Location
- It begins at Gatsby's house
- Tom and Jordan stop off at the petrol station in the 'Valley of ashes'
- New York at the Plaza hotel
- Drive past the petrol station on the way back
- Daisy and Tom's house
Themes
The themes in this chapter are affairs from both Daisy and Tom with Gatsby and Myrtle and control from both Daisy and Tom.
- Both Tom and Daisy have affairs in this book. Tom has the first affair with Myrtle and it seems to be a very public affair as everyone knows about it so we know that Daisy knows about it yet she doesn't really say anything to Tom about it and there is no divorce. This shows the lack of respect that Tom has for Daisy and maybe that he doesn't love her because he doesn't try to hide it from her. Daisy then goes on to have an affair with Gatsby, it's untold whether it's out of spite or if she actually loves Gatsby but it's evident that Gatsby loves her. She doesn't make this affair as public as Tom does and so he is unaware of the affair until Gatsby tells him because he thinks that Daisy will leave Tom for him. Throughout the chapter it becomes aware that Daisy never really intended on leaving Tom so when the situation that she has to choose is forced upon her, she doesn't know which way to go.
- Again, both Daisy and Tom have control in this chapter. Even though the book is set in the 1920's when woman were more liberated, she doesn't seem to have much freedom as Tom seems to have control over her. On the other hand, Daisy has complete control over Gatsby because she is the only one that he wants and she knows that so she almost uses this to her advantage and she knows that he will do anything that she wants him to do.
Characters
- In the beginning, Daisy seems to come across as quite a strong character who is liberated and free. It seems as if she can do what she wants as she was very popular in San Francisco and it looks as if she had a life before Tom. It's repeatedly shown throughout the book though that this is not the case because when it comes to leaving Tom for Gatsby, she can't really seem to do it because she never really expected that Gatsby would actually ask her to do that and she would ever have to make that decision. Nick says 'Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she realised at last what she was doing- and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all.' It is found out at the end of the chapter that in fact, she was the one driving the car and had killed Myrtle instead of being, who we thought it was, Gatsby. If Tom knew this, then he would have thought that there had been an agenda and it was done on purpose because Daisy had found out about the affair which isn't actually true.
-Nick, who is the narrator, observes this scene without giving too much judgement on it. He seems to be more of a bystander. In fact, he seems to be so wrapped up in other people's lives that he forgets that it's his birthday until after Daisy and Gatsby have left. It's like it suddenly comes to him and he remembers that he is thirty. This seems to be a bit of a milestone because on the same day that Nick turns thirty and is moving on in his life, is the same day that Gatsby is trying to relive the past, almost gets it and then loses everything. More than most chapters, Nick seems to be a listener and observer and doesn't really have any input.
- Gatsby's true colours really come out in this chapter as being quite weak. Throughout the novel he surrounds himself with people, the big parties and his amount of friends but it always seems that he's lonely and watching in on the parties that he throws. He seems to be quite a lonely character. It's ironic because he buys an ostentatious car to draw Daisy's attention when in actual fact, it's the attention that the car draws that causes Daisy and Gatsby to be unable to be together. He first comes across quite strong because he stands up to Tom but he still hides behind the motif of 'old sport' which Tom picks up on and asks about to almost downgrade him. He thinks that he's basically whisking Daisy off her feat and helping her by getting her out of a loveless marriage when in actual fact, he's asked her to choose which is a harder decision than he anticipated. He takes the blame of killing Myrtle to save Daisy because if anyone found out who it was that killed her, he would take the blame for her. Later on, Nick finds him hiding outside Daisy's house, watching her to see if she is okay, even after Tom is back to look after it. It seems pretty apparent that Daisy has chosen Tom as 'there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture.' It seems as if once again, he is on the outside looking in and 'watching over nothing.'
- Tom already knows that Daisy knows Gatsby and he feels slightly threatened. It comes to light after Gatsby tells him that Daisy is leaving him that he has been looking in to how Gatsby actually made all of his money and tells everyone that it's done through illegal means. It explains how he's actually really selfish because he allowed someone to go to prison and didn't really seem to mind. It shows that he has different morals compared to Gatsby even though it seems that he has double standards when it comes to affairs. He doesn't really see a problem with it if he's the one that is cheating and in fact, he doesn't even really seem to hide it but when it's Daisy cheating, he's allowed to get angry and controlling. This could be a reflection of the time and how woman have less freedom than men. This is the first time that we see Tom actually showing any emotions and he seems quite vulnerable when Nick says 'there was a husky tenderness in his tone...'Daisy?'' This is the first time that we can connect with Tom's character and actually feel sorry for him. When he comes across dead Myrtle, this is the second time that the reader can truly connect with his character. Instead of acting macho, we see his emotional side. Nick describes that when they see Myrtle, he 'heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were overflowing down his face.' This leads us to believe that he actually cared about Myrtle and shows his vulnerability.
- Jordan who because Nick puts his trust in her, we do too. She seems to be the most down to earth person out of them until Nick says 'Jordan's fingers, powdered white over their tan..' explains that she's also trying to create the façade that she is pure and good which earlier on in the book, know not to be true because there was a scandal that she had cheated in a golf tournament.
- Myrtle has been locked up in the house by her husband and Tom comes by in Gatsby's car with Jordan Baker who she takes to be Tom's wife and becomes very jealous. She notices the colour of the car which later leads to her death. When Gatsby takes his own car back with Daisy driving, Myrtle runs out in front of it thinking that it is Tom and Daisy doesn't have much time to react and ends up hitting Myrtle and killing her. Myrtle obviously ran out because she wanted help to get away from her husband who wanted to take her away.
Narrative Elements
Foreshadowing
- Just before Tom and Nick see what has happened to Myrtle, Nick says 'So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight foreshadowing the death of Myrtle.
Length
- The length of the chapter is the main chapter and holds all the key points. If you read the chapter alone, you would understand the whole story. The length of the chapter can also be symbolic to how long it took Gatsby to get to that moment where he nearly had Daisy.
Repetition
- The idea that Gatsby has killed someone is repeated when Nick says 'He looked...as if he had 'killed a man.'' This makes us almost scared of Gatsby's character.
Perspective
- For a brief period, when Myrtle is seen to be dead from Tom, the perspective changes from Nick to someone called Michaelis. It's almost as if he has read what the man said and it relaying it to the reader.
Imagery
- The imagery of Myrtle's death is used to shock the reader. The way that it doesn't just say that she was killed but that 'her left breast was swinging loose like a flap.. The mouth was wide open and ripped a little at the corners.' It describes her being ripped open when the car hit her. It described in such a detailed way so that the reader can see it.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 6
Location
- Nick mentions that he hasn't seen Gatsby in a while because he's been to New York a lot for his work
- The whole chapter is set in Gatsby's house
Themes
- There are themes of wealth, rumours and affairs.
-We learn how Gatsby actually made all of his money and wealth through Nick. Nick mentions that it isn't until 'very much later' that he actually found out Gatsby's true past, rather than the made up ones of Gatsby's character.
-Nick makes a point of clearing up any misunderstandings of the rumours about Gatsby. He tells it very matter of factly, as if he wants to get the facts right so that no one is left confused.
- The affair between Gatsby and Daisy is unknown by Tom when Gatsby and Tom actually meet for the first time. Gatsby knows that this is Daisy's husband and i think he quite enjoys knowing that he knows something that Tom doesn't as he wishes for him to stay.
Characters
- The first ten paragraphs in the chapter give us the first true insight into the real Gatsby that we've been suspecting to be there but never had it confirmed as it's always been covered up by the façade of 'Jay Gatsby.' This part of the chapter allows you to connect with the character because not many people actually knew what his life really was and so, as a reader, you feel like you've been let in on the secret that he never really wanted anyone to know. You finally feel connected to his character knowing his past rather than him being mysterious. When Daisy and Tom come to the party, he's paranoid for Daisy to have a good time. He knows that she isn't and that they aren't connecting like they used to, so he pretends to himself that he can repeat the past. He also say's 'she'll see' rather than 'you'll see', as if he needs to prove to her that they can be together. This part of the chapter almost sets up what is going to happen just after it, from the tone that Nick gives it in, you know that something is going to go wrong.
- Tom meets Gatsby, unaware that his wife even knows him, let alone having an affair with him. It comes to light when Gatsby say's 'I know your wife' which is the first time that Tom actually shows an interest in Gatsby, this shows his loyal but almost controlling side, as if she shouldn't know him.
- Daisy seems to be impressed by the amount of celebrities that Gatsby has at his parties but unless she is with Gatsby at the party, she isn't having a very good time, even though she's telling him that she is and he knows that she's lying.
- You're reminded that Nick is the narrator of the story in the beginning of the chapter, before he was always just an observer of what was going on but this is the first time it really comes across that he's telling the story.
Narrative Elements
Chronological Order
- Nick starts this chapter with a story that is told by Gatsby a long time from when this actual chapter was set. I think that he places Gatsby's true identity in this particular place because this is the point where it's all about to go wrong and i think it has significance because it shows how unfortunate his life actually was and who he really is before everything that he has worked towards gets taken away from him.
- Nick mentions that he hasn't seen Gatsby in a while because he's been to New York a lot for his work
- The whole chapter is set in Gatsby's house
Themes
- There are themes of wealth, rumours and affairs.
-We learn how Gatsby actually made all of his money and wealth through Nick. Nick mentions that it isn't until 'very much later' that he actually found out Gatsby's true past, rather than the made up ones of Gatsby's character.
-Nick makes a point of clearing up any misunderstandings of the rumours about Gatsby. He tells it very matter of factly, as if he wants to get the facts right so that no one is left confused.
- The affair between Gatsby and Daisy is unknown by Tom when Gatsby and Tom actually meet for the first time. Gatsby knows that this is Daisy's husband and i think he quite enjoys knowing that he knows something that Tom doesn't as he wishes for him to stay.
Characters
- The first ten paragraphs in the chapter give us the first true insight into the real Gatsby that we've been suspecting to be there but never had it confirmed as it's always been covered up by the façade of 'Jay Gatsby.' This part of the chapter allows you to connect with the character because not many people actually knew what his life really was and so, as a reader, you feel like you've been let in on the secret that he never really wanted anyone to know. You finally feel connected to his character knowing his past rather than him being mysterious. When Daisy and Tom come to the party, he's paranoid for Daisy to have a good time. He knows that she isn't and that they aren't connecting like they used to, so he pretends to himself that he can repeat the past. He also say's 'she'll see' rather than 'you'll see', as if he needs to prove to her that they can be together. This part of the chapter almost sets up what is going to happen just after it, from the tone that Nick gives it in, you know that something is going to go wrong.
- Tom meets Gatsby, unaware that his wife even knows him, let alone having an affair with him. It comes to light when Gatsby say's 'I know your wife' which is the first time that Tom actually shows an interest in Gatsby, this shows his loyal but almost controlling side, as if she shouldn't know him.
- Daisy seems to be impressed by the amount of celebrities that Gatsby has at his parties but unless she is with Gatsby at the party, she isn't having a very good time, even though she's telling him that she is and he knows that she's lying.
- You're reminded that Nick is the narrator of the story in the beginning of the chapter, before he was always just an observer of what was going on but this is the first time it really comes across that he's telling the story.
Narrative Elements
Chronological Order
- Nick starts this chapter with a story that is told by Gatsby a long time from when this actual chapter was set. I think that he places Gatsby's true identity in this particular place because this is the point where it's all about to go wrong and i think it has significance because it shows how unfortunate his life actually was and who he really is before everything that he has worked towards gets taken away from him.
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 5
Location
Narrative Elements
- The chapter begins between Gatsby and Nick's houses when Nick is explaining to Gatsby that he has spoken to Jordan and understands what he wants him to do for him and that he has agreed to do it.
- The next location is at Nick's house when Daisy comes round for tea and Gatsby comes round for the chance meeting
- Gatsby takes Daisy to his house so that he can show off and show her all of his wealth intending to show her how he has built himself up and can look after now.
Themes
- The themes in this chapter are secrecy, love and wealth.
- Secrecy is introduced when it becomes clear that Nick has agreed to pretend to Daisy that he wants her to come over for tea when actually it was a ploy for Gatsby and Daisy to meet again after years of planning for this to happen. Daisy has no idea that this is why she's going round and it surprised to meet him again. Daisy also keeps the meeting of her and Nick's a secret from Tom so he doesn't realise that this meeting is happening. It makes it seem as if something that's going on, shouldn't be and she finally realises why she probably lied to Tom.
- Love is prominent in this chapter because Gatsby has loved Daisy for years and has created his wealth and social class all for her and has basically built his life around her love and finally the moment comes when he can show her everything that he's done for her and that moment is set up by Nick, this is the first time that we see some bias because if he was such a good friend to Tom, he wouldn't be helping his wife to cheat with Gatsby. This shows that he is better friends with Gatsby, someone that he has known for a shorter time than he has know Tom, someone we would expect him to be better friends with as it has been a longer friendship.
-Wealth is shown heavily in this chapter because it's Gatsby's wealth that was created solely for this chapter. He created his wealth for Daisy and so he shows it off to her throughout the chapter. He seems proud of his accomplishments even though we are now aware that they weren't made in the most legitimate way.
Characters
- This is the first time that we see Gatsby uneasy and completely out of his comfort zone. He's always been at ease and quite a laid back character until we realise his real motive. He uses a fake motif of 'old sport' which is British and links in with the 'idea' that he went to Oxford University but he's actually American so it's fake. It also seems as if he only really used Nick and Nick's house to get to Daisy.
- Nick doesn't really seem to mind when he realises that Gatsby really has only been using him and still allows him to use his house, this may be because he cares for Daisy's happiness. The first time that we really see Nick say what he really thinks is when him and Gatsby are in the kitchen while Daisy is in the living room, he says 'You're acting like a little boy. Not only that, but you're rude. Daisy's sitting in there all alone.' At the end of the chapter, he decides to leave them at Gatsby's on their own because he feels that he's done what he set out to do. 'I went out of the room and down the the marble steps into the rain, leaving them there together.'
- Daisy seems surprised when she first meets Gatsby but goes with the idea of going round to his house. When she see's his shirts, she does something odd and starts crying. It's clear that she's not actually crying at how beautiful the shirts actually are but because she knows that he's got all of his fortune for her but at this point, I don't think that she really thinks that she'll ever leave Tom for him.
Narrative Elements
Metaphors
- In Nick's house, Gatsby leans on the clock and ends up tipping it over and catches it. This could be metaphorical for him catching time in his hands and turning back time so that he can be with Daisy.
Imagery
- In Nick's house, Gatsby leans on the clock and ends up tipping it over and catches it. This could be metaphorical for him catching time in his hands and turning back time so that he can be with Daisy.
Imagery
- Gatsby is referred to as a weatherman, this could mean that he's the giver of good news or it could mean that he's putting on a show in front of Daisy who would be the camera's.
- The use of colours of his shirts show his wealth. 'coral', 'apple-green', 'lavender' and 'faint orange' are used to represent his wealth as these are all rich colours.
- There is a lot of narrative space as when Nick isn't in the room, we don't know what is being said by Daisy or Gatsby so this could be him giving them privacy not just from himself but also the readers.
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 4
Location
- Gatsby and Nick go out for lunch in New York and this is really the first time that we properly get to know Gatsby as it is away from his house and they are on neutral territory so it's easier to get to know him without either of them having the upper hand.
- Later on in the chapter, Nick is with Jordan Baker and this is when the whole reason for the story comes out and it's revealed that Gatsby is in love with Daisy.
Themes
The themes that run through this chapter is rumour, scandal and affair. The theme of 'unhappy marriages' is brought in again when Nick speaks with Jordan and realises that Daisy was unhappy before she married Tom.
-Rumour and scandal is brought in when Nick and Gatsby are out for lunch and Nick and Gatsby bump into a man called Mr Wolfshiem who seems to be a bit of a shady character. It's peculiar that Gatsby should know such a man who turns out to be a gambler. Mr Wolfshiem talks about when his friend Rosy Rosenthal was shot and killed while they were gambling, it seems all a bit suspicious. This suspicion then grows when he talks about the men that were electrocuted and then follows this with 'I understand you're looking for a business gonnegation.' This confirms the thoughts that this man is probably a criminal and not of high society. The interesting thing is when Gatsby replies for Nick saying 'Oh, no, this isn't the man.' This makes it sound as if Gatsby has employed this man to do some work for him. This is surprising of Gatsby as we don't actually know how he got his fortunes so it puts a doubt in our mind that he's made his money legally. Maybe Gatsby isn't the high class man that we first thought him to be.
-Affair is introduced when Nick goes to meet Jordan and it turns out that actually, Gatsby isn't who we thought he was. He's actually in love with Daisy and has created his whole persona around his love for her and to make himself good enough for her. His house positioning isn't even a coincidence that he lives opposite her, he did this on purpose. Gatsby spoke to Jordan so that she could speak to Nick, who is Daisy's cousin, to invite her to his house so that Gatsby can 'bump' into Daisy and she can see his fortune.
Characters
- This chapter shows Gatsby's character for who he really is. He says that his family is from the Middle West and when Nick questions the exact location he answers with San Francisco which is actually on the coast and so it shows that he's actually lying but Nick doesn't mention that he knows he's lying. He tells Nick that all his family died and so that is how he came in to a lot of money but knowing that he has already lied, we as readers are reluctant to believe him. It's later shown to be less than likely when Gatsby seems to be quite good friends with a criminal and actually employing him to be doing criminal activities which makes the reader unsure about the legitimacy of his money. Later, when they are in the restaurant, Nick bumps in to Tom and Nick goes to introduce Tom and Gatsby but when he turns around, Gatsby is gone. It seems as if Gatsby didn't want to be introduced to Tom which is later confirmed. It turns out that years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love but it was easier for Daisy to marry someone with wealth rather than someone like Gatsby who didn't. So, over the time that Daisy has been married to Tom, Gatsby has been making his money through probable criminal means and bringing himself in to high society so that he feels he can be good enough for Daisy and be able to support her. Every party that he has hosted has been in attempt to lure Daisy to his house so that they can meet again but she never came so Gatsby wants Nick to invite her to his house so that there can be a chance meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.
- Nick seems to be a bit of a unreliable narrator in this chapter as in one moment, he goes from having lunch with Gatsby and bumping in to Tom, to then Jordan explaining everything to Nick about what Gatsby's real intentions are. He's actually in love with Daisy and wants Nick to reintroduce them. You have to pay close attention because Gatsby mentions that Jordan and Nick are meant to be meeting up after their meeting and that is how the time jump doesn't confuse us. This reiterates to us that we are only getting the information that Nick is choosing to give us.
- Jordan is shown to be a good friend in this chapter is it's shown that she doesn't believe Daisy to be particularly happy and so she wants to help her friend by introducing her to the love of her life again. She says 'Daisy ought to have something in her life' and if right now, her life is slightly lifeless. Up until now, she has been shown to be quite emotionless and very guarded but this is the first time that she's shown to be doing something for her friend because she actually cares about her. It's shown that actually, their friendship isn't fake but they care about each other as maybe was first thought.
Narrative Elements Structure
- Each paragraph starts with a time-phrase as if to quickly move the story along
- Jordan's flashback is narrated through her rather than Nick
- Gatsby and Nick go out for lunch in New York and this is really the first time that we properly get to know Gatsby as it is away from his house and they are on neutral territory so it's easier to get to know him without either of them having the upper hand.
- Later on in the chapter, Nick is with Jordan Baker and this is when the whole reason for the story comes out and it's revealed that Gatsby is in love with Daisy.
Themes
The themes that run through this chapter is rumour, scandal and affair. The theme of 'unhappy marriages' is brought in again when Nick speaks with Jordan and realises that Daisy was unhappy before she married Tom.
-Rumour and scandal is brought in when Nick and Gatsby are out for lunch and Nick and Gatsby bump into a man called Mr Wolfshiem who seems to be a bit of a shady character. It's peculiar that Gatsby should know such a man who turns out to be a gambler. Mr Wolfshiem talks about when his friend Rosy Rosenthal was shot and killed while they were gambling, it seems all a bit suspicious. This suspicion then grows when he talks about the men that were electrocuted and then follows this with 'I understand you're looking for a business gonnegation.' This confirms the thoughts that this man is probably a criminal and not of high society. The interesting thing is when Gatsby replies for Nick saying 'Oh, no, this isn't the man.' This makes it sound as if Gatsby has employed this man to do some work for him. This is surprising of Gatsby as we don't actually know how he got his fortunes so it puts a doubt in our mind that he's made his money legally. Maybe Gatsby isn't the high class man that we first thought him to be.
-Affair is introduced when Nick goes to meet Jordan and it turns out that actually, Gatsby isn't who we thought he was. He's actually in love with Daisy and has created his whole persona around his love for her and to make himself good enough for her. His house positioning isn't even a coincidence that he lives opposite her, he did this on purpose. Gatsby spoke to Jordan so that she could speak to Nick, who is Daisy's cousin, to invite her to his house so that Gatsby can 'bump' into Daisy and she can see his fortune.
Characters
- This chapter shows Gatsby's character for who he really is. He says that his family is from the Middle West and when Nick questions the exact location he answers with San Francisco which is actually on the coast and so it shows that he's actually lying but Nick doesn't mention that he knows he's lying. He tells Nick that all his family died and so that is how he came in to a lot of money but knowing that he has already lied, we as readers are reluctant to believe him. It's later shown to be less than likely when Gatsby seems to be quite good friends with a criminal and actually employing him to be doing criminal activities which makes the reader unsure about the legitimacy of his money. Later, when they are in the restaurant, Nick bumps in to Tom and Nick goes to introduce Tom and Gatsby but when he turns around, Gatsby is gone. It seems as if Gatsby didn't want to be introduced to Tom which is later confirmed. It turns out that years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love but it was easier for Daisy to marry someone with wealth rather than someone like Gatsby who didn't. So, over the time that Daisy has been married to Tom, Gatsby has been making his money through probable criminal means and bringing himself in to high society so that he feels he can be good enough for Daisy and be able to support her. Every party that he has hosted has been in attempt to lure Daisy to his house so that they can meet again but she never came so Gatsby wants Nick to invite her to his house so that there can be a chance meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.
- Nick seems to be a bit of a unreliable narrator in this chapter as in one moment, he goes from having lunch with Gatsby and bumping in to Tom, to then Jordan explaining everything to Nick about what Gatsby's real intentions are. He's actually in love with Daisy and wants Nick to reintroduce them. You have to pay close attention because Gatsby mentions that Jordan and Nick are meant to be meeting up after their meeting and that is how the time jump doesn't confuse us. This reiterates to us that we are only getting the information that Nick is choosing to give us.
- Jordan is shown to be a good friend in this chapter is it's shown that she doesn't believe Daisy to be particularly happy and so she wants to help her friend by introducing her to the love of her life again. She says 'Daisy ought to have something in her life' and if right now, her life is slightly lifeless. Up until now, she has been shown to be quite emotionless and very guarded but this is the first time that she's shown to be doing something for her friend because she actually cares about her. It's shown that actually, their friendship isn't fake but they care about each other as maybe was first thought.
Narrative Elements Structure
- Each paragraph starts with a time-phrase as if to quickly move the story along
- Jordan's flashback is narrated through her rather than Nick
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 3
Location
- In this chapter, it is the first time that we actually get to see Gatsby's house. Nick tells us about it from the outside as he had never actually been apart of the famous parties that he had heard of. Finally he is invited and this is when we feel apart of the party. He is described to have 'blue gardens' which we assume means that he has a swimming pool and fountains which express wealth. Nick and Jordan find themselves in his library and meet a man who is actually surprised that it has real books in it, this describes his wealth. In chapter 1, Nick explains the two places, West and East Egg and find that East Egg is the more fashionable place to live so it's surprising that Gatsby has this amount of money but lives on the less wealthy side.
Themes
- There are themes of gossip, rumour, wealth and the characters being fake.
-Gossip is first introduced when he's told by a girl that someone 'told (her) they thought he killed a man once.' This shows how there are lots of obscure rumours about Gatsby and this adds to his mysteriousness as a character.
- This chapter focuses heavily on wealth as drinks such as champagne are drunk, all the men and woman are dressed smartly and a lot of descriptive language is used to describe the house to show the importance of wealth.
-Most of the character's are shown to be fake but none more so than Gatsby. It's as if he uses his house as a stage to create a show through the parties. This could also be connected to the title 'The Great Gatsby' as if he is a performer. At the end of the chapter, Nick say's 'I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known' which basically describes the society that he has grown up in and lived in throughout his life.
Characters
- The mysteriousness of Gatsby's character is first introduced as this is when we first meet him. Nick has been watching the parties and never actually been to one and they are famous parties so you would expect Gatsby to be an amazing host but when Nick actually gets invited to one, Gatsby is nowhere to be seen and when Nick finally meets him, he's still a bit vague apart from we know that he was in the war. This intrigues the reader to want to know more about him because we've already heard the rumours that are about him.
- We are further introduced to Jordan Baker who is a professional golfer. Her character is first introduced to in the first chapter when she is at Tom and Daisy's house for dinner. She doesn't seem to come across as a significant character in the first chapter but it seems in this chapter that she has been reintroduced for a particular reason and Nick seems to get to know her better. She is the only person that he knows at the party so he attaches himself to her because he doesn't want to look lonely. They end up spending the whole evening together and he say's 'I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity' so it shows that he's curious by her character and insinuates that she's going to be in more of the book.
- Nick reflects about what he has already written which, for the first time, summarises his thoughts. This gives us a clue to what he actually thought of his account. We are also told a little of his past and he tells us about a brief affair he had with a girl which tells us more about his character as a narrator.
Narrative Elements Imagery
- 'Blue gardens' is used to describe Gatsby's garden, it's never explained why it is described this way but we can only assume that it is filled with water with things such as fountains and swimming pools, this colour also gives a sense of tranquillity and calm.
- 'Men and girls' is used to describe the guests. These use of words is used purposely to explain the wealth. It gives the image that wealthy older men with what he describes as girls.
- He describes a woman as an 'angry diamond.' The context is that she's angry at her husband for talking to a younger woman. This perfectly describes the wealth of these people as she's described as something that is beautiful and incredibly expensive.
- In this chapter, it is the first time that we actually get to see Gatsby's house. Nick tells us about it from the outside as he had never actually been apart of the famous parties that he had heard of. Finally he is invited and this is when we feel apart of the party. He is described to have 'blue gardens' which we assume means that he has a swimming pool and fountains which express wealth. Nick and Jordan find themselves in his library and meet a man who is actually surprised that it has real books in it, this describes his wealth. In chapter 1, Nick explains the two places, West and East Egg and find that East Egg is the more fashionable place to live so it's surprising that Gatsby has this amount of money but lives on the less wealthy side.
Themes
- There are themes of gossip, rumour, wealth and the characters being fake.
-Gossip is first introduced when he's told by a girl that someone 'told (her) they thought he killed a man once.' This shows how there are lots of obscure rumours about Gatsby and this adds to his mysteriousness as a character.
- This chapter focuses heavily on wealth as drinks such as champagne are drunk, all the men and woman are dressed smartly and a lot of descriptive language is used to describe the house to show the importance of wealth.
-Most of the character's are shown to be fake but none more so than Gatsby. It's as if he uses his house as a stage to create a show through the parties. This could also be connected to the title 'The Great Gatsby' as if he is a performer. At the end of the chapter, Nick say's 'I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known' which basically describes the society that he has grown up in and lived in throughout his life.
Characters
- The mysteriousness of Gatsby's character is first introduced as this is when we first meet him. Nick has been watching the parties and never actually been to one and they are famous parties so you would expect Gatsby to be an amazing host but when Nick actually gets invited to one, Gatsby is nowhere to be seen and when Nick finally meets him, he's still a bit vague apart from we know that he was in the war. This intrigues the reader to want to know more about him because we've already heard the rumours that are about him.
- We are further introduced to Jordan Baker who is a professional golfer. Her character is first introduced to in the first chapter when she is at Tom and Daisy's house for dinner. She doesn't seem to come across as a significant character in the first chapter but it seems in this chapter that she has been reintroduced for a particular reason and Nick seems to get to know her better. She is the only person that he knows at the party so he attaches himself to her because he doesn't want to look lonely. They end up spending the whole evening together and he say's 'I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity' so it shows that he's curious by her character and insinuates that she's going to be in more of the book.
- Nick reflects about what he has already written which, for the first time, summarises his thoughts. This gives us a clue to what he actually thought of his account. We are also told a little of his past and he tells us about a brief affair he had with a girl which tells us more about his character as a narrator.
Narrative Elements Imagery
- 'Blue gardens' is used to describe Gatsby's garden, it's never explained why it is described this way but we can only assume that it is filled with water with things such as fountains and swimming pools, this colour also gives a sense of tranquillity and calm.
- 'Men and girls' is used to describe the guests. These use of words is used purposely to explain the wealth. It gives the image that wealthy older men with what he describes as girls.
- He describes a woman as an 'angry diamond.' The context is that she's angry at her husband for talking to a younger woman. This perfectly describes the wealth of these people as she's described as something that is beautiful and incredibly expensive.
Monday, 26 November 2012
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 2
Location
Themes
- The theme's of deception, status, wealth, class and control. The theme of 'unhappy marriages' is carried from the first chapter into the second and shows a parallel between Tom and Daisy and Mr Wilson and Myrtle .
Characters
- This is the first time that we feel that Nick is an unreliable narrator as it is only the second time in his life that he has been drunk. Therefore we are unsure whether the information that he is giving us is not only reliable but whether it is all of the information because there could be holes missing in it, for example 'It was nine o'clock - almost immediately afterward I looked at my watch and found it was ten.' This chapter is more biased than the other but seems to be more observational rather than judging the situation. This chapter uses a multi-voice narrator as the voice seems to switch between Mr Wilson, Tom, Myrtle, Catherine and the McKee's.
- In chapter 1, no judgement is made by Nick on Tom's affair. Finally, when the reader almost expects some kind of judgement, Nick still doesn't really make one. We, as a reader, would expect for Nick to find what Tom is doing to Daisy disgusting and immoral and yet it seems that Nick has no opinion at all.
- Tom's character is developed as he seems almost giddy to show Myrtle off to Nick. It seems that he has no respect for Daisy either as not only is Nick a good friend of Daisy's but he is also a blood relative. He doesn't think about putting Nick in an awkward position either and this can come across to the reader as quite selfish. His need for control is also highlighted as he only really has physical control and clearly feels uncomfortable if he doesn't have it. A distorted sense of loyalty is shown as a trait in Tom as even though he is betraying Daisy, he still can't handle the thought of Myrtle disrespecting her and so defends Daisy.
Narrative Elements Imagery
-Imagery is used in the New York flat to disguise the lack of wealth that Myrtle holds. She tries to do this by buying lots of expensive things but the imagery that is given makes it seem almost tacky. This shows us the background of Myrtle and how she has no taste because she has been brought up on no money and so when she is furnishing a flat, she just throws money at it rather than taste. This gives a contrast to each of Tom's lives.
- There is a location shift as Nick goes to the
'Valley of Ashes.' This is where Mr Wilson and Myrtle live and it creates a
complete contrast to the wealth that we have already seen. This is where the
billboard of 'Doctor T.J Eckleburg' is first introduced. This is a recurring
motif in the novel. Nick seems to pay particular attention to this advert for
glasses and it's written as if his eyes are looking down on them as a godlike
figure. Other locations include the train station and then New York. I think that
New York is particularly important because this is where you see Tom's other
life and how Myrtle tries to fit in with the upper class. Nick pays close
attention to when she decides that she wants one of the dogs and so she asks
Tom to buy her one. This shows that she wants people to think that money is no
object and therefore, faking to be wealthy.
Themes
- The theme's of deception, status, wealth, class and control. The theme of 'unhappy marriages' is carried from the first chapter into the second and shows a parallel between Tom and Daisy and Mr Wilson and Myrtle .
Deception: Tom and
Myrtle deceive Mr Wilson because they are both having an affair but even though
Tom doesn't seem to mind that Daisy knows, they try to keep it a secret from Mr
Wilson. This could possibly highlight the difference between gender.
-Status, Wealth and Class: Status
and class is shown heavily at the beginning of this chapter when Mr Wilson is
introduced to us briefly. Tom is a lot more upper class and Mr Wilson is more
working class and it isn't specified why but Tom treats him with no respect.
This could be because of the class division or it could be the guilt from
having an affair with his wife. Wealth is shown in New York when Myrtle is
actually shown to appreciate it more because she hasn't got wealth
but she has furnished the flat and therefore has made it sound almost tacky-
this shows not only the class divide but also the contrast in taste between
Myrtle and Daisy who is shown to have taste in the first chapter in Tom and
Daisy's home in East Egg. This is
highlighted mostly through Tom's character because when Myrtle keeps saying
Daisy's name, he believes that he has 'lost' control and the only way that he
feels he can gain it back is by physically gaining it back and so breaks her
nose.
Characters
- This is the first time that we feel that Nick is an unreliable narrator as it is only the second time in his life that he has been drunk. Therefore we are unsure whether the information that he is giving us is not only reliable but whether it is all of the information because there could be holes missing in it, for example 'It was nine o'clock - almost immediately afterward I looked at my watch and found it was ten.' This chapter is more biased than the other but seems to be more observational rather than judging the situation. This chapter uses a multi-voice narrator as the voice seems to switch between Mr Wilson, Tom, Myrtle, Catherine and the McKee's.
- In chapter 1, no judgement is made by Nick on Tom's affair. Finally, when the reader almost expects some kind of judgement, Nick still doesn't really make one. We, as a reader, would expect for Nick to find what Tom is doing to Daisy disgusting and immoral and yet it seems that Nick has no opinion at all.
- Tom's character is developed as he seems almost giddy to show Myrtle off to Nick. It seems that he has no respect for Daisy either as not only is Nick a good friend of Daisy's but he is also a blood relative. He doesn't think about putting Nick in an awkward position either and this can come across to the reader as quite selfish. His need for control is also highlighted as he only really has physical control and clearly feels uncomfortable if he doesn't have it. A distorted sense of loyalty is shown as a trait in Tom as even though he is betraying Daisy, he still can't handle the thought of Myrtle disrespecting her and so defends Daisy.
Narrative Elements Imagery
-Imagery is used in the New York flat to disguise the lack of wealth that Myrtle holds. She tries to do this by buying lots of expensive things but the imagery that is given makes it seem almost tacky. This shows us the background of Myrtle and how she has no taste because she has been brought up on no money and so when she is furnishing a flat, she just throws money at it rather than taste. This gives a contrast to each of Tom's lives.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
The Great Gatsby- Chapter 1
Title
-The title 'The Great Gatsby' seems to be a reference to the names of people within circus shows that usually are called for example '.... the great'. This suggests that 'Gatsby' is the name of someone and Fitzgerald is already implying that this character is a kind of performer, using his talents to entertain his audiences. It is perhaps also a reference to a more sinister kind of performance, suggesting that 'Gatsby' is superficial, playing a role within his society. However, the adjective 'great' has connotations of someone who has achieved good things, that Fitzgerald perhaps holds this character in high esteem. This immediately suggests that while this character is someone who possibly plays a part to entertain, he still has some kind of respect and dignity. It is important for this to be the title as it introduces the significance of 'Gatsby' and the high opinion that Nick, the narrator, has for him which creates bias from the beginning.
Location
- The first chapter in 'The Great Gatsby' opens with a description of the area that he lives in and surrounds it. He describes two places, 'West Egg' and 'East Egg', which are in the physical shape of an egg, suggesting that these places are to some extent quite similar. However, although these places are physically symmetrical, they differ when it comes to social class. While 'West Egg' is 'the less fashionable of the two' while 'across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water.' This demonstrates that although superficially they seem to be similar, in actual they are very different in terms of social class as 'West Egg' contains middle class people, 'East Egg' is home to old money, the upper class and established. Nick also makes a direct comparison between both his and Gatsby's house. He describes Gatsby's house as 'a colossal affair' while his was 'a small eyesore' , suggesting that Gatsby is extravagant. This to some extent causes some suspicion of Gatsby as if he is wealthy as Nick describes him as a 'millionaire' then we begin to question why he is living in 'West Egg'. However, Nick doesn't seem to be jealous, in fact he considers himself to 'have a view of the water... all for eighty dollars a month', implying that he feels lucky and arguably grateful for living within close proximity to the rich as it makes him feel apart of something, while still living on the outside of it as he is poor compared to them.
-Nick then visits 'West Egg' which the more fashionable side and describes their house 'glowing...with reflected gold' which represents the wealth of Tom Buchanan.
Themes
-There is a consistent theme of 'unhappy marriages' which Fitzgerald introduces through Tom Buchanan who is cheating on his wife Daisy. By Tom doing little to conceal his affair, it reinforces our opinion that while he is rich and takes for granted his wealth, he also takes for granted his wife. This demonstrates the little amount of respect that he has for his wife and perhaps is a wider representation of his expectation to be able to control and have power over people, his money and everything that is around him.
-The theme of 'gossip' is introduced by Daisy and Tom when they ask Nick if he was 'engaged to a girl out West.' Daisy seems to be surprised by his denial of it being true as she says 'but we heard it... we heard it from three people, so it must be true.' This suggests that they live in a society where there is much rumour and gossip, which perhaps fuels things which aren't always the truth and later leads to the downfall of many of the characters. Tom says to Nick 'don't believe everything you hear.' This shows it to be significant as many of the characters believe what they want to rather than what is true.
- There is a mood change and thing's start to become sort of dreamy. This is shown through his specific use of language such as 'rippling and fluttering' and 'ballooned slowly to the floor' This could be a reference to the wealthy being constantly in a dream like state, suggesting that their lives are a fantasy rather than reality. However, this slows the pace of the novel which contradicts Tom, Daisy's and Jordan's fast lifestyle, suggesting that it is a type of performance for Nick's benefit.
Characters
Nick
- We are given an insight into Nick's family background, who is the narrator of the novel. Fitzgerald opens the novel with a piece of advice that Nick's father gave him. This signifies the important of this to the book as a reader we will be constantly viewing the events that occur through this advice. The advice is that 'whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.' This implies that Nick himself is from a wealthy background, however it allows the reader to have an expectation of Nick to reserve many of his judgements as he determines this to be of importance to not only his life, but also the novel. This implies that Nick will be an unbiased observer to the characters and what occurs. The Great War is then mentioned which gives us a era and context of 'the roaring' 1920's. This means that it was also set during the Prohibition in America which was when alcohol was made illegal which meant that there were lot's of opportunities for people to sell alcohol illegally as it was rare and hard to come buy, creating a black market for it. This meant that while for generations there had been little to no social mobility as much wealth was passed down through families and there were no opportunities for poor families to gain wealth, meaning that it was only established names that were in the upper classes. This is how the term 'old money' was coined during the Prohibition. There was all of a sudden an opportunity for people to become wealthy, however because much of it was gained through illegal means, many of the people who had 'new money' were labelled as criminals and therefore found it hard to penetrate the upper classes. During this time there was much social unrest which meant that many of the established wealth segregated themselves from the new money as they were suspicious and nervous that they would lose their position of status in society, therefore looking to humiliate many of the 'bootleggers'.
- Nick is also characterized to not have much ambition as it seems that he just falls into bonds which is just what everyone else is doing and he's just going along with the crowd. He develops himself into an observational character throughout the novel which shows that he cares and has little ambition for his own life but that he is heavily interested in watching others.
Tom and Daisy
- He goes on to introduce 'two old friends who (he) scarcely knew at all' which contradict each other as it is expected that if you are old friends, you tended to know them pretty well as this is usually what keeps a friendship going, otherwise it is likely to die out. This could describe that shallowness that surrounds wealth. He describes his friend Tom as 'powerful' and 'arrogant' which almost hints that something will later occurs to make him hate Tom as it is possible these weren't his first views of Tom but in fact it has been coloured by an incident that has happened. There was also much social unrest in terms of the 1920's being coined the 'jazz age' by Fitzgerald. Jazz originated from African Americans, meaning that there was less segregation between black people and white people. However, because there had been segregation for so long, many upper class white people felt threatened by jazz's popularity which is why Tom says 'if we don't look out the white race will be...utterly submerged... it's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.'
-Daisy is introduced as a girl who had 'an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget', suggesting that she is quite a flirtatious character which was much more common as it was the era of the flapper girls. She's perceived to be quite playful and doesn't take herself seriously but like Tom, she takes her wealth for granted. The way that Nick says 'And so it happened' makes it seem that this is the real beginning to the story.
Gatsby - The second character that is introduced to us is Gatsby 'who represented everything for which (he has) an unaffected scorn.' This contradicts the opening advice that his father gave him at the beginning about placing no judgements on people. However, Fitzgerald words this by saying that he only 'represents' what he despises, rather than being an individual who he hates, suggesting that he does in fact actually like Gatsby.
Jordan
Narrative Elements Imagery
- The narrator uses a lot of imagery to describe the amount of wealth that his friend, Tom, has. He uses phrases such as 'gleaming white', 'fresh grass', 'frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling' and wine-coloured rug'. These words are used to create an image in the readers mind of the wealth that is shown throughout the house.
-The title 'The Great Gatsby' seems to be a reference to the names of people within circus shows that usually are called for example '.... the great'. This suggests that 'Gatsby' is the name of someone and Fitzgerald is already implying that this character is a kind of performer, using his talents to entertain his audiences. It is perhaps also a reference to a more sinister kind of performance, suggesting that 'Gatsby' is superficial, playing a role within his society. However, the adjective 'great' has connotations of someone who has achieved good things, that Fitzgerald perhaps holds this character in high esteem. This immediately suggests that while this character is someone who possibly plays a part to entertain, he still has some kind of respect and dignity. It is important for this to be the title as it introduces the significance of 'Gatsby' and the high opinion that Nick, the narrator, has for him which creates bias from the beginning.
Location
- The first chapter in 'The Great Gatsby' opens with a description of the area that he lives in and surrounds it. He describes two places, 'West Egg' and 'East Egg', which are in the physical shape of an egg, suggesting that these places are to some extent quite similar. However, although these places are physically symmetrical, they differ when it comes to social class. While 'West Egg' is 'the less fashionable of the two' while 'across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water.' This demonstrates that although superficially they seem to be similar, in actual they are very different in terms of social class as 'West Egg' contains middle class people, 'East Egg' is home to old money, the upper class and established. Nick also makes a direct comparison between both his and Gatsby's house. He describes Gatsby's house as 'a colossal affair' while his was 'a small eyesore' , suggesting that Gatsby is extravagant. This to some extent causes some suspicion of Gatsby as if he is wealthy as Nick describes him as a 'millionaire' then we begin to question why he is living in 'West Egg'. However, Nick doesn't seem to be jealous, in fact he considers himself to 'have a view of the water... all for eighty dollars a month', implying that he feels lucky and arguably grateful for living within close proximity to the rich as it makes him feel apart of something, while still living on the outside of it as he is poor compared to them.
-Nick then visits 'West Egg' which the more fashionable side and describes their house 'glowing...with reflected gold' which represents the wealth of Tom Buchanan.
Themes
-There is a consistent theme of 'unhappy marriages' which Fitzgerald introduces through Tom Buchanan who is cheating on his wife Daisy. By Tom doing little to conceal his affair, it reinforces our opinion that while he is rich and takes for granted his wealth, he also takes for granted his wife. This demonstrates the little amount of respect that he has for his wife and perhaps is a wider representation of his expectation to be able to control and have power over people, his money and everything that is around him.
-The theme of 'gossip' is introduced by Daisy and Tom when they ask Nick if he was 'engaged to a girl out West.' Daisy seems to be surprised by his denial of it being true as she says 'but we heard it... we heard it from three people, so it must be true.' This suggests that they live in a society where there is much rumour and gossip, which perhaps fuels things which aren't always the truth and later leads to the downfall of many of the characters. Tom says to Nick 'don't believe everything you hear.' This shows it to be significant as many of the characters believe what they want to rather than what is true.
- There is a mood change and thing's start to become sort of dreamy. This is shown through his specific use of language such as 'rippling and fluttering' and 'ballooned slowly to the floor' This could be a reference to the wealthy being constantly in a dream like state, suggesting that their lives are a fantasy rather than reality. However, this slows the pace of the novel which contradicts Tom, Daisy's and Jordan's fast lifestyle, suggesting that it is a type of performance for Nick's benefit.
Characters
Nick
- We are given an insight into Nick's family background, who is the narrator of the novel. Fitzgerald opens the novel with a piece of advice that Nick's father gave him. This signifies the important of this to the book as a reader we will be constantly viewing the events that occur through this advice. The advice is that 'whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.' This implies that Nick himself is from a wealthy background, however it allows the reader to have an expectation of Nick to reserve many of his judgements as he determines this to be of importance to not only his life, but also the novel. This implies that Nick will be an unbiased observer to the characters and what occurs. The Great War is then mentioned which gives us a era and context of 'the roaring' 1920's. This means that it was also set during the Prohibition in America which was when alcohol was made illegal which meant that there were lot's of opportunities for people to sell alcohol illegally as it was rare and hard to come buy, creating a black market for it. This meant that while for generations there had been little to no social mobility as much wealth was passed down through families and there were no opportunities for poor families to gain wealth, meaning that it was only established names that were in the upper classes. This is how the term 'old money' was coined during the Prohibition. There was all of a sudden an opportunity for people to become wealthy, however because much of it was gained through illegal means, many of the people who had 'new money' were labelled as criminals and therefore found it hard to penetrate the upper classes. During this time there was much social unrest which meant that many of the established wealth segregated themselves from the new money as they were suspicious and nervous that they would lose their position of status in society, therefore looking to humiliate many of the 'bootleggers'.
- Nick is also characterized to not have much ambition as it seems that he just falls into bonds which is just what everyone else is doing and he's just going along with the crowd. He develops himself into an observational character throughout the novel which shows that he cares and has little ambition for his own life but that he is heavily interested in watching others.
Tom and Daisy
- He goes on to introduce 'two old friends who (he) scarcely knew at all' which contradict each other as it is expected that if you are old friends, you tended to know them pretty well as this is usually what keeps a friendship going, otherwise it is likely to die out. This could describe that shallowness that surrounds wealth. He describes his friend Tom as 'powerful' and 'arrogant' which almost hints that something will later occurs to make him hate Tom as it is possible these weren't his first views of Tom but in fact it has been coloured by an incident that has happened. There was also much social unrest in terms of the 1920's being coined the 'jazz age' by Fitzgerald. Jazz originated from African Americans, meaning that there was less segregation between black people and white people. However, because there had been segregation for so long, many upper class white people felt threatened by jazz's popularity which is why Tom says 'if we don't look out the white race will be...utterly submerged... it's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.'
-Daisy is introduced as a girl who had 'an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget', suggesting that she is quite a flirtatious character which was much more common as it was the era of the flapper girls. She's perceived to be quite playful and doesn't take herself seriously but like Tom, she takes her wealth for granted. The way that Nick says 'And so it happened' makes it seem that this is the real beginning to the story.
- Daisy mentions 'the baby' as if she is insignificant. Fitzgerald does this by throwing the sentence 'you ought to see the baby' in amongst other things that aren't really connected. This actually draws the reader to this sentence and makes us think that maybe there is more to the baby then is first mentioned as it seems to be a touchy subject because as soon as
Daisy mentions her, Tom then cuts her off and changes the subject.Gatsby - The second character that is introduced to us is Gatsby 'who represented everything for which (he has) an unaffected scorn.' This contradicts the opening advice that his father gave him at the beginning about placing no judgements on people. However, Fitzgerald words this by saying that he only 'represents' what he despises, rather than being an individual who he hates, suggesting that he does in fact actually like Gatsby.
Jordan
- Jordan can be seen as a representation of the 'flapper' girl was a prominent figure in the 1920's. They were girls that started to rebel and deviate against traditional stereotypes of women and therefore wore shorter skirts which was seen as scandalous. This was because many of the young men died in the war, making many women spinsters for the rest of their lives. With this information, it meant that the traditional roles of mother and wife were no longer likely for them so they made a conscious decision to deviate from their roles and become more stereotypically masculine. They did this by cutting their hair short, smoking and driving their cars fast which are many of the attributes of Jordan Baker.
-Nick also passes judgement by describing Mrs Baker as 'balancing something on it (her chin) which was quite likely to fall.' While Nick explains that his tolerance has a limit, it seems as though this would be based upon something terrible that someone did, however this judgement of Jordan seems to be superficial as it is his first impression rather than getting to know her before casting a judgement.
-Nick also passes judgement by describing Mrs Baker as 'balancing something on it (her chin) which was quite likely to fall.' While Nick explains that his tolerance has a limit, it seems as though this would be based upon something terrible that someone did, however this judgement of Jordan seems to be superficial as it is his first impression rather than getting to know her before casting a judgement.
Narrative Elements Imagery
- The narrator uses a lot of imagery to describe the amount of wealth that his friend, Tom, has. He uses phrases such as 'gleaming white', 'fresh grass', 'frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling' and wine-coloured rug'. These words are used to create an image in the readers mind of the wealth that is shown throughout the house.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
The Pied Piper of Hamlin- Lines 135- 200
Browning cleverly uses story telling techniques in 'The Pied Piper of Hamlin' such as not telling us the narrator til the end. It is written in third person but throughout the poem we are unaware of who the real narrator is as it is swapped between characters such as the Mayor, the Pied Piper and also the rats. This creates an unbiased account of the story so allows the reader to make their up their own opinion to who they believe is the right or the wrong. Personification is used to personify the rats such as 'Oh rat's, rejoice!' This means that the reader finds it easier to relate with the character. This also gives a comical twist as it's unexpected to hear the rats point of view.
The attitude of the poem dramatically changes from happiness that their town is saved to anger from the Pied Piper that the Mayor made a promise to pay him a 'thousand guilders' but he thinks that he has out smarted the Pied Piper because he has already saved the town and he can't bring the rats back to life so he doesn't pay him. The Pied Piper see's this as betrayal and seeks revenge on the town. He does this by killing the children in the town. 'Small feet were pattering.' This changes the tone of the poem into one that is dark as we start to understand his intentions of killing the innocent children for the Mayor's mistake.
The poem is written as if it is almost a fable and gives the reader a moral at the end of the poem. It is also told as a tale of the town that haunts it. The tale sounds well practiced was 'five hundred years ago' that the story begins.
Internal rhyme is used in the lines 139, 'So munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon.' This is used by the rat to describe how the rats will live on! However no specific rhyme pattern is used through the poem.
The poem splits the readers into taking sides. One reader may feel sorry for the Pied Piper because he tried to help the town and in return they betrayed him but on the other hand, the reader may hate him because he exaggerated the betrayal and ended up killing lots of innocent lives instead of killing the man that was actually accountable.
The attitude of the poem dramatically changes from happiness that their town is saved to anger from the Pied Piper that the Mayor made a promise to pay him a 'thousand guilders' but he thinks that he has out smarted the Pied Piper because he has already saved the town and he can't bring the rats back to life so he doesn't pay him. The Pied Piper see's this as betrayal and seeks revenge on the town. He does this by killing the children in the town. 'Small feet were pattering.' This changes the tone of the poem into one that is dark as we start to understand his intentions of killing the innocent children for the Mayor's mistake.
The poem is written as if it is almost a fable and gives the reader a moral at the end of the poem. It is also told as a tale of the town that haunts it. The tale sounds well practiced was 'five hundred years ago' that the story begins.
Internal rhyme is used in the lines 139, 'So munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon.' This is used by the rat to describe how the rats will live on! However no specific rhyme pattern is used through the poem.
The poem splits the readers into taking sides. One reader may feel sorry for the Pied Piper because he tried to help the town and in return they betrayed him but on the other hand, the reader may hate him because he exaggerated the betrayal and ended up killing lots of innocent lives instead of killing the man that was actually accountable.
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Porphyria's Lover
Robert Browning’s ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is written in first
person and structure of the poem is in Iambic Tetrameter. It's also been written in past tense. I think that it being written in past tense is vital to
this poem as it feels as if it’s being told like a story and it then doesn't finally catch up into present tense until the end, where he says ‘And thus we
sit together now’ This could be disturbing for the reader as it’s now not only
a story, it’s now become the reality. At the beginning, Browning personifies the
weather such as the ‘wind was soon awake’ purposely as if to sound like
everything is waiting for Porphyria. A line that I think is important to the
story is ‘She shut the cold out and the storm’. The reason for this is because
it’s as if she gives him security and everything is chaotic until she finally
arrives and sets everything calm. He sounds as if he’s insecure about her love
until ‘At last (he) knew Porphyria worshipp’d (him).’ At this point, this is
when the story takes a turn that isn’t expected as it firsts comes across as a
love story until he ‘strangled her.’ This comes just after he realised she
loves him and so gives the impression that because he finally knows this, he
has to keep the moment and by doing that, all he can think of doing is killing
her. He can be seen to be a romantic killer. He also describes her hair as ‘yellow’
and ‘string’ which is used to describe as rope. It’s almost as if he doesn't want to glorify her hair because it’s what killed her. He says that ‘(He is)
quite sure she felt no pain’ which highlights that he did this because he loves
her but it also sounds as if he is trying to assure himself.
The way that he
still describes her as alive after she has been killed suggests that he doesn't really want to believe that he’s killed her but that he’s just put her to sleep
for a while, this is shown in the line ‘The smiling little rosy head.’ She is
given life like features. In the final line, he decides to bring religion into
it by saying ‘And yet God has not said a word!’ As if to say that now he has
sinned, he expected to get his consequences but God has been silent. It sounds
as if he almost wants these consequences for what he has done. It’s not specified who the poem is
written in the point of view of, the only evidence we have is the title, it
could either be written from the point of view of the lover or the husband. The
use of the word ‘Lover’ suggests that this is an affair and the setting is
described as if it’s a small cabin which shows that they’re sneaking around
which adds to the suspicion.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
When I woke up, the knife was still there
What I find the most interesting about this short story, is the vagueness of it.It allows the reader to discover and create the story. It's insinuated that the knife was used as some kind of weapon but it's been left uncertain whether this is a physical or metaphorical use of the knife. It could be a metaphor for being stabbed in the back or it could be the literal sense of being stabbed. The shortness of the story challenges the reader because it's not the traditional structure of a short story and leaves them with more questions than answers. The way 'the knife' was written sounds as if it's a specific knife rather than any knife, this makes it key to the story. The use of the word 'still' creates the sense that the narrator is surprised that it's still there, as if it should have been removed, which suggests it shouldn't be there so therefore makes it suspicious. They use 'I', which makes the story sound personal to the narrator, which makes it more personal to the reader.
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