The Purpose of this Blog

Your task on this blog is to write a brief summary of what we learned in class today. Include enough detail so that someone who was ill or missed the lesson can catch up with what they missed. Over the course of the term, these 'class scribe' posts will grow to be a guide book for the course, written by students for students.

With each post ask yourself the following questions:
1) Is this good enough for our guide book?
2) Will your post enable someone who wasn't here to catch up?
3) Would a graphic/video/link help to illustrate what we have learned?


Monday 28 March 2011

Hey guys, welcome to the amazingness that is my blog. In the lesson we most prominently began reading Chapter 4, but also gained quite a large insight into the elusive Gatsby's character.

Starter- Facebook Status Update for Gatsby: Unfortunately, I haven't added Gatsby on Facebook so I couldn't view his status at the time of posting. The process went something like "Send Friend Request->Friend Request Pending->Friend Request Denied"... When asked why I decided that this was the case, I wrote: "I hear" and "I think", the most prominent phrases regarding Gatsby himself- they reveal that he never wants anyone to get close, and that no-one actually knows who he truly is. With a reputation based on rumours, it may ruin his reputation if he starts accepting facebook Friend Requests..



Insight into Nick's Character

We then watched a video with a person that described various facets of Nick’s character (I say person, he’s more of an authority)- a person who, deliberately, RUINED the end of the book. For all those who it didn’t get ruined for, I’m a sore loser- so I must say that GATSBY DIES. Thanks for that DVD Man.. We were asked to identify and note down the three most important things out of the stuff that he said... these are: 1) The most complex and perhaps difficult character to see- due to his self effasive nature.


2) Two conflicting viewpoints are highlighted in his character, these are:

o Nick is the consciousness of the novel, and thus is tolerant but appropriately judgmental. He learns from his experiences, is reliable- and goes through moral growth. In a sense, he is the hero.

o Nick is an obtuse, self righteous narrator that shows no insight into his own motives. He leaves the novel as clueless as he was from the beginning.

3) Nick is an enigma of opinions, no one point of view can be definitely decided can be decided

Insight into Gatsby’s Character Well, we did one of those circles overlapping diagram thingies, but as I don’t have the capabilities to do so here, I’ll stick to the classical method of subheadings. Yay.

Gossip Killed Someone, Related to Kaiser Wilhelm, Went to Oxford, Was a Spy


Gossip/Fact In the Army


Facts Likes Green Lights, Lives on West Egg, Man likes to party, Likes English people (?)


Afterwards, we began reading Chapter 4, and the unrelenting list of guests to the Great Gatsby’s parties that he feels we have to know. From them, a few choice words can be chosen:


Hand Ran Over, Fight, Suicide, Drowned, Nose Shot Off.


These should reveal something pretty obvious about Gatsby: he is surrounded by violence. When we wonder why Nick tells us these things that perhaps he should have kept in confidence the anwser can be found quite easily: He believes that there is safety in the numbers of names he mentioned, he believes that it gives the annomity. But perhaps moreso- he takes some sort of pride in having met these people, perhaps he wants to be disgusted, but just isn’t.


Impressions of Gatsby


These are my impressions of him so far, if you don't agree, then comment with your disagreement. I will still be the one whose right however. The association with those that have the potential to, and some that have, commited criminal acts shines a somewhat negative light on the elusive Gatsby- he loses some of his hard earned annomity to the "foul dust" that trails him, and try as he might to rise above these unfortuneate acquaintances - they will forever tarnish perception of him and add a nasty bias to the deduction of the motivation behind his actions.


Homework


-Discuss characterisation of gatsby Ch1-4


-Discuss characterisation of Wolfstein- mention "selective detail"


-Why might Jordan narrate part of the story?


-Comment on the timeshift -Read Ch.4 & 5 -COMMENT MY BLOG!

10 comments:

  1. Further facts
    Gatsby also owns a

    Rolls Royce and swimming pool (take note of these)
    wealthy
    is famous in New York

    First time Gatsby is mentioned in such detail + interaction with his character.

    I finished the book before it got ruined for the rest of the class thanks again for ruining it in the blog.

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  2. I dont think you are far off your impressions of Gatsby as i mostly agree with them however i personally felt alot of pity for Gatsby
    Tamsin :)

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  3. Hmmm. after reading chapter 4 and 5, Gatsby's intentions become transparent to the reader..

    Tamsin why do you feel "alot of pity" towards Gatsby? just intrigued.

    Gnarlsden

    SOnny.

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  4. To me Gatsby seems just like a lost soul.

    Esmeralda ;)

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  5. Personally I feel simpoathy for Gatsby, not pity. He wants someone he can't have and what makes it worse is that she seems like she wants to be with Gatsby too.
    I can tell it's going to be a sad ending. (Even if I ignore your SPOILERS)

    Roman A.

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  6. Whoops, *Sympathy

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  7. Finally the secret is out..... We can now connect the green light with the love Gatsby has for Daisy....

    Akanksha

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  8. Gatsby's impression has changed significantly due to Jordan's narrative. It also provides evidence if Nick is a reliable narrator or not.

    Chris W

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  9. I admire Gatsby's romantic spirit, however I don't think that it will do him any good in the matirialistic society that he lives in. The intensity of his feelings do not fit in with the easy going "Fire Genaration".

    Aleksandra

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  10. Nice blog.

    Gatsby's riccccccccccccccccccccccch!

    Daniel.

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