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Recommended: Gatsby as a hero
When Americans are faced with the difficulty of making imperative decisions that can affect their country and the lives of others, they become dependent upon fortitude to help them accomplish their hopes and dreams for the future. Fortitude is something that is difficult to appreciate, even though many different societies and people throughout American history have shown fortitude in difficult situations by persevering and overcoming obstacles to achieve their goal. Fortitude is having the courage to face challenges and obstacles and persevering when things get tough; something that Americans have exemplified throughout their entire history. Even though the effort is put forward to try and appreciate fortitude, on occasion there are some who do not wish to see others overcome their obstacles, accomplish their dreams, or reach their goals in life. Unfortunately, situations such as greed, hate, and rebelliousness occur and every so often these factors allow those who don’t appreciate fortitude to be successful in destroying the hopes and dreams of others.
Appropriate examples of people who valued fortitude are Jay Gatsby from the book The Great Gatsby, George and Lennie from the book Of Mice and Men, and the American Revolutionaries who fought in America’s Revolutionary War in 1775. Perseverance and determination were prominent characteristics in these examples and they allowed these people to accomplish great things.
In the book The Great Gatsby, there was a young man named Jay Gatsby that owned a very large house in West Egg, (the side that represented “new money”, meaning that the money had not been in the family and it was “just” new found richness), whose only desire was to have his long, lost love Daisy Buchanan fall in love...
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...ven as something that is difficult to appreciate, even though many different societies and people throughout American history have shown fortitude in difficult situations by persevering and overcoming obstacles to achieve their goal. The best way that it was exemplified was with the colonists in the revolution defeating the British Army. Americans have exemplified fortitude throughout their entire history and since history tends to repeat itself, there is no doubt that it will continue to be shown in the years to come. Even though the effort is put forward to try and appreciate fortitude, there are some who do not wish to see others overcome their obstacles, accomplish their dreams, or reach their goals in life as shown with the slave owners of the south during the American Civil war and with Crooks being cruel to Lennie when he was trying to destroy his fantasy.
The novel Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals has many themes that are shown. One of the major themes that stuck out to me was inner strength and perseverance. Inner strength means to have Integrity of character: resoluteness of will: mental resistance to doubt or discouragement. Perseverance means steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.” (88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with “ shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.” (89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, “[Daisy’s] voice is full of money.” (115). For him, Daisy is the one who is “ High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden gir...
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about a new money man, Jay Gatsby, and his pursuit of acceptance into the upper class as well as to gain the love of Daisy. Daisy Buchanan is the cousin of the Nick and married to Tom Buchanan and she is one of Gatsby’s old friends. As a result of Gatsby’s past being so materialistic and goal oriented, he is unable to keep relationships, causing him to objectify his “love”, Daisy. He is a new money man whose money has come to him recently. As opposed to the Buchanans, who are old money and where they have a family legacy of being rich. In this society of West and East Egg, two peninsulas of Long Island, New York, legacy comes out to mean everything. Legacy essentially determines whether
At seventeen, James Gatz already hated the life he was leading. When he saw the riches of the east, he despised that he had to live in rags while others went to parties each night. And so he changed his identity, to break the bond he had with his past life, and created a new life for himself, with a new name and a new sense of hope. The boy that he was before was gone replaced by the confident and charismatic Jay Gatsby. This man was the one who won over the beautiful Daisy. When she ran away to Tom for he did not have the money she desired to live a lavish and comfortable lifestyle, he made it his aim to win Daisy back. With this determination, Gatsby made it his only goal to climb up the social ladder. He even stooped down to the level of organized crime, but it was so that he could achieve his dream of climbing his way to the top of the social ladder. For people with inherited money, they have no true dedication to any work he or she did. For a man like Gatsby, unhappy with his situation, and who started out at the bottom, it took full determination for him to achieve his goal. " 'He bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.' (Fitzgerald 78)" To Gatsby, the money would buy back the love that Daisy once had for him. Although his pursuit of Daisy is blind, everything he does, from all the books he buys to every party he throws shows his resolve to win Daisy back
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness. For example, Gatsby's house 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” (The Great Gatsby 9). His house is nothing more than an perfect symbol of his vast income. Gatsby uses the house in an attempt to win happiness and respect from his peers. Furthermore, Gatsby also tries to impress others with such unimportant possessions as his clothing, as when Daisy emotionally comments, ”beautiful shirts… It makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts before”(98). Crying over articles of clothing is outrageous, yet it is not the shirts that overwhelm Daisy. Their symbolism of Gatsby’s unlimited wealth and faith in money is truly saddening. Also, Gatsby realizes that Daisy’s main and only concern in life is money. Gatsby pursues immoral and often illegal actions in pursuit of wealth, subconsciou...
The Great Gatsby, is a classic American novel about an obsessed man named Jay Gatsby who will do anything to be reunited with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The book is told through the point of view of Nick Caraway, Daisy's cousin once removed, who rented a little cottage in West Egg, Long Island across the bay from Daisy's home. Nick was Jay Gatsby's neighbor. Tom Buchanan is Daisy's abusive, rich husband and their friend, Jordan Baker, has caught the eye of Nick and Nick is rather smitten by her. Gatsby himself is a very ostentatious man and carries a rather mysterious aura about himself which leads to the question: Is Gatsby's fortune a house of cards built to win the love of his life or has Daisy entranced him enough to give him the motivation to be so successful? While from a distance Jay Gatsby appears to be a well-educated man of integrity, in reality he is a corrupt, naive fool.
What is later revealed is that Gatsby’s wealth and luxurious lifestyle is all in the name of getting Daisy, Tom Buchanan’s wife, to fall in love with him. But in the end, even with all his money and power, Gatsby is not able to get the girl. What this brings to light is, was Gatsby’s money truly worth anything? “I love her and that 's the beginning and end of everything” (The Great Gatsby, Chapter ) This quote from Jay Gatsby shows that his entire life is centered around Daisy. That his only motive for the things that he does, for the massive parties that he throughs, for working to become incredibly wealthy, is to have Daisy fall in love with him. Gatsby’s life is one that is incredibly lavish. It is full of expensive amenities many would only dream of having. But Jay Gatsby is not living this fabulous lifestyle for himself. He is living it for Daisy, and only for Daisy. Gatsby’s only desire in life is to have Daisy be in love with him, and he chooses to live the way he does because he believes that is what she wants. Gatsby spends money at wild abandon simply to make an effort to impress Daisy. He throughs incredibly immense parties, with hopes that Daisy and Daisy alone will be impressed. But what is troubling about Gatsby is that, unlike most books, he doesn’t get the girl. Gatsby is, despite his entire life being dedicated to getting the one thing
Success without adversity is impossible. Everyone in life has their ups and downs and nothing in this world is perfect. At some point in life, hardships begin to occur and that’s when the real test begins. Some people rise up and try their absolute best to take a stand against the challenge. Then there are others that would crawl back into their shells, crying for mercy. There should be no excuse for giving up or not putting in the effort. People are only successful in winning the battle of adversity when they are mentally tough. The intense game of adversity can be referred to football.
As a romantic, Jay Gatsby does not understand how money actually works in American life. He believes that if he is rich, then Daisy can be his. This is displayed most powerfully and poignantly in the scene where Gatsby shows Daisy and ...
The effect of adversity on an individual is determinant, depending on the circumstances and environments that the person in question as experienced throughout their life. In some cases, adversity can instill motivation that would not have surfaced otherwise. For some, previously unexperienced trauma that occurs to them may instead cause despair and apathy.Horace’s claim is a broad one that excessively generalizes a complex topic. The examples present within Hamilton, Seabiscuit, and letters circulated between Alexander Hamilton and supports my position.
If mankind was to never fight back against the challenges life throws their way, then the pursuit of happiness would end on the day they stopped fighting for a finer life. Throughout America's history, people have faced dark times, nevertheless many showed that it takes not only courage and determination to fight back against the judgmental society, but action was what allowed for change to be made. Hope was not lost even if only one man survived, living had not been happy for everyone, however a better life was possible. Individuals survived through injustice from assistance of a great speaker who spoke his mind and from a group who disobeyed the law but did the right thing.
This ideal can be seen in such characters as Benjamin Franklin, and others. These men are self-reliant and steadfast, they are unafraid to do what it takes to get ahead. Franklin frequently took things into his own hands, working to better his life and circumstances. When he sets out to achieve moral perfection, he writes “I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into” (Franklin, par. 19). This sense of determination has many admirable qualities, but one must be careful to keep this determination from turning into arrogance. For, modern Americans have stemmed from this sense of self-determination, into a more self-gain-centered
The accomplishments that are found today within the United States did not come without struggles. For example, the line of a song by Francis Scott Key, “The rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air” demonstrates how this country has fought to keep its main value: liberty. Not only have
The scholarly debate about the concept of American Exceptionalism has been a topic of discussion for many decades. As a matter of fact, the debating that surrounds the concept of American Exceptionalism doesn’t arise from a vacuum. It arises from the various usages over time, which is related to the historical development of America that makes it different from other nations in Europe and elsewhere. It makes it even more difficult and complicated to establish just one single definition to this concept. Adding to that, many people from different cultural and religious backgrounds have various ideas of what America means to them. Thus, this essay will trace back the origin of American Exceptionalism and will highlight