Jack Grayeb - Identity by Jack Grayeb https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s Identity in American Literature :) en-us 2021-06-10 00:05:23 UTC 2024-11-24 07:31:12 UTC hello@padlet.com "James Gatz—that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career—when he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior. It was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants, but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row-boat, pulled out to the TUOLOMEE and informed Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour." grayebj https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597118360 In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is revealed to have lied about his real name, which is James Gatz, and we learn that this was because he wanted a fresh start. He didn't like his old self, and ran away from home to recreate himself. Throughout the novel though, we see that despite running from his old identity, Gatsby is still himself at heart, and when under extreme pressure, his old self comes out. Gatsby is so wrapped up in this ideal world of his, that he doesn't realize it is unattainable, and he thinks that by changing his name and identity, and recreating himself, he can achieve what was impossible for his old self to achieve, but that isn't the case, and he fails to achieve it after all. He gets so wrapped up in this thought of his, he doesn't realize that his old identity never left him.]]> 2021-06-10 00:14:45 UTC https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597118360 "The truth is hard, and the hardest truths for hill people are the ones they must tell about themselves. Jackson is undoubtedly full of the nicest people in the world; it is also full of drug addicts and at least one man who can find the time to make eight children but can't find the time to support them. It is unquestionably beautiful, but its beauty is obscured by the environmental waste and loose trash that scatters the countryside." grayebj https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597164401 In J.D Vance's 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, Vance talks about his childhood a lot. He talks about where he is from as a child, and where he grew up, the place he calls home, the place he is most comfortable. He identifies himself as one of the "Hill People" of the town, and states that his entire family was, and thats how they liked it. Even as J.D. grows older, and moves on to the next chapters of his life, he makes sure to remember where he came from, and all of the work he had to do to get there. He understands that his identity of being a hill person all his life is what got him to where he is, and he will never forget that. While it was not exactly a "normal" childhood compared to others, he appreciates the way his grandparents raised him, even if it was in their own hill billy way, because he grew as a person because of that, and now that he is very successful in his later life, he knows that everything he has been through cannot go unnoticed.]]> 2021-06-10 00:37:41 UTC https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597164401 "I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up his phone and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?" grayebj https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597268077 In Arthur Miller's 1949 play, Death of a Salesman, the main character, Willy Loman, builds his identity around his job, and it drives him and his family crazy. Willy is always talking about his job, and it is his entire life. One of the things he cares about the most is supporting his family, bringing in income. The issue is that his job has been rough as of late, and because of this, his entire life starts to fall apart. His life starts to fall apart because he has built his identity around this job, and relies on it a bit too much. Willy's mental health begins to spiral out of control, and his obsession with making his job his identity ends up killing him. His whole identity is making money for his family, so when his job no longer does that for him, he goes to the extremes to fix it. Willy ends up killing himself so that his family can collect on his life insurance.]]> 2021-06-10 01:25:00 UTC https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597268077 "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary." grayebj https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597408540 In Henry David Thoreau's 1854 Walden, Thoreau writes about his perspective on the world he lives in and how he wants to live his ideal life. He chooses to isolate himself in this cabin, away from everyone else, as it is something that identifies him. This is the lifestyle he chose, and it reveals a lot about his character, and identity. He wants to live a simple life, without any unnecessary distractions. By isolating himself like this and writing about it, the reader gets an understanding of what he was like as a person, as well as his beliefs and ideals.]]> 2021-06-10 02:29:28 UTC https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597408540 "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me. But I find I get pretty tired when I try. It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work." grayebj https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597463033 In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1890 story, The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator, a women who is battling some sort of illness and often talks about her relationship with her husband John, repeatedly mentions the things she wishes she could do and reasons why she can't do them. She talks about the weird on and off support she gets from her husband, but it is clear that part of her identity involves seeking validation from others. She feels empty or lost when she can't do certain things and receive that validation or approval. ]]> 2021-06-10 02:54:45 UTC https://padlet.com/grayebj/e2iqhbua4grokq6s/wish/1597463033