The first thing that really stood out to me was the section about Tom and Daisy Buchanan. When Tom was talking about his girl in New York, his wife seemed to barely care. I mean, yes it was apparent that she cared some but she didn't care nearly as much as she should have. He's her husband and she seems slightly okay with him having another woman. Not surprisingly, Tom's mistress's husband doesn't seem to care either! Or otherwise he's just extremely oblivious. If something like that were to really happen, people would care and be angry, unlike these characters in this book.
At the beginning of the book, I was a little confused because they kept mentioning Gatsby, but we hadn't actually seen or talked to him yet. Since the book was named after him, I was expecting him to be apart of the story from the get go, but it all made a little more sense later on when Nick actually met him for the first time.
One thing that is very evident to me, and also pretty annoying, is the snobbish attitudes of almost every character in this book. Everyone that the narrator associates with is a rich snob who is only focused on money, parties, and appearance. I'm not really sure why Nick hangs around these people because he doesn't really seem like their type to me. Hopefully this will make more sense later on. Or maybe he just got stuck with them because he doesn't know anyone else. Not really sure.
On a side note, I really liked the symbolism that the billboard in the valley of ashes might represent. I feel like the large man staring down doing nothing on what society deemed as failures represents God and how he has, In the eyes of the wealthy, abandoned the valley.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Ministers' Black Veil analysis
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne portrayed a Puritan minister as a man not naïve enough to believe that he could not escape sin or secret sin. Good Mr. Hooper, as he was called, spent his entire adult life trying to prove a point that was only figured out in the end. Throughout the story good Mr. Hooper was treated as though he was a threat revealing to the people that they too, hid behind masks. Hawthorne tried to get the point across that no person could escape secret sin and that all people hid behind masks.
Throughout the story, the minister does not at any point take the veil off or let anyone else touch it. This was a sign of true devotion to his god and a sure way of getting into heaven. Good Mr. Hooper made the people feel odd because he wore the veil of black crape. As the Sexton said in story, “I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crape.”
Good Mr. Hooper gave up his entire adult life for his secret sin and also to prove a point that no one could hide from sin, no matter who they were. In the story Hooper gave up his fiancée for his task, because if he did not give her up he thought that he would fail his mission. Good Mr. Hooper would not even reveal to her why he would not take off his veil but gave her a hint when he said, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”
Good Mr. Hooper’s mannerisms also helped get Hawthorne’s point across. Mr. Hooper was always somber and never showed pure happiness except when he died. He was purely happy when he died because he knew the gates of heaven would open up for him when he got there. He also never gave all of his sermons, marriage ceremonies, and funeral services in an upbeat mood. He was always in a mild mood and showed a glimmer of a smile once in a while.
Throughout the story, Mr. Hooper is portrayed as an odd man who wears a black veil. As he goes through the life with this black veil he created sin for those people by having them whisper and ridicule him to other people and thoughts about him to themselves. As the story progressives, the whispering stops and wonder sets in for the parishioners. The ignorance of the town is abundant due to the fact that they were Puritans and felt that they could never be touched by sin. This is what Hawthorne wanted to show, that no matter who those people were, they could not escape sin.
In the same way Salem village could not escape this constant sin of the girls. The sin that started out defending them that built untill it destroyed them and their court system. In this story the veil can represent the initial lie how the veil progressively got worse and people spread roumors about its meaning and it eventually effected many people just as the lie of the girls did.
Throughout the story, the minister does not at any point take the veil off or let anyone else touch it. This was a sign of true devotion to his god and a sure way of getting into heaven. Good Mr. Hooper made the people feel odd because he wore the veil of black crape. As the Sexton said in story, “I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crape.”
Good Mr. Hooper gave up his entire adult life for his secret sin and also to prove a point that no one could hide from sin, no matter who they were. In the story Hooper gave up his fiancée for his task, because if he did not give her up he thought that he would fail his mission. Good Mr. Hooper would not even reveal to her why he would not take off his veil but gave her a hint when he said, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”
Good Mr. Hooper’s mannerisms also helped get Hawthorne’s point across. Mr. Hooper was always somber and never showed pure happiness except when he died. He was purely happy when he died because he knew the gates of heaven would open up for him when he got there. He also never gave all of his sermons, marriage ceremonies, and funeral services in an upbeat mood. He was always in a mild mood and showed a glimmer of a smile once in a while.
Throughout the story, Mr. Hooper is portrayed as an odd man who wears a black veil. As he goes through the life with this black veil he created sin for those people by having them whisper and ridicule him to other people and thoughts about him to themselves. As the story progressives, the whispering stops and wonder sets in for the parishioners. The ignorance of the town is abundant due to the fact that they were Puritans and felt that they could never be touched by sin. This is what Hawthorne wanted to show, that no matter who those people were, they could not escape sin.
In the same way Salem village could not escape this constant sin of the girls. The sin that started out defending them that built untill it destroyed them and their court system. In this story the veil can represent the initial lie how the veil progressively got worse and people spread roumors about its meaning and it eventually effected many people just as the lie of the girls did.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
On writing essay
Throughout his book, King emphasizes that in order to become a good writer, one must write a lot. Not only does he express this opinion, but he also supports it by showing the way he wrote continuously throughout his life, showing how he persevered through many rejections, and by showing how he continued writing after his almost fatal accident.
Although King is a successful writer now, he was not always supported in his work. At a young age, when King wrote and distributed his book, The Pit and the Pendulum, he was rejected and put down by a teacher at his school for "wasting his God-given talent." While I'm sure this lowered his self confidence some, he did not let it stop him from doing what he loved: entertaining people with his writing. In the case of The Village Vomit, his writing got him in serious trouble, but through it, he was still able to make others laugh and do what he loved, so he didn't let the rejection of some stop him. Another example of his rejection and perseverance is shown when his story was rejected from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and he nailed his rejection slip to his wall. Soon he had created a collection of rejection slips on his wall, but instead of being discouraged by them, he let them motivate him to become a better writer. King's young writing life was filled with rejection, but he used that same rejection to improve his skills and he ultimately gained from it.
It seems that King knew that his life's passion would be writing, even from an early age. At first, he copied comic books word for word until his mother gave him the inspiration to actually write his own. Although he started with a very small and insignificant piece of work, he continued to improve his talent and progress through the years. Examples such as Dave's Rag, The Pit and the Pendulum, and even his school newspaper show his love and dedication for the art of writing throughout his adolescence. Whether he was writing for his brother, submitting amateur stories to magazines, or eventually selling his first novel, his choice to write continuously throughout his life clearly shows his dedication. While it would be easy for King to say, "A good writer should write a lot," and not actually live it out, his book shows that he really does practice what he preaches.
One of the most obvious and final things in this book that shows King's dedication to writing is his choice to continue writing after being hit and severely injured by a van. In this case, King could have easily given up and chosen to stop writing because it was just too hard and the pain was just too much to bear with. However, he made the decision to fight through the pain and sit down and start writing again because it's what he loved to do most. He was willing to forfeit his physical comfort in order to return to his passion in life and to continue writing. He pushed through the pain and the sloppy writing in order to get back to the level of writing he was at before his accident. When King committed his life and himself to writing, he was serious about it and dedicated enough to push through his terrible accident. This shows true dedication
If it is said that a writer must write a lot to be successful, then King has gone above and beyond that. He wrote when it was hard, and he wrote when he really didn't want to, but in the end it paid off for him. These aspects of his life show his dedication and desire to be the best writer he can possibly be, and the way he lives his life still reflects that.
Although King is a successful writer now, he was not always supported in his work. At a young age, when King wrote and distributed his book, The Pit and the Pendulum, he was rejected and put down by a teacher at his school for "wasting his God-given talent." While I'm sure this lowered his self confidence some, he did not let it stop him from doing what he loved: entertaining people with his writing. In the case of The Village Vomit, his writing got him in serious trouble, but through it, he was still able to make others laugh and do what he loved, so he didn't let the rejection of some stop him. Another example of his rejection and perseverance is shown when his story was rejected from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and he nailed his rejection slip to his wall. Soon he had created a collection of rejection slips on his wall, but instead of being discouraged by them, he let them motivate him to become a better writer. King's young writing life was filled with rejection, but he used that same rejection to improve his skills and he ultimately gained from it.
It seems that King knew that his life's passion would be writing, even from an early age. At first, he copied comic books word for word until his mother gave him the inspiration to actually write his own. Although he started with a very small and insignificant piece of work, he continued to improve his talent and progress through the years. Examples such as Dave's Rag, The Pit and the Pendulum, and even his school newspaper show his love and dedication for the art of writing throughout his adolescence. Whether he was writing for his brother, submitting amateur stories to magazines, or eventually selling his first novel, his choice to write continuously throughout his life clearly shows his dedication. While it would be easy for King to say, "A good writer should write a lot," and not actually live it out, his book shows that he really does practice what he preaches.
One of the most obvious and final things in this book that shows King's dedication to writing is his choice to continue writing after being hit and severely injured by a van. In this case, King could have easily given up and chosen to stop writing because it was just too hard and the pain was just too much to bear with. However, he made the decision to fight through the pain and sit down and start writing again because it's what he loved to do most. He was willing to forfeit his physical comfort in order to return to his passion in life and to continue writing. He pushed through the pain and the sloppy writing in order to get back to the level of writing he was at before his accident. When King committed his life and himself to writing, he was serious about it and dedicated enough to push through his terrible accident. This shows true dedication
If it is said that a writer must write a lot to be successful, then King has gone above and beyond that. He wrote when it was hard, and he wrote when he really didn't want to, but in the end it paid off for him. These aspects of his life show his dedication and desire to be the best writer he can possibly be, and the way he lives his life still reflects that.
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