ipl-logo

Reading In The Great Gatsby And A Tale Of Two Cities

443 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The great gatsby's influence

In my experiences, reading has more often than not, been presented in a negative light. However, this does not mean that I have enmity for reading; in fact, there are rare occasions in which I actually enjoy it. For instance, during my sophomore and junior years of high school, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby assigned to me; these particular books left quite the impression on me. On the contrary, other books such as the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel did not improve my already negative outlook; in some cases, Wiesel’s novel intensified it. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to place my views into a single category; instead, it is simpler to elaborate on how certain novels refined my literary tastes. Three books that transformed my perspective on reading were A Tale of Two Cities, Night, and The Great Gatsby. …show more content…

Dickens kept my mind hooked with his vivid attention to detail; additionally, his story flowed extremely well and was simple enough to follow. In conjunction with this, there is an unexplainable sense of joy that I obtain whenever I finish one of Dickens’ passages. Accordingly, Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Report Network agrees, by stating that “In a number of pages, the story will open, evolve and close, and a lot of what’s going on in the world today is not like that. You’ve got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy”. Simply stated, Charles Dickens has created a positive impression that I won’t soon forget. Nevertheless, there are still novels out there that I most definitely deem less than

Show More
Related
284 Words | 2 Pages

Like Thomas Foster said “ Geography can also define or even develop character.” In chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby we were introduced to “the valley of ashes”, which was George Wilson’s Repair garage. When Fitzgerald was describing the garage it was as though he was describing George himself. One line that really stood out to me was “this shadow of a garage must be blind…”. I feel like this line is indirectly trying to tell the readers how George is not aware of his wife’s affair with Tom.

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

Gerald Graff, a professor of English at the University of Chicago, has written several books containing various approaches to learning and education. In one of these books Beyond the Culture Wars an excerpt titled “Disliking Books” recounts his struggle with reading throughout his academic career and focuses on the experiences that changed his perspectives on literature and, ultimately, encouraged him to pursue a career in teaching literature. The excerpt is summarized below in this paper as part of my studies in English literature. In his youth, Gerald Graff had an unabashed stance on books—he didn't like them at all.

Read More
532 Words | 3 Pages

First, in our comparison and differences, we should talk about the characters. First is Tom while in the book it shows that he was a bit uptight having Nick around in the first few chapters, Tom in the movie is more relaxed and with great confidence a bit snobby. When we first meet Daisy in the book, it appears that she is having the time of her life hanging out with Jordan but when any talk starts to head towards the love for Tom, she immediately saddens. Seeming to hide from the world. While in the movie, she from the very beginning is sad when she sees Nick but cheers up after some talking to.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

Showing the reader positives of reading in a factual way can be very persuasive. He then goes on to use strong and persuasive diction to support his claim, stating “The decline of literary reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems, and it is time to bring literature and the other arts into discussions of public policy.” Using a slight guilt technique can persuade the reader. This strong diction continues to support his claim. And finally he ends his essay saying that the qualities gained from reading are not skills that “society can afford to

Read More
1258 Words | 6 Pages

Social Economic Lens In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald the effect of different social classes and the influential ways of the viewed higher classes demonstrates how hollow and ignorant having money and being perceived as wealthy can make a person. Compared to how the lower-class characters are viewed and treated by the upper class. The Great Gatsby is a good representation of seeing literature through a social-economic lens, this is shown in many different ways in the story. The reader is shown the ignorance of the upper class, the things that the characters do not know they have compared to the lower classes, and the opportunities they do not have, the little things that the rich take advantage of.

Read More
941 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby is an extremely successful novel that was written by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. The story revolves around Nick Carraway, the narrator and one of the main characters. The story also focuses on Jay Gatsby. Nick’s affluent neighbor who often throws large parties at his mansion. The Great Gatsby is based on the idea of the American Dream; it is a belief that with sufficient work ethic, one can accomplish most, if not all of their goals.

Read More
809 Words | 4 Pages

Without applying concepts from How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster to The Great Gatsby, it is as if you are reading a completely different book. Foster’s book teaches readers the necessary skills to analyze literature and understand the intended meaning behind various references. Although the skills gained from the application of How To Read Literature Like a Professor can be used in each and every piece of literature written, I will solely apply them to The Great Gatsby. Concepts such as decoding symbols and understanding the impacts of irony and geography in How To Read Literature Like a Professor can be applied to The Great Gatsby. Chapter 12 in How to Read Literature Like a Professor discusses the occurrence of

Read More
551 Words | 3 Pages

How To Read Literature Like A Professor is a book that points out the more hidden elements of literature. Many of the elements of literature mentioned by Thomas C. Foster in How To Read Literature Like A Professor were used in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. And most (if not all) of these elements are crucial to the story of The Great Gatsby. For example irony, geography and blindness all a played huge role in the storytelling of The Great Gatsby. Without these elements of literature, The Great Gatsby would have been completely different.

Read More
1070 Words | 5 Pages

Perception. Manipulation. Respect and Authority. These are qualities one uses when striving for privilege and capital, in order to control those around them. However, the concept of an ideal is constantly evolving based off one’s previous achievements and surroundings, which ultimately results in greed and dissatisfaction.

Read More
660 Words | 3 Pages

Great Gatsby Close Reading America is known as the land of opportunities and achieving dreams. People have been migrating to America ever since it was discovered, however, the major wave of immigration occurred from the 1880s to 1920. The American dream is the belief that if someone tries hard enough, then they can reach their dream and attain their own version of success in society, it is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work. However, this is not always the case. In 1925 the famous American author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel the great Gatsby, which illustrates the corruption of the American Dream.

Read More
2175 Words | 9 Pages

In Search of Human Morality Although the past is generally portrayed as a recollection of mistakes, regrets and unfond memories, it does not define one’s self identity. This plot is explained in vivid detail in both novels The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a coming of age novel of an uncommon bond between two unlikely friends who separate due to the increasing religious and political tension in Afghanistan 's years of corruption. After several years, Amir, the protagonist, receives a call and a familiar voice reminds his that there is a way to be good again. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald bases in Long Island, New York in the Nineteenth Twenties where

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

I. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is depicted as a mirage due to its ultimate lack of fulfillment, outsider’s inability to obtain it, and the corruption it causes. A. Those who have achieved their idea of the American Dream are ultimately unfulfilled emotionally even though they possess tremendous wealth. B. The American Dream is a mirage, and thus unattainable as it limits success of an individual by their class and ethnic origin. C. Not only is the American Dream exclusive and unfulfilling, but it also causes corruption as those who strive for the American Dream corrupt themselves in doing so and the old rich hide behind their wealth in order to conceal their immoralities.

Read More
164 Words | 1 Pages

I enjoy reading the Great Gatsby as well. Fitzgerald has a way of keeping my attention in the same way that Hemingway does. The novel is filled with emotion, symbolism, and unexpected twists and turns. I agree that Fitzgerald, "was able to say so much, while actually saying very little." Like you, I can learn a lot from these great writers.

Read More
556 Words | 3 Pages

As we continue to read, we approached a new yet very familiar literary device that I would often see when people are repeatedly listing things. If I were the writer of a book, the device such as polysyndeton is definitely one of the necessary and helpful writing techniques. Like we have discussed, the author wants to make sure that the readers will pay attention to the context, what he 's trying to tell so he would slow down the sentence with the repeating conjunction such as "and", "or" as it 's also used to list out some of the important factors or matters that happened in the story. One of the examples of polysyndeton in this chapter have ensured me the definition as well as the use of polysyndeton. " And on Mondays eight

Read More
1218 Words | 5 Pages

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis “They were careless people…” says Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In a story depicting the 1920s during a time of prosperity, growth, and the emergence of the America as a major global power, this statement may seem to be contrary. But in reality, Nick Carraway’s description of his friends and the people he knew, was not only true, but is an indication of those who were striving for the American dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is foolish, the people who pursue it are immoral and reckless, and this pursuit is futile. First, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American dream is foolish.

Read More

More about Reading In The Great Gatsby And A Tale Of Two Cities

Open Document