The Great Gatsby: Chapters 4 and 5

“Then came the war, old sport. It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life.” Ch. 4

-Gatsby was unhappy with how his life was fanning out. This may be because he was given everything he wanted in life, but he was still not happy. When people are given everything money can buy, the things that really matter get lost behind material things. This can make one feel like something is missing, but they cannot figure it out because their minds are clouded. They begin to forget that love and happiness exist outside of money and power. Without knowing what else there is besides what money has given them, it is harder to find out what can make them happy and feel like they lived life.

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” Ch.4

-Miss Baker said this as an overall description of people. She added this to mainly add an ending to the personality of Mr. Gatsby. Mr. Gatsby, because of his wealth, was often pursued; like during his parties and all his uninvited guests. However when it came to Miss Daisy, he turned into the pursuer. He wanted to see her again and find the love they had when they were younger. Many people who are often looked up to have someone in their minds they look up to and wish to follow. It can either be love, idolization, or whoever a person cares to look up to.

“I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting things. Celebrated people.” Ch. 5

-Mr. Gatsby lived alone. However, he was never alone. Keeping a house full of “interesting people” may be an attempt to try and find the fulfillment in life he is looking for. These people add excitement as well as company for a man that has it all. The social need for these people, show that Gatsby surrounds himself with people to feel part of something. Gatsby does this without knowing exactly what it is in life he needs to be truly happy. He has to fulfill each level in order to reach the overall goal.

“Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real.” Ch. 5

-Readers can begin to see how Gatsby is starting to realize what it is in life he needs to be happy. His possessions start to mean nothing in comparison to Daisy. His love for her and his need of her love has surpassed material objects.  He originally bought them impress her while also trying to make himself happy. Simply being in the room with Daisy, Gatsby’s needs are slowly being filled. This is an essential time when Gatsby has to think of tactics to keep her in his life and become the happy he has thrived for.

“Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.” Ch. 5

-To Gatsby, the light resembled the small but significant space that separated him from the love of his life. He waited years to get the courage to be around Daisy let alone talk to her. Now the light had no meaning; the distance was closed and she was there before him. He no longer had to wait to make his move. The question now is whether or not he can come up with a way to no longer have distance from her. His need for happiness and love lies within Daisy. Once the space closed between them distance is no longer tolerable.  

Week 1.3 Let Teenagers Try Adulthood Response

Leon Botstein’s Let Teenagers Try Adulthood, discusses school systems and how they should change due to the change in today’s society. The idea was acknowledged after the Littleton Shooting; when the outdated school system slapped officials in the face. There needed to be change.  In schools today, there are more coaches than regular teachers because sports get major attention.  With this increased attention in sports, student associated in sports get more advantages as well as more attention than the other students, especially in football. Studies have shown more “outsiders” become successful in life over the popular high school insiders. With such studies, some believe that less attention should be put on sports and students should be brought into the “real world” by the age of sixteen. This will eliminate middle schools and force children to mature at a faster pace.

Sports play too much of a role in the schools. Athletes are looked at with higher rank and are automatically at the top of the social network in today’s schools. These athletes are often given advantages over other students, such as the academic expectations are lowered. This causes students to pay less attention to what schools initial goal is; education. This is a problem and a reason why students not associated in sports care more about grades and often succeed at a higher standard over athletes. At the time, however, most do not look at the future as a bigger picture. The school’s objectives should have a greater impact on a student’s future rather than Friday night’s game.

Having students leave school by the age of sixteen can be positive and negative. Forcing children to mature at a younger age can increase the success rate of American students. However, leaving the house of one’s parents earlier than the current status quo can create problems when it comes to individuality. Children rely on their parents to help them prepare for the real world, so leaving early gives one less time to learn the needs for their future. Even though they may become mature, having two years less than before to prepare can be a disadvantage to one’s future,

Middle school is used as a period to get students ready for the rigorous courses in high school. Like in the article, some believe that middle school is a pointless, if not a waste of time. Eliminating the middle schools could result in a educational gap. The gap could lead to students failing to meet the academic standards by not being fully prepared for the tougher, college level courses.  These grades gave students the ability for the higher courses. Each level of school is used as stepping stones in the educational process.  Without the middle boundary, how will it improve student success rates?

Today’s society is changing and has changed from the past ten years. It only makes sense that school systems should change as well, to accommodate the modern ways. However, such drastic changes should be thought out well before taken into effect. Alternate techniques in the school system have been made in the past decade but there are problems that still need to be acknowledged.