DISCUSS HOW A TEXT YOU HAVE STUDIED ADOPTS THE CONVENTIONS OF ONE OR MORE GENRES FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Introduction Today, society relies on order and predictability, but sometimes the most impactful experiences are those that shatter our preconceived expectations. Hannah Gadsby's "Nanette" (2018) is a stand up comedy that faces the issues surrounding gender, sexuality, and societal prejudice through personal stories, dismantling the expectations of laughter and its genre in favor of something more meaningful. While Nanette is advertised as a conventional stand up routine, the show uses and subverts familiar comedic elements to push forth Gadsby's message about societal expectations, specifically how it marginalizes and alienates herself …show more content…
Gadsby references prominent male figures to draw attention to systemic gender inequality and the dangers of a man drunk on power and ego. An example is when she references Pablo Picasso to underscore the exploitation and objectification by powerful men, the girl "17 when they met. Underage. The. Legally underage. Picasso was 42, married, at the height of his career," Gadsby pausing after each sentence to emphasize the absurdity that we would celebrate a man who was a sexual predator. She goes on to list "Donald Trump, Pablo Picasso, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski," proving that "these men are not exceptions; they are the rule," highlighting that such abuse of power is a systemic issue within our culture as the patriarchal nature of our society allows for the condonement and even celebration of such behavior. Any defense of these men's contributions is inexcusable with Gadsby taking on a mocking sarcastic tone when talking about Picasso's art stating "if you ruin. cubism, then civilization as we know it will crumble". This sarcastic remark challenges the notion that genius or reputation excuses a man's immoral behavior, highlighting the double standards for men who benefit from the inherent advantages of …show more content…
The show's closing minutes are devoid of laughter, which is unusual for a stand up that normally end with the comedian's funniest joke, leaving the audience with a laugh to remember. Gadsby certainly leaves the audience with something to remember, instead posing a poignant question "I wonder how a man would feel if they’d lived my life", referencing the advantage men have to their lives as a result of our patriarchal society. In an emotional, shaky voice staring straight at the audience she reveals "it was a man who sexually assaulted me when I was a. it was two men who raped me when I was barely twenty" which forcefully confronts viewers to grapple with Gadsby's emotional and physical trauma. This trauma was a result of societal constructs of femininity which is so deeply rooted in society that instead of enduring this alienation it would be more humane to "put a bullet in [her] head if it is that much of a crime to be different". The impassioned and tearful delivery of this line ensures that the audience is left with a lasting impression, compelled to reflect on the violent, traumatic nature of societal prejudice towards women who break away from the constructs of femininity. These rigid societal expectations limit humanity's potential as "difference is
In a well written paragraph, analyze which genre, historical fiction or informational text, better develops their ‘characters’. Choose one character to focus on and provide text evidence. Make sure you include evidence from both works to support your reasoning.
The most memorable figures in literature are not created simple, instead their lives are not easy to understand. These characters have multiple perspectives of the imaginary worlds that they are placed in, which allow readers to associate themselves with such a literary idol. One of these notorious figures recognized as a powerful symbol is Jay Gatsby; this man is described as a “criminal and a dreamer” in Adam Cohen’s article of The New York Times. When reading “Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times”, the audience is exposed to many sides of Gatsby. We are able to observe this complicated yet fascinating character through various rhetorical techniques in which Cohen uses to fully convey the image of the “mysterious Prohibition-era bootlegger”.
The Great Gatsby is a book filled with dynamic characters, written by a dynamic person. Throughout the book, the themes and situations are on many symbolic levels. The Great Gatsby is such a novel, that the hero is portrayed to the reader by a man who, with seemingly no effort, will not judge a man easily. He perceives him, takes him in, and analyzes him. This man’s name is not, in fact, Gatsby, but Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story. The man who is being perceived, of course, is Jay Gatsby, our hero.
The great Gatsby gives us an accurate insight into the 1920s zeitgeist regarding the role of women in society. America was in a state of an economic boom and rapid change. Society had become less conservative after world war one. The role of women was revolutionary during this time and although women had a lot more freedom now; they were still confined to their sexist role within society; Men were still seen as the dominant gender. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the extremities of gender and social class, and the lack of independence this brought upon women. This essay will discuss the three major female characters and the ideas that Fitzgerald confronts of female stereotypes of the 1920s.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1922) involves some important social issues and anxieties, such as race and gender. Throughout the nine chapters, he uses his characters to deliver a message on how the effects of power and inequality coincide with the social norms of the twentieth century. In the text, the characters are involved in a love triangle that has been threaded together by deception and greed; and also, we have the perspective of an outsider, who is eventually entangled into an already unkempt situation. In reading, you would see that wearing a different face is common nature to these characters. However, Fitzgerald channeled both theatrics and facts through Nick Carraway and playfully executes the
During this turbulent time, the novel demonstrates the issues circulating the American public has surrounding the shift in gender because The Great Gatsby deals with the consequences of female emancipation in a misogynistic society. Creating flawed female characters allowed Fitzgerald to breakdown the idealization of women in America. By corrupting the flawless image of women, he criticizes the toxic masculinity pulsing through the social norms. Jordan, in particular, as an emancipated woman, is a threat to Nick’s masculinity. Nick reflects on his feelings on Jordan by claiming, “dishonesty in women is something you never blame deeply” (Fitzgerald 58).
‘The Great Gatsby’ is social satire commentary of America which reveals its collapse from a nation of infinite hope and opportunity to a place of moral destitution and corruption during the Jazz Age. It concentrates on people of a certain class, time and place, the individual attitudes of those people and their inner desires which cause conflict to the conventional values, defined by the society they live in. Gatsby is unwilling to combine his desires with the moral values of society and instead made his money in underhanded schemes, illegal activities, and by hurting many people to achieve the illusion of his perfect dream.
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 ...
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is criticizing American society of the 1920s. He uses the characters to demonstrate the power than men had over women during these times, as well as their mindless, self-indulgent actions, where consequence was only an afterthought. The attitude towards and the role of women is shown throughout the novel. Fitzgerald also shows how many people in America during this time were delusional and had meaningless existences.
1. What you are studying (which three works and the topic of your paper) Topic: I’m going to be writing my paper on Cultural Appropriation. I’m going to focus on cultural appropriation in music and hip hop. Then I’m going to use cultural appropriation in hair as a way of questioning whether cultural appropriation is actually cultural appreciation.
Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 4th AP ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2008. 528-35. Print.
In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite, pursues his dream, Daisy. In the process of pursuing Daisy, Gatsby betrays his morals and destroys himself. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick, one sees the extent of the corruption Gatsby is willing to undertake in order to achieve his dream. Although Fitzgerald applauds the American Dream, he warns against the dangers of living in a world full of illusions and deceit; a trait common during the Roaring 20s. The language and plot devices Fitzgerald uses convey that lies and facades, which were common during the Guided Age, destroy one’s own character and morals.
The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.
Women are seen from a biased point of view in pop culture as they are often criticized and portrayed in degrading ways. The Great Gatsby takes place in the early part of the 20th century which is also known as the Roaring 20's. In regards to feminism, the women in The Great Gatsby are mainly depicted as second class to men. The story gives readers an insight of the roles that gender played in past World War I America. In The Great Gatsby, the author Scott Fitzgerald shines a light on the submissiveness of females toward males during the Roaring Twenties by giving the women in the novel an unfair representation as they are often identified as passive or negative “objects”.
The gender issues in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby adhere to the traditional gender roles of a male-dominant society where women are sexually objectified and made inferior, while men are portrayed as the dominant gender. The narrator’s relationship with the female characters of the novel and their character traits reveal not only the established patriarchal society in the novel, but the chauvinistic attitude of the author as well. While feminine conformity to the ideal standards of women in a male-dominant society is reflected through characters such as Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, male characters such as Tom Buchanan and George Wilson appear to represent the traditional man, thus satisfying the ideal gender roles of a male-dominant society. Though it appears that Nick Carraway’s admiration for masculinity allows him to suffer from his potential anxieties about his own masculinity, Carraway’s male chauvinistic mentality is certain because of his enforcement of traditional gender roles that exerts dominance over women in the novel. Carraway’s attraction to Jordan Baker’s masculine traits and his fascination of the socioeconomic status of men, such as of Jay Gatsby’s and of Tom Buchanan’s, display his conformity to the ideal, traditional standards of gender roles in a male-dominant society that explain his admiration for masculinity.