Gatsby Blog by Michael Sanchez https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu en-us 2021-04-01 17:48:16 UTC 2025-11-02 02:10:27 UTC hello@padlet.com Chapter 1, 4/11, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1409371865 Tom Buchanan is an interesting man who’s described to be rather arrogant or even unlikeable to some. He is a tall and athletic man who has a menacing look to him according to the narrator. “Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward.” (Fitzgerald). The author explains how his eyes call your attention whenever you look at his face and how it adds to his aggressive look. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.”(Fitzgerald). Here the author adds a description of how his voice sounds. He’s described as having an overall rough voice which makes him seem even more intimidating. His personality is that of a self-centered person who wishes to relive the “glory days” of their past. He was a star athlete in high school,  but is now just a man who reminisces about his past. He feels like his life peaked early and now everything feels anti climactic.

My first impression of Tom Buchanan is he try’s too hard to be someone he is not. He wants to come off as intimidating, rich, and smart, but in reality it seems like he just wishes he still was who he used to be in high school. Although he does come off as smart, intimidating, and wealthy, it doesn’t seem like he is happy with the way he is.

The colors green and gold are used in this chapter. Gold describes the extravagance and wealth in certain characters lifestyles while green seems to signify hope. ]]> 2021-04-12 20:37:53 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1409371865 Chapter 1, 4/11, Task 2 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1409478556 The writing style of Fitzgerald is very unique. Similar styles of writing are not seen very often. The author uses a lot of metaphors to help the reader further understand details in the story. For example, when describing Tom Buchanan’s house, the author writes “A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags”(Fitzgerald). Throughout the chapter there are more metaphors describing locations, objects, and people. 

There’s also a sense of elegance and sophistication with the way Fitzgerald writes. Words like palaces to describe the houses in a East Egg; or swank and supercilious to describe the people of East Egg are used as well. 

The author also dramatically describes people, places, and things. He goes into very deep and dramatic detail when describing the houses of East Egg. Especially when describing Toms house. He writes about how large and beautiful the lawn is by mentioning how long it stretches out and how well it fits into the surroundings of it. The interior is described as having “wine-colored” rugs and overall a “rosy-colored” design to it.]]> 2021-04-12 21:18:34 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1409478556 Chapter 2, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1471669158 East Egg is a residential area filled with homes for people who inherited their money from rich ancestors. People lived in large extravagant homes. Tom represents East Egg because he is an arrogant man who inherited his wealth and does not appreciate his fortune. West Egg is like a parallel of East Egg, but it is mostly filled with wealthy people who appreciated their fortune. Nick is a character who had always been told by his father to never take his wealth for granted which is why hes a good representation of what the people in West Egg are like. The Valley of Ashes is the industrial area inhabited by the working class. Its a run down place with polluted skies and factories everywhere. The author describes it as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges”(Fitzgerald, 27). Myrtle Wilson lives in the Valley of Ashes and she wishes she could live a life of luxury outside of it. She cheats on her husband with Tom because she wants money to be able to leave. New York City is just like the real life city. It represents the careless decisions that characters make within the city. Myrtle is also with New York because she meets with Tom there in an apartment in Manhattan. The characters in the story seem to change who they are depending on where they are. For example, Myrtle pretends like she lives an elegant lifestyle whenever shes in New York, but in reality she has no money and is stuck living in the Valley of Ashes.]]> 2021-04-29 01:12:21 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1471669158 Chapter 3, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1471733484 Jordans take on car accidents and careless people says a lot about her character. I think its clear that she is careless and selfish. She says “‘They’ll keep out of my way’” and “‘It takes two to make an accident’”(Fitzgerald, 52). Her saying this proves that she is self-centered, but somehow doesn't care about her own safety or the safety of others. Her opinions on the way she drives implies that she is upper class. I think if she wasn't wealthy she would be worrying about the very expensive consequences of a car crash. She does not worry however, she just doesn't care. This is likely because she can afford to pay for any damages to her vehicle and for a good lawyer if she were arrested.

Social class is represented through the settings of the book. West and East Egg represent the upper class. With West Egg being filled with more kind and gracious people while East Egg has more untrustworthy and careless people. The Valley of Ashes represents the working class. The whole place is dirty, grey, and polluted. There are many different types of people there. Most people there wish they were living a wealthy lifestyle, but people like Myrtle will do anything to achieve it. Even if it includes hurting others. Nick fits naturally into any setting because he is wealthy, but understands how fortunate he is to have his wealth.
]]> 2021-04-29 01:37:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1471733484 Chapter 4, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1483187634 Mr. Wolfsheim is a very odd character who makes the reader question Gatsby's true personality if he's willing to befriend someone like him. Wolfsheim is a person who is hard to have to any respect for. He is an infamous gambler who claims to be responsible for fixing the world series in 1919. He even has a set of cuff links made from human molars which he describes in a weird and creepy way. “Finest specimens of human molars”(Fitzgerald, 72). His overall weird and sketchy persona makes it hard to believe that Gatsby would want to be friends with him.

This is why Gatsby is starting to become a questionable person. Throughout the story he is constantly portraying himself as a very kind, generous, and respectful person. He throws extravagant parties for others, but does not participate in them. He is always being very respectful and encouraging towards Nick. This makes him seem like a very trustworthy and kind person. However, this makes it hard to believe he would ever want to be associated with someone like Wolfsheim. The contradicting personalities of these two friends makes it more reasonable to assume that Gatsby is likely pretending to be the good person he portrays himself as. Its not crazy to assume that Gatsby is trying to hide a criminal backstory.]]> 2021-05-02 22:09:24 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1483187634 Chapter 5, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1506884313 Gatsby explains the green light in a way that makes it seem like a beacon of hope for him. The green light symbolized Daisy and his struggle to be with her. When Daisy put her arms around Gatsby, Nick says “His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one”(Fitzgerald). Gatsby felt like the green light lost all meaning because, like Daisy, it was now a regular thing. Beyond Gatsby's definition, I think it reflects a symbol of mystery and a curiosity to discover the mystery. When the mystery of the green light is uncovered, it loses all meaning and you realize you never actually wanted anything more than to find out what it was. This is likely how Gatsby felt when Daisy put his arms around him.

I think the color green reflects Gatsby because he could be that green light to many people. Everyone is always theorizing about him and how he earned his money. Green also represents his wealth and the jealousy people have for him. He owns a large house in West Egg and can afford to host parties often, which many people cannot afford to do. Including some of the people who attend his parties. It also reflects Gatsby's own jealousy. He is jealous of Tom for having a relationship with Daisy. Despite the fact he doesn’t really want to be with Daisy, his jealousy can’t stop him from pursuing a relationship with her.]]> 2021-05-09 19:47:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1506884313 Chapter 6, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1532599621 Gatsby’s upbringing is basically the opposite of what he tells Nick it was. He always stuck to the story that he simply inherited his money from rich family members. He also said that he studied at Oxford university. He always had holes in his story though, like how he lived in the mid west, but said the city he lived in was San Francisco. In reality, he came from a poor family of farmers. He never studied at Oxford. He never even graduated from university. Gatsby spent years working for a man named Cody rather than building up his wealth like he had previously said. 

His choices as a young man show that Gatsby isn’t as innocent and intelligent as he seems. He never graduated because he did not want to work which makes him come off as lazy and someone who is not willing to work hard for what they want. However, his decision to work under Cody for five years contradicts his previous choices. I think this along with the fact that he tries to hide his past makes it seem like he is ashamed of it and has matured over time.
]]> 2021-05-17 18:17:38 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1532599621 Chapter 7, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1551623423 I think Gatsby is in love with Daisy, but he’s not as deep in love as he thinks he is. Daisy does seem to love him. Her relationship with Tom is more complicated. She doesn't like him at all. She even refuses to say her daughter looks like Tom to try to distance her daughter from him. “She doesn’t look like her father. She looks like me.”(Fitzgerald). Despite her disliking of him, she stays with him for reasons that are unclear. Tom doesn’t love Daisy. He just uses her as someone he can release his anger on. Nick doesn’t love anyone romantically. He does love Daisy as his cousin. I can tell because he cares for her and gives her advice throughout the story.

Fitzgerald is saying that love is very complicated and it’s difficult to find a good relationship. No character in the book has a functional relationship and everyone is involved in some type of drama involving love. Many decisions made by the characters are influenced by their love for someone or hatred towards their partner. Fitzgerald uses the complications of a relationship to move the story forward.
]]> 2021-05-23 18:02:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1551623423 Chapter 8, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1572263792 The book cover conveys many key aspects of the story. The large eyes overlooking the cover likely represent the billboard that is mentioned multiple times in the story. They symbolize many things in the book, but on the cover I think it is meant to represent how the reader is watching all the corruption and backstabbing going on in the story. They could also represent Nick and how he is a bystander viewing nearly everything that is happening.]]> 2021-05-31 00:45:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1572263792 Chapter 8, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1572271185 The cover of the book represents many things. The eyes that are prominently visible overlooking the rest of the cover likely reflect the billboard that is mentioned throughout the book. I think it represents either the reader or Nick. It can represent the reader because as you read, you are witnessing all the corruption, lies, and backstabbing that is happening throughout the story. They could also represent Nick and how he is a bystander who watches all the events unfolding around him. 

The bottom of the cover is made up of what looks like a mix of bright and colorful lights around colorful buildings. I think this could represent the chaos and confusing nature of the characters in the book. Every character is complex and difficult to understand in their own way. I think the buildings simply represent the different locations of the book.]]> 2021-05-31 00:49:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1572271185 Chapter 9, Task 1 mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1588430844 I think this novel is saying that the American dream can lead to greed which will lead you down a bad path. Almost every character in the book is caught up in the American dream by trying to become wealthy or find the love of their life. Every character who dreamt of becoming wealthy dies in the story. Myrtle was killed because of her obsession with Tom and his money. George killed himself as a result of Myrtles bad decisions and misinformation from Tom. Gatsby died because of his desperation to reunite with Daisy.

The characters who were not killed did not have happy endings either. “I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game.”(Fitzgerald). Tom was left with Daisy, who he does not like or care about. Daisy was stuck with Tom who is abusive towards her. The only character that did not have a bad ending was Nick. Nick was also the only character in the story who did not obsess over achieving some form of the American dream.]]> 2021-06-06 23:23:04 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1588430844 Text to Self mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610564375 The story has ideas, characters, and events that I could relate to. The character that I think I relate to the most is Nick. Throughout the book Nick is probably the only character who wants to avoid or resolve the drama and stay unproblematic. I share Nick's desire to stay out of drama because I also think that most of it is pointless. He also says he tries to stay humble and not brag about anything he has because his father had taught him that at a very young age. My mom also told me similar things when I was little.

Many events that happen in the novel have had similarities to events in my life. For example, when Nick is in the car with Jordan, and she begins talking about how her careless driving isn't her problem; it relates in a way to my thoughts when I was 15 and first started driving. I was nervous and tried calming myself by thinking about how other people will react in ways that fix my mistakes. I got rid of those thoughts very quickly and am much more responsible now, but that part of the book did remind me of them.



]]> 2021-06-16 18:02:56 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610564375 Text to World mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610565130 The ideas in the text can be applied to many things in the real world. One of the more prominent ideas being the idea that greed leads to bad things. In the novel, Myrtle's greed led to her jumping in front of a car which killed her. This is what caused George to finally snap and kill Gatsby along with himself. Greed works similarly in real life because a person's greed can be the downfall of an innocent person. Whether it be something as small as a dog stealing a bite of your food, or a rich company stealing resources from a poor village, greed has proven to hurt others time and time again. 

Another idea is that staying humble and accepting of what you have is an important factor in having a happy life. The only character in this novel whose story doesn't end in death or a terrible relationship is Nick. Nick was also the only character in the book that tried to stay out of trouble. These ideals resulted in his story ending better than everyone else’s. Applying Nick's humbleness and acceptingness to your own life can likely help you lead a happier and more fulfilling life.

]]> 2021-06-16 18:03:21 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610565130 Text to Text mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610566109 There are many parallels between The Great Gatsby and other novels. One of them is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Both of the stories involve characters who are seen as outsiders to everyone else. In Gatsby that character is Nick. Nick is someone who lives among and hangs around with people who are much more wealthy than he is. In The Outsiders, the entire focus is around a group of boys from poor families. They all live in a city of people who look down on them because of their poor backgrounds and sometimes violent or criminal actions.

Another book that is comparable is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This book relates to Great Gatsby because they both display dreams that can never be achieved. Great Gatsby is full of false hopes, but the main one is Gatsby's dream of reuniting with Daisy. Just when it seemed like everything was going well, he was murdered by George because of Tom's manipulation. Similarly, in Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George are seeking to buy their own farm where they can live and work as their own bosses. Their dream is cut short when the manipulative and flirtatious wife of Mr. Curley is accidently killed by Lennie. George is forced to mercy kill Lennie, ending any hope of them ever achieving their dream.



]]> 2021-06-16 18:03:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610566109 Movie Review mdsanchez2022_3 https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610613726 2021-06-16 18:30:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mdsanchez2022_3/5vopvwxm4rhc3jfu/wish/1610613726