friends will die. The original scene resumes and the two cars crash and the scene goes black. Observation- I think this commercial accurately uses rhetorical strategies to display its message to teens on how one message can end everything. Rhetorical Appeals-
Ethos: This relates to teens because it is similar to actions of many teens. (alot of teens text their mom saying when they will be home)
pathos:"my babies are in the car!" This induces emotion in the audience out of sympathy for the kids
Argument- Texting while driving, no matter how short the message, can be fatal Evaluation- I think this commercial did a good job showing how dangerous texting while driving is especially by showing the emotions of both the drives in the frozen scene.
Video 2: Don't Text and Drive Summary- This video shows a girl and her friends playing games while driving. Next, the driver receives a text and checks her phone to view it. Because of this she does not notice a stop sign, runs it, and gets hit by a semi truck that throws her car in many directions causing it to flip. Observation- This video was very graphic and showed just how insane a simple hit can become from not paying attention to the road Rhetorical Appeals-
pathos: the girls were young and a simple crash lead to the loss of young life.
ethos: appeal to the teen age group by revealing the accident happening to teens
Argument- The end of the video shows the text "If you're texting, you're not driving." even a few seconds of not paying attention can cost your life Evaluation- This commercial did a good job of showing how important having your full attention on the road is.
Video 3: Dear mom and dad Summary- This video consists of a audio recording of a teen reading a letter to her parents about how sorry she is for texting and driving. Observation- This video has a strong appeal to pathos and is directed mainly to parents and children Rhetorical Appeals-
pathos: The voice over of a dead child is used throughout the video and sad images and music are displayed
Argument- A stupid decision such as texting and driving not only affects you but also those around you and those that care about you Evaluation- This commercial was what i think the best for showing how one mistake can affect not only you but everyone else as well. It appeals strongly to family audiences.
Video 4: The last word Summary- This video portrays a little boy carrying his fathers casket to a cemetery. The video consists of sad people at a funeral grieving over a mans death. The video ends with the words "Dont let your phone have the last word." Observation- This commercial was very emotional and similar to the last video, showed how one decision can not only affect you, but also your loved ones. Rhetorical Appeals
PATHOS: The image of the boy carrying his fathers casket is enough pathos to last a lifetime but the video also included crying, rain, sad music, and sad scenery.
Argument- texting and driving hurts not only you but also those you love. Evaluation- This commercial has a strong appeal to pathos and is portrayed almost like a sad movie that the viewer can relate to.
Analysis of The Crucible overture
Arthur Miller begins the story with an overture to provide historical background to his readers on the Salem Witch Trails. At the beginning of the Overture the scene is described so the reader can better understand the following events. The setting is described as the spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Parris, the main character, is revealed as the bad guy who "cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him". Arther uses diction to reveal Parris and the villain and not the supporting father. Parris refuses to accept that his daughter is a witch. Along with being the bad guy and villain, Parris is also revealed as ignorant and selfish due to his lack of concern for his daughter. Miller uses the overture to provide details to his reader that will be important when reading or viewing the play. Some of these details include parris' selfishness and inner villain.
Rhetorical Analysis: Cotton Mather's Diary
Due: 10/13/14 Speaker: Cotton Mather ethos? Because it is a diary mather does not need to have much ethos consitering he is writing to himself. Although Mathers is still considered credible to many due to his background as a minister.
Audience: No intended audience. Diary: personal thoughts and feelings
Topic: The struggles of daily life and resisting the temptation of a "gentlewoman". Writes how he should handle the woman and how the relationship has developed. He also writes about his religious views and how they affect his decisions with both the gentlewoman and common daily activities. Mather's references satan many times when discussing the gentlewoman almost as if the gentlewoman was a test from satan himself.
Purpose: Apologies to the Lord, his family, the gentle woman, and himself Many references are made to how sorry he is and uses many efforts to make up for his sins by fasting and praying. / Strategies: Pathos and imagery: "I cry to the Lord, with fervency and agony and floods of tears..."
Plato's allegory of the cave (Republic, book 7) and Edwards' Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Both Edwards and Plato use literary devices to educate and persuade their readers. Plato tells of an uneducated society, one beginning in a dark cave, never to see the light of day. He explains that people are so used to looking into the darkness that they never attempt to turn around and experience the light. When one finally approaches the light and experiences the initial pain, they begin to accept what is real and what is not. Next the man is pulled out of cave and forced to feel the pain of the blinding sun. The man begins to except there are multiple realities; first the one on the wall, second the cave, third outside, and fourth the sun. The goal of education is to drag every man as far out of the cave as possible. He uses this metaphor and imagery to entourage his reader to look at life, and live life, differently much like Edwards in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Edwards uses diction to depict a picture of God dangling humans over the fiery mouth of hell and choosing whether or not to drop us to convince his readers to remain christian. Edwards and Plato differ in the message they are trying to send their audience. Edwards states that turning away from God will lead to your demise (being dropped into the mouth of hell) while Plato states turning away from the influence of others in beneficial. Plato and Edwards differ in their arguments but use similar strategies and writing styles to persuade their readers.