Sententious Statements In The Great Gatsby

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In works of literature, authors use sententious statements to portray literary devices and character actions, while also connecting the novel to real world events. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author establishes a sententious statement when Jay Gatsby says, “Can’t repeat the past…Why of course you can!” (118; Chapter VI). The author first displays this quote when Nick is speaking to Gatsby about the past and present love he has for Daisy. The pertaining passage is an essential piece of the work because it connects the theme of memory and the past and reveals the stimulating drive of the past that Gatsby represents. Furthermore, the quote is also applicable to real world events. It ultimately links to the abhorrent genocide of Jews in the Holocaust, and the present mass extermination of Rwandan citizens under the Hutu government. The statement presented by Fitzgerald …show more content…

However, they also can be applied to real world events. Fitzgerald’s quote from The Great Gatsby, links directly to the real world events of genocide of Jews in the Holocaust and the extermination of Rwandan citizens under the Hutu government. Though the examples from the novel differ, each represents the truth that history repeats itself. The Holocaust took place on January 30, 1933. The extermination of about six million Jewish citizens under the power of Adolf Hitler, gave a glimpse of our capacity to create destruction. Just under 100 years later, during a 100-day span in 1994, Rwanda's Hutu government killed an estimated 1 million Tutsis, wiping out more than one-third of Rwanda’s population. Continuing into the 2010s, the cruel acts taken upon the civilians compare notably to the acts taken upon the Jews. As stated by Edmund Burke, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” This brilliant quote represents that without proper interpretation, history will forever be in a