Blog Topic #1: Rhetoric Strategies

·         Hyperbole “I’m p-paralyzed with happiness” (Page 9).

·         Irony “I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy.” (Page 54).

·         Personification “Myrtle pulled her chair closer to mine and suddenly her warm breath poured over me the story of her first meeting with tom.” (Page 30).

·         Satire “He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered” (Page 111).

·         Synecdoche “Her voice is full of money.” (Page 120)

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs a number of a number of rhetoric devices, revealing his creative and witty style of writing. In chapter 3, Jordan explains that “[he] like[s] large parties… any privacy” (54). Fitzgerald cleverly uses irony to make perfect sense of an unorthodox statement. He displays sarcasm when he describes that Daisy was “paralyzed with happiness (9” upon meeting Jordan Baker. Not only is this expression employing a strong exaggeration, but also a sarcastic one, revealing Daisy’s attitude with wit. In explaining Gatsby’s impractical dream, Fitzgerald explains that This satire suggests that Gatsby was too trying too hard to live a flawless life, undermining his judgment as a character in a witty way. The author also suggests that Daisy is wealthy in the clever synecdoche “Her voice is full of money.” (Page 120). Through the use of these rhetoric devices, Fitzgerald reveals his clever and creative style.

Blog Topic #2: Diction

     In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals his cynical and judgmental tone through his selection of words. When he describes Myrtle’s expression as “purposeless and inexplicable” (31), he is explaining the increased decadence in ambitious lifestyles. By condemning this lifestyle as “purposeless”, we can infer that Fitzgerald finds this pursuit of success meaningless. He later explains that Myrtle’s eyes are “wide with jealous terror” (31). Through the use of the word “terror”, Fitzgerald portrays the degree of jealously in Myrtle: a common trait of the wealthy. Fitzgerald’s observation further reveals the lack of morality in the story. Fitzgerald continues to distinguish the traits of the wealthy class in his explanation of Jay Gatsby: “The truth was … meretricious beauty” (99). This suggests that Gatsby is surely an enlightened individual, though he feels superiority over other members in society. The use of “meretricious” suggests that the image Gatsby is trying to produce is false. Not only does this reveal arrogance, but also selfish ambition. Fitzgerald also goes on to describe Daisy’s voice as “full of money” (120). This shows us that money is not only a significant part of Daisy’s life, but it also an aspect that is in excess: another common feature of the wealthy class. The importance of money further reveals the corruption in society and its goals. Through his use of Diction, Fitzgerald establishes his petulant attitude towards the morals of his society, distinguishing the distinct qualities of the upper class.

Blog Topic #3: Syntax

     In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals his creative and witty style through the use of Syntax. In chapter 3, Jordan explains that “[he] like[s] large parties… any privacy” (54). This statement is ironic because you wouldn’t typically expect privacy at a large party. However, after analyzing this statement, we can infer that Fitzgerald was referring to the privacy obtained from having the liberty to move from place to place and have conversation with a variety of individuals. He uses this irony to make a very interesting point of an unusual statement. In an explanation of New York, Nick explains “I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone's away. There's something very sensuous about it - overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands” (125). Through this expletive, Fitzgerald makes an interesting opinion about New York: he finds it gratifying when the city is empty, perhaps because of the increased opportunity. Fitzgerald’s witty style is best revealed in his explanation of Gatsby’s dream: “He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered” (111). Through this satire, Fitzgerald undermines Gatsby’s character and exposes his ambitious and individualistic motives. This also gives the impression that Gatsby is ignorant: he is so intent on living his life a certain way that he is unable to see some of the negative things in life. By employing this syntax, we can understand Fitzgerald’s clever writing style.

Blog Topic #4: Text Connections

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald references a variety of situations that help connect the reader to the book. Fitzgerald was successful in his comparison of the upper and lower classes, and was able to distinguish the traits possessed by the upper classes which can lead to – or are directly associated with – decadence.  Readers of the lower and middle classes can relate to the analysis of characters like Gatsby and Daisy. It is often believed that members of the upper class care about one thing above all others: money. Fitzgerald uses a clever synecdoche to imply that money plays a significant part – and is present in large quantities – in her life by explaining that “Her voice is full of money” (120). Not only does Fitzgerald address the situations of inherited wealth, but he also describes characters that have a strong ambition to be successful. When Fitzgerald was explaining Gatsby’s dream, he dismissed it as impractical by saying “he must have looked up at the unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered” (111). Fitzgerald was trying to explain that Gatsby tries too hard to live a perfect life, or a life without mistakes. He believes that, through this lifestyle, Gatsby is unable to see some of the bad things in life. This can further help connect with the reader, who may know others who are sheltered by their parents or shelter themselves from the realities of the world. Through these explanations, Fitzgerald is able to distinguish common, but typically negate, traits possessed by members of the upper class, allowing the reader to relate back to their own life.

Blog Topic #5: Personal Review

     To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I found it highly interesting that Nick, the narrator of the story, was able to contrast greatly with some of the other characters in the book, such as Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy. The latter group is often associated with money, or individual ambition for success. We can often associate Fitzgerald’s explanation of their lifestyles with decadence and ignorance. In contrast, we have Nick as the narrator, who is a very modest man. I believe Nick was a great choice for the narrator because his characteristics are often associated with morality and philanthropy, thus making the typical reader feel more comfortable. This also creates a “safety” character that the readers can relate back to after many of the distinct and obscure qualities of the other characters are revealed. I believe this is especially important because Fitzgerald does an excellent job giving each of his characters a truly unique and important set of qualities that play a significant a part in the story.

One of the more obvious reasons I liked The Great Gatsby was the fact that I could follow the story without getting too confused with the authors writing style: a very seldom situation for me. This helped me enjoy the plot of the story more than other books, such as A Tale of Two Cities, which I believe had an equally-impressive story, though it was difficult for me to appreciate due to the rich and full writing style of Charles Dickens. Overall, I was happily surprised with the quality of this book.