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What Does Modern Society Mean In The Great Gatsby

740 Words3 Pages

Modern Societies Society today is considered as modern. Everyday, new trends, new styles, new models, and new looks are presented to the world. However, that is not what being modern means. To be modern means to be ambitious and to work hard to live in a way that’s desired for oneself. It means to express one’s opinions with the intent of leaving the traditional ways of the past, to improve the society in which one lives in. To be modern also means to live in a society where technology is part of everyday life. These attributes are seen in many literary texts that represent this modern society, in one way or another. The perfect example of being ambitious to in a modern world, is in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was a man that worked very hard to achieve his goal of throwing lavish parties, in hopes of reeling …show more content…

But expressing one’s opinions with the intent of improving the society in which one lives in, is considered modern. Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Harrison Bergeron, writes about a society in which everyone is equal, and no one is allowed to show their individual beauty, by wearing handicaps. Two characters, however, dared to challenge authority. “‘Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen, she said in a grackle squawk, ‘has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous’ (Vonnegut).” Not soon after, a dancer dared to join him in beautiful rebellion. In the end, the boy and the dancer are shot. These two figures truly showed what it means to be modern, by expressing their opinion, and challenging and being challenged by higher powers. There aren’t a lot of people that will take a bullet for doing something that will bring about change, but modern is a time of change, and opinions are the only things that can bring about the change wanted for

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