Friday, February 27, 2015

The Great Gatsby: fishbowl #1 (chs 1 & 2)

Today we'll primarily focus our discussion on chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby.

You should feel comfortable, however, to also ask questions about previous sections.  I especially encourage you to do so if you have comprehension questions; use this discussion as an opportunity to understand the reading.

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Happy posting!

28 comments:

  1. Valley of Ashes represents absolute poverty and hopelessness.
    “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. … The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour.” (Pg. 26)

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  2. I believe that tom is very off man who changes his mind often. Not to mention he can be a pretty nasty person .
    "when are you going to sell me that car?"
    "Next week: I've got a man working on it now."
    "Works pretty slow doesn't he?"
    "No he doesn't" said tom coldly. "And if you feel that way about it, maybe I'd better sell it somewhere else after all." Pg. 25

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    1. I would have to agree with the fact that Tom doesn't really know what he wants. He is a violent person that seems to be lacking the emotional strength that some get. On Page 17 Tom just puts that nasty person back and says that civilization is going to fall.
      "Civilization's going to pieces," Broke out Tom violently. Pg.17

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  3. On page 33 Catherine Myrtle's sister is whispering to Nick the details of Tom's and Myrtle's relationship. Tom has come up with such an elaborate lie about Daisy being Catholic so he can not divorce her. How come Tom has created such an elaborate lie not to leave Daisy when he "loves" Myrtle?

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    1. honestly I don't think Tom cares about her in the slightest. He just like the idea of showing off his "bad deeds", getting the attention and/or approval of people. On page 24 "We're getting off, he insisted. I wan you to meet my girl." he completely unashamed that hes having an affair. But that doesn't mean he's going to leave the safety of having Daisy as a wife. Myrtle's fun to play with but she means nothing to him

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  4. On page 16 Daisy is showing that Tom is a rather strong person even when he isn't trying to be. This also brings the relationship status up for debate. Why did Daisy marry him if he can't control himself?
    "Look" she complained. "I hurt it." We all looked-the knuckle was black and blue.
    "You did it, Tom," Pg. 16

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    1. I think she married Tom because that is what her family would have wanted. Also because she didn't have a choice about what her life would look like.

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  5. I feel like Tom will have a big role in the rest of the book because of his strong personality to begin with and what he has done and shown us so far. But I also think that their are multiple different main characters and he's just one of them.

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    1. I feel that Tom will be used as a contrast between the type of wealthy people who will be introduced throughout the book.

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    2. I believe that tom will have a big say in the rest of the book but not in a good way. I think he will be so controlling to the point where someone tells him off and people start to get hurt. I think tom is a very explosive person who doesn't keep anger in very well.
      "Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name.
      Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! shouted Mrs. Wilson. Ill say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-
      Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." pg. 37

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  6. On page 33 "Neither of them can stand the person they're married to." Why is there a reoccurring theme of unhappy marriages? Is it the time that's preventing them from getting a divorce or is there something bigger going on?

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    1. As of yet it has not given us a true reason to why they do not get a divorce but we can speculate that because of their high standings that they would not want a divorce, because it would look bad.

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    2. I feel like the time period is preventing them from getting a divorce because it was something frowned upon whether you were Catholic or not. Especially since both families got something out of the marriage between each couple. Also sometimes people did not have money for a divorce.

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  7. Does Catherine really believe that Tom cares about Myrtle? " She really ought to get away from him," resumed Catherine to me. "They've been living over that garage for eleven years. And Tom is the first sweetie she ever had." (Fitzgerald 35). Does Catherine really think that Tom would truly be better for Myrtle. Why did Myrtle leave her high society for her now husband?

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    1. Earlier in the text Myrtle says " I married him because I thought he was a gentleman...I thought he knew something about breeding" I think that Myrtle married him solely on impulse, she did not give it much thought.

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    3. I don't think she was ever "high society" and that's why shes so infatuated with Tom; he gives her opportunities to be the high class person shes always wanted to be. On page 31 "Its just this crazy old thing...I just slip it on sometimes when I don't care what I look like." She says this even though its the third time she changed that day.

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    4. I do think that Myrtle is an extremely impulse person because of her choice in husband and how quickly she just bought a dog on impulse because "she wanted one" without really taking a moment and thinking about it

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  8. I believe Daisy married Tom because at the time she thought it was the right thing to do. "I married him because I thought he was a gentleman." She was looking for the "American Dream" money, family, and success. But in time that changed and he showed her his true colors.

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    1. Tom has shown his true colors of being a "jerk" and this just brings up the question of why doesn't Daisy get a divorce? I think that she stays with him because she's afraid of losing sight of the "American Dream" to have a family.

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  9. I think Nick is a very impressionable person because he goes along with almost anything just to fit in and feel important.
    "Hold on" I said "I have to leave you here"
    "No you don't", interposed tom quickly. "Myrtle'll be hurt if you don't come up to the apartment. Won't you Myrtle?"-
    "Well I'd like to but-" Pg. 28

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    1. I don't think that Nick tries to fit in or at least not on purpose, but in this instant I feel that he was intimidate by Tom and he was to afraid to appose him.

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  10. “But his eyes dimmed a little by many paintless days unser sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” (page 24) if the billboard is always “watching” does Myrtle feel bad when she looks at it knowing shes cheating on her husband? Is that why she always wants to get out of the valley so bad, to escape the judgemental stare from Dr. T.J. Eckleburg?

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    1. Possibly but I also think that she wants her old lifestyle back. She not content in the valley and wishes to be back in the city with the lifestyle she always wanted.

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  11. On page 26 "Oh sure, agreed Wilson hurriedly, and went towards the little office..." Do you think Wilson suspects anything like daisy or is he just an idiot in love with his cheating wife?

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  12. on page 12 "You did it, Tom," she said accusingly. "I know you didn't mean to, but you did do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a– "

    "I hate that word hulking," objected Tom crossly, "even in kidding."
    Tom is so controlling. He always is trying to seize control of the situation. Why do you think he is this way? Why do people put up with him? I don't know if my first comment was posted so if I repeat these questions, sorry...

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    1. Tom is an narcissistic man who believes everything should be about him or because of him. he feels like Daisy should always respect him because he provides for her.

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  13. "-It's romantic, isn't it, Tom?" Pg. 20
    Daisy is trying to reach out to the emotional side of Tom. He responds to the way that he appears to me mocking Daisy and has no intent of admiring the scenery. Why does Tom act this way? Did something from his past affect the way that he interprets things now?

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