The Great Gatsby: Chapters 4 and 5

1)"...the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn."
       - What the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to persuade the reader in this quote is that as soon as the church bells rang to start the day  everyone in the East Egg and the West Egg had descended to be on Mr. Gatsby's doorstep ready to party. When the author says "twinkled hilariously on his lawn" he means that they were most certainly not sober and were falling over, happily giggling like hyennas. When he says that "the world and its mistress" was at Gatsby's mansion, he means everyone worthwhile that lived in West Egg and th East Egg were at Gatsby's mansion.(103)

2)"But I can still read the gray names, and they will give you a better impression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him."

       - What the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to persuade the reader in this quote is that he could not generalize all these people that were at Gatsby's mansion and their characteristics so he thought that if he listed their names the reader could get a better idea of what these characters were like through . Each name that was on was at least included with a little tidbit of something about and this list helps the reader creates an image in their minds of the person that they each name belonged to. He says all of these people that were on this list probably wouldn't know Mr. Gatsby if he was right in front of their faces having a conversation with them. (123)

3)"He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American"

       -What the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to persuade the reader in this quote is that(17) in this time period that the social class that Mr. Gatsby and the narrator was in didn't have to do any really hard work or have any worries. He also says that Gatsby isn't use to heavy lifting and plays sporadic games that shows in his his movement as a restlessness. He doesn't have to strain his back with responsibilities or have any strict rules to follow. (84)

4)"...I felt that there were guests concealed behind every couch and table, under orders to be breathlessly silent until we had passed through."

       - What the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to persuade the reader in this quote that the narrator is so use to Mr. Gatsby's mansion being fulled to the maximum with people crushed in every room that it is very unexpected to see the mansion so empty and so he keeps expecting to see people hidden behind the furniture. The narrator, Nick, hasn't ever been to Mr. Gatsby's house when there is no one around so he is unnerved by the silence that fills Gatsby's house upon his tour with Daisy. He seem to keep hearing the laughing of this drunk man that is always at all of Gatsby's parties.(110)

5)"No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart."
    
        -What the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is trying to persuade the reader in this quote is that Mr. Gatsby has built up this fantasy as to how when he showed his mansion to Daisy it was going to go. He had built up this huge illusion and when it didn't go exactly as he had pictured he became bewildered. He had thrown himself into creating this illusion with all these little mundane things and Daisy fell short of some of his illusion. (82)

Total: 502 words

Let Teenagers Try Adulthood

        The author's arguement that high school should start at seventh grade and you should be able to graduate at the age of sixteen is a jest. Do you really think that anyone at the age of sixteen is ready to graduate? No they most certainly are not. Almost all sixteen year olds have just been hired to work at a job and have only just then gotten their liscense. They are just barely mature enough to get a job let alone face the world on their own without enough experience to help them on their way.

        For example, eighteen year olds are immature. However, eighteen year old generally have two years more experience under their belts than sixteen year olds do and usually spend their times trying to get their acts together for when they enter out into the great unknown. While the sixteen year olds are busy trying to raise their social status in school and improve unpon their reputation. It has been said that sixteen year olds cause a pretty good precentage of fatal car accidents when texting while behind the wheel. They are so not ready to be let loose on the world.

        The statement that in the late twentieth century the young people have matured considerably is hardly believable because it seems as though the further we progress in technology and our research, the less we actually pay attention in our day to day life. What we have actually done is we come to a point where we never really mature. Everyone thinks life is a game and that reflects on our young teens. They want the latest in styles and in technology, which in turn makes them become dependent upon the technology and they come to not rely on their intelligence too much.

         Botstein's idea of the institutions being constructed for the young adults with one subject in mind is actually a pretty brilliant idea. This would get rid of any learning problems that someone would have because the school would be entirely centered on that one subject. There wouldn't be any other things hindering their progress since there wouldn't be any other subjects to take their time away. They would be able to become more knowledgeable of the career they are going into since they have professionals to help with hands on training and in the long run these institutions would help the students become very successful in their careers.

         The claim that sixteen year old Americans should be taken serious is absolutly hilarious. To think that sixteen year olds actually want to be taken serious is even funny. If they wanted to be taken seriously they should act like mature adults not as if they just came out of elementary school. They should learn to grow up and to accept the fact that they aren't little kids anymore. No one wants an immature kid to be working with them at their jobs because they would just distract and annoy them from what they are doing. This would lead to them getting fired or them getting in trouble on their job.