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Descriptive narrative about new york city
Descriptive narrative about new york city
Descriptive narrative about new york city
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1. Achieved status:
Achieved status is a social position that a person assumes voluntarily as a result of personal choice, merit or direct effort, thought to be gained through personal ability and successful competition. This could be as a result of the profession an individual has chosen or activities pursued. Although the word achieve has a positive connotation, achieved status can be negative depending on the path an individual chooses.
Jay Gatsby resided in a large mansion, with a massive lawn and garden, a pool and even an ivy covered tower. His place was meant to inspire those surrounding Gatsby to admire him and all he had achieved to live in such a stately home. Gatsby left the life he was born into as Jimmy Gatz, a poor Midwesterner,
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and through sheer determination and hard work created this new persona and life for himself. His life was shrouded in mystery, his many party guests all guessing at how he amassed such wealth but never knowing the truth. Gatsby had fallen in love with a girl he knew was above him by social standards, then been sent off to war. He spent the next several years working tirelessly to improve his social status to be worthy of his love, and came back to West Egg to reclaim her. The mansion was the final key to proving he was worthy. He had earned enough money to finally feel like he was in the same class as Daisy. 2.
Gesellschaft:
Gesellschaft is the term Ferdinand Tonnies used to describe a large, urban society in which social bonds are based on impersonal and specialized relationships, with little long-term commitment to the group or consensus of values. Generally people in this type of society are strangers with little in common. A society of this nature tends to be dominated by individuals’ own self-interest.
Gesellschaft describes New York City and East and West Egg on Long Island as it is portrayed in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s parties are full of guests, invited or not, who have no connection to their host, and little to each other. They are merely posturing to prove they belong at such a lavish party, surrounded by famous and wealthy people. Gatsby has equally distant relationships in his business dealings. The interactions are meant to serve a purpose, but there is no real personal connection. When Nick is trying to coordinate the funeral for Gatsby, suddenly all the people who flocked to the mansion for parties are nowhere to be found. Business associates wanted no connection to the man any longer. No lasting bonds were made because these individuals, including Gatsby, were behaving in purely self-serving
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manners. 3. Looking-glass self: Charles Horton Cooley tells us the looking-glass self refers to the way in which a person’s sense of self is derived from the perception of others. This individual’s self-concept is derived by imagining how their personality and appearance will look to others, then how other people will judge the appearance and personality we present. There is a direct correlation between this person’s self-concept and how they believe others evaluate them. Gatsby is nervous to see Daisy again. He desperately longs for her approval of the life he has built, the home he has created, the clothes he wears. Through Nick, Gatsby sets up a situation to finally reconnect with Daisy. He has been imagining this meeting for some time and is extremely nervous as to what Daisy’s reaction will be, not only to seeing Gatsby again, but to his home, his life and how he presents himself to her. Gatsby is compelled to take Daisy on a complete tour of his mansion. Gatsby never stops staring at Daisy so he can take in her response to his home, feeling valued with each positive reaction. When he shows Daisy his own bedroom, her proceeds to pull out his wardrobe, eliciting a sob from Daisy as she has never seen such beautiful shirts. This reinforces Gatsby’s sense of self-worth. They continue to tour the grounds and eventually Daisy takes his arm. Gatsby now knows that he has impressed her and begins to relax. 4. Norm Violation (social deviance): Deviance is any behavior, belief or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs. While typically associated with behaviors that violate the established standards of conduct, a person could be considered deviant if they express a radical or unusual belief system. According to Kai T. Erickson, deviance is not inherent in certain behaviors, rather audiences who witness the behavior confer the attribute upon the behavior. Nick witnesses various norm violations during his season in West Egg. Tom has a mistress, which Daisy already suspects. Daisy starts spending time with Gatsby, in part because she used to love him and in part because she knows of Tom’s affair. Adultery is widely considered a norm violation, yet Fitzgerald makes it appear more common place for the East Egg crowd, as if their affluence excuses the behavior and lessens the deviant nature of it. Despite knowing the affairs are wrong, Nick not only keeps their secrets, but he finds himself falling in love with Jordan, despite having someone back home he is involved with. The group’s acceptance of the deviance is influencing Nick’s behavior. Additionally, we have the lack of attendance for Gatsby’s funeral. None of the people who used to flock to the mansions for parties had enough respect to show up for the funeral. Most would consider the lack of willingness to pay ones respects a norm violation, especially given how frequently they took advantage of Gatsby’s generosity in life. The same can be said for his business associates lack of respect and not attending the funeral. 5. Reference group: A reference group is a group that strongly influences a person’s behavior and social attitudes, regardless of whether that individual is an actual member. This can help explain why someone’s attitudes and behaviors may differ from those in their member group. Reference group attachments tend to change many times throughout our lives based on our experiences and formal memberships. Gatsby was influenced by those in higher social standing than he was, which motivated him to work to become like them and be accepted into this group.
By working for Mr. Cody on his yacht, Gatsby was able to learn the behaviors and mannerisms a wealthy gentleman should display. By becoming Mr. Cody’s trusted employee, Gatsby also inherited a sum of money that set him on his path to achieving his desire of belonging to the upper social class. When Gatsby dies and his father returns for the funeral, we discover Gatsby was longing to be part of this reference group long before he met Mr. Cody. Mr. Gatz shows Nick a schedule Jimmy wrote when he was younger, detailing the need to study certain subjects, or read one improving book per week, showing how determined Jimmy Gatz was in his quest to become Jay
Gatsby. 6. Resocialization: Resocialization is the process of learning a new and different set of attitudes, values and behaviors from those in someone’s background or previous experiences. Unlike the gradual process undergone through socialization, changes are rapid during resocialization, whether we are choosing to go through the changes or they are forced upon us. Gatsby goes through resocialization as he makes the transition from Jimmy Gatz to Jay Gatsby. We discover this through flashbacks and stories Gatsby shares with Nick to explain how he came to be living in this mansion on West Egg. The son of poor Midwestern parents with limited education, Gatsby wanted desperately to belong to a wealthier class. He sought out mentors to influence and shape his behaviors, language and values. When Gatsby left for war, he believed he was too low in social standing to deserve the love of someone like Daisy. When he and Daisy finally reconnect, he has transformed into a man with such high standing that Gatsby believes his is better for Daisy than her husband, who was born to the higher social class.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him.
No one can be perfect in everything; it is good to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Jay Gatsby was a man of secrets; he leaves an insightful mark on every person he talks to. Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, says “it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”(Fitzgerald 6-7). Nick was simply appalled by Gatsby and wanted to know about him and any secrets he may have, Nick felt Gatsby was a great man of mystery and was extremely interesting. Gatsby told Nick “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear” (69), then opened himself up to Nick and told him “My family all died and I came into
James Gatz despised poverty and longed for wealth and sophistication. His parents were farmers so he could never accept them as parents. He was craving to move up from the middle class and achieve “all the beauty and glamour in the world” (Fitzgerald 100). After meeting Dan Cody on his yacht, he fell in love with wealth and luxury that he created a new persona of himself as Jay Gatsby, his ideal self. Starting a poor life, he chose the illegal road leading to upper class and was able to make a fortunate that made him able to live the life of a millionaire, which is a representation of the America in 1920s. Gatsby’s perception of the lives of people from upper class is very superficial; he was blinded by all the glam that comes with it. He was only attracted to the appeal of wealth and showed this by throwing over the top parties in his mansion. These parties represent a portrait of the Jazz Age in 1920’s America, rise of the materialism and the decline of the moral values. Nick indicates, "I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the fe...
The year after he dropped out, he worked on Lake Superior fishing for salmon and digging for clams. One day, he saw a yacht owned by Dan Cody who was a wealthy copper mogul and rowed out to warn him about a coming storm. The grateful Cody took young Gtz, who gave his name as Jay Gatsby. On board, Gatsby worked as Cody’s personal assistant. Traveling with Cody to the Barbary Coast and the West. At that time ,Gatsby fell love with wealth and luxury. When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000. But Cody’s mistress prevented him from claiming his inheritance. Gatsby then dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful man. At the same time ,he had gained the skills of making money which was vital to his success, However, his poor background and exorbitant desire for wealth and success were obstacles to him.
When looking at Jay Gatsby, one sees many different personalities and ideals. There is the gracious host, the ruthless bootlegger, the hopeless romantic, and beneath it all, there is James Gatz of North Dakota. The many faces of Gatsby make a reader question whether they truly know Gatsby as a person. Many people question what exactly made Jay Gatsby so “great.” These different personas, when viewed separately, are quite unremarkable in their own ways. When you take them together, however, you discover the complicated and unique individual that is Jay Gatsby.
From a young age, James Gatz has plans to change his social status; he plans his days hour by hour; forfeits his given name for a new one; deserts his home, family and friends; and most importantly picks up a job as a bootlegger to make his desired sum of money. The schedule taken from an old book of James' shows his plan for an entire day and includes a list of "GENERAL RESOLVES (Fitzgerald, 173)," both of which show a general urge for success. James' resolve to, save $3.00 per week (Fitzgerald, 173), displays an early understanding of the American dream and the necessity of money. His further understanding of the way life works is expressed through the action of changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, a name that seems to flow easier and deserve a greater deal of respect than his previous, harsh name of James Gatz. His new name, in essence, opens up a new life for Gatsby, and allows him to start over the way he wants to. Gatsby's next choice, to abandon his home, family, and friends in order to sail aboard a yacht for years with a near stranger, displays Gatsby's belief that living a fanciful life aboard a yacht will enable him to lead a fantastic lifestyle in all aspects of his living. Finally, it is at this point where Gatsby makes the biggest decision of his life, solely on the belief that a high income will bring him happiness, and ultimately the love of his life; Gatsby chooses to accept partnership with a man working as a bootlegger of grain alcohol.
The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald relates the story of the mysterious Jay Gatsby through the eyes of an idealistic man that moves in next door to the eccentric millionaire. Nick Carraway comes to the east coast with dreams of wealth, high society, and success on his mind. It is not long before Gatsby becomes one of his closest friends who offers him the very lifestyle and status that Nick came looking for. As the story unfolds, it is easy to see that the focus on Jay Gatsby creates a false sense of what the story truly is. The Great Gatsby is not the tragic tale of James Gatz (Jay Gatsby), but rather the coming of age story of Nick Carraway. In many ways the journeys of Gatsby and Nick are parallel to one another, but in the end it’s Nick’s initiation into the real world that wins out.
Gatsby is not so great because he is a liar. From the very start Gatsby is said to be an alumnus from Oxford, who fought in WWI, hunted big game, and had parents from the Midwest. He even justifies himself when Nicks asks and Gatsby pulls out a picture of him at Oxford and a WWI medal that he carried around in his pocket. He even changed his name, James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, but why? “James Gatz – that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career” (6). Gatsby is mysterious and mystifying, known for his large parties yet no one knows why he has them. Keep in mind this is the prohibition era, but at Gatsby’s parties there is always plenty of alcohol to go around and no one knows where it comes from or how he acquires so much, one of the many mysteries. In attendance at these parties there are people like Meyer Wolfshiem “the man who really did fix the 1919 World Series” (118), to the mayors and governors. More questions arise in this company as to how Gatsby is associated with gangsters and why they attend these large parties. It is completely ironic how so many attend these parties but none ...
Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness; and this is exhibited through his house, his clothes, and through Daisy. He owns a large portion of finances due to some mysterious source of wealth, and he uses this mystery source to buy his house, his clothes, and Daisy. Gatsby's house, as Fitzgerald describes it, is "a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden" (Fitzgerald 9). This house, as Fitzgerald fabulously enlightens to, is an immaculate symbol of Gatsby's incalculable income. "The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness" (Bewley 24), is an elegant mansion; that of which an excellent symbol of carelessness is displayed and is part of Gatsby's own persona. Every Monday after a party, this house is kept by eight servants. It has its own entrance gate, and is big enough to hold hundreds of people at a time. His careless...
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
Starting at a young age Gatsby strives to become someone of wealth and power, leading him to create a façade of success built by lies in order to reach his unrealistic dream. The way Gatsby’s perceives himself is made clear as Nick explains: “The truth was Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God… he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 98). From the beginning Gatsby puts himself beside God, believing he is capable of achieving the impossible and being what he sees as great. Gatsby blinds himself of reality by idolizing this valueless way of life, ultimately guiding him to a corrupt lifestyle. While driving, Nick observes Gatsby curiously: “He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces…” (Fitzgerald 65). To fulfill his aspirations Gatsby desires to be seen an admirable and affluent man in society wh...
The novel, The Great Gatsby focuses on one of the focal characters, James Gatz, also known as Jay Gatsby. He grew up in North Dakota to a family of poor farm people and as he matured, eventually worked for a wealthy man named Dan Cody. As Gatsby is taken under Cody’s wing, he gains more than even he bargained for. He comes across a large sum of money, however ends up getting tricked out of ‘inheriting’ it. After these obstacles, he finds a new way to earn his money, even though it means bending the law to obtain it. Some people will go to a lot of trouble in order to achieve things at all costs. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, conveys the numerous traits of Jay Gatsby through the incidents he faces, how he voices himself and the alterations he undergoes through the progression of the novel. Gatsby possesses many traits that help him develop as a key character in the novel: ambitious, kind-hearted and deceitful all of which is proven through various incidents that arise in the novel.
Where thousands of people came to from foreign countries to escape religious prosecution and war. In 1920, around the time this story takes place, roughly 5620048 people lived in New York(Boston University, Population of New York from 1790-1990) That is more than our 21st most populated state today, Colorado(Enchanted Learning, 2013)but that is the whole state of New York, we want the city. So for hypothetical reasons, lets just say a quarter of new york lives in New York city, which is an understatement , that leaves us with approximately 1,405,012 people. Picture it, 1,405,011 people, during the prohibition , hear that one man, a millionaire , is throwing a ginormous party at his mansion, serving alcohol, , and everyone’s invited. That 's bound to have a big turn out. With people coming from all overt the state, Gatsby only wanted one person to come, which was Daisy of course. This was the reason Gatsby moved right across from her, this was no coincidence. Why did she never come though? Tom and Daisy, why did they never go out to that party when the saw the huge commotion across the bay? Well, it 's simply because they lived in East Egg, the place where “old money” was. So they had no interest in going wild with sex, drugs and alcohol. They were a more civilized group who enjoyed smoking a Cuban Cigar and playing polo, and of course that was when Nick came in and tricked Daisy into having tea with just him, and Gatsby ended up being there.
Gatsby was not born into a life of luxury. Originally James Gatz, an ambitious young man from Minnesota, he was never happy with his position in the world. He refused to accept that his impoverished farming parents as his real parents (98), and his lust for a better life became a craving for money. When young Gatz met the older wealthy Dan Cody he got a taste of the good life, and from then on he was hooked. He even changed his name to Jay Gatsby in order to create a new persona that emanated affluence. His whole life then became based on money. Everything he did from then on was based on his want for money and the status that came with it.
Although his dream is unattainable, Gatsby is willing to give up anything for even the slightest hope of achieving it. Gatsby’s father gives Nick a book with a strict schedule written in the back of it that Gatsby had when he was a boy and “it just shows you” his focus at a young age to be successful (173). The narrator gives the reader this schedule to show that Gatsby is willing to do anything his mind is set upon. The flamboyant lifestyle Gatsby displays, such as his fancy shirts, the lavish parties, and the Rolls Royce, is in hopes of one day impressing Daisy with his successes. Gatsby does not really care for any of these material things, as his small and simple bedroom shows, but they are all there in order to attain the “green light.” Fitzgerald first introduces the reader to the character, Jay Gatsby, when Nick walks outside one night to see him stretch “out his arms toward…a sin...