Works Cited

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/raisin/themes.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/canalysis.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_green_light_symbolize_in_F_Scott_Fitzgerald's_The_Great_Gatsby http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/tom-buchanan.html` https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjFeIrZZGATRCNsOfZct6GhE-Yu9Y6N8OIym9w8KquRZIeUSBjaNMk04PVJ3uQ7cMbNC9DuXMFzb5AFESpKBxt-g4_wK5rWaXl0iS6zaF_pUjEw8wQQNr2onvnkMBVX5wJXE8pvWqbpdL/s400/Poitier+Raisin.jpg http://wikihistoria.wikispaces.com/file/view/The-Jazz-Age-.jpg/56880118/The-Jazz-Age-.jpg http://www.youtube.com/embed/rARN6agiW7o?fs=1 http://aka.media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2012/05/24/Carey-Mulligan-The-Great-Gatsby-2012-8.jpg https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTaA9X5ZSNy_VqmWnM3-XqMIg0cD0vSGuiyRko8ckMyQ49eNtneLVU5r-SrHqDlr6ES2bEZsQowRcaErxvNfsvBs7Kuwq4Y_DA1uDs0ipS9BB9cjml4nrRoPQK1sqMVexGwXhVDmKSbjM/s1600/36852957.jpg http://www.youtube.com/embed/vUgs2O7Okqc?fs=1 http://10cities10years.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/f-scott-fitzgerald.jpg http://ggsymbols.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/3/7/2237056/1354489.bmp?685x536 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof7mFHcQ-_CBbOcAZXXOltzDjxScgH_3m8FiA5QCYz1T_vSTHzzILA0QorAkDNdKcIMZqjIPDbAEaF3dKHGlDSb69X_0PKEsRGJaHhIDy9hgq3GAxfsZ9FOthUU4tUTBuS6LgyK2S9vU/s1600/a+raisin+in+the+sun.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Gatsby_1925_jacket.gif

What's Fitzgerald trying to say????

Fitzgerald is trying to send a message to the readers about the effect off the 1920s on everyone. In chapter 9 Nick explains the American Dream was originally about discovery, individualism and the pursuit of happiness, this is how Fitzgerald saw it. In the 1920s it is shown though by the novel the corruption of the American Dream because of the easy money and social values that have changed, this is shown more in East Egg. The whole novel is Gatsby's dream of loving Daisy is not going to happen because of the differences in their social statuses, his way of getting money through crime to impress her and how Daisy likes the materialistic things in life that are integrated into her lifestyle. Fitzgerald also wants the reader to see how messed up the rich people, or upper class, through wealth, comparing the new millionaires of the 1920s and the old aristocracy rich families. Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich as being vulgar,flashy,and lacking the social grace and taste. While the old aristocracy are opposite of the newly rich people. Fitzgerald is trying to say that the the new rich people are different, socially and personally, compared to the old rich people. The new money show off their money, evident with Gatsby, while the old money are much more modest and not show it off as much or as extreme as the new money does.

Raisin in The Sun vs. Great Gatsby

The American Dream is both present in both the Raisin in The Sun and Great Gatsby. The theme itself is different because of the time period and the situation the people are in. In Raisin in The Sun, the characters are poor and struggling and wanted this American dream where they had some parts but lacked, or wanted, other things. They didn't have the wealth or the house of their dreams. They were trying to find the best way to live and change their lives, so that the family could have a similar lifestyle like the white people. In Great Gatsby, the dream is totally opposite. Gatsby has the big mansion and all the money but he is chasing the long lost love and the women of his dreams, Daisy. She already has a family, that Gatsby lacks, the money and the home, but she wants to find the happiness that comes from the American Dream. Gatsby wanted the family in the Raisin in the Sun had, but the family in the Raisin in the Sun wanted wanted a bit of wealth so they could all be supported for their dreams and ambitions in life.

A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun is a play about the dreams of an African-American family and how to spend $10,000. The money is from the life insurance of Walter Lee Youngers father. Walter wants to invest the money into a liquor store and become rich so his family could afford things while Beneatha, his sister, wants to become a doctor. All the Youngers struggle to get there dreams throughout the whole play and their happiness and depression is related with the family's achievement or failure to attain the dreams they want.

Toms Dream

Tom Buchanan's dream was to stay wealth by any . He wanted everything that a powerful person would want during the 1920s and more. Even though he had a wife, Daisy, she was more of a trophy wife and to add on to that he had another women on the side, which could of made him feel superior. Tom wouldn't be happy if he wasn't in the drivers seat and have all that stuff that came from his money, things like the big house, a girlfriend and wife, going to nice parties, and etc.

The Green Light

The green light is one of the important symbols in The Great Gatsby. It is first seen in the novel when Gatsby stares across the bay towards it at the end of the dock. Further on in the novel the reader finds out the light is on Daisy's dock. The green light represents Gatsby's hope and future dreams, or mainly to make Daisy love him again. In chapter 9 Nick compares the green light to America rising from the ocean and giving people hope. The green light is hope for Gatsby for the future and him longing for the past with Daisy.

Destruction of the Dream : Tom

Even though Tom did achieved the American dream he did not corrupt it until after he already had the dream. Tom was cheating on his wife with other women but Tom was very hypocritical to Daisy. On page 137 Tom talks about not letting anyone else have Daisy even if he doesn't love or want her. Tom also treats other people that are below him life nothing even though they are trying to get their American Dream. He uses the American dream to have fun because he is tried of Daisy. Tom wanted to keep his money and stay wealth no matter what the cost was.

Tom

Tom is very wealthy. A selfish and self-centered man he seeks to control the lives of others through his money and power. Tom wants to stay wealth, and will not stop for anything to get their and stay rich. He didn't care if you liked him or hated because he felt the same to others, mainly to people that are new money. Tom achieves the American Dream but is corrupted with all the troubles and lies that follow after it has been reached.

Destruction of the Dream : Daisy

Daisy's American dream was more centralized with the attain of wealth and attention from others. She did not marry Tom because she loved, THAT IS A JOKE. She married him because of his MONEY. If she wanted love she could of got married to Gatsby before the war. When Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first time in 5 years, she fell in love with his money and how much he had which lead to the affair with Gatsby. She only loves money plain and simple, the end of the book explains everything. Once Gatsby is died she didn't check up on him , she liked the idea he was taking the fall for the murder she committed, or even go to his funeral. She just returns back to Tom just for his money. Daisy did fulfill the American dream through lies and deceit.

Daisy

Daisy is an old love Gatsby had back before the war. They were in love but could not marry because of different social backgrounds, Gatsby was poor and Daisy was rich. Eventually Gatsby is sent to war and she marry's Tom. She is in love with money, and materialism, reasons why she married Tom. Gatsby try's to win her back but she falls for his money and not him as a person who loves her. Daisy could represent the moral less values of the people of East Egg.

Destruction of the Dream : Gatsby

Gatsby's dream is ruined by the corruption that it possess, just like the American Dream was ruined in the 1920s because of unworthy objects and materialistic things - money and pleasure. In the 1920s the Americans are trying to find an era or place where their dreams had value, Gatsby's longing for to rekindle the past love or time with Daisy -in Louisville- but nothing happens.

Gatsby's Dream

Gatsby's main dream or goal is to reacquire his lost sweet heart, Daisy. They had met in Louisville and fell in love, even though they both knew they couldn't get married because of their different social class. Eventually Gatsby is sent to war and was unhappy when he came back and found Daisy had married a new wealthy man, Tom. Gatsby spends most of his time acquiring wealth to reach a certain economical standard for Daisy by any means. With the introduction of Meyer Wolfshiem, the man who is behind the 1919 World Series fix, it shows Gatsby has profited from illegal activities such as prohibition. This shows how the American Dream has become corrupted by the peoples greed over money and power for themselves, instead of the original meaning behind the American Dream, which was to gain money through hard work. Rather, Gatsby has altered the Dream to a fictitious misconception to himself and everyone around him. Gatsby's dream is equivalent to the American Dream. He thinks if he gets enough money that youth, beauty, time and love can be his, this is shown through his desire for Daisy and everything he does to impress her. This eventually leads to Gatsby's demise because he made his devotion into on dream.

Gatsby

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses each character and shows how each of them have problems with the way they live their lives. One would be Gatsby and his relationship with Daisy. We know little about Gatsby but as the novel continues we learn many things about him. He was a poor man back in Minnesota, worked as janitor but quit. When Gatsby met Dan Cody the first time, he was amazed by the wealth and luxury that Dan had Gatsby wanted to have his own wealth and to follow the his American Dream. The dream is that one can acquire happiness through wealth and power

Epiphany of a Dream: NICK

Nick at the beginning of the novel doesn't like making judgments on others but by the end, Nicks character has grown and finally starts to make moral judgments on the people around him. Nicks American Dream could be after seen or that he realized after Gatsby died. When its Nicks last night in East Egg, he goes to Gatsby's mansion and looks out at the beach and wonders what this land was like when it was new and unspoiled. Nick finally sees the green light. Nicks American could be what he realizes after Gatsby's funeral. That you should never live in the past and go on in life. Nick has grown throughout the novel is a wiser and much mature man when he goes back to his home town.

East Egg & West Egg

There is a great divided between the people from East Egg and West Egg. The significance of the East and West is the social divide between now money and old money.Daisy and Tom represent the old money because the money was handed down generation after generation and how the "Old Money" still follow old ideas and refuse to move on to the West. While Gatsby and Nick represent "New Money" because they have gained their money through hard work, illegal activities as well. Both Gatsby and Nick represent the new found courage of moving out of the old ideas of the past, instead look into the future and try new things that they aren't afraid of.

Movie

This is a photo of the new film for The Great Gatsby being released some time in 2012. It looks like a great representation of the novel and should be a great way to show people the corruption of the American Dream, here is a link to the trailer

The Jazz Age

The Jazz Age was an era of peace and prosperity in America that started right after WWI, 1920, until the 1929 Wall Street Crash. It was a period in America where great social change was taking place, especially for the younger women. The younger generation did not trust the older generations ways due to the war, and instead did things their own way. The women were called Flappers because of their bold fashion statements and hair styles, with these changes, the women were viewed immoral and a threat to the previous generations' values and culture. The Jazz Age was coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, to describe the 20's and is evident in the novel. Gatsby's crazy parties are an example of the consent partying in the Jazz Age. Also prohibition made it possible for people to make loads of money in a short amount of time - is was how Gatsby made his fortune as well. With all this separation between the youths of the 1920s and the older generations, it could be seen as "Old Money", as the older generation and "New Money", the new generation.

The American Dream

What is the American Dream? It is usually describe as the belief in freedom that allows all citizens and residents of America to achieve their goals in life through hard work. However, today in the USA the American dream is seen as someone who is wealth and gained that wealth themselves through hard work, even though the definition of the American Dream has changed throughout American History. The Dream was seen as an opportunity for people to achieve wealth and then some that they wouldn't achieve in there home country or for others the Dream was a place for their children to grow up have a good education and career opportunities that would make them wealth. For others the American Dream is a way to leave their respected countries from war, racism and for a new start or life. In the novels The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun the reader is showed before and after the American dream, in respect to each book, how life is between the two, and struggles that are encountered with the two. This clip is from the novel turned movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream an autobiographical by Hunter S. Thompson. The novel shows a drug filled romp through Las Vegas in 1970,showing the dark underbelly of "The American Dream". The speech that is being said is known as The "wave speech".

Introduction to Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a novel that portrays the 1920s, through Fitzgerald's eyes, as an era of demoralized social and moral values. This is all showed by Gatsby's exuberant parties every Saturday night since the idea of the American Dream has been devalued and corrupted because of money and pleasure has become the most important thing to them instead of good deeds. Which made the American dream diffusional and powered the people by greed, corruption and moral relativism