This is a place for us to discuss openly and honestly the literature we are reading. Here we are all just communicating our thoughts on what we are reading. There are no right and wrong answers. However, you are expected to be polite, mature, and on topic.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Who lives in that mansion?
I'm Gatsby, Old Sport!
Having read chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, comment on what Nick hears and perceives about Gatsby prior to meeting him and on how Nick reacts once he meets him. What element of Gatsby's "rumors" did you find most compelling? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, September 4, 2013.)
Prior to meeting Gatsby, Nick hears many things about Gatsby. He hears that Gatsby killed a man, that he was a German spy, that he grew up in Germany, but then that he was in America during the war. The things said about Gatsby never match what else was said. When Nick actually meets Gatsby he says he had an understanding smile. That it was "one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it". What I found most compelling of the many rumors about Gatsby was that none of the rumors matched each other. They had something in common, but never matched. And some were so extreme while others weren't. It was as if no one actually knew who Gatsby truly was.
Nick hears several rumors about Gatsby before they meet. Nick is told that Gatsby was a soldier and that he killed someone. Though Gatsby reveals that he was a soldier, the rumor of murder is still, simply, a rumor. I find it fascinating that most of the guests at the party have never met Gatsby, yet they love to gossip so much that they spread very serious accusations about him.
Before Nick actually meets Gatsby, he hears that Gatsby killed someone and that he was a German spy. Most people at the party even knows Gatsby personally. They go off of what they hear. When Nick actually meets Gatsby, he did not actually realize it was Gatsby. Nick says a lot that he is understanding. His smile said that he "understood what you wanted him to understand, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." I found it unbelievable that most of the people attending the party never seen Gatsby and do not know a single thing about him, except that he lives in that mansion and throws some amazing parties.
Prior to meeting Gatsby, Nick hears a lot of rumors about the mysterious man. All he knows of Gatsby is that he is rich and lives in a massive mansion where he throws wild, extravagant parties with hoards of a combination of invited and random people. This causes Nick to imagine Gatsby as older, “florid and corpulent” as well as evil and hiding something. Much to his surprise, Gatsby is a young man who is good-looking, and it seems as though nothing could be bad about him because of his smile and overbearing essence of understanding. The most compelling rumor, to me, is the one where someone says that he killed a man. Nobody knows the truth about Gatsby, yet everybody is more than willing to accept these rumors because they are so drawn in by the elusive Gatsby. -Hannah S.
4 comments:
Prior to meeting Gatsby, Nick hears many things about Gatsby. He hears that Gatsby killed a man, that he was a German spy, that he grew up in Germany, but then that he was in America during the war. The things said about Gatsby never match what else was said. When Nick actually meets Gatsby he says he had an understanding smile. That it was "one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it". What I found most compelling of the many rumors about Gatsby was that none of the rumors matched each other. They had something in common, but never matched. And some were so extreme while others weren't. It was as if no one actually knew who Gatsby truly was.
Nick hears several rumors about Gatsby before they meet. Nick is told that Gatsby was a soldier and that he killed someone. Though Gatsby reveals that he was a soldier, the rumor of murder is still, simply, a rumor. I find it fascinating that most of the guests at the party have never met Gatsby, yet they love to gossip so much that they spread very serious accusations about him.
Before Nick actually meets Gatsby, he hears that Gatsby killed someone and that he was a German spy. Most people at the party even knows Gatsby personally. They go off of what they hear. When Nick actually meets Gatsby, he did not actually realize it was Gatsby. Nick says a lot that he is understanding. His smile said that he "understood what you wanted him to understand, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." I found it unbelievable that most of the people attending the party never seen Gatsby and do not know a single thing about him, except that he lives in that mansion and throws some amazing parties.
Prior to meeting Gatsby, Nick hears a lot of rumors about the mysterious man. All he knows of Gatsby is that he is rich and lives in a massive mansion where he throws wild, extravagant parties with hoards of a combination of invited and random people. This causes Nick to imagine Gatsby as older, “florid and corpulent” as well as evil and hiding something. Much to his surprise, Gatsby is a young man who is good-looking, and it seems as though nothing could be bad about him because of his smile and overbearing essence of understanding. The most compelling rumor, to me, is the one where someone says that he killed a man. Nobody knows the truth about Gatsby, yet everybody is more than willing to accept these rumors because they are so drawn in by the elusive Gatsby.
-Hannah S.
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