Thursday, April 2, 2015

Fishbowl #4: The Great Gatsby, chapters 7-9

Let's have one last great discussion of this lovely novel.

A couple of thoughts for today:

Aim for 5 thoughtful posts, as a minimum, during today's discussion.  A thoughtful post...

  • Is carefully proofread. (We're doing a great job with this.)
  • Incorporates a cited quotation from the text.  To incorporate suggests one leads into, and out of, that quote versus referencing the quote & leaving it to your audience to infer how it relates to your comment or question.  See your classmates' great posts below as examples of how this looks.
  • Demonstrates good reading comprehension & critical thinking
Also, a couple reminders:
  • When asking a question, avoid leading "did" or "does" constructions in favor of more open-ended ones.
  • Use the thread feature to indicate to whom you're replying.  If you're beginning a new line of thinking or questioning, use the general post feature.
Felipe commented, "On page 98 Nick reveals about Gatsby's parents and his college life, 'His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people... He stayed there two weeks, dismayed at its ferocious indifference to the drums of his destiny, to destiny itself, and despising the janitors work with which he was to pay his way through.' I would say that Gatsby is embarrassed about the "failures" that he had in his past such as dropping out in school and the embarrassed of having to work as a janitor to pay his tuition. Now he has a way to start over a new life or start over as a new character."

And here's a great question from Ally:  "On page 102 Gatsby is almost rubbing in the fact that he knows Daisy to Tom. 'I know your wife,' continued Gatsby, almost aggressively.' Is Gatsby trying to show Tom how above him he is? Is Gatsby jealous of Tom? Does Tom already know in some way?

Happy posting!

43 comments:

  1. Why do you think that everything and everyone was always all arrogant and elegant in this book? Why do you think Fitzgerald chose to write about this rather than some normal times in this book?

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    1. Throughout the entire book, the elegance showed the extravogant life styles and gave the plot and story line credibility.

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    2. I think he chose to write about this because these were the early stages to the American lifestyle and that we live extravagantly and if he wrote about the normal lifestyle the book would've been so boring.

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  2. Do people think he was purposely murdered and it was justified?
    Gossipers and reporters swarm the mansion 163

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    1. I think that they believe both that he was and wasn't murdered purposely but I think that he was just because of all of the things the book said leads me to believe it was on purpose

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    2. I agree that it was on purpose, but was it justified?

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  3. On page 114 ”So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes.” Will Gatsby do anything for Daisy?

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  4. This shows that the party attenders are all fake and dont really care about Gatsby, and didn't attend his funeral.
    Less than 10 people attended 168

    Is this the main reason that Nick moved back to the midwest? The people were fake and lacked values.

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    1. I think that is part of the reason he moves back, but I think it was mainly also to just get out of the environment that he was in and kind of get a new start.

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    2. I do think that that is part of the reason Nick moved back. I think that the people there are for the most part fake and just looking to party. Like on page 168 only less than 10 people showed up, showing that all the people at Gatsby's party didn't ever care about Gatsby but about the party.

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    3. I think so. I think Nick wanted to get away from all of the bad stuff that happened in that town and wanted to start over. I think he wanted to get out of all the bad memories left there also.

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    4. I think that was a part of the reason. Gatsby was Nick's friend and practically his only friend, and Nick was Gatsby's only friend and Nick lost him, I think Nick just wanted to get away from all of that

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    5. Great question schramn and I believe that is why he moved back also because Gatsby was Nick's only real friend and same for Gatsby so when he died Nick had nothing left in New York and there was no reason for him to stay there and live next to his best friends empty house.

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  5. On page 131 Gatsby begins to tell Daisy ”I told you what's been going on,” said Gatsby. "Going on for five years-and you didn't know." Did Gatsby enjoy making Tom miserable?

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    1. I don't think he enjoyed it Gatsby was just mad that Tom married Daisy and he wanted Tom to leave so he could have Daisy

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  6. Judging by the quote "Arrogance is bliss", in the book Myrtle is quite happy that her husband doesn't know about her affair with tom, which is one of the reasons why she continued her affair, but when Mr Wilson realizes her affair, his known suspicion ends up tearing her down and leading to her death. It ends up tearing her down by making her quite worried and rushing away from that "scene" which leads to her running into the street. The greek man explains how she had rushed into the street the street, "She ran out ina road". p. 139

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    1. I think it is *Ignorance is bliss* and I believe that is a huge part of this story. Imagine how Gatsby would have been looked upon without money!

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  7. Throughout this book I was always left wondering how this would relate to the American Dream. How does this book relate back to what we studied and the American Dream?

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    1. I think that it kind or goes against it in a way because when you are in America you try to make the most money you can and you will be happy and set in life. When you look at Gatsby though he has the money and everything you strive for except for the connection with people and the happy part.

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  8. I feel like it is a big coincidence that Toms wife killed his mistress, explained on page 139 ”It was a yellow car," he said, "big yellow car. New."

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  9. Do you think that Nick truly knew in the back of his mind that Gatsby was trying to get to Daisy through him?

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    1. Yes, I think Nick knew but Nick also knew that Tom was having an affair and I think Nick wanted Gatsby and Daisy to be together

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    2. Nick wanted Gatsby to be happy and if Daisy did that for him than Nick was ok with it.

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  10. When nick is laying down in the backyard of Gatsby's house before he moves back to Minnesota he talks about the green like from Daisy's dock and how America's green land also represents the hope that Gatsby strives for and what the American people strive for."Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us." pg 180

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  11. I believe that the true reason why Gatsby fired all of his servants was because Gatsby blames his servants for why Daisy didn't enjoy his party the night before. The night of the party, after Daisy left, Gatsby keeps on replying to Nick nervously, "She didn't like it, she didn't have a good time." (p.109). The next quote said by Nick about Gatsby is "He was silent, and I guessed at his unutterable depression" (p.109). Then the next day Gatsby ends up firing all of his servants (which he had through out the entire book) because they were "gossipy"? That doesn't make sense which makes me think Daisy is the reason.

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    1. I agree. I think there is a deeper meaning like you said because of Daisy or some of his guests.

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    2. I always just felt that Gatsby just wanted to be alone and not around people that he didn't personally know. He wanted to be around Nick and Daisy.

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  12. On page 162. “The holocaust was complete” What do you think the meaning of this passage is? Does is this bring up the thought of the holocaust?

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    1. I was wondering the same thing. I think the author was referencing this to try to compare it to something but he didn't know another word to say for it.

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    2. I am not sure what really is meant by the holocaust was complete because he only killed one man and this book was written before the real holocaust. F. Scott Fitzgerald meant it as the blood shed was complete because it broke the chain of people being cheated on. Daisy was cheating with Gatsby, Tom with myrtle and since myrtle and Gatsby are dead the broken chain was complete.

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  13. Throughout the book what symbols popped up in this book that stood out to you?

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    1. I think that Gatsby's car was a significant symbol because he was identified by it and it led to his murder.

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  14. Is there a reason why the author had Gatsby die in his pool? When the policeman was standing by it keeping the kids away said on page 163 ”... there were always a few of them clustered open-mouthed about the pool."

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    1. Do you think that he could have died in his pool because he had never been in it and was waiting for an occasion to be in it?

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    2. I feel like Gatsby almost knew that he was going to die soon, mostly on the day that he decided to take his first and last swim in his pool that he never really used.

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    3. I believe it is showing how empty materialistic things in this world can make you feel. In this example no one was ever in his pool (who he really cared for) showing that it is there but still is empty, just like himself.

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  15. Could this story be showing how class is not a huge part of life? On Pg. 154 Nick is reminiscing about when they were looking for cigarettes, it says "there was an inexplicable amount of dust everywhere and the rooms were musty as though they hadn't been ired for many days." Does thi represent how money can actually be meaningless?

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    1. Yes, because Gatsby has a huge house and a lot of things but all he really wants is Daisy and money can't get Daisy to love him

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  16. How does this story being published in the 20's affect how the people act toward those with money?

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    1. I think it totally changed the course of people with money. Others started to take more caution around them

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    2. Those with money were looked at very highly. Wealth was about everyone's goal.

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  17. I think that Gatsby is confident that Daisy never loved Tom because of their intense love before the war. In chapter 8 Gatsby explains how extreme his and Daisy's love was and states, “I even hoped for a while that she’d throw me over but she didn’t, because she loves me too" (p. 150). Also another reason why he believes daisy still loves him is because in chapter 5, while Gatsby is showing Nick and Daisy his closet, Nick explains how Daisy started to cry into one of his shirts, "Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily" (p. 92). In that moment, I believe that Gatsby thinks that Daisy is crying because she could have had a way better life with Gatsby and live in luxury, rather than being with Tom.

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  18. On page 159, the greek man explains how Myrtle got killed to George Wilson, "It was the man in that car. She ran out to speak to him and he wouldn’t stop.” George Wilson falsely accused the person who hit Myrtle as being her lover to. Why would he react in such anger that his wife was murdered when she cheated on him?

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