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I learned about specific details Fitzgerald included for close looking readers to pick up on. For my essay specifically, I learned about how Fitzgerald used glasses as a symbol of different perspective. This could be seen through the characters of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg and Owl Eyes. - Asad Hussain

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The way Jordan Baker evades responsibility and thrives without any sort of accountability shows how people can avoid and escape judgement and repercussions by taking advantage of their skills. In the end, Jordan Baker almost freelances off everyone, cheats, and lies, yet never faces consequences. It shows how charm can get you far in life. - Jinu

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I learned that color can often carry deeper symbolic meanings. While writing my essay, I explored the color green and found myself making connections I hadn't thought or considered before. It made me realize how something as simple as color can represent complex ideas. -Warren L.

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I learned that bad things can happen at any time and we should prepare for these emergencies. For example, even Gatsby is not the person who kills Myrtle, Wilson still kills him because he owns the car. People do not always get rewards from their positive behaviors and they might get punished from things that they've never done. We should always prepare for the worst case.

Jesse Chu

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Despite all his wealth, Gatsby is ultimately empty without love, which he spends his whole life chasing. I learned to not chase love, but instead chase your own goals and dreams. -James

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I learn that wealth and beauty create illusions that can manipulate perception, allowing the privileged to escape accountability. People idolize those with status, but beneath the surface darker truths are hidden and can avoid consequences. The beauty and wealth may seem perfect, but that does not always reflect true character.

Elise

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(Hana Bae) I learned about the difference between how old money and new money are treated. In the past, I lumped these sorts of affluent people into the same category, so thinking deeper about divides even within classes was very educational.

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Initially, Nick's relationship did not stand out as a key literary element, but after writing about it, I realized its importance as a foil to Gatsby's. Nick's relationship is not a key focus of the novel in the same way Gatsby's is, yet the contrast of their relationships offers an important lesson: loving without illusions is the only way to avoid heartbreak. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald makes a number of comparisons between their relationships, and as time passes, these comparisons help illustrate how Nick avoids the harm that befalls Gatsby.

- Samhita

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I learned about the importance of living life in the present, not the past. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is obsessively living in the past, functioning as though Daisy was still young and in love like they had never separated. This left him dead. Personally, I found the moral to reflect a need to focus on today, appreciate the little things, and set realistic goals to follow every day.

Liam K.

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I learned that small details in a scene can have a deeper meaning later on as the story progresses. For example, in the scene when Owl Eyes is involved in a car crash, I didn't think much about it. However, later in the novel when Myrtle is also killed, I started to realize that Fitzgerald uses cars to represent the carelessness of the elite.

Eric Li

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When writing my essay, I learned that the people you're with and the environment that you surround yourself with significantly influences your identity. In the novel, Gatsby spends time with three completely different people with contrasting personalities. Yet, you can see traces of Cody, Wolfsheim, and Gatz in Gatsby. I thought it was so interesting how the people who raised us have so much power in influencing who we become.

-Rika

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Before reading the novel, my idea on people with old money and new money were quite black and white. I believed that they are essentially the same with little difference, but after reading and analyzing the novel I came to the conclusion that it is more complicated than that. As of now I am still slightly leaning towards my original opinion, but I can see where the other argument is made.

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When writing my essay I realized how criminal and shady Gatsby is, before writing Nick framed Gatsby as a noble individual who was in some grey area activities, this made me realize how much of an unreliable narrator Nick really was, and only after closely examining the quotes from gatsby did I realize how much Nick glosses over some very critical information.

-Swayam

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I learned that seemingly tiny details in the environments of scenes often contain foreshadowing cues. This is not something strictly unique to The Great Gatsby, but F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterful usage of imagery especially exemplifies this technique. Even short descriptions of falling leaves can describe the lack of permanence in Gatsby and Daisy's love.

-Justin

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I learned that many of the characters hide behind a facade to mask their true emotions. For example, we all assumed Daisy was a sweet lady who cared for everyone. But it was revealed during one of Gatsby's parties that she despises the east egg, as she thinks they're a lower class compared to the west egg

-Tobden

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When I first read the car crash scene with Owl Eyes I really had no idea what was going on or how that would tie into the themes, and kept thinking about it throughout the novel to no avail. Then, I used it as evidence in my essay while talking about chaos and recklessness and gained a much better understanding of the scene and its purpose.

-Zak