Journal #21

Journal 21 - Some Like It Hot and The Great Gatsby Comparison/Contrast Although Some Like It Hot is a comedy and The Great Gatsby is a tragedy, both works use popular culture to portray life in 1920s America. Focusing on the following elements (characterization, conflict, and theme), discuss how the two works are similar and different and what each is saying about American life. In Some Like It Hot, the main characters are more free and fun-loving, since it is a comedy. Unlike The Great Gatsby, they have more carefree traits. Although, the characters aren’t as different as they may seem. Gatsby characters are known to be ostentatious and have a romantic outlook on life. Like Daisy, Sugar is influenced by money and material possessions. She ultimately falls in love with Joe because he has money. She is also like Daisy because she is very idealistic and acts on emotions. Joe lies in order to impress Sugar, like Gatsby had done with Daisy. In The Great Gatsby, the main conflict is that Gatsby is in love with Daisy, but has to get her away from Tom. The conflict of Some Like It Hot, is that Joe has to lie to Sugar in order for her to have the same feelings for him that he has for her. Both have confusing love triangles. In Gatsby, Gatsby is in love with Daisy, who is married to Tom, but in the end loves Gatsby as well. The same goes for Tom and Myrtle’s relationship. In Some Like It Hot, Joe, dressed as “Josephine”, loves Sugar, who doesn’t know that “Josephine” is really Joe. Meanwhile, Jerry, who is dressed as a woman, also loves Sugar. The Great Gatsby and Some Like it Hot differ in that Gatsby doesn’t end up with his true love, whereas Sugar and Joe get married. The Great Gatsby and Some Like It Hot both illustrate that American life is very ostentatious and that Americans are influenced by money. Gatsby tries to woo Daisy with his parties and lies. Joe tries to impress Sugar with his fake life and fake money. Gatsby shows that, in the end, money and lies don’t always help obtain a happy ending. Some Like It Hot shows that money and lying will make everything go swimmingly in the end.

Journal #20

Journal 20 – The Great Gatsby Conclusion Read the novel’s last passage (beginning with, “Gatsby’s house was still empty when I left”) and discuss the use of imagery and symbolism that is being employed by Fitzgerald. In your response, specifically address what Nick is saying about the green light and the connection that he is making between Gatsby and the Dutch sailors who “discovered” Long Island. Fitzgerald uses a great amount of symbolism in the last passage. He describes the last visitor to Gatsby’s house, not knowing that the “party” was over. This was similar to Gatsby’s life. Gatsby, like the guest, did not know that the past, or party, had ended. Nick reminisces about Gatsby’s old parties. He continues to look over at Gatsby’s house, remembering everything he knew about his time in West Egg. He began to realize that there was less commotion than there had been before. Like Gatsby, Nick, started to picture the past as some grandiose dream from long ago. Unlike Gatsby, Nick looked at not the past, nor the future, but at the present. This is a contrast from how Gatsby thought about life. He was never in the moment. Gatsby was like the Dutch sailors that sought the fertile green land, much like how he sought the green light of Daisy’s dock. The sailors were always thinking about the future, and they came close to achieving their goal. Both of their goals were memories of the past. In the end, their dreamer-like ambition both influenced their actions and desire to achieve their final goal.

Journal #19

Journal 19 - Characterization in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby Write a description for each of the following characters based on his/her first appearance in Chapter 1. Your description should include: -the character’s physical appearance; -the character’s actions/words; -an adjective that best describes the character based on his/her initial appearance Nick Carraway Adjective: Reserved Nick Carraway is a handsome 30-year-old man. He is very educated. He tends to keep to himself and doesn’t judge people harshly. People are drawn to him and confide secrets in him. This leads us to believe that he is also seen as very trustworthy. Tom Buchanan Adjective: Brutish Tom is the typical macho, tough guy. He is very bigoted and has strong opinions on everything. He acts like a chauvinistic pig throughout the entire book. He is described as being carless and cowardly. Daisy Buchanan Adjective: Naïve Daisy is a pretty young woman. She has a sing-song like voice. Daisy is very foolish in her rash decisions. She acts as if her money can shield her from everything. She has a dreamer-like personality. She is a romantic that only acts on her emotions. Jordan Baker Adjective: Independent Jordan is a beautiful and determined young woman. She seems to be a neutral character when it comes to Daisy’s relationships. She’s more of a source of information. She can also be described as being a bit stuck-up, because she wouldn’t have a long term relationship with Nick because he wasn’t high-class. Jay Gatsby Adjective: Idealistic Gatsby is a handsome man who dresses in fine clothes, mainly his pink suit. He, like Daisy, acts on emotions. He is deceptive with his past life. He is a dreamer that constantly searches for what he wants next.