StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Reading Reflection - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Name of the Student Sociology Name of the Concerned Professor 2 July 2012 The Great Gatsby- Reading Reflection The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald is indeed a contemporary American Classic. However, many a times people commit the mistake of mistaking the character of Gatsby to be a prototype for the pursuance of what is quintessentially called the American Dream…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
Reading Reflection
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Reading Reflection"

Download file to see previous pages

Indeed, Gatsby is able to reinvent himself as an epitome of affluence and a typical American success story. However, the self reinvention secured by Gatsby is lacking in substance and integrity and he comes out as a love sick young lad who manages to somehow accumulate the patina of the great American dream, managing to shimmer monetarily on the surface of the social scene of the New York of the 20s, and then fading away unsung and least mourned. If evaluated within the scope of reinvention in the light of the American dream, the self reinvention wrought out by Gatsby comes out as being merely skin deep.

It is an irony that the popular notions regarding the American Dream mostly tend to hover around pecuniary considerations, while in reality; American Dream is a concept that is too substantial in its scope and ramifications. In the light of this fact, Class does play an important role in the life of Gatsby, especially more so in his early life, when being an ordinary boy from a humble background; he falls in love with Daisy, a girl endowed with means and status. The tragedy of Gatsby was that instead of building his reinvention on integrity and substance, he chooses to opt for the easy way out, to seek a short cut promising an easy and early class shift.

In that context the reinvention of Gatsby needs to be analyzed in the light of the times he is placed that is the early 20s. That era was an era of affluence when the social barriers and considerations had become quiet lax (Gross & Gross 23). Besides, the accompanying prohibition offered an easy chance to any daring and willing young man to be a millionaire through shady means. Placed amongst such times, Gatsby, a poor, hurt and dropped young man gets attracted to an idea of reinvention that happened to be purely materialistic, exhibitionist and questionable with regards to the means that it adhered to, to emerge as a success.

The other thing that needs to be noticed regarding the reinvention of Gatsby is that till the very end he is evasive of his humble family background. No doubt, Gatsby affiliated to a poor family. In the light of this fact Daisy emerged in his life not only as an object of love, but also as symbol of affluence, status and riches, a kind of life that in a way mocked the humble family background of Gatsby (Bloom 140). Placed in such circumstances it was but quiet natural for a young man to evade his family background out of shame, to enamor his love with pretentions of richness and plenty out of passion, and to aspire to be rich out a belief in one’s potential and sense of daring.

Yet, the war spoiled Gatsby’s chances with Daisy and stung by it he somehow felt that it was his humble background and limited means that were really responsible for this. So the young man somehow prepared himself to vehemently reinvent himself to appropriate all that the society of his times associated with status and class. The actual talent and potential of Gatsby eventually gets lost in the din of popular aspirations and pretentions as the writer reveals, “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself.

… So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful till the end (Fitzgerald Chapter 6).”

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2”, n.d.)
Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1400548-reading-reflection
(Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 2)
Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 2. https://studentshare.org/other/1400548-reading-reflection.
“Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 2”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1400548-reading-reflection.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Reading Reflection

Reading reflection week 5

Reading Reflection Date Reading Reflection Introduction The week's readings Do you suffer from decision fatigue by Tierney and Why your brain can't always make good decisions by 2009 were really thought-provoking.... This paper is a reflection on the two readings listed above.... After reading Do you suffer from decision fatigue I found the idea that glucose depletion leads to deterioration of the willpower in decision-making process new to me....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Reading reflection 3

reflection in the “Images of Women” by Bailey We live in modern times wherein women are supposedly viewed as the equal of men in every single way.... reflection on Kimmel's “Masculinity as Homophobia” When one hears the term “masculinity”, images of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone, the like come to mind.... After reading the essay of Kimmel, I have come to understand that...
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Reading reflection 4

?? Early youth had truly been difficult for Rios whose risk-filled life was lived on the edge at a poor and violent… Through his account of past encounters with crime, violence, drugs, and the corresponding punishment by law, Rios seems to have conveyed the unseen truths behind the issue of delinquencies among the youth of color and the manner by which these are being reflection on “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys” by V.... Complete Name:Course:Title: reflection on “Chapter 2 – Images of Women” Analyzing what the reading chapter communicates regarding ‘Images of Women', I do find it quite reasonable to establish agreement on points which support the principle that the prevailing notion on the inferiority of woman, which dates back to ancient myths, ought to be eradicated totally for the sake of relieving discourse on gender inequality, especially in reference to stereotypes....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Reading reflection 6

This misconduct mostly cases involve Blacks, Latinos and other minority groups.... Racism, xenophobia, and concerns about undocumented immigration collectively lead to law enforcement… Incidences by law enforcement agencies include harassment, racial profiling, and brutal acts.... All around the country police departments have hit the news headlines for mistreating minority groups....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Reading reflection 9

By reflecting deeper into the lessons contained in the reading, I denote that wrongful convictions are an aspect of… Reflecting deeper on the readings, I denote that it is always difficult to overturn cases that involve miscarriage of justice.... By reflecting deeper into the lessons contained in the reading, I denote that wrongful convictions are an aspect of miscarriage of justice.... My interest in the reading made me to research on a case that involved a person who was wrongfully convicted, and thereafter released....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

March Deaf Reading/Reflection #1

The move by the board of trustees at Gallaudet University to select a hearing March Deaf Reading/reflection In my opinion, the Deaf President Now protest was a time bomb that had been waiting to explode for quite a long time.... The protests brought to light a new reality that the disabled among us were not prepared to be sat on anymore....
1 Pages (250 words) Coursework

Book reading reflection

In her book, it is clear that there are conflicting worlds in which some of the characters fear dealing… As the main characters are introduced in the book, it is clear from their mannerism that their lifestyle and social existence is influenced by their current Book Reading Reflection Book Reading Reflection Alexis De Veaux, in her book Yabo, tries to capture the delicate essence of the different worlds most people are forced to live in because of what society demands of them....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Week 2 Reading Reflection

Although the defeat of Japan was to the Week Two Reading Reflection Week Two Reading Reflection The week's readings started by focusing on Chapter three that details the changes Asia underwent after the World War II.... The reading by Hunt gives a lot of details about China.... Some of the notable Indian leaders in the reading are Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru (Hunt 2014)....
1 Pages (250 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us