Personal Review

            This novel caused me much grief while reading it, not because of the book’s boring stature, but the confusing story line. I thought of this book as a major discomfort to read and it had no main motive. I greatly enjoyed the introduction of the characters. Fitzgerald does a very good job of summarizing the qualities in a way that the reader can fully relate and envision the character in front of them. For example, when Jay Gatsby’s description described how he looked and acted, but the rhetor also went on to describe his house, activities and amenities. My disliking for this novel exceeds any other book that I have previously read. One major blemish that stands out is the crafting of the story. I feel like that Fitzgerald could have given the story a better climax, rather than to end it abruptly with the death of Gatsby.

            Out of all the interesting matters in this book, the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby interested me the most. It was nice to know that they had a relationship more than what was conceived in the book. I really relished the fact that they had tried to meet and it would have been a pleasure if Gatsby had actually been with her in the end, but most things in this book were so unexpected, that the wish of that happening will forever be forgotten.

            This book took me through a winding journey, in the form of Jay Gatsby, that let me experience all the emotions in one chapter. This is not always a good thing because I felt that Fitzgerald tried to implement too much into a smaller space. This novel will not be among my favorites, but in conclusion, it shall also not stay in the pile of the worst English book college board assigns.

Text-To-Text

While pondering over Fitzgerald’s stimulating tale, one can make many occurrences in which the plot line may have similarities. An example might be the told tale of To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the protagonist, Atticus Finch, tries to attain something all throughout the book, and in the conclusion, he fails to do so. Atticus attempts to save an accused black man of the name, Tom Robinson. In the end, Tom tries to escape police custody and gets shot to death. Similarly in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby struggles to attain Daisy, but because of certain circumstances he gets shot in the pool. Another similarity in both cases, is the status of both heroes. They both have high stature in society, and no wife.

Another text-to-text is apparent to the audience. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby can be thought of as a man with calm mind and a raging heart. Other characters in the book do not contain these features. In the wild story of The Lord of the Flies, Piggy can very well be related Jay Gatsby because, they believe in conversation and behavior in peace. Piggy believes that everything can be solved through wit and intelligence, such as Jay Gatsby. Later on in the story, Ralph, which can be very well linked to George Wilson, gets entangled in the clutches of hate and anger that they both take the life of the man that try to change them otherwise.  Fitzgerald and Golding explain in circumstances the good or the “light”, will always be overshadowed by the ever-conflicting “darkness”.

Syntax

“The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard – it was 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. It was Gatsby’s mansion”(6).

Fitzgerald utilizes a periodic sentence in this passage to give it a drawn out, dramatic feeling, of wealth and splendor. It directly relates to and accurately portrays the hollowness of aristocratic society. The first sentence is a long elaborate description of Gatsby’s mansion displays an ample amount of adjectives and description, whereas the second sentence, a telescopic sentence, declares that the humongous mansion is indeed owned by Gatsby. The rift between the periodic and the telescopic sentence creates a better understanding for the society of upper class, otherwise known as the aristocratic. Fitzgerald also employs a hyphen to indicate contrast between “standard” and “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville”, to allow the reader to comprehend how wealthy Gatsby really is. Through the rhetors’s mastery of syntax this cleverly crafted sentence conveys important information of nobility.

“ ‘All right...I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool’ ”(21).

 The repetition of “fool” emphasizes the digression social norms of the era. The hyphen also signifies a pause, hinting at Daisy’s uncertainty and fervent desire to fill the role of the “ideal woman”.  The implementation of the ellipsis also acts of another instance of a pause to allow the reader to discover the thought process.  Daisy is often portrayed as a damsel that wanders to her most feverish lover. In order for her to be an “ideal woman”, Fitzgerald  uses her as an example of how woman behaved in the time period of The Great Gatsby. Syntax, used in the right instances, can cause a great affect in delivering a message.

Diction

        In the Novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald to differentiate between the stages of wealth or stature. There are many examples of Gatsby’s riches and prizes.  Fitzgerald mentions Gatsby’s “mansion”, five times in the book, every time stating more and more details and information about the luxuries of his coinage.  In chapter 3, Fitzgerald mentions Gatsby’s, “Rolls-Royce” and how “every Friday five creates of oranges and lemons arrived form a fruitier in New York – every Monday these same oranges left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves. There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb”(46). This portrays the vast amount of money Gatsby has to spend, whereas the poor Meyer Wolfshiem is in quite the opposite state. He is a “gambler” that “fixed the World’s Series back in 1919”(87). Fitzgerald contrasts the difference in wealth to create a solid picture of the character classes and how they interact and set a tone. The rich Mr. Gatsby sets a very haughty and flamboyant tone, whereas Mr. Wolfshiem sets a sly ominous tone in the book.

        Another point to focus on is the character, Tom Buchanan. Although the book is not fixated on him his character’s insight is developed by many different uses of devices in literary terms. Tom is conveyed as being a snotty individual who believes he is above everybody else. He openly says,  " 'It's a bitch,' said Tom decisively. 'Here's your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it.' "(32), which explains his attitude of being a well-known bigot. Through the use of powerful words and phrases, Fitzgerald uses an astonishing amount of diction to describe the characters and the themes of the book.

Rhetorical Strategies

The Blog Project

Topic 1 Rhetorical Strategies

·         Simile “For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face… the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk” (17).

·         Paradox: “I came into her room and found her lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress—and as drunk as a monkey” (90).

·         Imagery: “An hour later the front door opened nervously, and Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in” (99).

·         Personification: “As my taxi groaned away I saw Gatsby walking toward me across his lawn” (96).

·         Alliteration: “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him” (2).

·         Invective: “’The poor son-of-a-bitch,’ he said” (213).

In the very interesting novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates a very interesting environment with the intellectual placement of his rhetorical strategies. The art of entwining the subtle rhetorical strategies in sly places creates a really big impact.  Fitzgerald’s usage of all of these strategies causes the reader to understand the true motive of the passage.  A paradox is particularly inserted in chapter 4 to give quite particular implication; “I came into her room half an hour before the bridal dinner, and found her lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress – and as drunk as a monkey”(90). The divergence of “as lovely as the June” and “Drunk as a monkey”, create a rift in the sentence to divert more attention to it. The Paradox is also elucidated by two similes that create the paradox to suggest more successive explanation of the rift. Fitzgerald gives an ample amount of description of all the characters and surroundings. Out of many to pick a particular one is, “An hour later the front door opened nervously, and Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold-colored tie hurried in”(99). The “white flannel suit” with a “silver shirt” and a “gold-colored tie” provides a flamboyant view of Gatsby. This illuminates to the fact of his rich attire and haughty attitude. The fact that the, “the front door opened nervously”, indicates that prominent appearance of Gatsby characterized the door of being shamed of itself, thus being nervous. Fitzgerald’s great implementation of these strategies truly elevates this book to an another level.