Great Gastby blog #2

1) What is the purpose of Meyer Wolfsheim as a character? How does he affect the way we see Gatsby?        Wolfshein shows another side of Jay that we havent seen before- a degrading side, a negative side. He confuses Nick to be some other "friend" of Gastby's and Gastby freaks out in a way that makes him seem like a criminal. Meyer makes Jay no longer appear to be a good person who we should look up too.
 2) What does the backstory about Jay and Daisy's past do to our impressions of Gatsby?
      The impression caused by the backstory of Jay and Daisy contrasts greatly with the impression causedby Meyer Wolfsheim. The background allows us to feel pity for Gastby. He loved Daisy and while he was away at war she married Tom for his money. Daisy could not have waited for the man she really loved andinstead maried onr for his money.
3) What does the story of the rest of Gatsby past due to our impressions of him?
     When Gastby tries to pay Nick to get him a date with Daisy, Gastby looks pathetic. It looks like the only reason Gastby wants to be friends with Nick is so that he can grow closer to Daisy, his loves. In our society that is considered "cheep" and "low". Therefore, Gastbys actions make him appear to be a unadmireable person.
4) How does your overall impression of Gatsby change over these three chapters - do you like him more, less, and why?
     These three chapters made me definately like Gastby less. Now, he is low and sleezy in my mind. He seems to be a criminal through the part with Wolfsheim. However, I almost want to feel bad for him under the cicumstances explained in the background story. In conclusion, I have mixed feelings about Jay, sometimes he sees sleezy and other times misfortuned.

The Great Gatsby-- Reading blog #1

Looking at first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, make some predictions about these characters and (unlike Nick) classify them into one of the three categories - hero, antihero, and villain. Give ample reasons for your classification, with support for the text (that means quotes...and page numbers).

            The heroes in The Great Gatsby appears to be Nick. Nick is the narrator of the book; therefore, he must have difficulty pointing out flaws in himself. This causes him to appear to be the hero. He appears to be a perfect person. While he may want to get drunk a few times, he does not when he sees Jordan at the party (42). This shows that he has the common sense to not make a fool out of himself when he is around a girl he is supposed to develop a romantic relationship with. He makes himself look like a person who is calmly there, no matter the situation. Weither or not Nick is what he tells himself to be in unknown so far in the book. I believe we will learn more about Nick and his personality as the book progresses. I also think Nick and the Gastby will become great friends.

            Jay Gatsby, looks to be a antihero. Jay “doesn’t want any trouble from anybody (43).” However, everyone seems to spread rumors about him because he is a mysterious man. Some of the rumors include: “he killed a man once (44)”, and “he was a German spy during the war (44).” Both of these rumors are degrading on Gatsby’s appearance. As the book progresses, I believe, through Nick, we will learn important information about Jay Gatsby. This information would then confirm or denounce the rumors spread about him.

            The villians appear to be Owl Eyes, and Jordan. Owl eyes simply seems foul from the beginning. Using words such as “snatched” when he takes the book from Nicks hands in the library (45-46) makes Owl Eyes seem like a foul person. His appearance is worsened by him saying he has “been drunk far about a week.” Being drunk is not associated with good behavior in our society, especially when one is drunk for a week. Owl eyes will likely appear again in the life of Jay Gatsby. I believe he will do something to harm the Gatsby’s great wealth. On the other hand, Jordan appears to be a sweet girl, but may not be on the inside. She has treacherous driving skills and believes the other drivers should be careful around her driving and not get in her way (58). She also cheated at her first golf tournament. There was “a suggestion that she had moved her ball in the semi-final round… [until] a caddy retracted his statement, and the only other witness admitted that he might have been mistaken (57).” Both scenarios show bad behavior on her part. The driving is definitely not  safe for her or the people around her. Cheating in a sport, particularly in the semi-finals of any sport, is undoubtedly frowned upon in our modern society.   

"Race of the Prize" by The Flaming Lips

    The theme of "Race of the Prize" is that there will always be competition and determination. The music is quite contrasting to the theme.  The music  is joyful ,when you are not focusing on the lyrics. When you are focusing on the lyrics the song does not seem so joyful.  For example on of the stanzas says, “Theirs is to win, If it kills them, They're just human, With wives and children.” “If it kills them,” is not the most cheerful line.

Sixteen Military Wives" by The Decemberists

What is the song about (subject matter)?

                The song is about sixteen military wives, who have lost their husbands; celebrities, who the American people look up to, whose lives we follow intensely; and the news reporters of America.

What is the theme of the song?

                The theme of the song is that Americans focus on the lives of the “celebrities”, like Lindsay Lohan. When, the real celebrities should be the military folk who fought for our country.  The song talks about “Fourteen cannibal kings, Wondering blithely what the dinner bell will bring, Fifteen celebrity minds, Served on a leafy bed OF sixteen military wives.” This stanza is talking about how the fourteen cannibal kings, the news reporters, are waiting for some drama to occur in a celebrities life. That drama would be the main news story in the 6 o’clock news, where a minor story would be the sixteen military wives.