American Dream in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

Essential Question: What is the American Dream? America is the land with the most dreamers. America is the land of opportunity and equality. In America your dreams can be fulfilled if you work hard to achieve your goals. The American dream to most is, to be wealthy and to be able to afford anything. Wealth is a plus in life because you can afford expensive items that do not necessarily have a use, but it does not necessarily matter how hard you try or how much you spend you can not buy happiness. Although being wealthy can make you seem happy on the outside, on the inside you would not be as happy as you seem. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author shows how being wealthy will not make you happy. Many people have voiced their opinions of the America dream. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author tries to show you that wealthiness is a luxury not the American dream. And as I sat there, brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby?s wonder when he first picked out that green light at the end of Daisy?s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dreams must have seemed so close that he can 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. (Fitzgerald) To put in simpler terms sometimes your American dream can be so close that you can taste it but it is not close enough to bite it. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed his view of the American dream through a character named Jay Gatsby. In the novel Jay Gatsby?s American dream was to get an old girlfriend back by showing off his wealth, but all he got was a bullet that killed him. In the novel he also states that everyone has an American dream and sometimes surpasses it in the process of grasping it. Gatsby It is believed that every person has a dream to accomplish in life but only those who believe can achieve them. ?No man e`er was glorious who was not laborious. Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it? (Franklin). Franklin believed that you can only spoil yourself if you can afford to.

International Memo Report Essay

The purpose of this memo is provide an understanding of the Tongans and the culture and values that they carry. The reason why this study is necessary is because before meeting any of the Tongan, there is a need to ensure that you too follow the same values and beliefs as them and do not offend them in any manner. Following are some of the major topics under discussion such as the clothes you should wear, the gestures and the attitude you should maintain and many more. Appropriate Dress According to research, the Tongans wear their traditional dress every where, be it to work and at formal occasions. In order to understand the Tongan dress, the following excerpt has been taken: â€Å"Tongan people are still wearing traditional dress. Tongan men wear a tupenu, a cloth skirt-like that goes around their waist, and it goes below their knees. It is worn to work and on formal occasions.† (Internet, 1999[1]) Social Customs The Tonga residents believe that family is of utmost priority. Even though the young people would be noticed calling their older people by their first name, the love and the care that they have incorporated into their culture is the essence of Tonga. Tongans are known to celebrate and get together with their family when they here any kind of news. This is the culture that they hold and this is the kind of culture that should also be held in any coversation. Till the Tongans do not feel like they are with a family, they will not feel comfortable and may not cooperate as required. Eating The eating habits of the Tongan residents is very simple, however, the way they prepare their food is a little different. They are interested in eating meat, vegetables and fruits; however, they cook pork on big occasions only. They usually cook their food is a large underground oven that they make on their own and they have their own techniques of serving food in banana or other kinds of leaves. Gestures and Attitudes The most common way of greeting a Tongan is by either shaking the hands or by providing a verbal greeting. In the native language of Tonga, ‘Malo e lelei’ means hello and this is this greeting is usually provided with a shake hand. What you must ensure is that Tongans believe in comforting unwelcome guests. This means that they have a custom to drop by anyone’s house and expect to be treated with hospitality.

Character Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye - 1101 Words

Holden Caulfield is a character who has been through rejection and wishes to protect others innocence. He is a teen boy who is the main character in Catcher in The Rye by J.D.Salinger. He has an older brother named DB, a younger sister named Phoebe, and a younger, deceased, brother named Allie. Holden retells his story on him, trying to be the catcher in the rye. Holden has been kicked out of different colleges. He has been rejected by different girls. Holden goes through his life story. He talks about being kicked out of Pencey, his friend Jane, his â€Å"acquaintance† Stradlater, and how, when, and where Allie died. Society is to blame for Holden Caulfields decline in mental stability. Society does not help Holden. Instead, they ignore his†¦show more content†¦An example of this is when Holden is failing from Pencey he blames his parents for making him go there in the first place. Holden might be to blame for some things like braking all the windows in his basement, but society is to blame for his downfall in mental health. â€Å"In fact, lack of success may more often be caused by what I call The Peter Pan Syndrome: they won’t grow up.†(Nemko, pg.1) Holden never wants to be responsible for the things that he causes to go wrong. He has blamed his parents for the things he has done and for him not trying at all. He blames his parents for Allie’s death and that they were the reason that he wasn’t able to go the his funeral. Holden blames his parents and doesn’t want to take responsibility for his wrongdoings. Holden has taken so much rejection that he has started to ignore his own health. He has started to drink too much alcohol to be healthy, smokes too much, and does drugs. â€Å"First, mental health issues may cause you to neglect your health, as when a diabetic is too depressed to monitor her blood sugar.† (Young, pg.2) â€Å"I ordered a scotch and soda, and told him to mix it. I said it fast as hell, because if you hem-and-haw, they think youre under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating liquor.† (Salinger, ch. 10) Holden has started to ignore his health. Holden has done illegal things such as drugs. Drugs can causeShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Characters And Themes Of The Catcher Rye 1537 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of Characters and Themes in The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger was born in 1919 to a wealthy Manhattan family. He grew up in the same social conditions as Holden Caulfield does in The Catcher in the Rye. The last thing Salinger cared about was being a successful student because he was very lazy, without care for his responsibilities and tasks. Salinger flunked out of many prep schools, and his parents sent him to a military academy named Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where he graduatedRead MoreCatcher In The Rye Character Analysis1308 Words   |  6 PagesThe Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger is about a boy named Holden Caulfield who got kicked out of Pencey Prep, a private school for boys. Throughout the story Holden shows his dislike for society because he believes that it corrupts the innocent. Some people might say that Holden doesn ´t understand that as an adult, most innocent people stay innocent and he is just judgemental of all the people around him. Salinger suggests that in order to transition to the adult world prop erly, an individualRead MoreCatcher In The Rye Character Analysis788 Words   |  4 Pagesbrutally experiences both at the same time. Recognizing and understanding these representations can help you the most when trying to comprehend this character and real life people who struggle with these problems. In JD Salinger’s coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, themes and objects that directly represent symbolism in the main character, Holden’s, depression and loneliness. In the novel, many scenes have phones in them, which represents Holden’s loneliness. When he first arrives backRead MoreCharacter Analysis : The Catcher In The Rye2036 Words   |  9 Pagesisolation, they sometimes struggle to come to terms with the sadness and truths of those experiences. They may lie to other people and themselves in order to hide their pain, and sometimes they can become stuck. In the classic fiction novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a troubled adolescent, who is unable to move forward in life after witnessing the death of his younger brother, Allie at age 13. The death of Allie ended Holden’s childhood, but Holden’s reluctance to moveRead MoreCharacter Analysis : The Catcher In The Rye1297 Words   |  6 PagesWhen a family member passes away it causes hardship, not only immediate, but also in the long term. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The main character, Holden Caulfield, experienc es the loss of his brother. He is distanced from his family and friends emotionally, and at boarding school, is separated physically. Out of fear, he begins to shield himself from the world around him. Because of the death of Allie, Holden pushes away any new relationships that could lead to him gettingRead MoreThe Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis1472 Words   |  6 Pagesthat fulfill their ideals or agree with the things they say, but these relationships can also help one discover their personal philosophies by reinforcing opposing views. Indeed, in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the way Holden reacts to and interacts with secondary characters reveal his established philosophies and the values he holds most dear to him. Although Holden never directly interacts with Jane Gallagher during the course of the novel, the way he thinks and talks about herRead MoreCatcher In The Rye Character Analysis940 Words   |  4 PagesIn chapter ten of J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, there are three important concepts: loneliness, depression, and idealism. Holden evinces these concepts when he talks about his younger sister, goes to the Lavender room, and mentions Radio City Music Hall. Each of these concepts builds upon each other, especially the idea that Holden is lonely. Holden is alone once he arrives in New York after leaving Pencey Prep. Holden’s loneliness makes him think of his younger sister, Phoebe, who has a lotRead MoreThe Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis715 Words   |  3 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is narrated by the main character, a sixteen year-old boy named Holden Caulfield. The story starts out with Holden attending a prep school near New York City called Pencey Academy. Soon we discover that Holden has been â€Å"given the axe† because of his apparent apathy about school and his grades. Unfortunately, Pencey is only one in a series of schools that Holden has flunked out of. The plot is all about Holden going out on an adventure by himself and tryingRead More The Catcher in the Rye - Character Analysis of Holden Caufield741 Words   |  3 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye - Character Analysis of Holden Caufield In J.D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caufield, describes in detail the parts of his life and his environment that bother him the most. He faces these problems with a kind of naivety that prevents him from fully understanding why it is that he is so depressed. His life revolves around his problems, and he seems helpless in evading them. Among others, Holden finds himself facing the issues ofRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Holden Caulfield s The Catcher Of The Rye 1733 Words   |  7 PagesBroderick-King English 101 5/24/16 Essay A.M.D.G. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is faced with multiple â€Å"phonies† that divert him from those he really holds affection for. Throughout the novel Holden shows disgust for certain characters but his ability to build relationships of intimacy are most eminent. Through Allie Caulfield, Holden is able to make a more personal connection. Seeing