The Great Gatsby: Last Page Review - Rough Draft

Scott Fitzgerald's melancholy lamentations portray his captious view of the human race in their struggle for improvement, or advancement in society. In the passage he is "brooding" over the past, during the bone-chilling winter during "obscurity" of night. His diction paints his surroundings as gloomy, and so lonely that its almost overwhelming. The houses begin "to melt away" and everything around him is "shadowy," making it the perfect place to allow hopelessness to consume the soul. He describes the discovery of the New World, long island a "fresh, green breast," a beautiful part of the female nation as he saw it. She is "fresh", and "green", untainted and unsoiled, pure and nonsexual. A great contrast to the sexuality of the 1920's. In contrast the future that Gatsby struggles so hard to reach is "orgastic," a sexual beast: A sinful creature that should be avoided at all costs. Fitzgerald's extended metaphor continues, as he creates a river of time, one that the human race struggles against "ceaselessly" and to no purpose. Humans become "boats against the current," as time drags them back into the past of simple joys, pure pleasures, and happiness in relationship. The bliss we seek in alcohol, and new fads has "eluded" the human race, and faded into the darkness, just as "the inessential houses began to melt away" into the night. Still, as Fitzgerald has so profoundly noted, "we beat on... borne back ceaselessly into the past."

'My Wood' Response

I agree with the author of My Wood, although I do feel that he does seem to exaggerate the impact of consumerism. Sure, consummerism is a growing problem, but I don't feel that people who buy a lot of... well stuff, will be thrown into the pits of hell. Yes, consummerism does need to be addressed, but lets not be so judgemental.

Slaves To Our Stuff

In many places around the world, but mainly, or course, America, consumerism is at an all time high (even with the recession, we still be more then most other countries in the world) and it has begun to take a tole on society. Ivan Illich says that "in a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy." I personally agree with him. If we are not addicted to shopping, and buying, and owning....stuff, then we are constantly comparing our stuff to the stuff of others. Their shoes, their coats, their hair and how they've died it, their fake nails, and their backpacks. We fail in comparison to "they" and shoot out hatred and jealousy from every pore, aiming our discontent toward the "they"s that have more then us. Our stuff has consumed us, and has motivated us, to the point that we have become brainwashed, slaves to the stuff that rules society.

Twelve-Sentence Short Story : The Power Struggle

Ping perched upon the speaker, his orange fur glistening in the light, his tail flicking contentedly, his green eyes glowing with his mischievous plot. He was a young cat: only two years old. But he was spoiled, pampered by a four year old girl who had a love for kitties. He heard footsteps, from the hall, through the room, below his tall sanctuary. He was there. Perfect.

He had that scowl on his brow, and there was that grimace in his step, oh, that throbbing in his veins, and there, there was that anger in his eyes. He wasn't happy, he was upset; he wasn't upset, he was angry; he wasn't angry, he was furious.

From Dad's speakers, the cat smiled down at him. Why so annoyed, Shawn?

He had payed for those speakers, so they were his speakers, so they shouldn't be climbed on, so they shouldn't have claw marks all over them, so he shouldn't have to pay to get them repaired.

With all his sneaky intentions, and all his acrobatic abilities, just to torture poor Shawn, in order to provoke him to color changing wrath, for the amusement caused by this particular human's ill-temper, the cat had intentionally climbed the stereo speakers.

thINK # 2: The classics, evolved?

Let's face it. It's gotten out of hand. The wonderful stories of Dracula and Frankenstein have evolved to glittery vampires, and evil mutts (Hunger-games). What happened to the misunderstood science experiment? This comic made by Humon expresses how the evolution of such stories has effected the mindset of girls and women. The original stories seemed to have some moral to them, even if it was just that 'If you play with fire, you're going to get burned.' The newer novels involving mythological creatures, such as the twilight series, tell girls to give in to idiotic desires, and not to think about the consequences. They've been robbed of their logic, not just their money and time. In recent years the trend has gone from vampires, to Greek gods, and now to zombies. Don't get me wrong, I love zombies - mindless, emotionless disease spreading, rotting corpses with a preference to human brains... what's not to love? - but really, whats next? unicorns? The classic books filled with morals have no morals left, and make an even bigger impact on young girls and teenagers. I too was a victim of the twilight series, and read 3 of the books before realizing the stupidity of the plot, and the lack of self control, and inner strength within the main character. The characteristics that I value so much have been poisoned, and mutated into characteristics I find appalling.

America Needs its Nerds by Leonid Fridman

In America Needs its Nerds, Leonid Fridman uses vivid diction and powerful syntax, to express his disgust with the injustice of the treatment of "the intellectually curious and academically serious." His essay is a call to all of America: to it's typical anti-intellectualists, and to its humiliated nerds, calling them both to change their ways.

At the beginning of his essay, Fridman uses words that enforce the contrast of the nerds of reality, and how nerds are viewed in America. He explains that nerds are "ostracized" and are called "derogatory terms." According to Fridman, nerds have been treated as "social outcasts" for so long that they have become "ashamed" and "deprived" and even in the midst of encouragement, like the "prestigious academic institution" of Harvard, few feel comfortable to "pursue knowledge." Then, Fridman shifts. "Enough is enough." Before the shift, the author is simply analyzing the injustice of American culture almost scientifically, and bringing in a definition from Webster's New World Dictionary as a form of ethos. After the shift, his emotions begin to appear. He first calls to the nerds themselves, asking ordering them with the word "must" and telling them to "stop being ashamed." His words become inspiring to them, like a motivational speech from a coach before a game, or a general to his troops before a battle. He summarizes the other army. They are " persecutors" who have "haunted" them, and "pervade our society." He then attacks America itself, by comparing it to other countries. He then assaults the reader, by asking them how they can reasonably "expect" to be great when we shame our nerds and "emphasize social skills and physical prowess over academic achievement." In his last sentences, the author forces us to take a side in the war for nerds.

Fridman uses three extremely effective forms of syntax. He often balances out his sentences, which is great for the many comparisons he makes. In the first paragraph he uses conjunctions and words that balance each other to enforce his descriptions of smarter people in society. and on each side of the conjunctions, the words balance each other out. "nerd and geek" and "intellectually curious and academically serious." He uses this technique numerous times throughout the passage: "learn adequate social skills and acquire good communication tools," "of their daughter studying mathematics instead of going dancing, or of their son reading Weber while his friends play baseball." Even the most important sentence in the entire passage is balanced: "Enough is enough." His use of chiasmus, greatly strengthens the impact of the entire essay. The sentence "Enough is enough." is more then just an addition to the chiasmus in the essay. It is also one of the only simple sentence structures in the entire passage. It is also it's own paragraph. It is to the point, and foreshadows the main point: that it is time to stand against the social views of modern America. The third importance in syntax of the essay, is the paragraph consisting of questions. The last paragraph contains only rhetorical questions, made to make the reader think, and come to a conclusion, a side in the war for nerds. All of the chiasmus, and rhetorical questions, as well as the lone sentence in the middle of the passage, are meant to recruit soldiers to fight for intellectualism.

Leonid Fridman recognizes the social order relating to nerds as a enemy of battle, and uses intense words, and intriguing sentences to express this belief. But even more so, he uses these to recruit warriors for his war. He recognizes nerds as the future of America, and uses all his literary resources to protect them.

thINK: Helen Keller

Helen Keller is one of my personal role models, and while surfing the web, I found one of her quotes:

"Death is no more then passing from one room to another. But there's a difference for me, you

know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."

I think this quote says a lot about Helen Keller as a person. She wasn't afraid of death, or even worried about it. She almost seems to welcome it, because she believes that she will regain her sight in the after life. Helen Keller was an extremely influential person. She was blind, and deaf, but also one of the first women activists. Despite her disabilities, she was able to reach out to the world, and express her beliefs. And more then anything else, Keller represented hope, as shown in another on of her quotes:

"All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming."

Regardless of all of her sufferings, Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Art's Degree, and wrote several different books and essays, including The Frost King, The Story of My Life, Out of the Dark, The World I Live In, and My Religion, which was reissued as Light In My Darkness. Keller spoke out for political issues, such as Women's Rights, and Socialism. Although I do not agree with all of Keller's political views, I am amazed that she could accomplish so much in her life, and never gave up. Her courage, and spirit will forever be inspiring for me.