“Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction.”
–Letter, Aug. 1936, to Ernest Hemingway
I think this quote means that you can have all the riches in the world but without the greatest charm or distinction then all the riches mean nothing. I think this quote relates to Fitzgerald in that he issaying richesare not that important to him.Fitzgerald could also be saying that riches change some people for the worse. Sometime when people become very wealthy they forget about who they really are and become a greedy heartless person that does not care about anything but their money. I think he could be saying that if riches change you for the worse then there was no reason to gain them at all because now all you have is yourself and your money.
This quote could also be related to The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was a rich man with plenty of money and lived a lifestyle many people probably wish they had. Even though he had the riches he was not all that happy. As the quote says, he did not have the charm of a loved one or the distinction of a truely good person. His past loved one Daisy was now married to someone else but he felt love for her still. This situation proves the quote true that even with all the riches you can not buy happiness without the charm or the distinction along with it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Great Gatsby
Halfway between West Egg and New York City is a gray valley where New York’s ashes are dumped. Standing tall is a billboard of big blue eyes; these are the eyes of doctor T.J. Eckleburg. When the book first introduces the big blue eyes of Eckleburg I did not know it was a billboard until I read further into the chapter. It seems like the big blue eyes of doctor T.J. Eckleburg watch over everything that happens in the valley of ashes.
One day as Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city Tom forces Nick to follow him to George Wilson’s garage that is located on the edge of the valley of ashes. Tom has been having an affair with Wilson’s wife Myrtle. Tom orders myrtle to come to the train with them and them Tom takes her and Nick to New York City to an apartment that Tom uses for his affair. Tom has a part here also inviting Myrtles sister, Catherine, and a couple named the McKee’s. The group of them really start to drink a lot and seem to be having a good time.
One day as Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city Tom forces Nick to follow him to George Wilson’s garage that is located on the edge of the valley of ashes. Tom has been having an affair with Wilson’s wife Myrtle. Tom orders myrtle to come to the train with them and them Tom takes her and Nick to New York City to an apartment that Tom uses for his affair. Tom has a part here also inviting Myrtles sister, Catherine, and a couple named the McKee’s. The group of them really start to drink a lot and seem to be having a good time.
The behavior and the conversation at the party make Nick want to leave. Tom then gives Myrtle a puppy as a gift. Myrtle starts to talk about Daisy, Tom’s wife. Tom angrily tells her to never mention his wife but Myrtle says she will talk about whoever she wants and begins to chant Daisy’s name. Tom becomes even angrier and ends up braking Myrtles nose and bringing the party to an end. Nick leaves drunk and ends up taking the 4 A.M. train back to Long Island.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Poetry Supermarket
http://plagiarist.com/poetry/636/
Anne sexton was born November 9, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts and she died on October 4, 1974. She died by committing suicide in her car in her garage. Sexton is seen as the modern writer of confessional poetry. Her work is primarily written around the issues of women such as menstruation, abortion, masturbation, and adultery. She wrote about these topics before any of these subjects were addressed in a poem. After reading “The Starry Night” I could see maybe why Sexton was contemplating committing suicide. In that poem she talks about the way she wants to die. I do not really understand what she means in some of the lines of the poem but she ends off each stanza with “this is how I want to die.”
In the poem “The Starry Night” Anne Sexton uses a lot of figurative language. She talks about the ways she wants to die on this starry night. She keeps the same structure throughout the poem, giving details of the ways she wants to die then ends off each stanza with “this is how I want to die.” The tone in this poem seems to me to be real mellow. She is talking about the ways she wants to die in a very calm and mellow manner which makes me think that she maybe was a little bit out there. Normal people probably do not talk about the ways they want to die and talk about it in a real calm fashion through poetry.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/anne_sexton/poems/18153
The poem I read by Anne Sexton is called Courage. I like this poem because it has a lot to do with events of real life and how courage can pull you through. After reading this poem I experienced the not so crazy side of Anne Sexton. She talked about the hardships of life and how if u can have courage to outlast these hardships then you will be ok in life. She also says when death comes around if you still have courage then you will stride right out the back door into your new life.
If you ask me I wouldn’t say that there is anything about Anne Sexton that makes her distinctly American. She writes in the same style as the American writers but that is about it. She wrote about things that other poets didn’t write about during her time period which separated her from the other poets.
Anne sexton was born November 9, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts and she died on October 4, 1974. She died by committing suicide in her car in her garage. Sexton is seen as the modern writer of confessional poetry. Her work is primarily written around the issues of women such as menstruation, abortion, masturbation, and adultery. She wrote about these topics before any of these subjects were addressed in a poem. After reading “The Starry Night” I could see maybe why Sexton was contemplating committing suicide. In that poem she talks about the way she wants to die. I do not really understand what she means in some of the lines of the poem but she ends off each stanza with “this is how I want to die.”
In the poem “The Starry Night” Anne Sexton uses a lot of figurative language. She talks about the ways she wants to die on this starry night. She keeps the same structure throughout the poem, giving details of the ways she wants to die then ends off each stanza with “this is how I want to die.” The tone in this poem seems to me to be real mellow. She is talking about the ways she wants to die in a very calm and mellow manner which makes me think that she maybe was a little bit out there. Normal people probably do not talk about the ways they want to die and talk about it in a real calm fashion through poetry.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/anne_sexton/poems/18153
The poem I read by Anne Sexton is called Courage. I like this poem because it has a lot to do with events of real life and how courage can pull you through. After reading this poem I experienced the not so crazy side of Anne Sexton. She talked about the hardships of life and how if u can have courage to outlast these hardships then you will be ok in life. She also says when death comes around if you still have courage then you will stride right out the back door into your new life.
If you ask me I wouldn’t say that there is anything about Anne Sexton that makes her distinctly American. She writes in the same style as the American writers but that is about it. She wrote about things that other poets didn’t write about during her time period which separated her from the other poets.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
American Realism
During the week I read three writings of Mark Twain. Twain has a different style of writing compared to the other American Romantics that we have read. Twain does not talk about nature at all really in the three stories that I have read. Many Romantics only write about nature and its effects on people and their daily lives. I personally like the style of Twain better because it seems like he is more down to earth and the way it really works compared to the Romantics who only focus in on nature. I feel that there is some progression from American Romanticism into American Realism because Twain write about the realism of the world and not about nature like the Romantics. I feel it would be better for people to read about the world and how it really is instead of some made up nature filled world.
I feel Twain had the tendency to write about what he thought was going on in the world around him. He does not write “by the books” so to say instead he writes about what he is feeling at the time. I get this feeling from the stories of the good little boy and the bad little boy. He repeatedly says, “in the Sunday-School books this does not happen this way,” which gives me the feeling that he writes by his own style of writing and nobody else’s. Twain probably had a different worldview at the time of his writings because his writings were a lot different then many other writers during his time of the switch from American Romanticism to American Realism.
In my opinion, I think Twain is writing to the people of his time period to try and persuade them to focus on the realism of the world that take place in his writings compared to what takes place in the writings of the romantics. Out of the three stories I read Twain writes about things that happen in the real world and does not portray the world as a world controlled by nature and its effects on people. Twain might also be writing for himself to give himself that feeling that he is telling the people of the world the truth about how the world really works.
I think through his writings Twain reveals his normality. I was much more interested in the writings of Twain then the Romantics because they appealed to me as real life situations. Not once did he bring up nature and how it helps him through the day like many Romantics write about. To me Twains writings are normal because of what he writes about. I would much rather read a writing of his then many of the writings of the American Romantics.
One of the passages that drew me to realize that Twain wrote about realism was from “The Story Of The Good Little Boy.” He says, “This was not in accordance with any of the books.” This shows me that Twain does not write by the books or live by the books. Especially in this story, what is really supposed to happen to the little boy never happens, the complete opposite occurs. Twain probably lived his life as a normal person because he did not live his life according to a book or how it is really supposed to be. Instead he lived day by day and took things how they came.
I feel Twain had the tendency to write about what he thought was going on in the world around him. He does not write “by the books” so to say instead he writes about what he is feeling at the time. I get this feeling from the stories of the good little boy and the bad little boy. He repeatedly says, “in the Sunday-School books this does not happen this way,” which gives me the feeling that he writes by his own style of writing and nobody else’s. Twain probably had a different worldview at the time of his writings because his writings were a lot different then many other writers during his time of the switch from American Romanticism to American Realism.
In my opinion, I think Twain is writing to the people of his time period to try and persuade them to focus on the realism of the world that take place in his writings compared to what takes place in the writings of the romantics. Out of the three stories I read Twain writes about things that happen in the real world and does not portray the world as a world controlled by nature and its effects on people. Twain might also be writing for himself to give himself that feeling that he is telling the people of the world the truth about how the world really works.
I think through his writings Twain reveals his normality. I was much more interested in the writings of Twain then the Romantics because they appealed to me as real life situations. Not once did he bring up nature and how it helps him through the day like many Romantics write about. To me Twains writings are normal because of what he writes about. I would much rather read a writing of his then many of the writings of the American Romantics.
One of the passages that drew me to realize that Twain wrote about realism was from “The Story Of The Good Little Boy.” He says, “This was not in accordance with any of the books.” This shows me that Twain does not write by the books or live by the books. Especially in this story, what is really supposed to happen to the little boy never happens, the complete opposite occurs. Twain probably lived his life as a normal person because he did not live his life according to a book or how it is really supposed to be. Instead he lived day by day and took things how they came.
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