Unseen Prose (Gatsby) by stephanie chua https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY Shared Paragraphs en-us 2018-07-16 09:14:47 UTC 2020-03-10 04:00:10 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270304098 At the beginning of the passage, Gatsby gives off the impression that he is closed off and unwelcoming due to his behaviour when he met the Narrator and Daisy. Firstly, Gatsby had his hands in his pockets at the beginning of the passage. The passage states “his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets” (line 6-7), “With his hands still in his coat pocket” (line 8) and “his hands still in his pockets” (line 15). The repetition of Gatsby with his hands in his pockets places emphasis on his unwelcoming nature as the imagery of having your hands in your pockets implies that a character is trying to hide themselves. His unwelcoming nature is portrayed visibly through his body language, thus giving the reader the impression that he was unsociable. His actions of putting his hands in his pockets also hints to the fact that he was trying to be casual while hiding his true emotions. His conflicting imagery of relaxation and distress by putting his hands in his pockets to maintain “perfect ease, even boredom” (line 16) contrasts his true emotions of distress which can be seen from “ his distraught eyes” (line 17). Despite the fact that his actions were trying to remain calm, his eyes betray his true emotions. The fact that Gatsby hides his emotions, shows his detached nature as he was unwilling to let others see his true feelings. Thus giving the reader the impression that he is closed off due to his unwillingness to show his emotions, instead hiding them from the Narrator and Daisy. Secondly, To further emphasise Gatsby’s guarded nature towards the Narrator and Daisy would be his lack of speech at the beginning of the passage, instead, Gatsby glared at the Narrator, as can be seen from “glared tragically into my eyes” (Line 7). His lack of any sort of conversation with the Narrator and Daisy at the beginning of the passage gives us the impression that he was unwilling to talk to them, allowing silence of take over instead. Furthermore, instead of thanking the Narrator who had let him into the house, he glared at her, showing slight hostility toward the Narrator. Through the usage of lack of speech and Gatsby’s mannerism, we are given the impression that Gatsby was hostile, showing that he was closed off and unwilling to interact with the Narrator and Daisy. Thus, Gatsby gave off the impression that he was cold and withdrawn, through the interaction between the characters as well as the body language and mannerism of Gatsby.]]> 2018-07-16 12:35:17 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270304098 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270304959 My most striking impression of Gatsby is that he does not know how to act appropriately in social situations. This is evident through the writer's portrayal of the manner in which he is unable to decide what to do with his hands or how he should present himself when in conversation with Daisy, "reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease" with "his head leaned back so far", as opposed to Daisy who was positioned "frightened but grateful", emphasising on the stiffness of his movements and hence the fact that he is unaware of how to act socially appropriate. This is also evident through the lack of eloquence and fluidity in his speech. When he almost drops the clock but catches it, he does so with "trembling fingers" and furthermore, he apologises, saying "I'm sorry about the clock", leading the reader to believe that something disastrous had happened to it. Through the overdramatisation and the way in which he makes a big deal of such a small situation, it can be seen that he does not know how to respond appropriately to social situations. ]]> 2018-07-16 12:49:14 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270304959 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270307716 My impression of Gatsby is that his behaviour and interactions can vary drastically depending on who he is with. When Gatsby is in the presence of Daisy, his mannerisms are much more tense and awkward, with “his hands still in his pockets” (line 15) ever since he had arrived. The posture that Gatsby has adopted shows how he is unsure of what to do with his hands and can only keep them in his pockets in order to not seem even more uncomfortable in front of Daisy. Gatsby’s eyes also portrays the uncertainty he feels when he is around Daisy, he had “distraught eyes staring at Daisy” (lines 17-18) and his eyes then “glance momentarily at [the narrator]” (line 19). Gatsby’s eyes constantly reflect the fear and stress he faces when he is around Daisy and they even dart around, showing that he is afraid to make eye contact with Daisy so that the atmosphere does not become even more awkward as he is unable to maintain a conversation or even eye contact with Daisy. However, when Gatsby is with the narrator, he is much more relaxed and is even able to share his views with the narrator that “[that was] a terrible mistake” (line 46) and it is evident that Gatsby is much more comfortable and at ease with the narrator as he chooses to follow the narrator into the kitchen instead of spending time alone with Daisy. Hence, my impression of ]]> 2018-07-16 13:25:39 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270307716 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270311179 My impression of Gatsby is that he is a person who responds poorly under pressure. Firstly, from analysing the entirety of the text, we gather that Gatsby is under a lot of stress upon first entering the house, as only later in Daisy's absence does Gatsby allow himself to express his feelings naturally, "shaking his head from side to side" (line 46) as a natural response to what he was saying, in contrast to when he was under pressure earlier on, where he reclined "against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease" (line 15-16). Gatsby's inability to act in a natural manner when under pressure is clear as despite his attempts to act calmly and naturally, the tension in his body betrays his discomfort. Furthermore, Gatsby displays mannerisms telling of how tense he is feeling throughout the earlier half of the passage as he is under pressure. The tension in his body is evident as he "stalked by me (narrator)" (line 8), and "turned sharply as if he were on a wire". Gatsby moves stiffly through the house, unable to relax, to the point where even sitting down was done "rigidly" (line 22), with every part of his body tense with apprehension. Gatsby's poor ability to pull himself together and act calmly under pressure is evident throughout the passage, to the point where even his speech holds an "automatic quality" (line 32) to it, telling of its rehearsed nature. As a result, I form the impression that Gatsby responds poorly under pressure.]]> 2018-07-16 14:04:12 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270311179 Tension is created throughout the passage through the use of juxtaposition and contrast (OF WHAT?) throughout the whole excerpt. Initially the excerpt started off with the protagonist entering the house with a female friend however, suddenly a “light dignified” ????? (line 5)could be heard and when they opened the door, Gatsby appeared “pale as death ,with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets” (line 6-7). The “light and dignified” knock at the door is starkly contrasted to the “death[ly]” sight of Gatsby which creates an element of surprise to the readers and it also foreshadows that further tension and complications may arise further throughout this excerpt. There are also other instances of stark contrast throughout the excerpt, for instance in terms of the movements of Gatsby. As he was walking into the living hall, he “stalked by [by the protagonist] into the hall, turned sharply as if he was walking on a wire” (line 8-9). The word “sharply” shows the abrupt movement of Gatsby which was unfitting given the context they were in (WHICH WAS???) and how “he was walking on wire” gives the impression that he was extremely cautious of his movements which was also unbefitting of the given setting (OF??) . The setting in this excerpt is a house which is a domestic environment and Gatsby’s actions seem to imply as if he was in a dangerous situation, like he was “walking on a wire”. This stark contrast between the domestic setting and his actions creates a sense of uneasiness. Other notable instance would be when they were having cakes and tea, the protagonist made an excuse to leave and Gatsby immediately questioned him and “demanded” an answer in alarm. (lines 39-40)The setting of friends gathering together, having a welcome tea should be one of peace and filled with light chatter. Although this welcome tea was under an awkward atmosphere but it still could be considered as a resolution point to the previous conflicts and tension. However, the sudden demand from Gatsby raises the tension again, creating a sense of alarm. Throughout the whole excerpt the tension was constantly placated and recreated. It was placated by characters such as Daisy who tried to make the situation better by trying to be at peace and graceful, by making statements like “ I am awfully glad to see you again” and “We haven’t met for many years.”However, tension was created or recreated by Gatsby which can be seen from the constant use of contrast throughout the excerpt. https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270311953 2018-07-16 14:13:38 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270311953 The writer uses the imagery of sight and diction of emotions to create tension in the passage. Firstly, the writer uses the imagery of sight, stating that “Gatsby, pale as death” The simile “pale as death” is an expression of fear, anxiety and illness. The simile paints a disturbed and perplexed image of Gatsby plagued by fear and worry. The use of the word “death”, a very heavy and devastating word which implies the loss of a life, only serves to further accentuate the unsettled and troubled state that Gatsby is in, which causes the readers to worry for Gatsby’s well being and wonder about Gatsby’s subsequent actions in the passage and effect towards the other characters, which the writer uses the create tension in the passage. Secondly, the writer uses the diction of anxiety to further develop the tension in the passage, stating “aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled the door to against the increasing rain”. The diction of sound “the loud beating of my own heart” conveys a sense of unrest and vexation that the writer is in. The word “loud” depicts the great extent to which the author is nervous, thus creating more tension in the scene as the readers begin to see the anxiety of the narrator himself. Furthermore, the diction of weather “increasing rain” also serves to host and amplify the uneasy mood and tension. Rain is often seen as a repulsive and unfriendly weather that brings about much problems. The unpleasant weather mirrors the tensed setting in the situation, and also serves to further provide an uneasy and troubled backdrop in the situation for the readers. The use of the word “increasing” to describe the already repulsive weather accelerating into a even worse condition furthermore heightens the tension in the passage. Thirdly, the writer a metaphor to describe the silence, which creates even more tension in the passage, stating “A pause; it endured ”. A pause is an empty space in a conversation, the absence of voice and the presence of hesitation and awkwardness, where no one knows what to say. A pause is also commonly regarded as an uncomfortable silence in a conversation. In this case, the pause and silence signify a form of uncertainty and hesitance between Gatsby and Daisy, who are unsure of what to say or respond to each other - which in turn creates tension in the situation, as the stretch of silence provides a form of heightening anticipation for readers on how the awkward and empty conversation between Gatsby and Daisy will continue. The word “endure” connotes a meaning of trying to repress a repulsive feeling, thus implying on how the silence between Gatsby and Daisy carries and suppresses a unpleasant sentiment, thus magnifying the uneasiness in the conversation, henceforth heightening the tension in the passage. https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270315129 2018-07-16 14:46:55 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270315129 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270316360 My impression of Gatsby is that he is socially awkward and is nervous (TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT POINTS) during the entire social interaction with Daisy. Gatsby stands  in "a strained counterfeit of perfect ease" (line 15-16) which means that he tries to act that he is relaxed and in control, however, he is actually very nervous about meeting Daisy which can be seen from his “distraught eyes” (line 17) and “his hands still in his pockets” (line 15).  He tries to cover up the fact that he is nervous and tries to put on a mask to show that he is used to social interactions. He is stiff in social situations and does not seem to know to say or do. “A pause; it endured horribly”(line 14) , Gatsby is at a loss on what to do or say as he remains silent. The silence makes the scene become very awkward and it further highlights Gatsby’s inexperience with social interactions as usually sociable people would know what to do to keep up a conversation or initiate one. Even his replies causes things to be awkward as it “set us all back at least another minute” (line 32) showing that no one knows how to follow up with his statement and there is silence once again. His mannerisms also further placed an emphasis that he was on the edge as he caught the clock he dropped “with trembling fingers” (line 21) and he “sat rigidly” (line 22). He was so tense that he was apprehensive about his every move and was at an unease in the current social situation he was placed in. (2ND HALF IS A LETDOWN WITH VERY LITTLE INCISIVE ANALYSIS) 

]]> 2018-07-16 15:01:07 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270316360 Cowardly https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270319056 In my opinion, Gatsby is spineless, particularly in the way he handled his problem. (THIS IS A VERY HARSH JUDGEMENT ON THE MAN..) 
Firstly, Gatsby had repeated followed the narrator around like a lost puppy. When Gatsby realises that he would be in the same room as Daisy, he subconsciously “stalked by (the narrator) into the hall”. Moments later when the narrator leaves Gatsby and Daisy alone, Gatsby “followed (him) wildly into the kitchen”. The repetition of Gatsby’s actions emphasises his need and inability to lead himself. (EXPLANATION OF MOVEMENT THRU THE ROOMS IS UNCLEAR)
 Gatsby follows the narrator throughout the passage, even when there is a transition in the setting. Evidently, he is overly-reliant on others for solving his own problems which he is afraid to tackle by himself. (OVERREADING) Hence, Gatsby is cowardly for hiding being a second party in order to even face his problems, which he had not even tried to solve by himself. (ASSERTION WITH NO EG) Secondly, Gatsby’s indecisiveness is evident in his actions, specifically when he is left to his own devices. Before Gatsby meets Daisy, “(Gatsby) stalked by (the narrator) into the hall, turned sharply...disappeared into the living-room”. He subconsciously follows a more dominant and level-headed figure (HOW DO WE KNOW TT THE NARR IS MORE DOMINANT?)until he realises what he was doing. His abrupt back-and-forth movement is jerky and highlights his inability to be decisive. Moreover, Gatsby uses a more aggressive tone when the person he had been overly relying on had tried to leave him alone with Daisy. Despite not being enslaved to Gatsby, Gatsby “demanded...in immediate alarm” where the narrator had planned to go. Evidently, Gatsby’s reaction to being alone to solve his own problem was dramatic and unnecessary. Due to feeling frightened, Gatsby uses an aggressive and hostile tone to put up a front of being in control of the situation, especially in front of Daisy. However, the reality is that Gatsby is afraid of confrontation and pathetically hides his fear behind a tough act. Hence, Gatsby’s poor communication with the narrator highlights his inability to be calm while facing his own issues. Thus, I believe that Gatsby is cowardly, which is significantly shown in the way he chose to manage his problem.

]]> 2018-07-16 15:37:01 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270319056 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270323064 My impression of Gatsby is that he is socially awkward in his interactions with Daisy. Throughout the entire passage, Gatsby’s mannerisms towards Daisy shows how he is uncomfortable around Daisy as he displays awkward and stuff bodily postures around Daisy. When Gatsby had arrived, “his hands (were) still in his pockets” (line 15). The mannerisms of putting one’s hands into one’s pockets displays a sense of nervousness and awkwardness as this is a body language when one does not know what to do with their hands or when one is very nervous and is trying to hide their nervousness. Hence, Gatsby did not know what to do with his hands and he just hid his hands from sight to control his nervousness around Daisy. When Gatsby was interacting with Daisy, he was also “reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease” (lines 15-16). The words “strained” and “ease” contradict each other, emphasising on Gatsby’s awkwardness as he tries to look relaxed, but instead, he looks very stressed, making his bodily posture appear to be stiff and awkward. In addition, “he sat down, rigidly, his elbow on the arm of the sofa and his chin in his hand.” (Lines 22-23) The emphasis on the positions of his limbs emphasises the awkward robotic and forced movements of Gatsby, showing how his mannerisms are very unnatural, making it appear awkward to the audience. Thus, my impression of Gatsby is that he is socially awkward in his interactions with Daisy. ]]> 2018-07-16 16:39:01 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270323064 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270342341 Tension is created due to Gatsby’s fear and internal struggle within himself and his emotions because of his social awkwardness around Daisy. Firstly, Gatsby reacts strongly to the author leaving him in the room with Daisy alone which is shown in “‘where are you going??’ Demanded Gatsby in immediate alarm” From his words, we can sense his sudden fear of the author leaving, which will leave Daisy and him alone in the room and as he almost immediately not even questions, but ‘demands’ the author. After which, “he followed me(author) wildly into the kitchen”. His sudden actions and reactions all have a sense of urgency to them, which reflects his fear and alarm to being left alone in the room with Daisy that create tension in the passage as we sense that Gatsby is feeling scared. When he starts repeating “This is a terrible mistake,” and “a terrible, terrible mistake”, along with “shaking his head from side to side”, it forebodes a sense of impending doom or something that is going to go wrong that creates tension. The mood that is created from his words is one that hints an imminent and looming conflict or situation that creates tension as we sense Gatsby’s battle with his fears of being socially awkward around Daisy when left in a room alone with her. Hence, from Gatsby’s fear and battle with his fears, that creates an looming and foreboding atmosphere and mood, creates tension as we sense his fright and panic from his actions and words. ]]> 2018-07-16 21:41:13 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270342341 https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270345002 Tension is created through the multiples times of pause in conversation and awkward silence. There was no fluent conversation throughout the passage, but rather, there were many gaps in communication and uncomfortable quietness. When Gatsby first arrived in the beginning of the passage, there was no greetings between the characters and rather, it was an awkward silence. “For half a minute there wasn’t a sound”(line 11). The absence of normal greetings right after individuals met and the missing conversation between the two was a clear manifestation of the tensed relationship and hidden problems. Thus, tension was first created when the silence appeared at the beginning of the passage. As the conversation finally began, there was again, a pause in conversation and quietness after Daisy made a greeting towards Gatsby, “A pause, it endured horribly”.(line 14). The phrase 
“Endured horribly” shows clearly the narrator’s discomfort and slight fear towards the silence and makes the readers wonder why it is so difficult for any of the characters to start a conversation and thus, tension heightens. As conversation progresses, Gatsby’s awkward answer and serious tone again brought the other two characters into the state of speechless. “The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer set us all back for at least another minute.” (line 32) the phrase “at least a minute” shows the length of the awkward silence and the narrator’s disbelief and extreme discomfort towards the duration of the time whereby no one knew what to say. This depicts that all characters have a hard relationship and tension is shown throughout their short conversation and interaction.


]]> 2018-07-16 22:48:13 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270345002 Weird character interaction https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270347249 The writer creates tension by the uncomfortable atmosphere between the characters. The characters interactions are awkward and clipped. The conversation between them is neither animated or vivid. The characters do not seem to be at ease with each other and the generic atmosphere is strained.

When Gatsby first appeared at the doorstep, he made no effort to greet or take part in simple conversation with the narrator. Instead he “glared tragically” at the narrator before “stalk(ing) by” him. This short interaction shows how coldly Gatsby treats the author. The atmosphere is neither friendly nor welcoming, contrasting to the usual behaviors of guests. This creates tension as readers feel that something is amiss regarding the relationship between the two characters. 

Gatsby then disappeared into the living room, that's when the narrator hears “Daisy’s voice on a clear artificial tone”, telling Gatsby she is “awfully glad to see (him) again”. The fact that the tone was described to be artificial, makes the readers feel that her telling him that she's glad to see him is fake. This allows the readers to perceive that there is a lack of genuine interaction. There seemed to be conflict as the characters interaction isn't warm or sincere, creating a cold and tense atmosphere, hence tension is created. 

Lastly, even after tea was brought in, the atmosphere between the characters still seem to be tense. “Daisy and (the narrator) talked, looked conscientiously from one to the other of us with tense, unhappy eyes”. This seemed to show that both Daisy and the Narrator do not find the current situation satisfactory and since Gatsby isn't included in this interaction, readers can deduce that they're unhappy with something regarding him. This may allow readers to believe there was prior conflict between the characters, making the situation tense. While this interaction took place, Gatsby was seen to have “got himself into a shadow" this also seems to make Gatsby seem brooding and cut off from the rest of the room. There is a detached and ominous feeling to it. As he slips into the “shadow", he is isolated from the rest of the room. He doesn't try to be friendly and join the other two characters in their simple conversation. While this may show that he is cold and antisocial, it may also symbolise that he is kept in the dark for many things. This can be seen from when the narrator told Gatsby “Daisy’s embarrassed too". When the narrator said that, the phrase was “added", a simple afterthought that may have been said purely for the sake of ensuring Gatsby doesn't get too upset. Hence it may not even be the truth of the matter. Gatsby hence seems to have poor relations with this trio from the passage which sustains readers interest (not the question) as they weren't sure of the details or of what happened before which creates tension. 

The writer hence creates tension by emphasizing on the strained relationship between the three character, especially between Gatsby and Daisy or the narrator. 

]]> 2018-07-16 23:31:49 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270347249 Gatsby comes across as an unfeeling character who makes minimal effort to engage with his company in the emotional or physical sense. Firstly, it is apparent that Gatsby chooses to create subtle physical barriers throughout his visit. His hands are first noticed to be in an unnatural position, “hands plunged like weights in his coat”, and the description of his hands remaining in an unusual position recur multiple times later, “still in his coat pockets” and “still in his pockets”. The word “still” connotes continuity up to present and still has not ceased. The visual imagery of a man physically hiding one’s hands into his pockets puts across a form of discomfort, and this self-willed choice to remain in a position of uneasiness could propose that Gatsby had chosen to utilise his discomfort as a barrier to shield against having to face the characters in the room head-on with confidence. Next, his short, abrupt blurts of comments are mostly literal, straightforward and unemotional, putting across the idea that Gatsby’s approach to interacting with others is clinical. In his line “We’ve met before,” the word “met”, which means having encountered another person prior to the current meeting, ought to be a concept that evokes reminiscence and feelings of nostalgia. However, his simple statement conveys no inkling of evoked feelings nor the attempt to explain his attitude towards the fact of meeting one before, emphasising on his unfeeling character. Lastly, his response to having almost toppled a clock in the room, “I’m sorry about the clock,” is put across in a monotonous manner that does not display any signs of remorse despite the word “sorry”, which is mentioned in any apology. The mere statement carries along with it no element of regret, thereby showing his lack of feeling as a character in the passage. Hence, Gatsby displays his unemotional character through his guarded physical actions and matter-of-fact comments https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270357101 2018-07-17 01:27:49 UTC https://padlet.com/stephchua18/4SY/wish/270357101