Futility of the American Dream Exposed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The ideal of the ‘American Dream’ has hardly changed over the past century. The dream is a unique American phenomenon. It represents a nebulous concept that is exemplified by a number of American values. Many deem wealth and success to be the means to this paradigm. When stability, security and family values also become part of the suburban lifestyle, the American Dream comes close to becoming reality. Nick Carraway, the candid narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby analyzes the legitimacy of this principle through the inevitable downfall of Jay Gatsby. The novel takes place during the ‘roaring twenties’ in two sophisticated, affluent Long Island neighborhoods. The people in these neighborhoods epitomize the superficiality and arrogance that distorts the American Dream. Fitzgerald utilizes this environment and its people to examine the negative attributes of the American Dream. Fitzgerald portrays two neighborhoods, East Egg and West Egg, to display the slowly evolving corruption of the American Dream. East Egg houses old money sophisticates, and West Egg accommodates the less fashionable â€Å"nouveau riche† types. The apparent differences cause the two neighborhoods to develop a seeming rivalry. The different neighborhoods are connected through the characters becoming entangled with each other. Both Carraway, and his wealthy, yet enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby live in West Egg. Carraway lives in a modest bungalow, which is overshadowed by Gatsby’s extravagant estate. In his magnificent manor, Gatsby indulges in an excessive and exaggerated lifestyle including many lavish parties: â€Å"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars† (43). Gatsby considers his prodigious wealth and stature to be the means to regain his one true love, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy's aura of wealt h and privilege--her many clothes, her perfect house, her lack of fear or worry—attract Gatsby's attention and gradual obsession. Gatsby realizes that his own capacity for hope made Daisy seem ideal to him. He does not realize that he is pursuing an image that has no true, lasting value. This realization would have made the world look entirely different to Gatsby, like "a new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about† (169). Daisy and her unfaithful husband Tom live in a large East Egg mansion directly across from Gatsby’s estate. In this environment, Gatsby’s destiny with Daisy becomes his individual version of the American Dream. Futility of the American Dream Exposed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays The ideal of the ‘American Dream’ has hardly changed over the past century. The dream is a unique American phenomenon. It represents a nebulous concept that is exemplified by a number of American values. Many deem wealth and success to be the means to this paradigm. When stability, security and family values also become part of the suburban lifestyle, the American Dream comes close to becoming reality. Nick Carraway, the candid narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby analyzes the legitimacy of this principle through the inevitable downfall of Jay Gatsby. The novel takes place during the ‘roaring twenties’ in two sophisticated, affluent Long Island neighborhoods. The people in these neighborhoods epitomize the superficiality and arrogance that distorts the American Dream. Fitzgerald utilizes this environment and its people to examine the negative attributes of the American Dream. Fitzgerald portrays two neighborhoods, East Egg and West Egg, to display the slowly evolving corruption of the American Dream. East Egg houses old money sophisticates, and West Egg accommodates the less fashionable â€Å"nouveau riche† types. The apparent differences cause the two neighborhoods to develop a seeming rivalry. The different neighborhoods are connected through the characters becoming entangled with each other. Both Carraway, and his wealthy, yet enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby live in West Egg. Carraway lives in a modest bungalow, which is overshadowed by Gatsby’s extravagant estate. In his magnificent manor, Gatsby indulges in an excessive and exaggerated lifestyle including many lavish parties: â€Å"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars† (43). Gatsby considers his prodigious wealth and stature to be the means to regain his one true love, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy's aura of wealt h and privilege--her many clothes, her perfect house, her lack of fear or worry—attract Gatsby's attention and gradual obsession. Gatsby realizes that his own capacity for hope made Daisy seem ideal to him. He does not realize that he is pursuing an image that has no true, lasting value. This realization would have made the world look entirely different to Gatsby, like "a new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about† (169). Daisy and her unfaithful husband Tom live in a large East Egg mansion directly across from Gatsby’s estate. In this environment, Gatsby’s destiny with Daisy becomes his individual version of the American Dream.

Department management- Case Analysis Essay

1. Receiving a Holiday Gift 1. For the first case, it is clearly stated that a supplier sends a basket of expensive food stuffs to our home during Christmas. By applying principle of love we would be kind enough to appreciate the basket of expensive foodstuffs given to us. We would thank the supplier for that beautiful card and gift given to us for Christmas. After appreciating the token we would ask him the reason and motive behind such an expensive foodstuff delivery. And based on the suppliers answers we would take the next step. 2. Sales Expense The second case is stating that a purchasing manager would give us their first order, expecting that we will agree to make a donation of P2, 000 to his favorite charity, a local youth sports team. By applying principle of double effect we would not accept this kind of order. The situation here is that if we follow one condition the other is ours automatically. The thing with this case is that the manager is expecting something in return to the first order he would give to us. A donation is given by a person freely and willingly. From all the reasons stated above, we do not agree to have an order by the purchasing manager who is expecting us to make a donation of P2, 000 donations to his favorite charity. 3. Sales Expense Reimbursement This case states that an agent of the Southeast Asia wants us to reimburse the customer executive from the Southeast Asia for all his expenses, including some which violates are company’s policies. The agent assures us to reimburse the expenses later. By applying the principle of truth and loyalty we would never accept to go against our company rules. We would choose to go on the right path than to follow the wrong one. Being disloyal to our own company would be a big disgrace to our inner conscience because this very company gives us money to live our lives peacefully and if we betray our company they can do the same to us one day. It is because truth can never be hidden for a long time. 4. References This case is asserting that a long time customer of ours had a bad experience with one of our competitors. Then a prospective client calls us and asks about the reputation of the said competitor. For this particular case we would bring to our clients notice the very bad experience of our long time customer with the competitor’s reputation. By applying intellectual responsibility principle we would try to look deep into this matter so as to know the whole truth because we believe what we see. We will try and investigate about it so that there are no doubts left within our minds and so that we can inform our client correctly about the competitor’s reputation. So all that we would report to our client would depend on what we investigate. 5. Conflict of Interest The last case states that the department manager will be hosting an informal celebration in the office and the food budget is $200. Then a neighbor of ours wants to supply the food because she has just started her own catering business. But because it is just her first time, she’ll do it at cost but will provide extra items at no charge. By applying the principle of love we would be kind enough to let our neighbor arrange food for the informal celebration held in the office because according to us our neighbor wants her cookery products to be known to people so as to expand her business; so that she can create demand for her products amongst the people. She would never take this responsibility if she was not confident about the food cooked in here catering. If she being the owner of the business is assuring us to serve us her best then why not allow her to provide food for the informal celebration. We do not mind the cost being going a bit high for the celebration as long as o ur neighbor is guaranteeing to serve extra items for free.

Women Role in Christianity and Islam - 996 Words

A Christian Woman is a woman who loves God more than herself. She is a woman who prays for her family, her church, her government and her country. She is a woman who reads Gods Word and puts Him first in her life. From the beginning of the early Christian church, starting with Jesus, women were important members of the movement. The examples of the manner of Jesus reveal his attitudes toward women and show repeatedly how he liberated and affirmed women. Both complementarians and egalitarians see Jesus as treating women with compassion, grace and dignity.[2] The gospels of the New Testament, especially Luke, often mention Jesus speaking to or helping women publicly and openly, contrary to the social norms of the time. Jesus had female†¦show more content†¦Women in Christianity: The early Christian prophets From West Asia, Christianity spread to ancient Greece and Rome which were purely patriarchal societies. In these societies women and children were thought of as assets or possessions held by the head of the family. Men and Women were distinguished separately in this kind of set up and women were generally considered inferior to men. During these times Christians believed that the world will end soon and Christ will come to earth for the second time. There were many women teachers and prophets in Christianity in those days who believed in this proposition and went their way in preaching this doctrine. Women in Christianity: Wave of change in twentieth century Only in the twentieth century things started changing in Christianity. With the churches loosing much of their clout and power in the twentieth century, with democratic governments firmly established in many countries in Europe as well as in America and with religion getting separated from politics things started to change in a dramatic fashion in Christianity that was never thought about in the last two thousand years of the religion. It all started with the early feminist movements and peaked with the second wave of feminism from the period of 1960s. This period saw a profound change in the status of women in Christianity as a religion. Womens rights came in the forefront. Women in Christianity: Womens liberationShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Women and Community in Christianity Versus Islam Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesChristianity and Islam are two of the world’s largest and most recognized religions. They are both religions believing in one God and each has a holy book, the Qur’an and the Bible. 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