In his article “Modern Day Gatsby, " Adam Cohen expresses that Jay Gatsby is like Americans today. Adam’s purpose is to persuade his audience that Jay Gatsby represents Americans in the modern day. He effectively builds his argument by using pathos and diction.
Cohen uses emotions to make the readers feel a connection to Gatsby and his issues, which makes it more relatable to their own issues. Cohen states, “Gatsby has, as a television talk-show psychologist would put it, all of our issues.” That piece of evidence makes the reader start to question themselves and take a better look at themselves. The evidence saying, psychologist, makes the reader feel shame and grief, two of Gatsby's most felt emotions throughout The Great Gatsby. Cohen also
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Cohen mentions that Gatsby would throw fun and crazy parties for the higher people of New York. Cohen states, “Gatsby has worked his way up to a sprawling Long Island mansion, where he gives boozy, jazz-filled parties for New York high society and drunken flappers.” The people would go to Gatsby's house after partying all night with alcohol and people would leave intoxicated, which could lead them to do something really bad that they would regret in the morning. So the word drunken expresses how people are after leaving parties and how people nowadays do the same thing after parties putting themselves and others at risk. Adam Cohen said, “Gatsby’s partner in crime, quite literally, was the sinister Meyer Wolfsheim.” The word choice displays just how evil Gastby’s best friend is. Some people today have friends that are evil or do bad things which could reflect on them. So Cohen is saying that Gatsby has bad friends and a lot of people have bad friends today. Cohen uses diction to prove that Jay Gatsby hangs out with dark people or does dark things just like people today. Published by the New York Times, Adam Cohen wrote this article because the top 100 fictional characters of the last century list were released and Gatsby was ranked #1. Cohen argues that Jay Gatsby represents Americans today. He builds this claim by making use of pathos and