Blog Post 22

Francesco Argentina

Ms. Harrison

ELA

4/24/17

Blog Post 22

What is the climax (turning point) of the novel? How do you know? How is the central conflict addressed in the climax? Use textual evidence to back up your claims.

    For this weeks blog post, I chose to write about what I thought the climax of the story was. Finding the climax of this story was incredibly difficult for me to clearly identify and it wasn't until after I read the last three chapters that could truly see a few possibilities. It was interesting to me that the climax came so late in the story as from personal experience I would have predicted it to be earlier in the story than it was, but up until chapter 7 there weren't really any central conflicts that were presented. In chapters 7 and 8 however, there were a few possible climaxes I could point out, for example, when Tom confronts Gatsby in the suite, (Then Tom's voice incredulous and insulting…Tom glanced around to see if we mirrored his disbelief, but we were all looking at Gatsby. Pg. 129) when Myrtle gets hit by the car (Myrtle Wilson’s body wrapped up in a blanket… Pg.138) or when Gatsby gets shot (The chauffeur- he was one of wolfsheim’s proteges- heard the shots… Pg.161). I came to the conclusion that when Myrtle gets hit by the car fits the climax role the best as It is when everything starts to go downhill for Gatsby. This part of the book really convinced me to think it was the climax because it is the first really big obstacle that faces Gatsby so far. And even though it doesn't even directly involve him, It later affects his future incredibly as this incident leads him to getting shot.   

Blog Post 21

Francesco Argentina

Ms. Harrison

ELA

4/17/17

Blog Post 21

Prompt: In chapter 5, what is revealed about the characters of Gatsby and Daisy based upon their reactions to each other when they finally meet?

    In chapter 5, Nick throws a tea party in attempt to reintroduce Gatsby and Daisy to each other, so Gatsby can try to win back Daisy’s heart just like he did in Louisville. By the end of this whole experience, a lot of light is shown upon a different side of Gatsby’s personality that is quite interesting. First off, Gatsby shows up an hour earlier than the event was supposed to start, perhaps giving the impression that this is indeed was very important to him, and that much thought went into preparing for it. Then, after he gets there, he begins to have second thoughts about the whole idea and starts to skepticize if Daisy will even come. And Finally once Daisy does actually show up, just before, Gatsby runs out of the room and appears at the front door creating the illusion that he wasn't waiting for her all this time. As soon as the two meet, Gatsby instantly becomes incredibly awkward especially when he knocks over Nick’s clock, but eventually the two become comfortable with each others presence and it seems to be going smoothly. After they talk for a while, Nick leaves the room for around 30 minutes and returns to Daisy crying joyfully and Gatsby glowing as the two have finally admitted their feelings for each other.

There is a lot we can learn from this whole tea experience with Gatsby and Daisy. For example, we found out that there is much more depth to Gatsby’s character he hasn't shown us yet. Referring to this situation specifically, he showed us an element of extreme nervousness, and discomfort, something I had no idea he was capable of. Daisy on the other hand didn't surprise me too much in terms of her actions, but I think it's incredibly important now that we know she probably has very strong feelings for Gatsby just like the two had in the past, and I’m intrigued to find out if she will cheat on her husband Tom, just like he has repeatedly done to her, and if what Gatsby believs to be true about recreating the past with his money. 

Blog post 20

Blog Post 20

Prompt: In the first two pages of the novel, Nick Carraway claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgment." Do you find that this is true so far? Please provide textual evidence to support your position.

    The book The Great Gatsby starts off where we are introduced to our narrator of the story Nick Carraway. He claims that throughout the book he will not show any sign of him passing judgement about any of the other characters. He then proceeds to describe Gatsby as someone who “represented everything for which he has an unaffected scorn” and that “there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life”. Right away in the first two pages I get a vibe that he seems to be quite dishonest and not the man who he says he is at the very end of chapter 3 “Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known”. Throughout the first few chapters however, there are a few cases where one could make an argument that he is passing judgment upon another character. For the most part though, he seems to stick to his word when talking about anyone but Mr. Gatsby. When referring to Gatsby it is as if he puts him on a higher pedestal than the rest of the characters, and speaks as if Gatsby is like a god looking down on us mortals. This is only what I’ve noticed during the first few chapters, and I am inclined to see if his viewpoints change as we continue reading.