Awesome Gatsby Movie Website

http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/about-the-film/

This site is really cool, both visually and in terms of content. One of my favorite sections is the video section, which has multiple trailers and music previews. What do you guys think of the portrayal of Nick? 

Have loads of fun exploring the website!!!!

Watery Whoas

We discussed the signifigance of the current in "The Great Gatsby" during our Harkness and came up with some interesting ideas about its signifigance to the novel. We drew the conclusion that the current represented the passing of time and that Gatsby had to swim against it to reach te green light on Daisy's dock while the Duch sailor's went with the current (and thus toward the future) on their exploration of the New World. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your point of view) the current is only one of the many symbols one must decipher when reading the great Gatsby; infact, the current is only one example of the role of water in the novel. We see the water motiff play in throughout the novel. Consider the aquatic names of the East-eggers who attendid Gatsby's parties--Hammerheads, Fishguards, Leech-- and consider the location of the novel (on the shore), Gatsby's death in the pool, James Gatz who made is wealth on a boat etc. What do you think water symbolizes? This is certainly not the first time water has played a role in the novels we have read this year? What makes it such a versatile symbol?

-Becca

Irony in The Great Gatsby

There are many examples of irony in The Great Gatsby so I picked out a few of the ones I thought were more significant. It is ironic that the whole purpose of Gatsby's parties is to attract Daisy to Gatsby; it's all to show her the riches that he has gained and of that he can offer her. However when Daisy finally comes to one of his parties, she is not impressed. Another example of irony is when Myrtle is killed by Daisy when she gets hit by Gatsby's car.This is ironic because Myrtle believes the person driving the car is Tom. Tom is her ticket to the American Dream and leaving the Valley of Ashes: However, it is ultimately this desire for her American Dream which kills her. Another part of this event is when Tom is jst arriving to the scene and says how at least Wilson will have some business now that someone got into an accident. He says this no knowing that the victim was his mistress and Wilson's wife.

The Message Behind God

Okay, so this really dosen't have anything to do with my essay, but i've been trying to rap my head around this and so far it's not working.  The question is, what do all the different references about God throughout the novel symbolize? So far, from when I look back they almost never refer to the same person/thing besides like J.D. Eckleburg to be "god." The characters either never directly refer to a certain god, and the only time it comes up throughout the book (besides wilson's scene with the billboard) is when Nick includes a "god" in his narration. Aside from that, I'm pretty sure Fitzgerald was Catholic since both his parents were advocate members of the church and he was sent to a catholic school, but i'm not totally positive about his religion.  Any ideas what it could mean?

I thought it was to show how everyone didn't really practice or believe in a god and to show how at this time, almost no one had any moral rules to abide by.

MOar!!

Yeah so I lied we actually get QUADRUPLE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( because if one video is double awesome, and then you add another...) don't forget to be awesome!

More John Green!!

Ok so we all know John Green is awesome, and that the Great Gatsby is awesome and now we have DOUBLE AWESOME!!!! But watching this opened me up to new ideas we hadn't discussed in class and helped me understand parts of the book better. Hope it helps you too.

Fun Fitzgerald Facts!!!

1. F. Scott Fitzegerald's full name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was named after Francis Scott Key, his second cousin three times removed and the writer of the "Star-Spangled Banner"

2. Zelda and Scott met at a country club in Montgomery, where Zelda lived and Scott was stationed for a period. Zelda's parents thought Fitzgerald wasn't wealthy enough to take care of her, which led to him writing more and more so he could be rich enough for them (like Gatsby!!!)

3. F. Scott Fitzgerald was actually an alcoholic (the complete opposite of Nick) and his wife, Zelda, was diagnosed as schizophrenic and bipolar. (not really a very "fun" fact)

4. Zelda wrote a novel called Save Me the Waltz in 1932 while in a mental health facility, which angered Scott because it used details from their life that he was planning to use in a book.

5. Zelda and Scott are featured as characters in the 2011 Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris.

6. The 1970 biography, Zelda:A biography, portrayed Zelda as an artistic woman who was repressed by her husband, Scott. The book turned her into a feminist icon.

7. After giving birth to her daughter, Frances, in 1921, Zelda reportedly said "I hope it's beautiful and a fool-- a beautiful little fool."

8. Scott and Zelda's only child was referred to as "Scottie" and her full name was Frances Scott Fitzgerald. I imagine she was named after her father.

9. Scott died of a heart attack at the age of 44 and Zelda died in a fire at her mental health facility at the age of 47 (again, a not very "fun" fact)

10. The last line from The Great Gatsby, "So we beat on, boats against the current. Borne back ceaselessly into the past", is inscribed on the Fitzgeralds' gravestone.

11. Scott was close friends with Ernest Hemingway, but he and Zelda disliked each other.

12. The epitaph at the beginning of Gatsby "Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;/ If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,/ Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,/ I must have you" was written by Fitzgerald under the pen name Thomas Parke D'Invilliers, who was also a character in Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise.

13. Although Fitzgerald's writings made him a considerable amount of money, his and Zelda's lifestyle was so decadent that he was almost constantly in financial trouble.

14. J.D. Salinger was a huge Fitzgerald fan and even wrote letters to him.

15. Although Scott preferred to write novels, his constant need for finances led to him having to write Hollywood scripts and commercial short stories, which he was often reported to have loathed.