Kate's Blog

Jay goes through an important life journey in The Great Gatsby. He wants to live the perfect American dream life.  Jay meets Daisy when he is drafted into the war. He meets her at a camp while he was in the first World War. He had to leave shortly after they meet and they don’t see each other for another five years. 

Although he may think it is easy to get Daisy to be with him again, there are many obstacles he has to face. Of course the first one is actually reconnecting with Daisy and getting her to love him again. He thinks this will be easy since he thinks she loved him the entire time. She actually has a husband she loves as well. Jay gets Nick to invite Daisy over for tea and that is when they reconnect. They go out multiple times before Tom finds out. When Tom finds out he is furious and jealous. Jay tries to break them apart but it backfires and does not work out for him. 

When Daisy kills Myrtle it is the last straw. Tom frames Jay as the person who was having an affair with her and killed her. When he tells Myrtle’s husband this he gets extremely angry and shoots Jay when he is swimming in his pool. The shot kills Jay and the husband commits suicide. 

Jay didn’t realize how unrealistic his dreamlife was until the last moments before he died. He sees the world in a completely different view and that is when his journey is complete. 

To communicate my ideas from the book I read, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I will use an argumentative essay, a blog post, a mind map, and a remix. 

I believe an argumentative essay will be able to get my point across easily to the audiences reading my essay. It will get my ideas across very easily and will be very convincing. 

A blog post will be another method of getting my ideas communicated to the audience. It will be shorter and more concise than my essay. It will be an shorter way to get my ideas across that may keep more readers interested. 

A mind map would be a great addition to my portfolio to get my ideas across about The Great Gatsby. It will be an easy way for readers to get the information they need to understand. It will be a clear way for readers to get information. A mind map shows the ideas upfront without a lot of information and can be useful for people not wanting to dissect an essay.

Lastly a remix will be helpful to get my point across in my portfolio. I can get more information and support from other sources to back up my thesis statement. It will help convince readers more since there is more proof from other sources. 

    I believe that the reader response provides the most insight in The Great Gatsby. I was able to read between the lines to be able to connect ideas to each other. I was able to think a lot more about all the theories in general and be able to connect the theories to the text. The Great Gatsby, is very interesting because with different readers, we all see the story differently than another reader. Some people may think The Great Gatsby, is confusing while others may really enjoy the book and understand everything that is happening. 

    By analyzing the book further I was able to understand how the other theories connected to The Great Gatsby. It was really interesting to figure out where the other theories connected and how they now made sense in the book. I was able to see the different symbols in the book, how women were treated differently than men and how the war affected the story. Throughout The Great Gatsby, I was confused by some parts. After reading them again and analyzing them better I was able to understand the different parts of the story. 

    It was interesting to be able to solve the puzzles in The Great Gatsby, like solving Jay Gatsby himself. In the beginning of The Great Gatsby, we did not know who he was at all other than being the neighbor to the narrator. There were rumours that he was a German spy during the first World War and that he killed someone. Although none of this was true and he was actually a nice guy and he got drafted into the war as an American soldier, it was nice learning about his backstory. At first the readers may think he is a threat; that he could be an enemy to the narrator. This was the opposite as the narrator and Jay Gatsby quickly became extremely close friends. 

    The Great Gatsby, even reminded me of other books I have read or movies I have watched. One example is the movie Captain America: The First Avenger. The two stories took place in similar times although they were 20 years apart. I took my prior knowledge from Captain America: The First Avenger and added it to my knowledge of The Great Gatsby. Since they both took place in New York, I formed a mental image of the New York in the Captain America movie from the 1940’s and believed the New York from The Great Gatsby, was similar. 

    This theory made it a lot easier for me to understand The Great Gatsby, and it helped me enjoy the book a lot more when adding my prior knowledge to what I was reading in The Great Gatsby. 

In The Great Gatsby, a puzzle in the book is who Gatsby really is. There were rumours in the book where it was said Gatsby was actually a German spy during the first World War and that he killed a person. Nick, whose perspective the story is told in, tries to figure out who Gatsby really is. He eventually befriends him and Gatsby tells Nick about his past. There was not anything shady at all and he actually served in the first World War as an American soldier. He learned Gatsby went to Oxford for five months before he was drafted into the war. Nick also learned that Gatsby’s best friend and mentor, Cody, was murdered and left 25,000 dollars to Gatsby’s name but he never got it from legal complications. 

The Great Gatsby, reminds me of the first Captain America movie. The Great Gatsby, takes place just after the first World War in the early 1920’s. In Captain America: The First Avenger, the movie takes place in the 1940’s during the second World War. A character in The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, reminds me of a character from the first Captain America movie named James Buchanan Barnes. They are not similar in character or personalities; since they share one of the same names they remind me of each other.  

When reading The Great Gatsby, I was able to suspend my beliefs to be able to read the book. Since the book was written in the 1920’s, there were a lot of different ideas and beliefs back then than there is now. At one part of the book it states, “Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white” (Fitzgerald 130). At first I thought it was a joke, but I realized that the book was written in the 1920’s and they had different beliefs back then and it was serious. 

I believe that I am good at reading books that I enjoy. I need to get better at being able to analyze books and organizing my time if I need a book done by a certain day. I need to improve on organizing my time if it’s a book I am not too interested in. It becomes difficult to read a book if I do not feel like reading. 

Foster does not specifically show examples of reader responses in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Although when he does mention it he explains how important it is to his work. He says “We tend to give writers all the credit, but reading is also an event of the imagination; our creativity, our inventiveness, encounters that of the writer and in that meeting we puzzle out what she means, what we understand her to mean, what uses we can put her writing to.” (Foster 107). I think it is important for The Great Gatsby, because everyone sees the book in different ways. 

There are a couple archetypes in The Great Gatsby. The first archetype is the green light on the end of Daisy’s house is an archetype. The green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, “‘ If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay,’... It had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock.” (Fitzgerald 94).  Another archetype are the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg on the painting of him. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg represents God watching down upon them. The eyes represent God watching down on the American society and judging them. I believe the archetypes in The Great Gatsby, are extremely creative. 

Jay Gatsby reminds me of the hero. He goes on a journey during his lifetime. His journey begins when he meets Daisy, but he is poor when they meet and she was supposed to marry wealthy. Then he is drafted into the war and Daisy couldn’t wait for him. He then moves across the bay from Daisy and buys her her house and fixes it up so they can be close to each other. Five years later when he reunites with her he begins the conquest of trying to be with Daisy once again. He tries to convince her to leave her husband by saying she never loved him and she had always loved him. His journey starts coming to an end when Daisy kills Tom's mistress Myrtle, and Tom and Daisy frame Jay. Jay’s journey ends when he gets shot by Myrtle's husband and he dies. 

Nick’s journey aligns with Gatsby’s because they see each other briefly in the war and that is where Gatsby knows Nick from. They also become involved together since they are neighbors and Nick quickly becomes close friends with Gatsby. Nick was friends with Daisy as well and that is where Daisy, Gatsby, and Nick all tie together. 

In How to read Literature Like a Professor, Foster has an entire chapter called “ It’s my Symbol and I’ll Call if I Want to” (Foster 240). There are a few archetypes in The Great Gatsby, and there are a few symbols representing God. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg represents God. A lot of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, talks about symbols in the books and how they are done on purpose. The Symbols done in The Great Gatsby, are done on purpose and they are really creative. 

     Women are able to do a lot more after the war. They are able to be more independent. Men were women to be housewives. In The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan says,“ Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white,” when Daisy starts going out with Gatsby (Fitzgerald 130). 

     In The Great Gatsby, women are represented as the new women of society. Before the war women did not have any freedom. After the war in The Great Gatsby, women are seen drinking and smoking. Jordan, Myrtle, and Daisy are all seen as the new women in the book. They are all quite independent. Myrtle and Daisy are married though they let their unhappiness show. For example Daisy starts going out with Gatsby, and Myrtle starts dating Tom. The three women all prefer night activities over traditional beliefs of staying home with their families. Daisy has a child and her daughter is taken care of by a nurse. Daisy may be loving towards her daughter but her life does not revolve around taking care of her daughter. Jordan is a more masculine woman. She plays sports and she doesn’t rely on Nick in any way. When Nick was ignoring her and being mean she left him for someone else right away.

     Women are able to do a lot more after the war. They are able to be more independent. Men were women to be housewives. In The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan says,“ Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white,” when Daisy starts going out with Gatsby (Fitzgerald 130).      Feminism that is connected in both, The Great Gatsby, and, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, is how women act in The Great Gatsby. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, the author states “ I love ‘political’ writing. Writing that engages the realities of its world- that thinks about human problems, including those in the social and political realm, that addresses the rights of persons and the wrongs of those in power…” (Foster 117). In The Great Gatsby, women’s rights are changing. Before the war they were not allowed to do anything without a man’s consent. After the war women are able to drink, smoke, and go out at night and not just be a housewife constantly, looking out for their family. Women are able to cheat on their husbands without the major consequences. They can be more masculine. Although women still do not possess the same rights as men after the first World War, they do get a lot more freedom than they previously owned.

After listening to the first and last episode of “Serial”, I believe Adnan Syed is innocent and didn’t kill Hae Min Lee. Although I have not listened to the entire series I believe I have heard enough to dictate whether I think Adnan is innocent or guilty. 

Evidence 

There is not enough evidence against Adnan that he had actually killed Haye on January 13, 1999. The only ‘evidence’ against Adnan is his fingerprints were found in Hae’s car. Though this is not concrete enough evidence because he had been in the car multiple times. The state based the entire case on a testimony from one person. Jay had testified an said he had helped Adnan bury Hae’s body. It seems more like taking another person’s word above another’s without any hard evidence. 

Alibis 

Asia had said she had seen Adnan in the library the day Hae was killed. She said she had been talking with him because it had been snowing that day and she was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. When her boyfriend finally picked her up he had seen her talking with Adnan. She said he had asked who she was talking to and who he was. 

Adnan’s track coach had said that Adnan had probably been at practice that day and he remembers because he said it was snowing that day. Although he couldn’t be 100% sure because he wasn’t able to take attendance at practice. 

Adnan had said he couldn’t really remember the day but he had said he was probably at track and that what Jay had said about where they were was completely fake and it never happened. Of course we don’t know if what Adnan and Jay said was true, but, Adnan had multiple people who had seen him that day. 

Don’s Testimony  

Another event that happened was at Don’s testimony. He had been asked about Adnan because he had met him since Don was Hay’s new boyfriend. He had said Adnan was kind and really good to talk to. After he had given his testimony the prosecutor pulled him into a back closet to yell at him for not saying Adnan was creepy. This seems like it could’ve happened because they knew they didn’t have enough evidence and they needed someone to say something bad against Adnan. 

Therefore I believe Adnan Syed is innocent and he did not murder Hae. There was not enough evidence against him. Adnan should not have been arrested for the murder and the case should’ve kept going so they could discover more evidence to find out what really happened.

“Star Wars used a bunch of scenes from other movies in their films. One example used in the 2nd video is the scene where Luke Skywalker finds his family dead. It shows how it is almost exactly the same as a scene if “The Searchers” from 1956. All the movements Luke does are the same as the other character in “The Searchers”. Even the music in the background is the exact same. “Star Wars” has a lot of the same components as “Flash Gordon”. Some of the scenes are almost the same and the opening title design is the exact same. Star Wars is a foundation based off of “The Hero With A Thousand Faces”, which is a book by Joseph Campbell. 

Although Star Wars may be inspired by multiple films I believe the films have been changed enough to be considered originals and not rip-offs. For example the storyline and characters are different than the other films. They do not have the exact same names and storyline is changed from the book. The scenes are not exactly the same. While the scene where Luke finds his family dead is practically the same the setting is different. Luke is on a planet in space while the other character is on Earth. The movements and music are the same but the characters are different people. 

To make sure creators do not rip people off they should only take some inspiration. For example they should not copy something from someone else and make it the exact same. They could make some changes and create something better if they are going to uses something of someone else's. They could credit the people they found inspiration from. They should follow the legal guidelines of using someone else's stuff as well. If they use someone's work and they have a copyright on it they could get sued. When using someone else’s work you have to be very careful. 

I am really enjoying listening to the “Serial” podcast. Usually I don’t like to listen to podcast and I prefer to watch stuff on TV or YouTube but “Serial” is very interesting. It has really caught my attention and I want to listen to the rest of the episodes. I really want to know if Adman is innocent and it is making me lean on the edge of my seat. At some point you think Adman is totally guilty then something else will be said that makes you do a complete 180 and believe he is innocent.  

Although “Serial” is quite interesting I am not sure how the family of Haye feels about the podcast becoming so popular. It could be giving them a feeling of closure and they might be happy that people are hearing about what happened to Haye and it’s not being forgotten and left in the dark. Meanwhile at the same time they might want more privacy and this investigation may be giving them more questions than answers. They may have completely different feelings that I wouldn’t be able to relate to because I have never been in the same situation as them and hope I never am. 

At a lot of times during the podcast Koenig is asking people if they remember the day Haye was killed 15 years ago. A lot don’t and I personally don’t believe I would be able to remember a day fifteen years ago. I can barely remember what I did and week ago let alone 15 years ago. 

I hope to learn more about Haye and Adman’s stories as I continue to listen to the podcasts. 

There is some controversy if grade 12 university English class is required for all university courses. In my opinion I believe grade 12 university English should be a requirement for university courses. 

When you have grade 12 English the universities know you are able to complete essays and other skills that may be useful in the workplace. If you didn’t take university level English you wouldn’t be able to complete a lot of the content in your university course. Taking English class helps us understand new foundations that we would use in other classes or in the workplace. 

English is a language that is used world wide. Universities want you to take grade 12 English so they can see how well you can communicate your thoughts on paper or with other people. Some workplaces require you to be able to write reports or papers. Communication is very important since most workplaces require you to communicate to someone whether it be a coworker, your boss, or customers/partners. 

Overall grade 12 university level math is extremely helpful for university and should be mandatory for all university courses.