Gatsby 3

1. Is the book about the American Dream?
      I believe that the book is in a way a commentary about the American dream. In the novel, many characters, like Gatsby, have in a way, accomplished what a large part of the Amerian dream is. Gatsby has become educated, fought in a war, and become rich, powerful, and become highly esteemed. However, he still is generally unhappy, and is in pursuit of Daisy throughout. What Fitzgerald was saying is that becoming rich should not be the ultimate goal of life.
2. Why was it set in NYC?
      Because the novel focuses on the American dream, setting it in a place where the American dream was such a major focus at the time only makes sense. In New York, in the 20s, wealth and power were important and sought after, and people had no problem expressing and showing it off. Gatsby throwing his parties are a perfect example of this.
3. What is the theme?
      I believe that one theme to this novel is that the American dream, which is pursuing high class and material things does not yield happiness. Gatsby, who is the focus of the novel, has effectively achieved the American dream. However, Gatsby is still unhappy, for he does not have Daisy. This book also has a theme which is that people are never happy with what they have. Many people in the book are not happy with what they have, even though they have everything most people could have asked for.
4. Why Nick?
      The use of Nick as a narrator allowed Fitzgerald to put a spin on anything that happened because it is dictated through a character's mind. In this way, Fitzgerald could control who we did or did not like, such as Gatsby, who he idolized. Also, Nick, who was not nearly as rich as Gatsby, seemed happier. This goes to prove my aforementioned theme.

Black Bottom Stomp

What stands out is that this music is very fast paced and upbeat. At a party, it would inspire dancing and fast movement. It would keep people on their feet and moving.

Gatsby 2

1. The purpose of Wolfsheim in the novel was to characterize Gatsby as mysterious and imperfect. Gatsby, who is an antihero, is not perfect, and Wolfsheim, and the connotations which he carries, add to this imperfection. The fact that Wolfsheim fixed the world series, and is somehow tied to Gatsby changes the reader's view of Gatsby.
2. The backstory of Gatsby and Daisy shows why Gatsby is chasing after Daisy. This gives Gatsby a purpose and makes him seem easy to relate to. Before this, Gatsby seemed much more mysterious, but now is given a more human side.
3. The rest of Gatsby's past also humanizes him. The fact that he is a graduate of a prestigious college and a war veteran improves the reader's views of him. Before he seemed to be not trustworthy in a way, but this makes him seem an upstanding member of society.
4. I believe that Gatsby is much more likable after these chapters. Originally, noone knew much about who Gatsby really was, but these chapters humanized him. They also gave him an admirable purpose: pursuing his love.

Gatsby 1

I believe that the hero of the novel will be Nick. Gatsby said that "Nick was one of the few honest people he knew"(p. 59). This shows that Nick is trustworthy and that he is hero-like. Nick also does not have any negative traits that would make him an anti-hero.
   I believe that Gatsby is the antihero. This is because he overindulges and throws expensive parties every week, but still seems to be someone who we identify with. On pages 39-41 the book talks about his aquaplanes, his house, his servants, his car, and much more he has bought. This overindulgence that Gatsby does constantly makes him the antihero.
   I think that Tom is the villain. This is because he broke Myrtles nose by hitting her on page 37. The fact that he would hit a woman hard enough to break her nose shows that he is not a good person, and the reader would not identify with him. Because of this, he seems to be the villain.

Bua

The style of his art is very flowing and elongated. The people in the paintings are very skinny and extremely tall to the eye. Also, many things are tilted or curved where they ordinarily would not be. One example of this is the bass with a curved neck. Another example of this is the tilted buildings and landscape in the painting with the piano player and break dancer.

Death Penalty

I believed that the pro-death penalty was more persuasive. In these essays, the pro-death had more support, and the anti-death had more appeals. In my opinion, the support was stronger, and therefore the pro-death essay was the better of the two. Personally, pathos appeals do not have a great effect, and the Kroll essay was completely pathos. While the logos support in the Menken essay wasn’t perfect, it appealed greater to me than pathos.

Sixteen military wives

The lyrics of this song are about military wives, actors, and other things that are seen on the news or on TV.
            The theme of the song is that the American people who watch stories on television do not care at all about what they see. The sixteen military wives represent the sadness not represented on television when military men die. Also, it talks about the academy awards where actors and actresses give themselves awards, and how that it does not actually matter very much.

Raace for the prize

The theme of this song is that trying to produce a more powerful weapon has no winner. Specifically, I believe that this song was about the race to create a nuclear bomb. When the line “locked in heated battle/ for the cure that is the prize/ but it is so dangerous” is sung, that are referring to the nuclear bomb race. The reason it is called “the cure” is that both parties believe that a weapon this powerful could help the world by allowing one group to hold peace in the world.

Fallacy in JFK speech

"Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?  Will you join in that historic effort?"-JFK
            This quote commits the fallacy of begging the question. It assumes that forming an alliance would assure a more fruitful life for mankind. While they could form an alliance, there is no proof it would improve life.            

            A speech so full of fallacies can be famous because it also is backed in fact. While there are some fallacies to “spice” it up, the real info is factual. 

Duck and cover

The overt message was to duck and cover when an atomic bomb comes. It informed people of the dangers of the bomb are and showed them what to do.

            The covert message is that the government is prepared and can protect you. When comparing this to other disasters, they showed police officers, fire fighters, and public safety officers. They were depicted protecting people and this gives a sense of safety. 

Destination Earth

The overt message is that oil and American capitalism are good. The video shows how oil and competition create a better standard of life for Americans.
            The covert message is that oil is capitalism, oil is patriotic, oil is freedom, oil is America. This is because oil is linked directly to competition by the explorer when he says that oil and competition are the basis of a better life. Also, the Martians, who are communists, break away and become free.

Clampdown

The lyrics to this song mean that in the capitalist society, people work their whole lives, stepping on people’s heads to become more powerful and really accomplish nothing. For instance, the lyrics “so you got someone to boss around, it makes you feel big now, you drift until you brutalize, you made your first kill now” show that someone who has climbed above people within “the clampdown” is simply stepping on other peoples’ heads. In the song, the fast tempo gave a sense of life passing by quickly. This is part of what they are saying about the clampdown. The lyrics “we will teach our twisted speech to our young believers” shows that they are using propaganda to inspire young people into the clampdown.

Propaganda

 878. A person, whenever he is free to do so, chooses to read certain messages or listen to certain programs, and not to others. In general, whether he is aware of it or not, he listens to what he wants to hear and reads messages in support of what he wants to believe. JOHN W. WILEY, JR. & MATILDA

WHITE RILEY, “Mass Communication and the Social System,” in Sociology Today: Problems and Prospects, (Robert K. Merton, et al.) 1959.
            The meaning of this quote is that people will not chose to intake information that is not akin to what the y personally believe. For instance, people who are conservative may be more likely to watch a conservative news program than people who are more liberal. As well, people will seek out friends who have similar beliefs to theirs. What this has to do with propaganda is that propaganda cannot completely disagree with the beliefs of its audience. In America, a piece of propaganda reading “communism is good” would be much less effective than “communism promotes freedom”, because while communism is in contrast to the beliefs of most Americans, freedom is a concept important to almost all Americans.