Rhetorical Analysis Essay On The Great Gatsby

Guilherme Aiache Perrine Literature, SL, IB May 13 2024 An Unhinged Dream

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, is a novel set in a town named West Egg that takes place in the 1920s. The novel develops the life of Nick Carraway, the narrator, Jay Gatsby and his longtime love interest Daisy, as well as Jordan who is Daisy’s friend. Gatsby is a very wealthy man known for exuberant parties, as he focuses on his wealth and class, together with achieving his American dream. To show how the price one pays to achieve self-actualization can be doomed, Fitzgerald uses various methods to engage the reader. He shows actions and their consequences to provide a message to the reader. A strong tone, emotion, and unique figure of speech, demonstrating

This quote highlights Gatsby's anxiety about keeping his past experiences hidden, as the words "might slip from his shoulders" convey a sense of desperation. Gatsby knows he must safeguard his secrets to win Daisy's love. The desperate tone serves as a reminder that Gatsby's life revolves around the elusive dream of approval from Daisy. Emotion is integrated by Fitzgerald in how Gatsby perceives his recognition by others, together with his surroundings. Gatsby carries self-pity throughout his perseverance to achieve his goal of developing a relationship with Daisy. The quote “You see, I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me’” (73) reflects how Gatsby is shameful about his past. The phrase spoken by Gatsby “to forget the sad thing that happened to me,” is a reference to his poor uprising, which is an embarrassment for him. His desire for acceptance by Daisy, does not allow him to freely speak about his early life, in fear of rejection. Gatsby’s constant concern

It seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on the dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (100). The green light is located at Daisy’s house, and whenever Gatsby does not see either the light or Daisy, he becomes incredibly sad. He proceeds to pity his failure in having Daisy all to himself. Gatsby feels as if his life is starting to fall apart. As his desire for her increases, she seems farther away. A quote that successfully represents that is, “.his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night” (193). His extensive pursuit of Daisy allowed Gatsby to create this perfect image of her in his head. His “dream” is made impossible by the class system between Daisy and him. Gatsby continues to self-pity that all his material success has gone to waste. Fitzgerald emphasizes the consequences of Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy by implementing metaphors. The metaphors accentuate a feeling of wasted time and effort felt by Gatsby, which is represented in this quote, “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end,