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?


Tuesday 20 March 2012

the great gatsby character

We learned that f. scott fitzgerald uses of specific detail , gives more mystery to characters. When we first meet Gatsby we only get a description of his smile and nothing else, giving us more mystery towards him as we can never make a true picture of what he looks like. We also noticed that because he is always leaving or having to get the phone we get this theme or which he always disappears.

The Fitzgerald specific detail and style of gives us even more mystery for all the characters other then nick.

Gatsby-smile and hair.
Daisy- white and voice
Tom-eyes and hair
Jordan- figure
Myrtle-fat


oh and the last character which is well hidden the 1920's. I wont go into that just yet.

Tyrun McDonnell

7 comments:

  1. Selective detail- Gatsby:

    *There isn't an actual description of what he looks like, just small details which hype up the mystery already surrounding his character.
    *Catchphrase: "old sport"
    *"At a lull in the entertainment the man looked at me and smiled" = described only once, be we remember it
    *Isolate character on some occasions =
    page 16- "he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone"
    page 33- "Just as it began my eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps"
    These small details about him being alone are memorable
    *Many rumors flying around about him (more mystery)
    "he killed a man once"-page 29
    "he was a German spy during the war"-page 29

    Jess.

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  2. The use of selective detail when Fitzgerald is describing Mr. Wilson is key to our view of him as a character. The use of the word "spiritless" could show him only being a weak willed person, this is emphasised by the use of light colours for his features such as "blue eyes" and "blond" this shows him to be quite bland and almost featureless compared to a strong dark figure such as Tom Buchanan.
    Ray T

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  3. DAISY:
    Daisy's hair changes throughout the story, displaying selective detail. Many descriptions on her voice and the colour white are linked to her character. Superficial aspects of her are memorable.

    "Daisy never went in for amour at all - and yet there's something in that voice of hers..."

    "The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every girl wants to be looked at some time."

    "Daisy's murmur was only to make people lean towards her."

    "I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her."

    Shazia.

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  4. Jordan Baker
    her body features is mostly described through the story with some reference to her movement and clothing.

    "she was a slender, small breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders"

    "Jordan's slender golden arm resting in mine"

    "she wore her evening dress, all her dresses, like sport clothes - there was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned to walk upon golf courses on clean, crisp mornings"

    metions normally "her grey, sun-strained eyes" or her "jaunty body"

    eddie

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  5. Fitzgerald uses selective detail to depict certain key details about each character. It is a very economical technique that helps both the major and minor characters to life. In Tom’s case, he is known to have a massive physique and his cool body which exudes masculinity. However, he has a habit of not finishing his sentences when he is trying to express anything abstract and difficult.

    Lisa

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  6. Wolfsheim-

    *small flat-nosed Jew
    *two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril
    *tiny eyes
    *pronounces x's and c's as g's
    *cuff buttons made of human teeth

    Sophie.

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