"Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for
which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises
of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away" (5). 

"Can’t keep hangin’ on / To what is dead and gone / If you built yourself a myth / you’d know just what to give / Materialize
/ Or let the ashes fly." 

I chose this because Nick is reminiscing on the past and explains that Gatsby is the only person in his memory that he doesn't look back on negatively. While telling this story is kind of painful for him, he decides to tell it again to show how "great" Gatsby really is.

'“Civilization’s going to pieces,” broke out Tom violently. “I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read
‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by this man Goddard?” “Why, no,” I answered, rather surprised by his tone. “Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The
idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be — will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved”' (13). 

I chose a full calendar because I am certain Nick is uncomfortable with Tom's racist discussion and Myrtle's awkward phone call during dinner. If Nick had a full schedule, he wouldn't have reconnected with Daisy could've avoided a lot of problems.