Throughout history you hear "The American Dream" referenced numerous times. For many people the reality of just living in America is a dream come true, others strive for more and dream of becoming rich and famous. The majority of Americans live our their dreams by having a family, settling down with a good job, and raising their kids the right way. No matter how you look at it, "The American Dream" can be satisfied many different ways. Fitzgerald attempts to portray this circumstance and how it does differ throughout and in the end of the book.
Gatsby is perhaps the most prominent character in the book that Fitzgerald talks about his American Dream throughout the plot. Gatsby's dream was in a sense based off of one person, Daisy. When Gatsby and Daisy first fell in love around the time of the war, Gatsby thought she would wait for him, but because he was not as rich and went off to war, Daisy went and married Tom, a more well off man. Gatsby's dream then became to become wealthy, so that he could eventually get Daisy back in his life.
Obviously we know that this dream did not come completely through. Although Gatsby did reach out to Nick and Jordan and did reaquaint himself with Daisy, his dream of them "riding off into the sunset" so to say did not happen. Daisy wasn't so willing to just up and leave Tom and eventually Gatsby was killed. This can be viewed different ways about just what Fitzgerald was trying to portray about "The American Dream". One view may be that although Gatsby was wealthy and lived lavishly, he did not end up happy or with what he wanted most. Obviously this pointing at the fact that money cannot buy you happiness. The other theme that this could be hitting is that Gatsby had worked so hard, waited so long, he still "failed" in the end. In other words, you can't always end up with what you want or how you want it, no matter how hard you try.
Other characters are also personalized in the story to aim at the American Dream. George for one, is a character who was much like many Americans in the fact that George wanted to own his own shop, make a decent living, and live his life happily with his wife. George however, did not reach this dream as his wife cheated on him for a more wealthy man and George could not compare because he was located in the ashes. Daisy is also portrayed as a woman who's American Dream was based off of a materialistic want. Daisy wanted nice things and wanted to live nice. But seems to not be sincerely happy because of this desire for materialistic items.
Fitzgerald aims to take his own take on the American Dream throughout The Great Gatsby. He tries to include the positive and morally right dreams like George. However he also knocks at the 20s where most people wanted one thing and one thing only, materialistic items.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Blog #9
The argument on abortion. My stand: against allowing it.
Points:
Points:
Humanity of the act of abortion.
- unborn babies are beings from the moment of conception. They become a fetus, where the develop and grow, such as humans do. There fore killing a fetus is the same as killing a being.
- Fetuses feel pain during the procedure.Any abortion after 20 weeks would cause the baby to feel, and I quote from Kanwaljeet J. S. Anand, MBBS, DPhil, Professor of Pediatrics at U of Tennessee, "severe and excruciating pain."
- The basis of our Found Fathers states in the Declaration of Independence that "All men are greated equal, that they are endowned by their Creator with certain unalenable Rights." the act of taking this fetus, which will some day grow up to be a human being that will live by these foundations, is depriving them of their unalienable rights.
- As for the argument that an unborn fetus is not a living being that deserves to have the rights given by the foundation of the country, if the bacteria and microorganisms found of Mars are counted as living life, than how is a fetus not considered the same?
- abortions cause psychological damage, in a peer-reviewed study by the southern Medical Jornal, more than 173,000 that women who aborted at 154% more likely to committ suicide
- because of the increase in estrogen level and the increase in breast size in preparation of pregnancy, when an abortion abrubtly stops the pregnancy, immature cells are left in the breats increasng potential risk of breast cancer. ( organizations that support this finding)
- regardless of "keeping God and government separate" or however they try and spin that, the Founding Fathers built this nation and our foundation on faith. "One nation, under GOD" ; "endowed by their CREATOR" the sixth commandment simply states, "Thou shall not kill."
- at conception the embryo is geneticall distinct from the mother. A developing embryo is genetically differnet from a mother, different from the sperm and egg that created it.
- an embryo has 46 chromosomes, sperm and egg have 23. A geneticist can distinguish between DNA of an embryo and sperm and egg. But not the difference between the chromosomes of embryo and full-grown human being.
- definition of life/death. death used to be defined by the cessation of heartbeat. If death is defined by the cessation of the heart, than is a heartbeat the proof of life? If so than the almost all abortions would be outlawed because the heart is formed by the 18th day in the womb. Even if the criterion for death is brain wave activity now, most abortions would be outlawed because the brain is developed within 40 days in the womb.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Blog #7
Walt Whitman - Walt Whitman was a poet and journalist bron May 31, 1819 in West Hills, New York. He was the second of eight surviving children, so he grew up in an average family for that time period.He grew up on a decently large size of land however his father had sold some of it as he grew up. As Walt grew up his love for America that he has shown throughout his life can be attributed to his parents. His brothers are named after U.S. presidents, GW, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson. When Whitman was 17 he began teaching ata one room schoolhouse in LongIsland, where he taught for 5 years. He then turned his attention to journalism, starting his own weekly paper and eventually becoming the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Walt made his name in poetry in 1855 when he self published a collection of 12 poems titled Leaves of Grass. The more free verse style of poetry departed Whitman from traditional rhyme and meter pieces.Although the book received little attention at first, after catching Ralph Waldo Emerson's eye gained slight popularity and resulted in Whitman releasing a 2nd version of 33 poems.
Whitman is known as perhaps the most influencial poet in American history.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- Henry Longfellow was born on February 27,1807 in Portland, Maine as the 2nd of 8 children in the family. He was enrolled in a dame school at the age of three and by age six was enrolled at the private Portland Academy. There he developed into a fine student and learned the art of speaking Latin. He wrote his first poem, a poem showing his love and patriotic beliefs called The Battle of Lovell's Pond in 1820. Two years later, at the age 15 he enrolled in Bowdoin College in Maine, where his grandfather was a founder of the college and father a trustee. Later in life he joined the language faculty at Havard University. His poem Voices of the Night brought him into the starlight popularity. He went on to write "The Village Blacksmith," Evangeline," and "Hiawatha." in his later years, showing where he got his name known for simplicity and gentleness in his pieces. He was known as a "thoroughbred gentleman" and always kept an optimistic view in all his writings. He wrote books during his teaching career at Bowdoin and Havard, giving him the title of one of the most influential writers of all time.
Whitman and Longfellow, had for starters the fact that they were both great writers in common. Both are referenced as perhaps the most influential, innovative writer (or poet) in American history. Each having their own arguements. They also have other characeristics of writing and living in common. They were both part of the first generation to born into this "New America" where it was completely formed and a separate nation in its own. This gave them a different background than authors and thinkers in the past. Past writers of any sort had that feeling and rememberance of having Great Britain in their life and a lot of that history and beliefs transfered over into their artifacts of writing. Whitman and Longfellow had none of that, so their beliefs and feelings they expressed throught poetry differed, such as Whitman's love and belief in democracy and America. They also have a sort "openness" in their writings in common. Whitman was known to have no style, no structure to his writing, and has been criticized because of it. But isn't poetry based on the open mind and the idea that you can truly do what you want to express what you feel. From what I have learned about poetry is that the authors that "break the rules" and be innovated are the ones we glorify. Longfellow had structure, but was so optimistic and free flowing in his writings and poems that he as well comes off in this category.
The difference between the two men are vast, as are all differences between two people. But one that caught my eye is how they were raised, Whitman grew up in a large family, (which so did Longfellow) but it seems to come off that his family struggled. His father had sold their land and struggled trying retrieve back throughout Walt's life. As Walt grew older his family issues grew, his brother was an alcoholic and his sister was mentally impaired. Longfellow, although shared the same amount of siblings, grew up in the first brick house in Portland, Maine. His grandfather sounds like the kind of grandpa who gives his grandchildren and family more than they need. His grandfather was a founder at Bowdoin College and father a trustee so I imagine the money couldn't have been too tight.
Although the two writers have their own stories, own styles, and own legacies, I have learned that both men can be paired together as some what simliar, but I am now definitely sure that both authors were great writers, and all the claims of them being "one of the most innovative and influential writer or poet in history" is a valid and true point.
Walt made his name in poetry in 1855 when he self published a collection of 12 poems titled Leaves of Grass. The more free verse style of poetry departed Whitman from traditional rhyme and meter pieces.Although the book received little attention at first, after catching Ralph Waldo Emerson's eye gained slight popularity and resulted in Whitman releasing a 2nd version of 33 poems.
Whitman is known as perhaps the most influencial poet in American history.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- Henry Longfellow was born on February 27,1807 in Portland, Maine as the 2nd of 8 children in the family. He was enrolled in a dame school at the age of three and by age six was enrolled at the private Portland Academy. There he developed into a fine student and learned the art of speaking Latin. He wrote his first poem, a poem showing his love and patriotic beliefs called The Battle of Lovell's Pond in 1820. Two years later, at the age 15 he enrolled in Bowdoin College in Maine, where his grandfather was a founder of the college and father a trustee. Later in life he joined the language faculty at Havard University. His poem Voices of the Night brought him into the starlight popularity. He went on to write "The Village Blacksmith," Evangeline," and "Hiawatha." in his later years, showing where he got his name known for simplicity and gentleness in his pieces. He was known as a "thoroughbred gentleman" and always kept an optimistic view in all his writings. He wrote books during his teaching career at Bowdoin and Havard, giving him the title of one of the most influential writers of all time.
Whitman and Longfellow, had for starters the fact that they were both great writers in common. Both are referenced as perhaps the most influential, innovative writer (or poet) in American history. Each having their own arguements. They also have other characeristics of writing and living in common. They were both part of the first generation to born into this "New America" where it was completely formed and a separate nation in its own. This gave them a different background than authors and thinkers in the past. Past writers of any sort had that feeling and rememberance of having Great Britain in their life and a lot of that history and beliefs transfered over into their artifacts of writing. Whitman and Longfellow had none of that, so their beliefs and feelings they expressed throught poetry differed, such as Whitman's love and belief in democracy and America. They also have a sort "openness" in their writings in common. Whitman was known to have no style, no structure to his writing, and has been criticized because of it. But isn't poetry based on the open mind and the idea that you can truly do what you want to express what you feel. From what I have learned about poetry is that the authors that "break the rules" and be innovated are the ones we glorify. Longfellow had structure, but was so optimistic and free flowing in his writings and poems that he as well comes off in this category.
The difference between the two men are vast, as are all differences between two people. But one that caught my eye is how they were raised, Whitman grew up in a large family, (which so did Longfellow) but it seems to come off that his family struggled. His father had sold their land and struggled trying retrieve back throughout Walt's life. As Walt grew older his family issues grew, his brother was an alcoholic and his sister was mentally impaired. Longfellow, although shared the same amount of siblings, grew up in the first brick house in Portland, Maine. His grandfather sounds like the kind of grandpa who gives his grandchildren and family more than they need. His grandfather was a founder at Bowdoin College and father a trustee so I imagine the money couldn't have been too tight.
Although the two writers have their own stories, own styles, and own legacies, I have learned that both men can be paired together as some what simliar, but I am now definitely sure that both authors were great writers, and all the claims of them being "one of the most innovative and influential writer or poet in history" is a valid and true point.
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